“Seeing Hope”

At first glance its hard to see hope for the people of Haiti to overcome the tremendous odds they face.  A country already suffering from some of the most extreme poverty and underdevelopment in the world gets hit with a natural disaster that takes the lives of 300,000 of its population and nearly wipes out the little infrastructure it had to begin with.  It would be one thing if these people were trying to rebuild a nation from scratch, but its actually much more difficult then that.  The Haitians are trying to rebuild a nation hidden and buried underneath piles of rubble, trash, and at one point, the bodies of their loved ones.

After seeing with my own eyes the trash infested rivers, streets and coasts, the destroyed buildings and mounds of rubble that still remain today, the mass grave of people that have left so many sad family and friends behind and the lack of any government support, one could make the argument that it would be easier to simply displace the Haitian people to a more modern country with the resources to support them.

The fact is, amongst all the pain, destruction and sad memories, there is hope for the people here in Haiti.  There is hope that they will not only survive here, but that they will grow out of this current dire state and make better lives for themselves. I know because I’ve seen it.

I see hope in the missionaries, families and friends that come to Haiti and provide essential services like installing filtration systems for clean water, sewing blankets and clothes, or simply visiting the sick and dying to give them the love they deserve.

I see hope in certain initiatives, like the one that allow people to turn in plastic bottles for money.  Sure there is still trash in the streets and waterways, but you will not find a single plastic amongst that trash.

I see hope for the people of Haiti in the organizations that are not concerned with turning a profit but are focused on using their resources to build sustainable future for the Haitians in the form of farms, schools and medical care so that eventually the population will be healthy and educated enough to control their own lives.

I also see hope in the Haitians themselves because they have never given up, even when it would have been so easy to do so.  I am honored and humbled to have made friends with those who have lost loved ones in the earthquake and its aftermath. I see hope because many of them have chosen to volunteer their time rebuilding their homeland and helping their people when it would be much easier to simply shut down and feel bad for themselves. I see hope in the Haitian children who are still eager to go to school and learn even though many have no parents to make sure they get their homework done.  These kids are the future of Haiti, and that gives me hope.

The fact is, if you take the time to look a little closer, there is a lot of hope that Haiti will one day be lifted out of its unfortunate state.

Nate Baller 

Healing Haiti Team Member