
After massive earthquake, Christians in Haiti brace for aftershocks — and bad weather
Marie Francois slept outside, despite an approaching tropical storm, for…
A battered office chair sits among the remains of the Delmas 28 Church of Christ in Port-au-Prince after the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake. A class of nursing students was studying in the building when the quake hit. A doctor who cared for members of the congregation died, as did 36 nursing students, minister Jean T. Elmera said. (Photo by Erik Tryggestad)
Today marks the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 12, 2010 Haiti earthquake. The Christian Science Monitor reports on the progress and work that remains as Haitians rebuild their shattered country.
Two years after a devastating earthquake in Haiti — an event some have dubbed the most complex humanitarian crisis of modern times — fresh signs of progress are offering hope.
Two-thirds of displaced Haitians have been moved out of camps. More than half of some 10 million cubic meters of rubble strewn across Port-au-Prince has been cleared. Schools are being repaired and rebuilt. Some 430 kilometers (about 270 miles) of roadway have been constructed or rehabilitated.
But the sense lingers that a comprehensive, long-term plan is sorely missing — even with an investment of $2.38 billion to rebuild from a disaster that killed up to 300,000 people and left 1.5 million people homeless. Many say the “build back better” mantra championed by former President Bill Clinton is nowhere near reflective of today’s reality of an often-chaotic reconstruction process.
One church-supported ministry, Hope for Haiti’s Children, sent a message to its e-mail list acknowledging the grim anniversary.
In the two years since the earthquake, our Haitian staff, principals, and church members have done truly inspirational work — from administering to the immediate needs of their people after the earthquake and during a cholera epidemic to managing construction projects as they attempt to rebuild schools, build homes and strengthen what was lost.
The ministry also sent a photo collage of the Delmas 28 Church of Christ in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
I visited the church building twice — once in 2010 when it was a pile or rubble (see related story) and again in 2011 when the rebuilding efforts were underway (see related story). Lord willing, I will return to Haiti next month to see some of the ongoing work in the northern Haitian city of Cap Haitien.
There are almost too many church-supported ministries working in Haiti to list — Healing Hands International, White’s Ferry Road Relief and Global Samaritan Resources to name just a few. If your congregation is involved in Haiti work, please post a note below.
Also, I would love to get your thoughts on ministry in Haiti. What should be the goal of churches working in this Caribbean nation? What does a good outcome look like? Do you suffer from “compassion fatigue” when you think about Haiti? In short, is there hope for this country’s future?
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