As most of you know I traveled to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti in February document humanitarian work at an orphanage. Needless to say it was a very long trip. Traveling with me were two members from the organization Mission Love Seeds.
VIDEO QUICK CLIP
Jimani Border
The half of the wall that's still standing guarding the Diakonos orphanage
Before heading to bed we managed to get the tents setup.
Orphanage wall destroyed by earthquake. Haiti February 2010
Though the trip was long, it was productive. I did learn it is not easy to get to Port-Au-Prince, especially when there are no commercial flights. We had to fly to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, then take a ten hour bus ride to Port-Au-Prince. Three of those hours were spent crossing the border at Jimani. Though Jimani is one of the main border crossings into Haiti, it is a complete mess. I can see why it is nearly impossible to get supplies in via the Dominican Republic.
From my Twitter Feed…
“Loaded on a busload of people from all over world making their way to 5:55 AM Feb 9th via txt”
Still at border at Jimani… #Haiti 1:35 PM Feb 9th via txt
Still on bus… must be close to PAP. #Haiti 5:13 PM Feb 9th via txt
While in Santo Domingo we met up with Martine and Jean Luc, representatives of the Diakonos International orphanage in Haiti. This is the orphanage we will be visiting in Carrefour, a city to the west of Port-Au-Prince.
We arrived in Port-Au-Prince sometime that evening. Two vans were waiting to carry us to the orphanage in Carrefour. Because it was night and there was no electricity in Port-Au-Prince, we could not see the devastation left by the earthquake. Our van crept slowly through the city weaving to avoiding rubble and parts of buildings laying in the streets. Our headlights provided the only source of light giving us the occasional glimpse of the destruction all around us. Though one of our vans broke down and the other overheated we managed to make it to the orphanage.
Like most homes in the area there is a large wall surrounding the orphanage. In the dark of night we are ushered through a large gate where thirty kids are waiting to greet us. They welcome us with a song.
The orphanage sits on a corner lot approximately fifty by one hundred feet. A concrete building sits on one side and the rest consist of a small courtyard. An eight foot wall surrounds the small compound with two gates opening into the street. Half if the wall however was destroyed by the earthquake and concrete and rubble fill the courtyard.
Because the orphanage building is unsafe the children must sleep outside. Mission Love Seeds brought several tents that were donated before leaving which we setup before going to bed. A small slab of concrete has been swept off and each child has a 2×4 foot UNICEF mat and blanket they sleep on each night. This is also where we will sleep.
PART II… next post
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RESOURCES
Diakonos International
Mission Love Seeds
Guards at the gate of the Jimani border crossing into Haiti. February 2010
As we enter Port-Au-Prince the streets are lined with vendors as people shop before the sun goes down. February2010
Tents that were donated were setup in courtyard for kids to sleep. February 2010 Haiti
A child gets ready for bed in one of the new tents. February 2010 Haiti
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I see a lot of hard work and heart in you photos.
It helps bring it home and make it real.
Blessings
Boy howdy. I can now grasp the idea of a photographer — just those images, even; no words at all — making a profound difference in the way people see a thing that is far away, geographically, culturally, economically.
Superb stories, those pictures.