Port-au-Prince, Haiti
It was sudden. It was scary. It captivated us all.
Just over a month ago, the people of Port Au Prince, Haiti suffered a catastrophic natural event that changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in a matter of minutes. On January 12th, 2010, an earthquake measuring a magnitude of 7.0 rocked the city of Port Au Prince, crumbling buildings and devastating the over-crowded and already poverty-stricken city. Poor construction of city buildings, many constructed without metal supports in the concrete, crumbled into dust. Because the epicentre of the quake was just 9 miles below the surface, the death toll in the city quickly surpassed the levels seen in Thailand as a result of the Tsunami the day after Christmas in 2004.With the death toll from the earth quake now topping over 230,000 and more bodies to be uncovered still from the damage, there simply isn’t enough food, shelter and medical support to go around in the community of Port Au Prince, so Government officials have chosen to move some 400,000 people out of the city and into rural areas where they can better control the distribution of necessities and treat the wounded and dying in makeshift clinics.
But it wasn’t all horrible news- we kept watch as the days went by and witnessed miracles. People were being pulled from the rubble 10, 12, 15 days after the quake, somehow managing to stay alive and alerting volunteers as they searched for survivors.
World-wide aid poured into the country in the form of supplies and volunteers- bringing food and supplies and people making their contributions to the cause in traditional ways like holding raffles and bake sales, and even leveraging technology like the internet and their cell phones to make donations. The world seemed to be pulling together to recognize the dire situation in Haiti and sent a message to the people of Port au Prince- “we see you and we are here to help you”.
Many of you contacted us after seeing the effects of the devastation, and we too were compelled to act. We met with individuals who have made personal connections with organizations in Haiti- some who have loved ones from the area, some who have participated on non-profit boards that supported efforts to eradicate poverty from the area, and even some who had worked in orphanages in the country as volunteers. We were approached by the Salvation Army and the International Medical Alliance, even members of Government from Haiti and the Dominican Republic. So many came to us with ideas on how to help that we decided to send two separate containers with very different contents in each in hopes of making an impact.
About Haiti
Although Haiti averages about 325 people per square kilometer, its population is concentrated most heavily in urban areas, coastal plains, and valleys. The largest population of Haitians reside in the Capital city, Port au Prince, where nearly 2 million of the estimated 9 million Haitians in the country live. About 95% of Haitians are of African descent. The rest of the population is mostly of mixed Caucasian-African ancestry. A few are of European or Levantine heritage. Sixty percent of the population lives in rural areas.
French is one of two official languages, but it is spoken fluently by only about 10% of the people. All Haitians speak Creole, the country's other official language. English and Spanish are increasingly used as second languages among the young and in the business sector.
How WSY Met a Specific Need
With the needs of the people so wide and varied, We See You is choosing to send two containers of supplies to the country- one to assist with the treatment of the wounded and dying who have been displaced, and the other filled with basic consumables to support a local orphanage and the outlying community.
Medical Supplies
We See You founder, Dr. Pammla Petrucka, traveled to Haiti recently and has seen first-hand the toll of the devastation through the eyes of health care professional in clinics close to the border of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. These community-based clinics are responsible for treating many of the wounded victims of the earthquake who are being evacuated from the city, and are doing so with dwindling supplies and very little in the way of actual medical equipment.
Because of this first-hand knowledge and the support of our partners at the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region, our first container of supplies will be tailored to meet the needs of these clinics. Hospital beds, crutches, medical tubing and medical supplies such as syringes, gauze, sutures and operating supplies will be quickly packed and shipped to the community to support efforts as soon as possible.
Consumables
We See You collected consumable items to send to displacement camps in Haiti where thousands of Haitians have been displaced to. These displacement camps are located on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince and there is little shelter, food, and clean water - makeshift classrooms, clinics and shelters have been set up in these camps. With this container, we hope to meet the needs of those who have been displaced, sending food, shelter, school supplies and infant supplies such as diapers, formula, clothing and medication. Our second container was packed in Regina on June 1st, 2010, International Children’s Day.
Overview
Community: Port-au-Prince is the capital of Haiti. Since the earthquake, it has now become the centre for major humanitarian efforts as international relief workers try to recover bodies from the rubble.Population: Nearly 2 million Haitians were residing in the capital city.
Average Income: The average wage for Haitians prior to the earthquake was $2/day. At the moment, thousands of Haitians are displaced without food and shelter, let alone jobs.
Crisis: On January 12th, 2010, an earthquake measuring a magnitude of 7.0 rocked the country of Haiti, crumbling buildings and devastating the over-crowded and already poverty-stricken nation. The death toll in the country has quickly surpassed the levels seen in Thailand from the 2004 Tsunami.
