This morning Sr. Claire Marie and I hurried out the door right after our Eucharist to join two EDS students in volunteering at the city's crisis center, set up to offer practical aid and counseling to those affected by the earthquake in Haiti in some way. They were asking for those with language skills and pastoral care skills, as well as for general greeters and other helpers.
To make a long story short, many volunteers, but few takers. Very disappointing on one level; on the other hand, it was heartening to see how many people really wanted to help. And on the freeway on the way home, we noticed that the electronic billboard over the highway was giving information regarding the crisis in Haiti and how to get help - presumably contacting people, etc., though we drove by too fast for me to read much. I am glad to know Boston is trying to do its part, even if I wasn't able to do more than offer. I suppose just showing up is all one can do sometimes.
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Thank you so so much for your update. I am searching all the time for news of Darbonne and Leogane. I am curious - I worked for Global health Action that had some projects based out of the Episcopal Church in Darbonne (Pere Samuel's church). I a worried sick about the staff there. I saw you had St. Mattew's on there. Is there any way to get information on the GHA Community Health Workers staff and Goat Project staff there? This is Leigh at : Leighwynne@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteThe Goat Project! I love you guys! On my list of things to do was write a blog entry on it - which I never got to. I am combing the net trying to find something... I did hear they evacuated some Americans from Darbonne to Miami and I think I could find the names again. However, no news at all on Pere Samuel or anyone I know, which worries me sick, given the news about Leogane.. I will email you.
ReplyDeleteHere's what was on a Facebook page where people looking for people in Haiti are posting queries. It has some names...:
ReplyDeleteChrista Brelsford, 25, a graduate student from Arizona State University and
her brother Julian, 27, for 10 days working with Heads Together Haiti, engineering a plan for an erosion project. According to interviews with her brother and a pool video report from a Miami television station, she and her brother were in Darbonne, about 12 miles south of Port-au-Prince, in a two-story concrete house when the earthquake hit.
Ms. Brelsford said she remembered seeing the destruction when she was brought out of Darbonne.
Something like 23 people are at the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami, part of the Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Its a great hospital (been treated there myself) and those who are there will get treated very well.
What girl above did note that many people who lived in tin roofed houses fared well, because they could get out of collapsed housing relatively easily.
The only other blurb was that people from Darbonne brought food the 8 miles from Darbonne to people in Leogane:
" A group from FondWa arrived in Leogane today and will sleep there tonight. Janine the head cook brought John and me spaghetti from her home in Darbonne 8 miles away. We shared with the group from FondWa."