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| Natalie by Laura Gingrich |
Natalie nestled down next to me on the crumbling wall in the courtyard. She laid her head against my shoulder and softly said: "Papa, why are you looking so sad today?". A lump was rising up in my throat and my eyes started burning. In this moment I knew that all the work of the last 20 years had been worth it. The contrast was so stark. On one side, leaning against my shoulder, a sweet orphan girl who I witnessed growing up for longer than she can remember and who calls me "papa". On the other, echoing through my head, everything I'd heard from the Haitians who, since the day I came back, had shared their stories and fears about cholera. Cholera, indiscriminately killing thousands of people. In this house six, in that one eight. Cholera, something that two months ago was unknown to most but that in a matter of weeks became one of the most frightening words. A disease that seemed to control every thought and action in Haiti and with reason.
And now Natalie was reading the worries on my face. Unable to share my real thoughts I told her I was OK, but I was not. A knot had grown in my stomach from the moment our team had arrived. It did not take long to figure out that the precautions that had been taken were not enough. If someone with cholera would come in contact with a person in the orphanage, the results could be disastrous. All the children were in grave danger. So we talked and instructed local leaders and disinfected and gave out medications for those who encountered cholera in their houses. But the accounts about those who lost their lives kept coming. A group of masons working on the new house for the orphans came and asked for help. They live in an area called Kayman, not far away. They were worried about the water their community was drinking and wanted advice on capping a spring. We went with them to see what could be done. One look at their water source made me sick to my stomach.
A woman stepped in front of us and filled her plastic jug with the cloudy water. Donkeys and goats were all around having free access to the hole. A mix of mud and animal dung was surrounding the place. How many thousands got their water in similar places?
We promised financial support. The work to start capping the spring would start the next day. Hundreds of people would come to carry in the rocks, sand and cement along the narrow path. It would show how people can come together in times of distress. But would it be in time?
I looked to my side and saw the caring smile on Natalie's face. A renewed sense of responsibility rose up in me. Children should not have to deal with these things. Nobody should! Lord, please protect them and give us the strength to care for them.
Please pray for all who are dedicating their lives to helping the cholera victims in Haiti.
