Over 1 Year Later, Memphis Still Bringing Hope to Haiti

12 people answered the call to serve with Michael Leirer, global outreach Pastor with Hope Presbyterian Church in Memphis. Leirer has led more than 70 mission trips. This is hope's fourth trip to Haiti since the deadly 2010 earthquake, a chance to bring hope to a broken world.

A look around the tent cities reveals the extreme poverty. These tiny, temporary towns popped up all over port au prince days after the January 12 earthquake. What was once an empty, rocky field at the base of a mountain is now home to half a million Haitians.

People fled the coast. They packed what little they had left from the 7.0 magnitude quake, and headed inland. The government gave them this land, and that was all the government did. The people pitched tents and tarps; 14 months later, this is home but not by choice. Life abounds under brutal circumstances.

Managing as best they can, the people do laundry, cook meals, and even take baths all in the great outdoors. There is ingenuity among the Haitians who are forced to survive with very few resources like water, which is a luxury if someone fetches it from a nearby well. There are few comforts here. Living conditions are less than humane. The people are destitute.

The youngest of the quake's victims remember moving to tent city. It’s soon for their colorful imaginations to erase vivid memories surrounding the tragic events of that day, but it’s still not enough to kill their spirit and pride.

Haiti is a country plagued with problems. Long before the biggest disaster in Haiti’s history books, the Caribbean nation of 10 million struggled to feed and house its growing and ever-expanding population.

Millions of families heavily relied on international aid for their meals. Some say this practice has crippled the country, and other developing nations. Some say for Haiti to sustain itself, it needs to rebuild the roads and infrastructure necessary to grow and sustain business.

Today, Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere. The island nation, which is slightly smaller than Maryland, is mostly rough and mountainous. Decades ago, 60 percent of the country was covered with trees. Today less than 2 percent remain, contributing to an environmental nightmare. But, the mass deforestation is big business for many Haitian men who chop trees and sell the wood as charcoal.

Eric Philbot, a member of the hope group, naturally became a project leader at the soon-to-be hospital. His background in construction was a perfect fit for him to serve here. The project took priority as more and more Haitians seek medical care, and patients are outgrowing this small, overcrowded clinic, also manned by two Americans.

Aubree Dell left her job back in Indianapolis as an ICU nurse to volunteer in Haiti for one year. “It feels really good,” she said. “It brings you a lot of joy and inner satisfaction to know that you're helping these people that have never had health care before. A lot of them you go to put a thermometer in their mouth, and they don't even know what you're doing.”

But they know its helping. Trust in the doctor and the care provided here has increased the foot traffic here.

Right now, the country is trying to control a cholera outbreak. The epidemic strain is a potentially fatal bacterial infection that causes severe diarrhea and dehydration. The disease is often spread through the ingestion of contaminated food or water. Health workers worry given the current conditions, including poor water and sanitation, a strained public health infrastructure, and large numbers of people displaced by the earthquake. Most of the patients are mothers and their children.

A small, but functional clinic is operational here with the bare necessities. One doctor and two American nurse volunteers treat 50 to 60 patients per day. The space has outgrown itself, which is why volunteers are feverishly working on a new facility. Progress was slow but steady, with everyone working together to do as much as they can in the short time they have.

Also a big help is the school house. Students are crammed into classrooms, but the conditions here are better than what existed before this school was built. Modest at most, this facility offers a much better learning environment for the kids. The school had humble beginnings, starting with just 4 teachers. 25 students have grown to over 300 children, after Pastor Pierre convinced American friends to donate money and sponsor a child.

The money also helps to feed hungry kids, some of which who only eat at school. The most begging the kids and adults did was outside of church one Sunday as Pastor Pierre handed out hot dogs, food left over after feeding volunteers.

A group of girls from tiny Chambrun village invited me to their homes to see how they lived. Battling the heat and dust, I agreed to take the trip. We arrived in the village in the blazing heat of early afternoon. No complaints from the kids, they seem to be accustomed to this tropical weather. Other kids were out