We have water in Canaan! One of the readers of last month’s letter sent the one thousand dollars needed to buy and keep water in this area of Haiti and we have had several truck loads delivered. Naturally this has made hundreds of people very happy. As we said last month, there are over five thousand people living in this camp, so the water is being used only as needed and for nothing else but drinking water.
Although very little has changed in the landscape of Haiti as far as earthquake recovery goes, there are other things happening in the country. The long contested presidential election was held the 20th of March and final numbers will be announced the 16th of this month. The two people running are of different generations. One, Mirlande Manigat, is 70 years old and is a former first lady of Haiti. The other is Michel Martelly who is best know as a musician. Manigat is very educated and known internationally; Martelly is unknown but has the youth of the country behind him. The one thing we need to pray for, is that whoever is elected can bring the country together and start the long task of rebuilding Haiti.
With the mountains where the epicenter of the earthquake was serving as a backdrop, the first picture you see is a stark reminder of all who died January 12, 2010. In this remote and barren area north of Port-au-Prince, thousands of unknown and unidentified bodies were buried in a mass grave in the days after the quake. Naturally, the picture does not capture the true feeling of being there or the thoughts that go through your mind while standing there. The black crosses you see are not on actual gravesites but were placed there on the anniversary of the quake by those wanting to create a memorial for those who died just over a year ago. The picture also does not show the entire area of the gravesite. It is actually about 3 acres in size and is covered with white gravel. A large cross has been erected on a near by hill, overlooking the site. Standing there, thoughts of that day certainly flood your mind and the terror that came with it. There are also thoughts of thankfulness and how much those of us who made it through the day unharmed were and are blessed to even be talking about it.
Just around the corner, to the left, is camp Canaan — the promised land — a sprawling camp of five thousand and eighty one people who were left homeless by the quake. Canaan is now their home, but one where nothing is promised — not even a cool drink of water. In the days following the quake these people, not knowing where to go, came to this area, owned by the government, and staked out a small piece of land to live on. As you can see, homes consist of tarps or battered tents, donated by the government or the UN. No aid has reached this camp even though it is on the main road to the north and very reachable.
