Of course everyone knows that Haiti just experienced one of the worst earthquakes in history. Approximately 200,000 people have died, and the majority of those who have remained are living in poverty with low quantities of food and water. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The population in Haiti is about nine million. They mostly speak Creole which is similar to French, but has a bit of a twist.
Recently, I accompanied a team to Haiti to help out with a rebuilding project. I got to really understand the culture and see first hand the devastation that was caused by the earthquake. I’ve included a few pictures to help show the destruction, but also the culture and the people that live there. Hope you enjoy.
The national sport in Haiti is soccer and they’re really good at it. Most of the children can’t afford to buy shoes, so they will play in sandals, broken shoes, someone else’s shoes, or of course, their bare feet. The picture below is two teams that were part of a small league that was there. They’re playing on mud and the field is only about half the size of a normal field. In the background is Port-Au-Prince.
One of the cool things about Haitian culture is their art. One thing they are known for is their metal art. They take old metal barrels, cut them up and design them into masks, animals, trees, or anything else that they like. The art is beautiful and surprisingly cheap (for someone living in any other country).
The picture below showcases just a little bit of the destruction. Most of their homes were built on the side of hills. When the earthquake hit, most of the homes and apartments were destroyed. Excuse the bad lighting 
The Royal Palace was destroyed along with everything else. The second floor collapsed killing many. Many organizations are not rebuilding this. They feel the government doesn’t deserve to be living in such a well made building while the rest of the country suffers in tents.
The marketplace had some action in it. People will bring really whatever they can to sell in the market. This includes food, bricks, drinks, old appliances, umbrellas, phones, or really anything they could sell to make some money.
The dump trucks were found everywhere. They are usually full of rubble. Haiti takes the rubble and then goes through it piece by piece to salvage what they can. The process is taking longer because of this.
We stopped off at a school just outside of Port-Au-Prince to see what was happening there. The school had just received a new well from a church in Mississauga Canada.
We arrived at our destination which was Baie d’Orange. Its a small place east of Port-Au-Prince. There we helped plant a three acre garden, run a dental clinic and run a sports camp with the many kids there. The community now benefits from the garden and the have learned how to become effective farmers. One little kid is found in the picture below was renamed to the “Grim Reaper!”
The child below was found smiling at us. The rule was that if a camera was pointing at you, you had to smile. Or at least it seemed that way. They’re such happy people!
We played a soccer game with the locals while there. Over one hundred kids and adults from around the area came to watch. Most of them don’t get to see a soccer ball that often, let alone have a game being played there. It was quite the experience.
The following four shots are “beauty shots”. Take a look.
This was on the way back from Baie d’Orange. We drove through the epicenter of the earthquake. This was where the most rubble was found. The median was rubble and there was dust everywhere as that day was a humid hot day with no rain.
Haiti still needs a lot of help and thankfully there are still many teams that are taking the effort to go down there to help the people out. The rebuilding process will take many years and hopefully the country as a whole will improve into something better than what they were before the earthquake.
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
William James
