News from Haiti

[Phyllis Kalifeh]

Meg Wallace joined Paige Ellison-Smith and Paige's son, Thomas this
week in Haiti. Below are Meg's impressions and update from her first
day in Haiti. We wish Paige, Meg and Thomas godspeed and favor this
week in their work on behalf of Project K.I.D. and all the children
whose lives they will touch.

From Meg:

First off I will tell you that I am incredibly hot and seem to sweat
more than anyone I have met here...  OK, now I am through
complaining. 
 
First day we drove to Caange to bring a Project KID kit.  Paige and
her workers taught and demonstrated how to work with the items with
the children.  The hospital began with Dr. Paul Farmer (Harvard grad)
building roads up the mountain back in the 1970's..  Not an easy
task.  The ride takes about 1.5 hours and it is back breaking most of
the way.  We had a great time stopping along the way and bringing
smiles to the faces of many children.  We handed out candy, small
beach balls and kids jewelry and hair clips. 
 
On the way home, we did not stop to hand anything out, but I was
carefully watching all of the sites as we went down the road.  Many
things surprised me, but none more than seeing the lack of modesty
that the people had.  Children were often seen naked or without pants
or underwear.  Many were taking baths in tubs outside for anhone to
see - even some adolescents.  What I saw in their faces was powerful
to me.  I saw a kind of "want" that is hard to describe. Just that
they knew we had something they wanted - can't explain it.
 
Their houses are nothing more than a tent or some of the more
fortunate have some wood put together to cover a roof..  They have
almost nothing by American standards, but yet are a gentle, polite
group of people.  Inside Port au Prince, things seem more desperate,
but out of the city people seem more laid back and not as frantic. 
 
There are dogs roaming the street - many with all their ribs showing
and all looking for food... there is none for them.  On the way to
Caange we saw many animals tied up in the fields including cows,
horses, donkeys, goats chickens, and pigs.  I was surprised to see so
many animals, but glad to see they had them for eggs, milk, and
transportation.
 
One surprising site to me, but not to the people with me was the work
of dragging a truck up from the bottom of a deep ravine.  They were
still working on it when we returned many hours later.  We were told
that the man driving the truck was not injured - hard to imagine.  I
can certainly understand how easy it is to fall of the side of the
road.  The roads are not well maintained, narrow, and the evidence of
many rocks that have fallen down the sides.  I had to close my eyes a
lot of the way and get my mind somewhere else.
 
Today we are going to a tent city that is said to be desperate.  We
are going with the New Life group (where we are staying) to pass out
supplies.  I imagine this will be my first real experience with
extreme nothingness.  I have been told there are infants with mothers
who have no shelter- not even a tent.  I hope my story about today
will not be as heart wrenching as I expect it to be.
 
I love you all very much.  Remember to be grateful and to love your
fellow person.

Meg