My dentist has adopted 2 children from Haiti. He got his little girl a couple of years ago, when he was newly married and doing missions work in Haiti. He has been in the process of adopting her brother ever since, and makes several trips a year to Haiti to see his son and work with the orphans. He has sat in the same room as Bill Clinton and George Bush, and worked alongside them to bring relief to Haitians since the earthquake earlier this year.
Because of the actions of several people, and due to problems such as human trafficking, organ harvesting, and child smuggling, UNICEF has put all adoptions from Haiti on hold for one year. This is the news my dentist received last week upon making his third trip in as many months to try to pick up his son. But what really got to me as he was telling me the stories of devastation was his despair at the Haitians lack of waterproof shelter. While he and his trip-mates were staying in a hotel and had a car to drive, he said the majority of Haitians are living in tent cities – but these cities are made up of anything the Haitians can find to put over their head. The majority of these coverings are not even waterproof.
What makes this especially difficult and heart-wrenching is the fact that Haiti is now in the rainy season. My dentist said it rained the whole time he was there, at times so hard that he was soaked to the bone after 3 seconds. Imagine living in that. Imagine caring for your children in that.
So, now there is a group focused on helping to bring waterproof tents to the Haitians. Of course, we want to rebuild homes in Haiti, but obviously that is a ways off, at least until after the rainy season. So for now, this is something you can do. Go to A HOME IN HAITI and give what you can – whether you can donate a few dollars, buy a whole tent, or start a tent drive in your area.
Please spread the word.
C
