Haiti Take 2: Delmas Region
Port-au-Prince has 3 mayors, each responsible for a different part of the city. On Wednesday, we had the privilege of spending the day with the Mayor of the area known as Delmas, Jean Gael. He and his advisor spoke candidly about the people, history, and challenges of Haiti. He took us to one of the slums in his region so we could see first hand both the progress and obstacles that exist. Concrete houses line the hillside as far as the eye can see. There is currently a very small clinic, church, and school for the tens of thousands of people in Delmas.
Jean showed us a new school and church that will be larger and more accessible to the people. He also took us to an empty building that will be the site of the first hospital in that entire region. It is empty right now, but his dream is to have it be a fully functioning medical facility. Many of the pictures below are from the 2nd and 3rd floor of this building. The first picture is a view of the future hospital.
As we drove, the main streets looked like a big market. I asked the Mayor how we were to get through. He said they just keep honking and eventually everyone moves! So that's what he did, and we drove right through the huge crowd of people, it was pretty amazing!!! Standing on the rooftop taking the pictures you will see below, I got lost in the sounds of barefoot kids playing in the streets, the smell of fried food cooking on the corner, and music blaring from open windows. Although I was taken back by the sadness of their circumstances, I was inspired by the resilience and hope on their faces. My next posting you will see a very different story in one of the villages we visited, so more to come!
