Travel: From Earthquake to Earthquake... Part 1

Today marks 154 days for me in Haiti. 54 days to go, but it already feels like a lifetime. This makes it 188 days away from home in total. The longing hits hard today, so I thought I'd share some glimpses of Haiti through my eyes.

Just a few days ago, we had the first anniversary of the Haiti Earthquake at the office. A year since the earthquake ripped through this country. "Silent tribute" barely begins to describe the atmosphere. Faces etched with a mix of emotions – exhaustion, grief, a flicker of hope, and a silent question hanging in the air: will things ever be the same?

It mirrored my own jumble of thoughts. The past year has been a whirlwind of activity – relief efforts, rebuilding plans, and the constant struggle to meet the needs that seem to multiply every day. And yet, the pain of loss is etched deep in the eyes of every Haitian I meet. It brings back memories of the Gujarat earthquake ten years ago, the devastation, the resilience. Maybe that's why I volunteered for this mission – a chance to bridge the gap between those two earthquakes, to offer a helping hand where it's needed most.

But the challenges are unlike anything I've ever faced. The statistics are staggering:

• 220,000 lives lost. A number that translates to empty chairs at dinner tables, classrooms filled with silence, and children orphaned.
• 300,000 injured. Scars that mark not just bodies, but communities shattered by the disaster.
• 190,000 homes destroyed. Gone are the roofs that sheltered families, the memories built within those walls.

Six months after the quake, 1.5 million people were still living in makeshift camps. Eleven months later, a million still call those flimsy structures home. The stench of sanitation issues hangs heavy in the air, a constant reminder of the precariousness of their situation.

As if the earthquake wasn't enough, a cholera epidemic reared its ugly head in October. 200,000 cases so far, thousands hospitalized, and a death toll that continues to climb. The frustration is palpable – the feeling that we're constantly playing catch-up, the knowledge that with better resources, this could be contained. The UN reports only 27% of the required funding is available. The road to recovery seems long and arduous.

Then came the 15th of November. Diwali, is a day of light and celebration back home. Here, it was a day of darkness and fury. Hurricane Thomas slammed into the coast, forcing me to spend the day holed up in a damp hotel room. The isolation mirrored the feeling of being so far away from loved ones during yet another festive season. But a colleague, a beacon of light in this darkness, snuck in some candles and insisted I celebrate. A small gesture, but it meant the world.

Life as a humanitarian aid worker is a constant roller coaster. Moments of despair followed by glimmers of hope. The resilience of the Haitian people is truly inspiring. Even today, 10 lakh people find shelter in camps, but they're not just surviving, they're rebuilding their lives, brick by brick. But the question of how long these camps can remain, how long it will take for them to have a semblance of normalcy, hangs heavy in the air.

There's so much more to tell, stories of courage, of loss, of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable adversity. Stay tuned for the next installment...