Story & Photos by Caleb O’Halloran
Devastated by a massive earthquake in January 2010, the nation of Haiti is finally beginning to recover. I’ve visited the country twice—once in September 2010 and once in March 2011—with a team from Solid Rock, a Christian church in Portland, Oregon, and I’m beginning to see improvements made as the nation moves forward.
Last September, as I rode from the airport in the back of a truck, I was hit with the overwhelming experience that is Haiti. I had to breath through my shirt as the smell of sewage and garbage running through the street began to bother my gag reflex. Even the most unaware of people could feel the sense of depression that was unanimously shared by the entire nation. The rubble piles in the streets and the collapsed buildings still remained untouched. It was as if the disaster had happened the day before, instead of eight months ago.
Haiti had become a nation full of broken spirits; they seemed to feel hopeless and who could blame them? The BBC reports that more than 217,000 people were killed and roughly 1,000,000 made homeless by the earthquake. In a country of only nine million, the earthquake impacted every single person.
However, as with all tragedies, life goes on. Over time, the Haitian people slowly but surely began to adjust. With very limited help from the government, citizens have taken it upon themselves to improve the condition of their homeland. Upon returning six months after my last visit and fourteen months after the earthquake, I can see how progress is finally being made. Roads are cleaner, rubble has been hauled away, bodies have been removed, and spirits are higher. The nation has seemed to adopt a type of “underdog attitude,” taking their tragedy as a challenge to conquer.
During my first visit in September, the people of Haiti, depressed and broken by the state of their homes, just watched as my team worked. But now, the Haitians have finally found their own desire to help themselves.
Throughout the week in March, we constructed five homes in the areas surrounding Grace Village, a tent city that sprung up outside of the capital. Instead of sitting back and bleakly looking on, Haitian men began to work with us. Eager to grab drills and paintbrushes, the Haitians wanted to help as much as they could. It even got to the point where we had more people wanting to work than we had tools. Such energy reflected what Grace Village community leader Danny Jeune told me during the trip: the level of ambition in the area had never been higher.
Haiti, as a whole, is finally improving. The nation is relying less on foreign aid and is beginning to become more self-sufficient. What I saw during my trips could be the first faint signs that Haiti has begun the long trip down the road to recovery.
 
 

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Caleb O'Halloran