On the front lines of relief efforts

GlobalMedic rescue worker shares stories of heartache and hope in Haiti

“A child died in my arms as I was taking him to the hospital. It was terrible.”
In a few words, Rahul Singh describes the tragedy facing rescue workers daily in Haiti: Grueling shifts trying to bring aid to as many as possible but with no hope of succeeding – and notwithstanding this, the refusal to give up.
Singh spoke with Corriere Canadese/Tandem via satellite telephone. “Communications is still difficult, conventional telephones don’t work,” he said as he worked to set up yet another water purification system. Singh is a member of GlobalMedic. In addition to setting up makeshift field hospitals on the earthquake-ravaged island, the organization is also providing tens of thousands with access to potable water.
“That’s the key to it all,” he says, “because if people don’t have access to clean water, it’s just a matter of time for a cholera outbreak. And cholera is lethal.”
There has been fear of an epidemic for days now, with the problematic distribution of aid arriving to Haiti airports making things worse for survivors. Singh and his organization are already helping provide tens of thousands of Haitians with access to clean water, so they can drink without fear of disease – but there are still many, too many, who are beyond reach.
“To be able to help everyone, I’d need double, triple the equipment I have available.”
They are certainly not the only workers in this essential battle against time, but there are millions of inhabitants in Port-au-Prince, he stresses.
The living conditions that survivors are forced to endure are another factor in a potential epidemic.
“The situation, from a hygienic and sanitary point of view is terrible,” he said, “making everything more difficult.”
There are no washrooms in the areas where hundreds if not thousands are crammed. It’s an unimaginable situation, but the Haitians of Port-au-Prince are also forced to deal with another situation.
“Thousands of criminals escaped after the earthquake. They are now roaming the streets, and now security is also a problem.”
Many are looting in the streets – “at one point, even our convoy was targeted” – and are prepared to kill to survive.
“This is why each night the people are fleeing to the camps set up by international authorities, in search of protection.”
The streets are dangerous at night, and signs of violence are evident by daylight everywhere.
“We see bodies every morning.”
A desperate situation that appears impossible to manage, but the Haitians are not giving up and continue to fight yet another ordeal that destiny has handed them.
“It’s incredible how they are handling themselves. They are people endowed with great strength, capable of rising up,” says Singh. They are not giving up. They are first ones offering to learn how to operate the water purifying equipment, so they can begin anew and rebuild a life. It’s a strength of will that the quake may have shaken but not totally destroyed, despite the death and the pain. It’s an experience that no one, not even the rescue workers, can escape unaffected.
“I can’t ever forget the child who died in my arms,” are Singh’s parting words.

How to donate to the Haitian relief effort

• Canadian Red Cross 1-800-418-1111; www.redcross.ca

• Unicef Canada 1-800-567-4438; https://secure.unicef.ca/portal/SmartDefault.aspx?at=1211

• Global Medic: www.globalmedic.ca

• World Vision Canada: 1-800-268-5528; www.worldvision.ca/give-a-gift

• Artists for Peace and Justice 301-319-1394

• Doctors Without Bordes: 1-800-982-7903 o 416-964-0619; www.msf.ca

• United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto
416-631-5705

• Salvation Army
1-800-725-2769
Rogers Wireless and Bell Mobility customers can make 
$5 donations by texting “HAITI” to 45678. 
Donations can be mailed to Army Territorial Headquarters, Canada and Bermuda, 2 Overlea Blvd., Toronto, Ontario M4H 1P4.
Donations can also be dropped off at local Salvation Army units. Specify “Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief Fund”

• Humanitarian Coalition (CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Quebec, Save the Children Canada)
• Emergency Operation Centre Canadian Embassy in Haiti 1-800-387-3124
or 613-996-8885

• Foreing Affairs and International Trade Canada 1-800-387-3124

Publication Date: 2010-01-31
Story Location: http://www.tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=9794