A Long Term Need: Social Service Aid

People are thinking about the damage of the earthquake. The destroyed city, the orphaned children and the unbelievable number of injured people are all on the radar. The medical care is first. Providing food and water and caring for children without family by their side are other immediate priorities. Many are still desperately trying to locate family members and reunite with loved ones. These physical aspects of the tragedy are the most important and urgent areas to focus on in disaster relief. Another topic that I believe also needs long term attention is the area of social services. Three million people have been through an event that most of us could never imagine. We stress social services in the U.S. A huge proportion of our population receives therapy for social and familial problems as well as grief and depression. We send our children to school and activities without fail and think tirelessly about our mental and emotional needs. The Haitian population deserves to be given the same respect that we give ourselves. Raising awareness and funding for all of the longer term relief efforts will be a difficult but important challenge.

Thinking about the Victims

When we speak of the victims of this earthquake, we should refer to everyone who has been affected by the destruction. They could have been physically hurt, lost loved ones, or been left homeless. One truth not acknowledged by much of the media is that not all victims of this disaster were poor. The epicenter of this earthquake hit the capital of Haiti, where almost all of the wealth and industries lie. Port-au-Prince, like most cities, is home to a wide distribution of socioeconomic levels, from people living in mansions to those living in extreme poverty. There has been mention of the survival mentality and tolerance for difficult conditions among the Haitian population as if this should comfort us as we witness the terrible situation they are enduring. Maybe we are trying to make ourselves feel better by saying that they are used to being miserable. This is neither true nor fair. They have no more reason to live in poverty than any of us do. We should think about the Haitian victims as people and try to identify with what it must feel like. They feel like you would feel if the ground shook so hard that buildings collapsed as you watched people die. On top of losing everything you had, you lost limbs and family or became paralyzed. I doubt any of us would be the same person and function in the same way.

Trauma

I was asked to translate during an incident that ended up broadening my perspective of this tragedy. There was an assumed theft that turned out to be a false accusation. An American volunteer in the relief hospital had stumbled upon a room where patients’ family members were staying. The room contained luggage, electronic items and clothes that appeared to be from America, causing the volunteer to think they were stolen. In reality, most of the items were from Haiti and the others were gifted from medical professionals. Some people were very offended and others very embarrassed. As everyone looked at each other, processing the situation, a 25 year-old man, standing tall, collapsed in utter pain and sadness. He told us he lost everything and now he was being accused and disrespected. A woman started screaming and crying and others began to break down. One said he had lost his whole family and he was sick of being strong. As I hugged a strong adult man overcome by grief, it was the first time I really thought about it, how tragic their life is and how few people were crying.

As an aftershock shook, patients and families evacuated the buildings. Two patients jumped off of a second story, resulting in repeat surgeries. Some are acting irrationally or not talking. We can diagnose them with post traumatic stress disorder or simply call them amazing survivors. Regardless of how we talk about it, we have to acknowledge the fact that the shock is immense. They have experienced ultimate insecurity and some of the aid as we proceed through this crisis should focus on the mental well being of the victims. Maybe refugee camps can begin to integrate programs to address the grief and trauma aspects of the disaster. This could be in the form of one-on-one counseling, support groups or a focus on new beginnings like small businesses, crafts to be sold, community gardens or recreation.

Physical Therapy

To imagine being paralyzed or losing a limb is impossible. Because of the nature of this disaster, the amount of paralysis and amputations is enormous. On January 12, 2010, able bodied people lost the feeling and control of their body. Quadriplegics are sentenced to a life of immobility, arguably one of the most difficult conditions known to human beings. Some relief hospitals are performing as many amputations as patients meaning many people have had multiple limbs removed. Others have fractures in one or more locations. Many children sit with spider casts, a treatment for two broken legs. All we can do is try to understand the enormity of this life change and regard these patients accordingly. Prosthetics and physical therapy are needed as long term care. Treatment facilities will become an important aspect of the relief effort and should be thought of in the future when so many forget about the disaster and disregard the constant need for resources.

Child Services

As in most natural disasters, there has been some stress on affected children. In news stories, you can find pictures of hurt children and those who are lost and orphaned. We should expand the focus to the entire youth population and think about longer term programs. While kids may be more resilient to trauma and grief, we cannot expect them to be immune to the emotional pain. They have endured a catastrophe so immense and their lives will never be the same. Schools were just starting the second term of the year when the earthquake drastically transformed everything they knew. Ever since then, life has been full of loss and displacement. Haiti has been utter chaos as aid programs try to organize and provide the bare necessities for as many people as possible. Now, as we look into the future, we should begin to think about integrating activities and programs for children in this relief effort. There should be an attempt to add normalcy to the lives of these millions of youth.

In refugee camps, like most other professionals, there are probably many certified Haitian teachers. Simple schools could be started as well as extracurricular activities like sports and art. Clubs and groups could reduce stress, occupy children’s time and provide therapy in a very natural way. Other disaster relief efforts have shown that the well being of youth after a traumatic experience can be significantly improved simply with playing. The future of the Haitian population could be positively impacted by kid games and programs in refugee camps and other earthquake affected communities.

I had had no experience with disaster relief before this earthquake and have still only seen a minute portion of the Haitian relief effort. I am looking at a complex system through a small window. The extent of the damage is overwhelming and the solutions are far from straightforward. However, as Haiti is given food, water and medical attention, I believe we must think about the future from more lenses than one. As Haiti builds a new physical infrastructure, we should also focus on constructing a social service system. As always, donations have slowed as other news stories hit the front pages. While resources are always difficult, the welfare of the devastated population should not be forgotten.