“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9,10
Hi! This week has been a week focusing on security. On Thursday evening around midnight there was knocking at the gate. A group of men were out front and wanted the guys to open the gate. They were scared to approach the gate. A drunk on the corner named Papite came by and told the men that we lived in the community a long time helping people and that they would have to kill him to be silent. He told them if they injured him and put him in a hospital he would denounce them one by one from his hospital bed. This was a bold thing for Papite to say and it appeared that the men at the gate listened to him because they left and the rest of the night was silent. We made a small repair to the front wall on Friday. Some of the top row of blocks had fallen during the earthquake and the barbed wire was hanging loose on that section. We put new blocks in place and cemented the barbed wire that was loose to the top. The only way anyone can get in at night is to force their way in.
Friday evening the guys slept outside and on the roof of the house to help keep watch. At 1:30 am Saturday morning we were awakened by gunfire close to the house. I jumped out of bed and looked outside but nothing was going on in the yard. Junior was on the roof and saw a couple of vehicles. We heard a vehicle drive down the road after 4 shots were fired. There was silence again after that. We were discussing who this vehicle could be the next morning and everyone thinks that it was the “Brigade Civile”, a group of people who provide security to the area. We don’t know who they are but they were helpful especially in the first two weeks after the earthquake. During those weeks we would hear them drive down the street at night while we were sleeping in the yard and shoot on the street corners to let people know that they were around. They are very ruthless and mean business. 2 thieves that they had caught on the street the first week after the earthquake were tied up and dragged behind their vehicle and driven down the road. The next morning one was dead and the other half-dead from his injuries. When the bodies were loaded into the back of a pick-up truck an AP photographer told them that one was still alive. The man’s answer was that he wouldn’t live and that they were going to the morgue not the hospital.
Early this morning we were awakened by shooting again. This time 6 shots were fired and a vehicle drove off again. The UN is not a presence at night here in Haiti and the Haitian police cannot patrol all streets through the night. This is why people have security guards and our neighborhood has the “Brigade Civile”. Right now we are looking on them as our guardian angels! Pray for security in our neighborhood.
The downtown area has seen an increase in crime. People are robbed by criminals who are easily able to get away. The police try to respond as best they can but usually by the time they arrive at the scene of a crime the thieves are long gone. The UN is here but don’t set up walking patrols especially in the downtown area. The only time you see them is going down main streets in tanks and driving around in vehicles. There is no effort made by them to stop and check on things. We only see the UN police standing on street corners watching traffic go by. The UN is going to need to change tactics if they want to stabilize the country especially during the next 6 months as Haiti heads towards presidential elections. Pray for the UN forces, that they see what they need to do.
A mother came to our house with her 3-month-old baby who has a developing hydrocephalus. We took down her information and registered her with Project Medishare for the next assessments, which will hopefully be in a couple of months. Jansika Oxima and her mother and 4-year-old sister live in a refuge camp in the Delmas 31 area. The father died during the earthquake and the mother is having a difficult time. We assisted the family with food. We will be visiting this refuge camp this week. A woman’s group spokesperson in the area says that there are other handicapped people there who need assistance as well. Pray for Jansika and her family and other babies who were born after the earthquake and living in refuge camps.
Angela and Mike were able to help out in the pediatrics room at the Project Medishare Hospital. Mike helped out one day and Angela 2 days. They were kept busy! Pray for the program at Project Medishare. They have lots of work ahead of them in expanding the hospital. 5 of the hydrocephalus children from the recent hydrocephalus surgeries returned with post-op infection problems. It was good that they could be received and helped at the hospital. Even in Canada post-op complications occur after these types of surgeries. One of the children who died in the hospital this week died of Diphteria, a sickness that can be avoided through vaccination. Cases of malaria are also being treated. As the hurricane season progresses, these 2 illnesses are very much a concern for medical people.
Junior is doing better now that he is on medication for tuberculosis. He is starting to get his appetite back. His sister Dorly comes and visits him.
The World Cup is watched by a lot of people here in Haiti. We bought the guys a shirt of their favorite team. Most chose Brazil. Manu picked Spain. I don’t think his team has a chance. It is good to see that Holland won their first 2 matches! Wherever you see a television you will see a crowd of people watching the game, no matter what team plays. It is good that the World Cup is here because people are saying that once it is over the political protests start again!
The Natural Disaster Risk Index (NDRI) was released by Maplecroft at the end of May and this report ranks 229 countries according to the human impact of natural disasters in terms of deaths, the frequency of events, as well as the likelihood of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, storms, flooding, droughts, landslides, extreme temperatures and epidemics. The riskiest nations are Bangladesh, Indonesia and Iran, Haiti is in 8th place; United States is #37 and Canada is #107. If you want to live in a country that is not risky you will have to move to Liechtenstein!
That’s all the news for today. Have a good week!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
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