It was one year ago that an earthquake devastated Haiti, and the country is a long way from recovery. I wasn't sure what to expect. It has been almost 10 years since my last visit to Haiti. I was in Haiti twice over a period of less than a year. At that time I spent most of my time in the Port au Prince, the region that was most greatly devastated. This time, I was going to be up north near Cap Haitien and near the DR border.
Crossing into Haiti from the DR is an experience. Crowds jam the Haiti border, and you have to make sure you secure everything you are carrying. We traveled in a beat up van with a shattered window - but still had to pay 50% more per day for transportation then we did in DR.
Driving into Cap Haitien brought back memories of my earlier trips to Port au Prince. People everywhere. Garbage piled on the streets. Filthy standing water, and sewage running in open drains right next to food vendors. Buildings in shambles - and this area was not impacted by the earthquake. It's almost too much to process.
Thankfully, there are beacons of hope in Haiti. We accompanied the Medical Mercy team to two different projects. It was wonderful to see the smiling faces of the children. According to Dr. Beyda, director of Medical Mercy, had a very positive report. Other Medical Mercy teams had been here, and the projects had been given supplies and training to combat cholera. Dr. Beyda was very pleased that they saw far fewer children facing malnutrition than was expected, and the cholera training has made a difference. Over the past year, Mission of Mercy has sent tens of thousands of dollars worth of aid - food, medicine, clothing, water purification, etc. The churches we work with have been very successful in directing that aid to people who need it - and their lives have improved.
We stayed a couple nights in Cap Haitien overlooking the ocean. At first glance, it looks beautiful. When you look closer, the beaches are filled with plastic bottles and trash. While other Latin American countries have benefitted from tourism, it's not likely to happen here for many years.
There is so much left to do in Haiti. It can be discouraging, but we must look at the impact we are making in communities where we work, and be willing to invest in the long term. We have been here for years - and we will be working in Haiti for years to come.
The Dominican Republic is not a prosperous country, but crossing back into the DR was like stepping into paradise compared to to Haiti. A sports agent and a former pro baseball player were with me, and our focus in DR was a project that has been built in a poor community. It includes a baseball field, volleyball/basketball court and a wonderful building with classrooms and a kitchen. Completed just over a year ago, you can already see signs of how this project is beginning to transform this once forgotten community. Members of the community participate in maintenance, and it is becoming a center of activity for the community.
We spent a day there, playing baseball, soccer and basketball with the kids. We started the morning with a worship service, enjoyed the activities, then concluded with a lunch of chicken, rice and beans that was prepared by women from the church. What an awesome day it was.
Every time I travel I am both encouraged and challenged. I an encouraged to see the change that is happening in the lives of children. I am challenged to do more. At one point on Saturday, I had a young boy that I sat with and held. For the next 45 minutes or so, as I walked around, he was attached to me at the hip. It was hard to say goodbye to him, but he is a reminder to me that One Child Matters.
