A Tale of Three Camps

Port-au-Prince Haiti--I remember listening to a young man a few years back who grew-up in one of the largest townships in South Africa and the painful emotions that easily came to the surface as he recalled his youth living in a tin shack with over a million others. There were dangers and hazards from things that we don't think much about like rain, mud, fire, water, food, and disease... As we were working in the tent camps of Port-au-Prince, this young mans words often came to my mind.

This summer during the World Cup, OneHope has been hosting Soccer clinics in many places of the world; South Africa, Columbia and Haiti just to name a few. This particular week I found myself in Haiti as part of a media team from OneHopes office, also with us was a former soccer player from the Haitian National Team. The World Cup has been a huge diversion to the everyday realities of being homeless in PAP. Everywhere we went were Brazilian or Argentinian flags. Traffic seemed to lessen during their games. Cheers could be heard everywhere when one of those teams were playing. We were there to give the kids an outlet to be kids and to bring some hope. We gave out a special Champions edition of the Book of Hope as we interacted with many of them. Check out OneHopes video on the experience as told through Ricardo Pierre-Louis.



The first thing you notice when landing in PAP are the blue tarps that are everywhere throughout the city. In any available lot you will find tents and tarps, makeshift toilets and showering facilities and lines of people. At six months out from the earthquake and you will not see new construction but rather piles of rubble. Some buildings are slowly and carefully being taken down, piles of broken cement and trash are slowly being taken out, but that is all. The scars, the cracks, the pain all very evident. And yet there is still pockets of joy and hope for a better life.

We were in three different camps. Three camps that couldn't have been run so very differently. I hate to say the horrors we saw in the first camp. Pigs running around in the garbage, open sewage, a mishmash of tents one on top of the other as they went up and down the hillside.  A long line for buckets of water. I know a few phrases in Creole and my French helps a little bit here as well so I began asking the kids how they were. At this camp almost every answer was "mal" or "faim" (bad or hungry). There had been a recent Typhoid outbreak here and most kids came begging for anything that we could give them. Our clinic got under way in the only open space available with a few drainage trenches and trucks that would periodically come through. For a few hours these kids had smiles as they ran and jumped and played a game they all love with a passion.

The next camp was on the outskirts of town in a large empty field away from everything. The tents were uniform and large all stamped with World Visions Logos. The facilities were all according to standards. The kids did not beg but were all smiles as we led them through drills and games. The day ended with a double rainbow over the camp and a GodMan showing in one of the areas designated for such activities.

The next day we spent at the Petionville Golf Course. One of the larger camps in the city. This one was run mostly by several different American Groups. We saw tents with USAID logos as well as Compassion and Samaritans Purse. The medical area was run by Sean Penn's Aid organization J/P HRO. It seemed like a large city of tents running in and out of the trees and over hills. The grass was long gone but the trees remained providing some relief from the heat. There was drainage for the water and proper facilities but this place also had all the markings of a community: a church, stores, hair salons, medical clinics, and playground. We had a very small area for our soccer clinics but we made the best of it. Argentina had just won their game as we could hear cheers throughout the area. Immediately afterwards kids came from every direction eager to show their skills with the ball. And for a few hours we had a captive audience of not just the kids but many adults watching and listening with interest.

 

The good news about the young man from South Africa who grew up in the townships is that he found help, hope and a way out. In Haiti we had balls, nets, adults that were willing to spend time with them, some water, a snack, and a book about the greatest Champion of all time... these adults will go back and continue to work with the kids. Continue praying for this nation and do whatever you can as you are able.

Photos can be found on FB or Flickr.
Next up Peru...