Protecting survivors from the rain

Last Thursday in the early morning hours it rained heavily here in Port-au-Prince. I slept right through it, but later when in conversation with a local Mercy Corps staff member, she told me the rain woke her up. “My heart fell at the sound of it”, she said. She knew the rain meant serious problems for many of the earthquake survivors who still lack adequate shelter from the rain.

That same Mercy Corps distributed plastic sheeting in the Truitier neighborhood in Tabarre to protect families from the rain. This week we went back to Truitier to revisit people who had set up their sheets. Amongst others We spoke with 28 year-old Marie Ginette Fils Aimee. Marie Ginette, a certified nurse, watched her house crumble following the earthquake. Now she’s participating in Mercy Corps’ cash-for-work program, and as a participant she automatically received one of the plastic sheets. Photo: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps

Marie Ginette, a certified nurse, watched her house crumble following the earthquake. Now she’s participating in Mercy Corps’ cash-for-work program, and as a participant she automatically received one of the plastic sheets.

Marie Ginette and her good friend Darline, also a cash-for-work participant and plastic sheeting recipient, collaborated together and set up their houses directly next to each other, sharing one support wall. With the help of her brother and father, Marie Ginette was able to get her sheet up in one day. She says there is great comfort in knowing that her family, including her mother, father, and brother, can now sleep under the sheeting and will be sheltered from the rain.

Most of us are fortunate enough to be able to take shelter and a dry bed for the night for granted. Spare a thought for the many people in Haiti suddenly left homeless through no fault of their own.