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Since the earthquake, I was glued to CNN. I tried to mentally and emotionally prepare myself....but nothing can prepare you for the level of devastation, displacement and total loss of vitality here in Haiti. We spent hours touring the city, walking in and out of tent cities. We visited two of the largest tent cities in Port Au Prince and Delmas, and the conditions are unimaginable. We saw hillsides, that used to be homes to thousands, reduced to piles of rock. The perserverence is truly a testament to the strength of these people. The unity and sense of family among the "neighbors" within the encampments is so moving. Towards the middle of the afternoon, we came upon a small tent city, closer to our offices. We interviewed many people, and found there to be only about 55-60 people residing there, and it was predominently inhabited by women and children. After leaving there, Heather and I went back to the office to reflect and talk about ideas we had. We decided that our best efforts in helping people, would be to concentrate on one area, and try to help get them back on their feet. The money donated will go to providing food immediately to all these people. We went to the food warehouse and purchased enough food for everyone to last about 8 days. With the help from Myriam, we are generating ideas to start small businesses for these women to run, in order to provide long-term relief and support for their future. The housing situation is unacceptable for most of these people. Some tents are merely a tarp strung up to two pieces of wood. We are also looking into possibly providing better living conditions for them. The need here is so massive, it is too overwhelming to look everywhere. We are building the food bags today, and conducting more one on one interviews to see how we can further assist them. I will try to upload some photos this afternoon, but we are having many problems with the internet today. I would also like to take a moment to thank DELTA airlines. When I left Portland with 150 pounds of supplies, the agent waived my fees because I was coming to help. He saved me almost $100, and I was able to use that yesterday. On a personal level, it is very hot and humid here. The nights are sleepless due to the humidity and lack of power. The mosquitos are rampid, so it is a never ending process of applying repellent, and sweating it off. Emotionally, it is heart breaking. You want to be able to help everyone. I am forever grateful to have my good friend Heather here with me, as I would be completely lost with her. We feel good about the progress we made yesterday, and hope to keep moving forward....Mesi
Feb 17, 2010

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