Footprints

The Kids

Posted on 21 March 2010

Today was spent mostly at the orphanage.  There was a child that was weak and lethargic. In just the few days that we have been here he had visibly lost weight.  He did not play with the other kids – he just sat in the corner and stared. Adele first brought him to my attention.  After a quick examination and speaking to the housemother via the translator it was pretty clear that the little boy had worms, possibly a gastro infection and was pretty severely dehydrated.  I ventured into the pharmacy and started going through the drugs.  I found some pinworm medication and rehydration salts.  The little boy sat limp in my lap as we slowly tried to rehydrate him.  After about an hour of constantly working on him he started to perk up.  He had his sparkle back in his eye and his skin elasticity changed.  He certainly was not playing with the kids as he had in the past but he was definitely miles better than what he was.

The orphans at the orphanage are very well taken care of.  They get regular meals and there are a few American students from Florida here overseeing their well being.  The kids crave attention though.  Rehydrating the child was 75% of what made him feel better – the other 25% was having him sit in your lap as you fed him.  The way he just leaned in and sat clinging on was part of the affection that he also greatly needed.  As for the other kids – a smile, a high five or a fist pump put a beautiful smile on their face.  There definitely is a language barrier – the only word I understood was merci but the smile is a universal thing – it means the same in every language.

We went for a drive after taking care of the kids in the morning.  I thought the worst that I had seen from the aftermaths of the earthquake was yesterday.  I was mistaken.  We drove around 20 minutes outside of Port au Prince to the burial grounds.  It was hauntingly tragic to see the mounds of dirt everywhere and makeshift grave markers.  A place that resembled a “landfill” was piled high with thousands of bodies.  Dirt and garbage covered the area and a single cross with many ribbons attached to it was mounted at the top of the hill.  Everyone buried was a victim of the earthquake.

There were piles and mounds of dirt and gravel everywhere.  The authorities had dug up trenches so that as new bodies were discovered they could be buried there as well. As we walked by some of the newer trenches a very strong odour lingered in the air.  We were walking through with a couple of local guys who thought of their friends that they have not heard from since the earthquake.  Some, they knew, were buried here.  Where, they did not know.  There is no individual grave marker, there is no way of identifying where people are.  It was such a heartbreaking experience.  There was no talking while we were there or the car ride home.  It has been a lot to absorb and a lot to take in.  It will take a very long time to digest what we have experienced.

This is a country very much in need.  The students that were in College – the minds of tomorrow, were the ones that lost their lives.  With the school system still down and hopefully up and running within the next few months it will take that much longer for things to come together.  The seniors in the community will need to work longer, and the youth will have to work sooner.  Just as the little boy who ran up to our truck and wiped it down with a rag – he did not beg for money – he wanted to earn his dollar so he could help support his family.  He was forced to learn how to work at a very young age.     He was forced to do a lot of things at a very young age because of the earthquake.  Kids are resilient, they are survivors.  The Haitian children have an incredible spirit.  They are an inspiration.