Haiti

The world is reeling from the horrible news of the devastating earth quake that hit Haiti Tuesday. For me it was like hearing an old friend was in crisis. For four years I worked for Partners In Health in Boston, and had the privilege to visit its main base, Zanmi Lasante, in the mountain area of Cange, Haiti. My first instinct upon hearing the news was to contact my friend Kathryn, who still works with PIH, to find out how Zanmi Lasante had fared. Cange, where ZL is located, is a four hour drive from Port-Au-Prince, through rural roads overlooking shanty towns and up dusty mountain paths, where naked children stand waiting for cars to pass to beg for money. For a long while there is nothing and then, like a strange oasis of trees and buildings, emerges the fortress of Zanmi Lasante. People come from all over, often on foot, to seek out care. It is a great sanctuary and shelter among a countryside of intense poverty.

When we speak of poverty in the United States, we don't really know how low poverty can go. I went into areas where people lived in shelters made of banana leaves, and whose children were naked and malnourished. Many impoverished countries still have electricity, whereas Haiti doesn't. When something like a flood or fire or earth quake happens, it's like taking someone already cut off at the knees and breaking their back. When I heard news of the earth quake I already knew it was going to be beyond devastating, because I knew that there wasn't much that could withstand even a small rumble.

For those of you who are still looking for a place to donate, I would very much like to encourage you to donate to Partners In Health. They have had a longtime commitment to caring and empowering the people of Haiti, and from what I understand, they might be one of the few functioning health groups remaining within the country to offer much help. I gave and I hope you will too.