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* Narratives: Mario Serrano SJ,
Cordinator of Jesuit activities for Haiti in the Dominican Republic

I have many stories to share with you, but I choose just the following one.

We left Santo Domingo for Haiti, and on the way we decided that the truckloads of donations, which were originally going to be deposited in an industrial warehouse in Barahona, should accompany us directly. When we reached Jimani, a town on the border with Haiti, we set up a team of personnel from Centro Bonó and Centro Poveda. We then crossed the border with two large truckloads of aid, having made sure we were accompanied by military security. It was almost night when we reached the Jesuit novitiate in Port-au-Prince, but we did not unload the trucks for fear of the people's reaction, since we no longer had military security. However, we managed to get two police officers to keep watch during the night.

Early the next morning we unloaded the trucks, and then we held a meeting to get organized. While we were at the meeting, a large number of people began to bang at the gate asking that the food be distributed. We stopped the meeting, expecting the worst, and called the police. The police arrived but the people still did not disperse. The commander asked us to give them some water, which we did. When the people finally left, we promised them that they would be receiving more of the aid we had brought with us. The people agreed to that, and I also promised them that I would go talk with them later.

That afternoon I met with them. Our novitiate is at the entrance of a very poor neighbourhood, one that has many people affected by the earthquake. That afternoon we had an excellent assembly of the residents there. They understood that we needed some time to organize the distribution properly, and we for our part recognized that they should be included among the beneficiaries of our aid. I shared with them our fears about the lack of security, and they told us that in that zone they themselves would guarantee security. They organized themselves to receive the aid, and they promised to help us unload the trucks.

It is hard to describe the joy I felt in this whole process, a joy flowing from a new understanding of the situation, from very concrete personal relationships, and from a new way of managing aid. It is important to integrate the people as much as possible in the process itself.

From among the crowd that gathered at our gate, I remember especially the voice and the face of Soucet, a very brave woman who was angrily and forcefully demanding food. I recall the fear on the faces of so many people. But now I see friendly faces, the smiles of people with whom we are sharing what we have and with whom we are working together for the same cause. Now we have stronger security and protection than anything the military forces could have provided. We have the companionship of the people whom we want to accompany and help.

Mario Serrano SJ
Dominican Republic
marioserrano@jesuits.net
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* Haiti: Jesuits act and reflect

The Jesuits have been present in Haiti - except during several periods of expulsion - since 1704 and know the territory and the people very well. This has been a great advantage in organizing the emergency response after the earthquake as well as in making long-term plans.

Twelve intervention centres have been set up by the Jesuits in Port-au-Prince and Léogâne, each supplying food and medical services (see a map here: http://bit.ly/86cUp7). In all, these centres take care of more than 15,000 people every day. At the moment, all aid channelled through Jesuit Refugee Service, Jesuit provinces and other Jesuit organizations flows into these centres. Medical teams have arrived from the United States (read their blog: http://blog.teamrubiconhaiti.org/), from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The Puerto Rican doctors are planning to stay for an extended period of time so that they can continue taking care of patients when the immediate disaster management needs are over.

Mario Serrano SJ coordinates the distribution of food from the Dominican Republic, where items are collected and packed in several cities, and then moved by trucks to the distribution centre in Barahona, from where they are distributed directly to the 12 centres in Haiti. Food, water and medicine - among other things - are collected by parishes and social groups around the Dominican Republic or bought with donations from around the world. Two large trucks carry relief materials every day to the centres, where they are distributed by Dominican and Haitian Jesuits and volunteers working side by side. See pictures here: http://tinyurl.com/ayudablog

Medical staff, drivers and others are housed in the Jesuit novitiate. This is also where the Haitian-Dominican Emergency Team meets every morning at 8 a.m. to assess the situation and plan the day. "There is still need of doctors and more food aid. The aid arriving is not enough to feed those needing help at our intervention centers," said Fr Kawas François SJ on 24 January. He is a Haitian Jesuit doing an outstanding job of coordinating the Jesuit response to the disaster and sending regular updates.

The Jesuits in Haiti have decided to create a group that will reflect on the impact of the disaster on Haitian society; on public and private international aid; on national sovereignty; and on rebuilding of the country. The first meeting of the reflection group, on Sunday 25 January, was attended by intellectuals, priests, leaders of civil society organizations, entrepreneurs and others. The results have been published on http://tinyurl.com/kawassj (in French).

Centro Bonó in the Dominican Republic is coordinating the fundraising efforts. Information on bank accounts and donations by credit card can be found here (in English and Spanish): http://tinyurl.com/centrobonoUpdates by Fr Kawas François in French: www.jesuites.org/tremblement_de_terre_haiti.htm
Updates by JRS USA in English: www.jrsusa.org/haiti/

Updates on the website of the Jesuit Conference of Latin America in Spanish: www.cpalsj.org/comunicacion/ and http://tinyurl.com/noticiascpal

Blog of religious organisations active in Haiti, including JRS Dominican Republic (in Spanish): http://plataforma-ayuda-haiti.blogspot.com/

Prayers for Haiti in English and French:
http://www.pauline.org/FreeEbookofPrayersforHaiti/tabid/375/Default.aspx

http://jpicformation.wikispaces.com/EN_Response+to+Haiti
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Fernando Franco SJ, Publisher
Uta Sievers, Editor
Suguna Ramanathan, Associate Editor
Social Justice Secretariat, C.P. 6139, 00195 Roma Prati, ITALY
+39 06689 77380 (fax)