Haiti
Orphans Lives Shaken by Haiti Quake
The orphans at Foye Ti Zanmi Jezi (Little Friends of Jesus) were crammed in the TV room watching a documentary on the lives of children in France when the earthquake struck.
On the first violent shake the older children grabbed the younger ones and carried them down the flight of stairs that led to the open courtyard below. Huddled together the children, ages 3-19, watched as the two-story structure bucked under the pressure of the 7.0 magnitude temblor.
Children at Foye Ti Zanmi Jezi Orphanage saw the orphanage and its adjacent school completely collapse during the earthquake. All 52 children, ages 3-19, ran out of the building when the quake started and no one was injured. Photo by Sara A. Fajardo/CRS
By the third vicious shake, the floor with the TV room and their bedrooms collapsed into their warehouse and Sister Elizabeth Eloi’s room below. Their adjacent light blue two-story “Bienvenue Mes Cheries” schoolhouse also caved into desks and benches, leaving rubble where walls once stood. The warehouse was stocked with food provided by CRS.
In less than a minute the orphans lost everything. Their bedrooms—gone. Their schoolhouse—gone. Their indoor kitchen—gone. Yet the group’s quick-thinking teenagers assured all 52 children survived.
These days they are sheltered by the shade of a large Lilac tree as they play on the concrete courtyard that remains. Small two-piece puzzles, cards, a Monopoly set, and a plastic xylophone, on which they repeatedly pluck out the same refrain of Frere Jacques, “are you sleeping, are you sleeping? Brother John.” are the toys with which they idle away the hours.
The four Missionary Servants of the Sacred Heart sisters try to keep the children occupied: they sing songs and play games to distract them from memories of the earthquake. But when night falls, the chatter begins.
A girl enjoys a drink that was part of a CRS food delivery to the Foye Ti Zanmi Jezi Orphanage. The orphanage and its adjacent school completely collapsed during the earthquake. Photo by Sara A. Fajardo/CRS
They sleep in two large canvas tents or under the cover of a starlit sky. Their numbers have swelled to 90. Concerned neighbors and parents with no homes or prospects of work have left an additional 38 children for safekeeping. This improvised camp is no YMCA slumber party. Each night the sisters spray the air with clouds of mosquito repellant to ward off malaria.
After evening prayers, those who are able, find a spot in the tents, while the others make their beds on the trampled lawn. During the day there are no tears, no stories of life pre- and post-quake, but when it comes time to sleep the answer to “are you sleeping, are you sleeping?” would be a resounding no.
The children talk late into the night, whispering softly from makeshift bed to makeshift bed, perhaps recounting how life has changed in justa few weeks.
CRS partnered with the Little Friends of Jesus orphanage long before the quake and will continue to care for the orphans in the months and years to come. On a sultry Saturday afternoon CRS arrived with 100 food kits—enough to feed the orphans a 2,000 calorie diet for 10 days.
Children have a meal following a CRS food delivery to the Foye Ti Zanmi Jezi Orphanage. eighty children are sleeping outdoors or in two large tents after their orphanage and its adjacent school were destroyed by the quake. Photo by Sara A. Fajardo/CRS
Sister Elizabeth set up tables and wooden desks etched with the names of former students. She gathered the children underneath the cooling breeze of the lilac tree for an impromptu picnic. The dislodged corrugated tin roof flapped loudly on its walls as the sisters and CRS driver Rubens Dervilus handed out boxes of juice, crackers, granola bars, and chocolate.
Each child waited quietly as all 90 of them received their share. Some practiced the xylophone. Harrien, a three-year-old, placed his chin on his desk and stared wide-eyed at the bounty before him, while the oldest maintained a quiet decorum, and the littlest ones shuffled between crackers and granola bars, chattering on about which they’d eat first.
After a prayer of gratitude they tore into their goodies. Each child had a method for eating, some saved a favorite for the grand finale, others nibbled on a cracker, then a bite of chocolate, then a mouthful of granola bar. Juice boxes were tilted until they’d released each drop of sweet liquid, bottles of malt soda were drained dry, and the bottles of water were always the last to go. In the end the resounding favorite were the granola bars, second only to their favored food— rice.
Temporary shelter is next on the list for the orphans, followed by the re-opening of the school. CRS will continue to walk with the sisters as we help to rebuild the Little Friends of Jesus. The hope is that in time the children will once again sleep soundly and resume the childhood that was taken from them by three violent shakes of the earth.
Sara A. Fajardo is a CRS communications officer and photojournalist reporting from Haiti.
Tags: Haiti
3 Responses to “Orphans Lives Shaken by Haiti Quake”
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February 4th, 2010 at 8:42 pm
God bless the children.
February 5th, 2010 at 7:46 am
It is a simple fact that all children must have hope.
Life is about more than simply surviving…it is also about having hope. It’s about facing the future without fear. It’s about having a sense of well-being for yourself. It is a feeling that life can get better.
When there is no hope, despair can become overwhelming leaving a child unable to cope with the constant suffering. Their sense of being powerless is crippling. This is especially true for orphans who have lived through a disaster. They not only suffer from the physical manifestations of the tragedy they also have to deal with the mental and emotional aspects of being alone. The children of Haiti have to relentlessly cope with the fact that death is constantly lurking because another earthquake could strike at any moment.
For children living in a devastated area, hope comes in many forms. It can be lifesaving medicines and vaccines. It can be enough daily calories to provide basic nutrition. It can be safe water for drinking. It can be shelter to protect against the elements. And most importantly, it can come from knowing that someone cares about them.
Hope is something every person in the world needs and deserves, but it is especially important for children. And since there are so many in Haiti who can’t create hope for themselves, we have an obligation to help provide it for them.
We can deliver hope to the children of Haiti now. We have the resources and means to do it. We don’t have to wait. We just have to care.
February 6th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
What a miracle, for the older children to have the wherewithal to get the younger ones out of there at the first sign of an earthquake. So little time before total destruction. I’m so happy and proud to support CRS.