Below is a picture of a tent city just before sunset in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
The degree of displacement and trauma from the earthquake five months ago is visible everywhere. Less obvious, is the complexity involved in relief and development in Haiti:
– The hospitals in danger of having to close because of all the free medical assistance which has come to Haiti – How do the Haitian hospitals compete?
– The mothers selling clothes on the side of the streets who are affected by large scale handouts of clothing. How do they make a living?
– The men who lose income from shoveling and discarding rubble because of the endless stream of church volunteers eager to help out. How do they find work?
The long term recovery and health of Haiti is a topic more convoluted and complicated than I’ve ever tried to wrap my brain around.
We’re here at the World Relief offices in Haiti with 8 other pastors, the CEO and his wife and several technical experts from World Relief Baltimore. Our task is to learn, engage the conversation and, ultimately, help craft a collaborative vision for how North American Churches can partner with Haitian Churches in the long term rebuilding of Haiti.
I don’t think we’re going to be much help. The World Relief staff here is amazing – I just want them to tell me how I can help them, and I’m in.
