Don’t Forget About Haiti

Dr. Fonie Pierre

The following account of the aftermath of the 2021 earthquake in Haiti illustrates the type of crisis addressed by Catholic Relief Services around the world. For nearly 80 years, the mission of this arm of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has been to assist impoverished and disadvantaged people of all faiths all around the world. CRS works in the spirit of Catholic social teaching to promote the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the human person. Following this piece, we include conversations with both Ambassador Ken Hackett and Sean Callahan, former and current leaders of CRS, who offer perspectives on their careers and on the work performed by the organization globally.

Iin the streets, you can still hear the music from the funerals. Everywhere you turn, it sounds like mourning. A curtain of grief hangs in the air. Overhead, helicopters shuttle in supplies. Nearby, heavy-duty construction vehicles dig through the rubble.

It has been about a month since a 7.2 earthquake devastated southern Haiti, but for those of us living through its aftermath, it feels like we’ve lived through a thousand years. The earthquake killed more than 2,200 people and injured many more. It also damaged about 130,000 homes. Alarmingly, hundreds of people are still missing. Life here in Les Cayes is challenging. Gone are many of our municipal buildings, shops, and cultural landmarks, including our cherished cathedral. Some days I close my eyes to the destruction. It’s estimated that about half a million families need support. In certain areas, 10 c21 resources | spring/summer 2022

there is significant damage to infrastructure—water systems are damaged and no longer functional, or the water is dirty and not usable.

With everything that’s happened, some people wonder whether Haiti is cursed. It can feel that way. In recent months, we’ve dealt with drought, hunger, the COVID-19 pandemic, and unprecedented political instability, made worse by persistent gang violence. As you walk the streets, you see the despair on people’s faces. We can only bear so much.

What I remember most during the earthquake is the noise. What started as heavy clanking turned into a loud rumble—like a construction truck was making its way through the neighborhood. But when the shaking began, I cried out to my 11-year-old daughter to get out of the house. Luckily, she heard me and scrambled to safety. We both did. In the chaos that followed came the hugs.

The Church of St. Anne was completely destroyed by the earthquake in Chardonnieres, Haiti, on August 18, 2021.

credit : Reginald Louissaint Jr/AFP via Getty Images

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We wrapped ourselves in our neighbors’ arms. We texted loved ones to tell them we had survived.

I’m more than just a survivor of the earthquake. As a doctor and global public health expert, I am also an aid worker for the American charity Catholic Relief Services (CRS). As we’ve surveyed the extensive damage, we’ve found hospitals overcrowded and thousands of people sleeping on the streets—either for fear of aftershocks or because they have nowhere else to go. Temporary settlements have popped up in my neighborhood and many others, including in the city’s soccer stadium. People have made shelters out of sheets, blankets, tarps, and anything else they can find, using poles or sticks as scaffolding.

Originally from Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, I’ve been living in Les Cayes since 2006. Although it’s considered one of Haiti’s biggest cities, it feels like everyone here is family. We’ve certainly come together in recent days to support each other during this tough time. In the nights immediately following the earthquake, my neighbors came together to sleep outside and share food. That first night we shared bread and avocados. The next night it was bread and bananas. Like many children who have lived through trauma, my daughter was initially too stunned to eat. Thankfully, she has slowly come back to life—joining with the neighborhood children to play.

I see hope in the work of my organization, CRS, and others that are on the ground getting supplies to those in need. I’m also inspired by the longstanding generosity of the American people, who have shown remarkable solidarity with Haiti in the past. I hope that Americans will continue to show solidarity with us, especially now, after the headlines have faded. Please don’t forget about us. Americans can help by donating to a relief organization like CRS, or by advocating for congressional support of U.S. humanitarian aid.

To be sure, we won’t know the extent of the earthquake’s damage for some time. Those of us caught up in this catastrophe are taking each day as it comes. Those outside Haiti must understand that we are more than the sum of our disasters. It might not seem like it now, but Haiti is a beautiful country with a courageous and resilient people. We live with dignity, even in the face of adversity. And when tragedy strikes, we open our hearts to each other. We share our bread. We care for one another’s children. Even if all that means is that each one of us survives another day. ■

When tragedy strikes, we open our hearts to each other. We share our bread. We care for one another’s children.

Dr. Fonie Pierre is a humanitarian and the Catholic Relief Services’ head of office in Les Cayes, Haiti. She earned her medical degree from State University of Haiti, Port-Au-Prince, and the University of Montreal.

This article was published with the permission of Catholic Relief Services.

UPDATE FROM CRS Haiti continues to reel following the devastation from last August’s earthquake described by Dr. Pierre. Ongoing economic and political unrest have jeopardized humanitarian and development activities, leaving an estimated 4.9 million in need of support. In the hardest hit areas, people are still sleeping outside in makeshift camps, exposed to the elements and traumatized by the hundreds of aftershocks that have hit Haiti since. CRS is reaching hundreds of thousands of people with emergency support, including providing shelter, rehabilitation, cash assistance, and improved access to clean water. CRS’s ongoing support also includes grief and trauma counseling. Long-term needs will include the rebuilding and repairing of homes and the restoration of vital infrastructure.