President's Blog

Our departure from Port-au-Prince was delayed for three hours because of reports of demonstrations and three burned buses in Carrefour, an impoverished and poorly-serviced area of greater Port-au-Prince where up to 50% of buildings were destroyed by the earthquake.  In the end, once we were on the road, traffic was light and we didn’t see any signs of trouble.

We arrived at the Parish of St. Mathieu near Léogâne.  The church building, brand new before the quake, will have to be condemned.  The school buildings are at least partially repairable and work is underway.  Oddly, the rectory, which is attached to the church and was built by the same methods at the same time, was unscathed.  Not even a broken window. 

Rob Radtke tours one of five new homes in St. Mathieu Parish, near Léogâne

Bishop Duracin greeted us at St. Mathieu and we met with the first group of families to receive keys to the first five provisional homes built in the last few days.

The families, all headed by women, were elated.  Most of the families were multi-generational and included six to eight small children.  All were selected on the basis of need by community disaster response committees.  Every family contributed something, aside from the land, to the construction of their new home – either labor and/or meals for the workers.

The houses are simple and dignified.  They exceed the minimum UN standards and are built on raised concrete foundations to mitigate the danger of flooding.  Although wooden, they are built to withstand moderate-to-severe hurricanes and high winds.  They are also much safer in an earthquake zone than concrete multi-story structures.  They are expected to last up to 3 years, during which period the families are expected to reinforce and improve them.

Each house also comes with a separate latrine and shower built on the property.

Granted, this is a small step, but a hugely welcome one by the looks on the faces of those to whom we handed over the keys.

Rob Radtke (center) with cash-for-work team in Haiti

Wednesday was a rich day filled with visits to communities engaged in cash-for-work programs.

One of the big challenges that large-scale disasters bring is the breakdown of the routines of work, school, and family life.  In addition, basic human dignity is often undermined by the loss of homes and livelihoods.  The landscape of destruction after an earthquake or other major catastrophe adds to the sense of hopelessness.

In response to all of these challenges, the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti, with support from Episcopal Relief & Development has launched a cash-for-work program focused on clearing up rubble and debris and using these materials to rebuild roads.

This program not only carries out important and necessary work for rebuilding, but also creates jobs and gives people an opportunity to earn a living. It enables them to put their lives back together with dignity and a sense of control over their futures – a feeling that had been destroyed by the earthquake.  Demand for jobs is incredibly high, so in order to allow more people to earn income and support their families, the cash-for-work jobs are on rotating 20-day assignments.  Even though the need is great, this system ensures that more people are able to work, freeing them from dependence on handouts.

Many of the people we met today were using their new wages to send their children to school.

One of the real strengths of our church-based model is that we respond not only to the long-term physical or material needs of those we seek to serve, but also to the human dimension of healing.

I arrived mid-day yesterday in Port-au Prince with Abagail Nelson, our Senior Vice President of Programs.   As we descended to the airport, now a series of temporary buildings adjacent to the earthquake-damaged terminal, a large group of Pentecostals on our flight were singing and praying for the plane and pilot. 

We drove into the center of town, past miles of tent camps sheltering the hundreds of thousands that remain homeless.  Our first stop was the ruins of Holy Trinity Cathedral, where we were serenaded by 20 wonderfully gifted teenagers attending a music camp and practicing for a concert to be held in the ruins.  The contrast of creating art in the midst of destruction was very moving.

We were greeted by Madame Duracin, the bishop’s wife. She had returned to Haiti only a few days earlier, after being medevaced to the US in the days immediately after the quake.  She looks well and seems fully herself.

When set against the monumental task of recovery, these small signs of healing and hope are all the more striking.

The final post in a series by the Rev. Joy Daley…

I met so many people who impressed me through their warm welcome and willingness to share—people who had little but seemed to understand on a deeply spiritual level what stewardship means. The person who touched me the most in this regard was Bishop Emmanuel of Tamale. We all crowded into his small, modest office and talked about many things.

Bishop Emmanuel and Dr. Rob Radtke in Ghana

Bishop Emmanuel’s love for his people was so very evident, especially when he tearfully told us of the young women of his diocese who are dying of AIDS. They were not statistics to him. He referred to them as his daughters. The bishop also shared that when his community was devastated by floods, the assistance provided by Episcopal Relief & Development helped his people tremendously. It was because of the organization’s example, he said, that when the devastating earthquake hit Haiti in January, he felt called to send what money he could from his diocese—a diocese that has very limited resources.

I have never seen a clearer or more moving example of grace, gratitude and giving than I did through the humility of this servant leader. As individuals from many different places huddled together in Bishop Emmanuel’s tiny office, there was a sense of shared pain, intimacy and belonging that I can’t really describe—the kingdom of God had come near.

One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all. We don’t all need to be the same. It helps me to see that Paul’s words to the Galatians are relevant for us today. In essence, he tells us that differences are nothing: circumcision, non-circumcision, Black, White, Anglican, Episcopal—nothing.

But a new creation… a new creation… now that is everything. As we are sent on our way, let us work for the good of all in the service of that new creation, and watch… watch… the kingdom of God come near.

Sunset in Ghana, end of the journey

Part 4 in a blog series by the Rev. Joy Daley…

Adolzell (in tan dress on right) has her own field.

On another day, we were driving down the road and saw a group of about 12 women in brightly colored clothes, tilling a field and joyfully singing. They were planting nuts. At first we watched from a distance, but we couldn’t stay away, for their spirit and their singing drew us in. We learned that the words of their song meant, “Let us unite and develop ourselves.”

Adolzell, the woman who owned the field, was able to buy it with a small loan through Episcopal Relief & Development. “What will you do with the money you earn?” we asked. Adolzell told us she had six children and would use the money to pay for their education. A woman empowered … hope for the next generation … the kingdom of God comes near.

Grabba, who is deaf, has his own furniture business.

After lunch we visited a school for people with disabilities supported by Episcopal Relief & Development. People who are deaf and blind learn skills so they may live independently. We then met Grabba, a 28-year-old man who cannot speak or hear but has his own furniture-making shop because of the skills he learned at the school.

We also saw a place where chickens are raised and given to people who can then feed their own families and earn money by selling eggs to others. These individuals become self sufficient and gain a sense of dignity and freedom. So many of you have purchased chickens, mosquito nets and other life-changing gifts from Episcopal Relief & Development’s Gifts for Life catalog and given them to family members. Each time you have done this, you have been a part of the kingdom of God coming near—the kingdom of justice and peace where people have enough to eat and a sense of hope for themselves and their children.