La Montagne, Jacmel January 23, 2010

This morning we visited 80 children that we work with in Terre Rouge, La Montagne located in the mountains, approximately 40 minutes by car from the major seaside city of Jacmel. Jacmel suffered significant damage and casualties in the earthquake and we wanted to check up on our kids in Terre Rouge. Upon our arrival we were relieved to learn that all of our kids were accounted for and none were wounded! After discussions with the children and a walk around town we learned however, that many homes had been damaged or destroyed and, similarly to many Haitians today, many families in Terre Rouge are also now homeless or have damaged homes. It is interesting to note that the reason that there were no deaths in Terre Rouge is most probably due to two significant differences with major cities: (1) all the houses in Terre Rouge are small one story structures with corrugated metal roofs supported by wood joists and rafters (thus roofs did not cave in and the walls fell outwards) and (2) most people in Terre Rouge work outdoors in their yards or in fields during the day and spend very little time indoors until later in the night.

In addition to damages to homes, as we expected, many families in Terre Rouge are having additional economic difficulties due to the severe crisis in Jacmel. Jacmel is the center of economic exchange for Terre Rouge and the area of La Montagne generally. Therefore, to help families get back on their feet, we provided each child with enough bulgur wheat and spaghetti to bring home to help feed a family of four for approximately a week. We also provided the community with a first aid kit and medicine (to be managed by a town nurse who is a member of Rural Haiti Project) to treat the children in case of sickness and wounds in the future. We will conduct a similar visit on Wednesday, January 27th with the children we work with in Kaminette, near the town of La Vallée de Jacmel.