News from Haiti

I received a phone call from Elena this morning and we were able to chat for a few mintues. She said that she is no longer in the capital because their team went to a town called Leogan in the suburbs of Port-au-Prince where they had contacts in an orphanage that needed assistance. She said that things in the capital are still chaotic, as well as saturated, and that help is not reaching those that are in the suburbs. She will be there until Wednesday, February 3, which is when she will return to Santo Domingo and will then send us more stories, information and videos on her time in Haiti.

She said that the orphange that they are in had about 80 children and that only one girl was killed when the orphanage collapsed on them. The orphanage now has the children that survived, as well as those from the capital whose parents have died in the earthquake and have no one to care of them. The MOSCTHA & MUDHA team is there with them now and took clothes, food, water and even some toys to bring some smiles to their faces. She said that they continue to give medical attention to those that need it, but they are focusing most of their attention on the children. Providing them with basic necessities, as well as affection, classes on hygiene, what water they can drink, etc... She said that the kids are amazing and that despite their pain and their sadness they are still able to smile and laugh, especially when they try teaching her to speak in Creole!

That being said, there is still an underlying fear behind their smiles. This can be seen in moments such as when there was another aftershock and one of the walls in the orphanage collapsed. The children woke up and many started to scream and cry and several soiled their pants. She said that despite the volunteers own fears, they are trying their best to put a smile on their faces for the children who have already suffered so much. They are all currently sleeping outside in tents to take precaution and trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy for the children, as much as they possibly can considering the present situation.

It´s so important to keep on helping and to not forget the people of Haiti. She recently worked on a proposal with the MOSCTHA & MUDHA team that was sent in and approved by an international organization asking for money that was accepted and that will allow them to keep on working and helping. Let´s keep on helping them to the best of our ability!