Disaster. Dreadful. Disturbing. Deadly. These were all terms used in describing the 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti just over a year ago on January 12th, 2010. The epicenter located 10 miles southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince, was in such proximity to the capital that it caused widespread devastation and brought all commerce to a standstill. When the dust settled and the dead were counted, 1 in 40 Haitians died and 2 out of every 9 Haitians were displaced from their homes. We all remember the images – heaps of concrete rubble with rebar sheared like grass, bodies being pulled out of the rubble and dumped in to pits located in Titanyen just north of the capital, a fragmented national capital building, churches without roofs, children without parents, Haiti without hope.
A year ago this week, I left for Haiti as a part of the medical disaster response from Aid For Haiti (see the website for photos and more details). My two weeks there left me profoundly changed. While more than 100,000 people eventually came to the aid of the people, the need when I was on the ground in Petit Goave was immense. We ran and directed a medical clinic there along with hundreds of individuals from other organizations who came to volunteer their time, their skills and their compassion for the people. When I was on the ground, medical emergencies were still present, but it was evident the long-term effects on the medical, social and economic infrastructure of this island country, already so dependent of foreign aid, would be severe.
Much has been made in the media of the delay in financial aid to the Haitian government. Recent figures show that fully 1 of every 5 houses affected require major repairs or demolition, while 1 out of every 4 need repairs to be made safe. Clearly the need for safe housing still exists. However, Haiti has faced two more crises since the earthquake. The cholera outbreak was initially publicized as “contained”, “sporadic”, and “rare”; however, when I was in Haiti during November treating patients in Potino with cholera (see the new videos on the website), it was evident that cholera is now epidemic, deadly (mortality of 7-9%) and will continue affect Haiti for years to come. Additionally, the political situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate as evidenced by the elections which were declared invalid by the international observer community and the surprise return of Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier under whose torture, thousands of Haitians suffered and died.
In light of the challenges Haiti faces, it might seem to some observers that my time and work in Haiti over the past year was at best, “only one drop of good in the sea of need”; at worst, it might seem to be wasted effort. However, as I reflect over what has taken place over the last year, and how God has taught us and used us for His glory in specific situation, I’m convinced my time was not in vain, not this year or in the years past. Despite the political, social, and medical instability of Haiti a year after its worst disaster, Aid For Haiti will continue to do what it originally began.
Aid For Haiti (AFH) began out of a desire to reach Haitians in rural, remote villages with the gospel and medical care. That desire led to the realization that discipleship of Haitian church leaders was key in meeting these goals and the Church Leadership Training Seminars program was born. At our last board meeting, there was renewed vigor and purpose as we discussed moving forward with our plans to purchase land and to build a base for our medical ministry and personnel to use as a base for teams that continue to come from Canada and USA.
As we move forward with plans to build, know that we have not forsaken our original goal of sharing the love of Christ with the people of Haiti through compassionate health care, spiritual ministry and training for service. In the months to come, you’ll see updates regarding these goals as well as our iodine treatment program, clean water efforts and new gospel methods.
Until then, please continue to pray. Pray that God would be glorified through us as we seek to serve Him. Pray for wisdom from the Lord for AFH regarding our future and our work in Haiti. Pray for our protection and for the safety of our friends in Haiti. Pray for us to be light and salt and that all of Haiti would see the hope found only in Jesus Christ.
-Caleb Trent
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