Day 7
Today we visited four schools in Leogane and Carrefour, two other cities profoundly affected by the earthquake. The buildings we visited were in various states of damage – all probably unusable.
But despite the devastation, there were signs of hope and possibility. At one school, community members had taken the iron sheets from the roof and were building a temporary shelter to house equipment and supplies they had recovered from the building.
At another school we saw a garden that the community, supported by Outreach International, had developed to provide food for children in the schools. It was encouraging to see that the beans were just about ready for harvest.
I came away feeling that with the help of generous people around the world the Haitian people will be able to organize the recovery of their country. Already there are small local initiatives to manage the impact of the crisis, but they need our support and investment.
Day 8
My last day in Haiti. I returned to the UN Logistics Base with new eyes. When I first arrived, I had little idea of what lay ahead of me – only that I would be sleeping in my pup tent at the end of the runway. After a few days out in the field, I have a better sense of the immense challenges that people face here.
But I am also aware that I have enormous privileges of wealth, class, race and education that allow me to hop on a UN plane out of here this afternoon. Few people in Haiti are so lucky and are stuck in terrifying circumstances that I can only barely imagine.
As our plane lifted from the ground, as the tents of the UN humanitarian camp receded into small, multicolored dots, I felt an immense sadness and tiredness. I felt guilty for leaving, for the immense inequities in the world that enable me to fly while others cower under tarpaulins. All the other passengers on the plane looked similarly exhausted – there were few conversations, mostly contemplative silence.
Back in London
I write this final installment of my Haiti journal almost a month following my departure from Haiti. I have been back in London, frantically trying to organize Outreach International’s response, raising money and preparing for my next visit.
In some ways, it has been easy to settle back into the comfortable routine of a pleasant metropolitan existence. I get to eat great food, go to the theater, watch movies, hang out with friends and enjoy walks through the city.
