Haiti: The Other Side of the Story
Samaritan’s Purse writer Gary Martyn spent a week in Haiti reporting on the work of Samaritan's Purse in the six months since the earthquake...
I recently returned from my third trip to Haiti since January, and something’s bothering me.
On July 12, I went online to see how the major news networks were covering the story of the six-month “anniversary” of the quake. I’d been in Haiti for a week and was in Port-au-Prince that afternoon, but the more I read the news reports for the day, the more frustrated I got. Lead stories from CNN, FOX, MSN, and others all took the same negative slant: “Little progress for homeless.” “Not much appears to have changed.” “Haiti recovery paralyzed 6 months after quake.”
Sorry, guys, but you only got half the story.
I won’t take issue with your complaints. A lot of people are still in desperate need of help, and bureaucratic red tape is impeding progress. But you neglected to report on the progress that is being made.
Interview some of the 10,000 people who are living in the temporary homes that Samaritan’s Purse has built, or talk to a couple of the 10,300 patients who have been treated at the medical clinic we run in the slums of Cite Soleil.
Tag along with volunteer doctors and nurses who are traveling in mobile medical units to treat people in shelter communities, orphanages, schools, and underserved areas. Help carry some of the 100-pound bags of beans and other staples that 30,000 at-risk families are receiving this month in Grand Goave, or talk to Haitians who are learning construction skills by working at our two shelter fabrication facilities or building homes in 13 communities from Grand Goave to Titanyen.
Or sit in on some of the Women’s Community Learning Group classes in Cite Soleil where women are learning how to read, make clothing, become hair stylists, and study beginning nursing.
These are only a few examples of what Samaritan’s Purse has accomplished, and there are scores of other NGOs and missions that are achieving measurable results in communities all across Haiti. That’s the rest of the story that needs to be told. It’s a story of hope and healing; of families that are putting their lives back together and moving forward.
If the networks would like to send some reporters to Haiti who don’t mind getting hot and dirty and sleeping on a bunk bed for a couple nights, the welcome mat is out. They can hop in the back of a pick-up and travel with a few of our medical and relief teams for a day or two and see the positive side of the Haiti earthquake response first hand. Come take a look.
This year Samaritans Purse UK want to send 15,000 shoeboxes to children in Haiti. Read more here and find out how you can get involved.
