Paul Biddle’s Blog from Haiti continues…

A few weeks ago, we said goodbye to

the tents, large bugs, and military to move to the rented house. The house can accommodate us all and has basic amenities. 

One of the interesting things about being involved in this work is the people you meet and the opportunity to engage with cultures far removed from your own. In Haiti, one of the first and most important things to consider is the country’s history. Haitians are an exceptionally proud nation. They were the first black republic and, after the USA, the second nation to break free from their former colonial power. But Haiti has been devastated by the recent earthquake, it is now a nation which needs and has asked for assistance.  

So who are the Haitians involved in our work? Everyday, a young man arrives on his motorbike. Self taught in prison design, he is always ready to listen to new ideas, constantly writing and taking notes.

There are the prison commanders… we normally collect them on the way to the prison. They wear civilian clothes as their uniforms were lost when their houses crumbled in the earthquake. They have no staff and the prisoners have long escaped… but every visit makes them more involved in the future they assumed would never be. I can only imagine what they are thinking. The prison staff sleep around the prisons. The questions remains though - where will they sleep when the rebuilding has taken place?

The Director of Prisons is an impressive, large and imposing man with a ready smile. He is a very, very proud man and not easily given to asking for help’. We normally meet him in a tent as no Haitians will set foot in a house. The events of January will run deep for some time.

Providing decent wind and rain proof shelter before the rainy season is a major priority for the Department for International Development (DFID). Read more about DFID's response to the Haiti earthquake here:

http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/News-Stories/2010/Haiti-Earthquake/