Haiti #3: On the street, when the sunsets, HIV, and photos

This past week has been intense with work, deadlines, and Haiti-related meetings. Therefore, my time to edit 3000+ photos and write new blog posts has been limited. I want to continue sharing more thoughts and reflections from our humanitarian mission trip to Haiti. Here are some excerpts from my journal.

After a couple of days on the ground, I quickly realized that the need is far greater than the help. Port-Au-Prince and the surrounding areas are destroyed. There is dust, debris, and garbage everywhere. Many times trash is burned in public places such as in sidewalks or in the middle of the street…it is intoxicating. It smells really bad. The trouble with sanitation does not stop there. Anywhere you look men and also women are urinating on the street…a serious side of need.

The streets are noisy, chaotic, dirty, and overcrowded. Being a passenger is like being part of a race…driving is insane. Never experienced anything quite like it.

Thousands of people are out in the streets with no roof, no food, and no clean water.  They are displaced with no tents, no jobs, and not much to do. Many of them are wandering and watching cars and people drive by. Sometimes they sit on the same place for hours or days.

When the sun sets, around 5-6pm, everything goes dark with the exception of a few candle lights or occasional lights powered by one of the few generators in the country. It gets dark, lonely, and dangerous. Many women have been victims of rape and sexual abuse due to the circumstances and lack of security. The percentage of HIV carriers in Haiti is very high. “Haiti is one of PEPFAR’s 15 focus countries, which collectively represent approximately 50 percent of HIV infections worldwide.”

Sometimes we forget that privilege to have electricity. Most people on developing countries don’t have that luxury and half of their days are spent in darkness. When you arrive from a country such as Haiti, you realize that we have so much. Sometimes we are not happy we what we have or complain that it is not enough. Reality check!

Street in Leogane.

People on the streets.

Some streets are inaccessible by car.

Collecting mattresses for a better night sleep.

Local street vendor.

Woman praying in front of the Cathedral in Port-Au-Prince.

Locals Kency and Esai and one of our nurses, Varleen.