As the rumbling underfoot from aftershocks gives way to the rumbling overhead of thunderstorms, new challenges emerge for a beleaguered Haiti.
The long, narrow alleyway is filled with the unpleasant muck of squatter life. At the end of it sits a boy wincing in pain from his smashed arm. This used to be his home. Ten year old Jean Guierrier sits on a pile of rubble, on the very spot where he was buried four weeks earlier when his home collapsed in the earthquake that left over 230,000 people dead.
Constant reminders “When I was inside the rubble, the concrete on top of me was so heavy,” he says as he looks at the ruins that surround him. “I thought I was going to die.”
His gaze lingers on the pillow that he used to sleep on each night. It now cradles a piece of rubble the size of a small car. He shakes his head, recalling the warm feelings of having a roof over his head and a place to call home, days that are now long gone.
A new life There is one thing that manages to bring a shy smile to his face, however. Gingerly balanced on his bandaged hand is a tent, which he received from the Compassion supported Nouvelle Jerusalem Child Development Centre where he is a sponsored child.
Jean clambers off the pile of rubble that was once his home and with his mother, Roseline, sets off to pitch their tent.
Tents and tarpaulins form part of Compassion’s continued distribution of relief material to affected children and families. It is a well-formulated plan that extends one-on-one care to children like Jean, providing hope that life can be rebuilt in Haiti.
A miracle Yet simply finding Jean after the earthquake was a minor miracle. “I realised very quickly after the earthquake struck that I would have to go on foot to every home,” says Richel Franklin, a staff member at Jean’s project. “Mobile phone coverage was knocked out. Rubble was blocking everything. Many of our children were injured, killed, displaced or had fled to outlying areas with their families. It was nearly impossible to find them.”
Since the earthquake, Franklin has been working tirelessly as part of a country-wide census team that is accounting for each and every one of the Compassion-assisted children in Haiti. They are also assessing their needs and responding with increasing measures of food, shelter, medical care and individual attention.
“My own home was partially destroyed,” he says, “and when I went out to search for children it was hard to leave my own family and their needs.” But he pressed on, personally locating and counting over 300 children. “It has been a lot of work. I am exhausted.”
Huge challenges But the work does not end there. Children like Jean need ongoing medical care for their injuries and psychological counselling for post-traumatic stress.
“After the earthquake, our staff have worked very hard to help families with the immediate needs of food, water and shelter,” Compassion Country Director Gilbaud Saint Cyr explains. “We are now working on covering post-trauma and long-term medical care while at the same time developing strategies for rebuilding.”
Despite the magnitude of the problem, Compassion’s response remains focused on one child at a time. “In the midst of this difficulty we are focusing on individual attention,” Gilbaud says. “It is why we provide individual care to every child in families who have a need.”
Despite the post-trauma stress and impending rainy season that will surely make a hard life even tougher, it works. Just ask Jean, his wounded arm freshly cleaned and dressed.
“Who would have done this for me,” he says with a smile, “but Compassion?”
Article and photographs by Sean Sheridan, Compassion International
J.John and Compassion This Spring, Compassion accompanied J.John for his tour, ‘An Evening with J.John and Friends’, to churches around the UK. As a result of this tour over 300 children’s lives have been transformed through sponsorship, by caring and committed people who want to make a difference in the life of a child. We thank God for being able to partner with Philo Trust, seeing so many children released from poverty, in Jesus name!
For more information about Compassion, visit www.compassionuk.org or call 01932 836490.
Article and photographs by Sean Sheridan, Compassion International
