Lighten Up
I know I promised in my last blog that I was going to try to lighten up. However, I will have to point out that I did say "try" and try as I might, I just can't get there today either. I spent considerable time this afternoon on the Yahoo Haiti news site looking for anything that looked shiny, and bright. What I am fearing now is that we (the everyday, ordinary people) are not equipped to keep the kind of embrace on Haiti that it needs. I was looking for that "feel good story" or that "one bright spot" that could bolster our partners and readers who are likely getting tired of hearing the gloom and doom. The truth is we are going to have to hug up tighter than ever to Haiti for a long time.
Following are a few snippets from various news agencies and reporters on the ground:
"Haiti's children, 45 percent of the population, are among the most disoriented and vulnerable of the survivors of the earthquake. By the tens of thousands, they have lost their parents, their homes, their schools and their bearings. They have sustained head injuries and undergone amputations. They have slept on the street, foraged for food and suffered nightmares."
"This quote from a recent New York Times article emphasizes that despite their remarkable resilience, these traumatized children are at risk - at risk for malnutrition and physical and emotional health problems. And the many thousands of unaccompanied children -orphaned, lost and separated from their families - are also at risk of being abducted into illegal adoptions, the sex trade and child servitude."
"The 7.0 magnitude quake on January 12 decimated Haiti's already meager health system, creating conditions for disease to thrive in the cramped refugee camps. There are also reports of measles and tetanus, included in the resettlement camps, which is worrisome due to the high concentration of people, he said, adding that just 58% of Haitian infants were immunized before the quake."
"Few tents have been supplied to the quake's survivors. It could take weeks to get the 200,000 tents needed for Haiti's homeless, said Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue, the culture and communications minister. Haiti now has fewer than 5,000 donated tents and coordinating the aid operation remains a problem."
"Thousands of others have swarmed to improvised tent camps, where Elisabeth Byrs, an official of the U.N.'s humanitarian coordination office, said there is a "major concern" about sanitation." "About 200,000 people are in need of post-surgery follow-up treatment and an unknown number have untreated injuries."
"But survivors also face rising insecurity, with thousands of criminals on the loose after the main jail collapsed in the quake and reports of rape and violence plaguing the weak and vulnerable."
"Everyone needs something here now - first of all food. But aid distributions are complicated. People arrive at a distribution site not knowing what they'll get. They expect food. However, sometimes people line up - often for hours in the very hot sun - only to discover that they're being given delivery kits for pregnant mothers, or hygiene kits with toothbrushes and soap. it can be disappointing for a mother of five to receive a razor and bandage for the umbilical cord when she has five mouths to feed. Or to be handed toothbrushes when you were expecting your first meal in two days."
After reading article after article detailing one horrible situation after another with not one (and I really mean NOT ONE) mentioning that these situations are soon going to turn around and get better I realized that this is why the television news on Haiti has already dropped off to next to nothing. People just don't want to hear about stuff like this. That is why I wanted to find something light and appealing to bring to the PWP readers today as well. It is important to find the way to keep you engaged.
I have a friend at my home church who is fond of saying "suck it up Princess and get on with it." when we get a little whiny about things we are discussing. Usually we laugh and the conversation moves on. I was searching today for sage words that would gently motivate and inspire you all to stay interested and invested in PWP's work in Haiti. You know, that teddy bear soft kind of encouragement that feels good. That light story or bright quote that softens the harshness of the reality of what is happening to the Haitian people. Sorry, not going to happen.
What I usually think of as just kind of funny, at this moment seems like wisdom comparable to the sagest of any guru, prophet, philosopher, or even Solomon, who has held the title of wisest man to ever live for a few millenniums. So, it is my friend I will quote to all PWP's readers -I know you can take it - I know you are the tough guys we need to keep plodding through this difficult time - I know you don't care about teddy bear hugs and warm fuzzies - I know you will lighten your own load so you can help us carry the heavy burdens of our Haitian neighbors. So "suck it up Princesses and Princes and join us as we get on with the monumental task of whatever our part is in rebuilding Haiti." And, just like my friend's intention always is, I said that to all of you in love -really. Besides, if you read a lot of Solomon's proverbs and break it down to plain English, that is what he said much of the time to.
Wisdom - it will take wisdom. Let me close with a comment from a New York Time's article:
"Given the unconscionable destruction this earthquake has wrought in a country that was already in many ways shattered, every response must be meaningful and organized, and from its very inception, serious. THE SURVIVAL OF A NATION LIES IN THE BALANCE."
Peace, Julie
Posted on Saturday, January 30 2010, at 3:20 PM.