Status report

More and more Haitians from PaP are arriving all the time. Trucks, buses, tap-taps, even motorcycles bring them here. The vast majority keep going, heading to family in the countryside. The problem is that most families are already poor and can't make ends meet. We have already started seeing the effects of strained families here in our area. Folks are begging us for food and we are doing what we can.
Those who have no family end up staying in a tent city. It is shelter and there's food distributed there but the despair that I've witnessed is pervasive. The Haitians here are doing what they can to help their sisters and brothers in their hour of need. There are always a few who try to profit from the occasion but they are exceptional, thank goodness.
I've been speaking to the mayor and some other officials about building a permanent town for these displaced people. They are too busy with the current problems to listen but we'll keep trying. The big NGOs have received a lot of money and I'm hoping to see some of it used in this area for a sustainable village. The Haitians have a saying: Pa bliye nou. Translation: Don't forget us. Help us keep their stories alive and be with them as they rebuild lives for themselves in the years to come.