Today our team had our first experience with the Grace Village children. They brought kids over to the clinic by classroom where we completed cleanings, fluoride, and restorations (fillings). They children were well behaved & appreciated our efforts! We accomplished 55 children today already!
To break up our trip we traveled to the nearby town of Titanyen today to walk through and get a first hand view of how some of the people of Haiti live. When we left Grace Village we traveled down a steep, dirt/rock road which led to their very rocky roads/streets. People are scattered everywhere selling anything from a broken gadgets to fruit. 10,000 people live in this small town, and everything is cramped. Buildings/houses are bricks/rocks stacked on top of another with cement placed in between but most buildings only half the structure is remaining. Most of the homes we visited appeared to have no ceilings or tarp ceilings with rock/ dirt floor. No beds or furniture were present. There is about 80% unemployment rate so a lot of people just standing or sitting in the heat. We saw children who wore shoes, but they didn't fit and we're too small to even place their heels properly in, and some children with no clothes at all.
It was hard to quite wrap my head around how people in the city live their daily lives. There is a couple central stations where people pump water in what appears to be a dirty bucket or jug for their family. The children would all wave and yell "hey you!" Whenever we passed by.
It was very humbling to see how little they have, yet they still manage to survive with a smile on their faces.
Tomorrow we are seeing elderly patients and visiting another orphanage which is not anywhere near as nice as Grace Village. We will be giving the children jump ropes, soccer balls, and some snacks to have! This first day was a whirlwind, but I am excited to see the sites and things to come.
With Love, Cassie F
Isn't it eye opening? Great descriptions Cassie. Tell me more!
ReplyDelete