More than two years of remembrance…

Last week I had the privilege to travel to Haiti with ITV and London Tonight to see some of the HHA work, and film a few news pieces in the aftermath of the second anniversary of the earthquake.  A huge thanks to ITV and London Tonight for coming and supporting our work!  It’ll be on the national news at ten on ITV, and also on London Tonight at 6pm on Thursday 19th, and possibly Friday for London Tonight as well.

As I anticipated our arrival on the anniversary of the earthquake, I wondered how I’d feel.  Two years on, and it’s an event that has irrevocably changed and transformed my life and the work of HHA, both in good ways and bad.  It was no surprise as we sat on the runway at port au prince, that we could hear the sound of signing from a near by church, as services of remembrance scattered the country.  Arriving at the HHA site, our rehab patients and staff gathered, as the hospital paid its own tribute.  Whilst the service was in some ways understandably solemn,  the service was also filled with great hope, with Julien our administrator calling out repeatedly at the end – ‘Haiti can, everyone in Haiti can, people in wheelchairs can, people with or without disability can, Haiti can.’  He was speaking of the continued opportunity of change that Haiti can achieve.

Some days later we had the moving experience thanks to ITV to take Leon back to Port au Prince and re-unite with some of our old patients who we’d not seen in some cases for over 18 months.  It was incredibly moving seeing that room of people whom many once feared had no chance, having now achieved great feats –  a graduate in economics, a rehab nurse, a competitor in the parapan games, a carpenter, a truly beautiful mix of people.

Yet on this trip, it was to my suprise not the earthquake anniversary that most moved me…but a chance encounter with two families, physically completely unaffected by the earthquake.  Following the amazing work of our community rehabilitation team (CBR) who have been supported through CBM in the last year, we were taken a mile or so off the main road in Cap, to a collection of small, shabby huts surrounded by boggy marsh.  Cut off from all the others by dirty, stagnant water was one young family home, inhabited by two young parents and two children, including a small child with cerebral palsy.

Without too much thought, our CBR workers took their shoes and socks off and waded through the dirty waters (the only way to reach this family house), driven with a deep compassion to bring encouragement to this family.  Humbled by their sacrificial service and love for this family, after a few moments thoughts, I tentatively joined them.  Shamefully on my part, I soon found out that the water I  feared to dabble even my feet in, was the same water where this family bath their children.

After a short time of encouragement and prayer within the family home, we made our way back, greeted by another family who’d prepared a small bottle of clean water to help wash down our feet.  As we did so, a few meters further on, and another desperate family came to our attention.  A mother calling for our help, holding a child clearly malnourished and in desperate need of care.  After a short exchange it was felt best that we took this mother and baby in our ambulance to the hospital.  We later found out that the three year old child had the weight of an 8 month old, and was quickly hospitalised by Dr Toussaint.  Whilst this little life had been saved, we had to turn down many other cries of help in that community, with the ambulance being stopped several times on its way out by other families calling for assistance.  Sadly the ambulance was already full, and we made arrangement for the CBR team to return this week.

The desperate poverty of those two families broke my heart afresh by the desperate circumstances of Haiti.  Communities, completely unaffected by the earthquake and perhaps sadly overlooked, who have lived a life of disaster for more than two years.  Their suffering was founded way before January 12th 2010, and the injustice remains of not knowing how many more years such families will have to suffer in such poverty.

Never the less, in that brief moment of time, we had a small but privileged opportunity to help those two families.  Two families I’ll not forget easily.  I was filled with great pride by the work, compassion and love of our CBR team, who taught and challenged me a great deal on that trip.  They were willing to reach out in love regardless of any potential personal risk or discomfort, and in this first blog of 2012, I’d ask that you’d join with us in striving for a similar level of compassion this year.  One that’s driven by an intense love for others.

Needless to say, the ambulance was again key on that trip and in saving that little girl.  However, over this anniversary period we have been desperately seeking funds to repair our ambulance.  I’d ask, that for anyone who’s joined our stories over the years, that you’d consider making a donation today towards the continued work of HHA’s outreach ambulance service.  You can do so by donating on our donate page, or via our anniversary ambulance justgiving page, or simply by texting HHAA99 £10 to 70070.  Thank you all and God bless.