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Haiti Update 2: Handing out supplies in a bedsheet city

Posted on 22. Feb, 2010 by Brett in God

One of our guys, Matt, came to Haiti several times in high school and has a friend here, Bienami, who runs two orphanages and a medical clinic. We jumped in his jeep and headed to his orphanages, both completely destroyed in the quake. We got off the main roads and onto gravel streets where cinder block walls had tipped and spilled into the roads. Walls are everywhere in Haiti. High walls. After awhile we came to a dead end. He stopped, looked at us and said, “This is where I was.” We knew what he meant.

We got out, hopped over a broken metal gate and into a courtyard. We stared at a boys’ orphanage and a girls’ orphanage, both leveled. Massive grey concrete slabs—the roofs—crunched up and sloping towards the ground. One of Bienami’s friends grabbed a broom and knocked a papaya out of a tree. Behind him, Bienami’s truck sat, crushed and permanently entombed in the garage. He was in the girls’ orphanage with 30 children when the quake hit. He felt the shaking and said that God told him to shout, “Everybody out!”. The roof collapsed, but miraculously everyone survived. Only two children had minor injuries.

After we left we told Bienami we needed to find a place to distribute some of our supplies. Our company, Booster, donated some shirts, small backpacks, and some flashlights. Bienami knew right where to go. We found a very small bedsheet city (different from a tent city) of about 100 people. Bienami hopped out first. We knew we needed him to help us get organized, because gun-slinging relief supplies can turn into total chaos. As soon as we stepped out of the car, we were swarmed. Little kids, teenagers, and grandmas—desperate hands tugging and tapping on your shoulders to your ankles. Lots of yelling. My heart rate picked up a bit. Somebody barked out some orders in Creole, and everyone hurried back into the camp where we set up our distribution spot. Bienami pushed through the crowd, leaned in and said, “They want to know if you have anything for a newborn baby.” My heart sank.

I made trips back and forth from the Jeep as we continued to hand out supplies. Anyone could have opened the back of that car, grabbed our boxes and gotten away. Never happened. I was amazed at the politeness of the people. Even as they were pressing in for help, they weren’t overly aggressive, just desperate. And there’s a difference between desperate and aggressive. Not one time was I pushed or shoved. I never felt threatened. No one got angry when we ran out of supplies. And we ran out, quickly. It’s a terrible feeling to give out that last item. We pushed through the crowd towards the Jeep. They followed us. Bienami cranked the car and we slowly pulled away.

Down the road I asked Bienami if he was ever scared. He laughed and said no.

“They are very desperate people,” he said. “They just knew this might be their only chance to get something.”