Hundreds of thousands of children are being forced into slavery throughout the world. Children are being sold or trafficked for labor or sexual exploitation in Asia, Africa and Latin America. One country though is mentioned with a morbid regularity: Haiti, the poorest nation on the Western Hemisphere. It’s estimated that nearly one out of ten of Haiti’s children is held as a slave. However, a more painful scandal in Haiti is not that you can buy a child, it’s that you can get one for free.

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A normal day in Port au Prince, Haiti. When Alexandra wakes up, it’s almost 4 am. She goes through her early morning routine - cleanses herself, gets dressed and begins her work: pealing peanuts that her “host mother” will sell later during the day, to secure her minimal daily income. The host mother however, is still sleeping, along with the rest of the family. Only Alexandra is, just like every day, awake and up on her feet. Her duties do not allow her to sleep in. She is a Restavek - a slave girl.

There are about 300.000 children in Haiti, who are engaged as domestic slaves or ‘Restavek’. Restavek is a creole word derived from the French ‘rester avec’ with the original innocuous meaning  ‘to remain with somebody’. Many of the children are orphans, others were sent by their families from the countryside into the city. It is upsetting to note that the economic distinction between host and natural family is negligible. Thus almost all Restavek go from bad to worse – from the countryside straight into the slums or from a life on the streets, with at least some tangible sense of liberty, to being deprived of even this last precious possession.

Alexandra, the girl, whose daily existence I spent ome week documenting, is 14 years old. For the past seven years she has been living with her host family. She moved in after losing both her parents to a sickness she cannot name anymore, as time and a very difficult life have erased this from her memory.On the 29th of March, 2011 I found myself in the slum of Wharf-Jeremie, where the inhabitants live under some of the most extreme conditions of want and deprivation one can imagine. The sheet metal shacks, which glowed eerily in the hot, dry sun, are home to an appalling display of poverty – now more so than ever, given the devastation of last years earthquake. On the streets I could see children running and playing in the most ragged of dressings and right in their midst was the girl I came to document – Alexandra.

This is not her first encounter with a journalist. Only as recent as last June, Mr Christoph Roeckerath reported on behalf of the ZDF (a German TV station) about the cruel fate of the Restavek. While prowling through Wharf-Jeremie, on the lookout for an especially moving case, he stumbles upon Alexandra. The resulting report describes, in a deeply impressive way, the shocking aspects of everyday life of a Restavek child. It reveals, for instance, the abuse Alexandra has to endure, as she is beaten with a aggressive regularity by her host family. Mr Roeckerath also accompanies the young girl to the social worker responsible for her quarter. During this meeting he hears the host mother justifying the abuse as being of educational nature and ‘not all that bad’.

Though, as poignant as the report is, it has done little in helping Alexandra. Mr Roeckerath knows this and this is how I came to know about Alexandra. He contacted me, asking for my help in keeping the promise he made to her and another girl Restavek while reporting last year – to help free them of their despotic host families. From half a world away, this promise turned out to be difficult for him to keep. I promised to do my best in aiding the girls.

A few weeks have passed since the arrangement was done. Now I’m finally looking into Alexandra’s eyes. We’re in the room she shares with her other five host sisters and the host mother. It’s approximately 10 square meters and has not more than two beds, only one of which has a mattress. Alexandra sleeps under one of the beds on a cardboard. Every once in a while, when one of her host siblings needs to relieve herself during the night and it happens that Alexandra misses the command to bring them the night bowl, she’ll  feel the warm spray dripping down on her.

Alexandra hardly ever smiles. More often than not she wipes the sweat off her forehead because of her demanding work. She fetches seven buckets of water on a daily basis, carrying them on her head, never complaining, never stopping for a short break. When I ask her if she is still physically abused, she denies it shyly, not convincing me at all. But in order to not become an additional burden to the 14 year old child, I don’t press the issue further. Suddenly though, she fetches a belt and points at it and then at the scars scattered over her legs, arms and face – it’s clear to me that she wants me to know the abuse hasn’t stopped, but that she is too afraid to admit it out loud.

She also confides in me that her host mother sells her to the neighbor as well. As a house aid she claims and reveals that the elderly man provides her with sanitary tampons for her monthly cycle. But she doesn’t reveal if she is sexually abused by him or not.

Despite all, she is allowed to attend school, after finishing all her duties. However ‘this is mostly not the case’, says her teacher, full of worry. ‘She misses school too often’ I am told. As a result, Alexandra is not able to comply with her learning pensum, resulting in the 14 year old still being in third grade.Day in, day out, for the last seven years Alexandra lives with this unbearable fate. She is constantly exposed to the patronizing looks of people in her neighborhood. Still more dreadful, children of her same age show and feel no respect for her. People whisper, smirk, talk bad and finger-point at her. All the while, Alexandra does her work and acts like she does not notice the mockery and scorn that surrounds her. For what else can she do? Nobody has ever thought of helping her. She is the house worker, she is the slave. So she continues to work day by day.

Until March 29th, 2011. One thing struck me from the very beginning however: the complete and utter indifference that the host mother was displaying towards Alexandra. She never once asked about the reasons for my presence in their household, allowing me to take as many pictures of Alexandra as I wanted. I thus decided to bet everything on one card: I asked the host mother if she would let me find another family for the girl. Without the blink of an eye she agreed. I was surprised. I repeated the question three times to avoid any possible misunderstanding but the answer remained the same - an indifferent and cold nod from the host mother signifying that I could do as I pleased.

It is early morning when Alexandra and I leave the room in Wharf-Jeremie. Together with my American friend Kelly, who has been living in Haiti for the last five years, we drive the girl to the Restavek Freedom Foundation, which is an organization specializing in ending child slavery in Haïti. But they also have limited possibilities, so they can only take children of the worst scenario cases.As we are driving, we feel the pressure of not knowing if Alexandra will qualify for a place in the foundation or not.

But after about an hour into the conversation with the aid workers at the agency, it becomes clear that Alexandra can stay at the Restavek Foundation. Her physical condition is extremely deteriorated. As the board director of the Association Viv Timoun, I reach an accord with the Restavek Freedom Foundation that Viv Timoun would co-finance most of Alexandra’s costs and will also receive the aid of Christoph Roeckerath in helping this young girl reclaim her life.Alexandra will now be able to receive an education, psychological help, as well as new clothes for the first time in seven years. She now has a clean furnished room to sleep in and is surrounded by people that care for her and give her trust and human kindness.But even if in the beginning she is still confused and mistrusting of these sudden changes in her life, one big shift has already taken place in her existence: Alexandra is able to smile again.

The last picture was taken by Joan Conn of the Restavek Freedom Foundation

See more pictures on my website. Click here! 

Please help us to finance Alexandras and other childrens education.

Donate to Viv Timoun VOG:

IBAN: BE78 7554 7338 2786

BIC: AXABBE22

Account holder: Viv Timoun

Banc: Axa Eynatten, Belgium

Thank you for your support!

‘Viv Timoun’ is organizing its first six-month photo workshop, between August 2011 and January 2012. I will lead this workshop which is aimed to help 20 children aged 14-22 find their way out of hopelessness through photography, and to deal with their trauma via their own creativity.

Fostering development using creativity and technology

 After the earthquake, many Haitians lost their hope. Numerous people continue to be traumatised by the catastrophic event of last January, and to be afraid of their future. Also, according to Alice Smeets – who has been traveling to Haiti extensively – the Haitian photography industry is far from being well-educated: ‘There are photographers in Haiti, but many of them just know the technical part, the mechanical aspects of their camera. The art behind composition, the game of light and many other artistic aspects are missing. This is why I would like to teach the art of photography to a group of older children, and contribute to a much-needed revolution in Haitian photography.’

Now that Haiti is receiving less attention from the media, we have an ideal opportunity to start documenting Haiti in a new light. We will be able to capture the changes this country goes through after such a devastation in a very personal way – not from a Western point of view, but through the eyes of Haitian children. This approach will open doors that have been closed to foreign photographer, and it will contribute to our goal of offering help to self-help. Moreover, it could help understand the Haitian nation and their needs much better. Most importantly, however, expressing themselves artisticly should also help the children overcome their trauma. The project will be carried out in collaboration with a Haitian supervisor: Natacha Marseille, a 29-year-old woman and  director of the MEVA primary school in Port-au-Prince since 2004.

The whole project will be presented on a website, featuring pictures, audiofiles and videos. An exhibition is planned to be organised in several places in Haiti, Germany and Belgium. If all works out, the project should end by creating a small photography studio in Port-au-Prince, where the older workshop participants would be able to work as photographers, and to continue organizing photography workshops for other traumatized children.

Finding a new way of development aid

Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere. People eat mud cakes to survive, three quarters of the population lives on less than $2 a day. Especially Haiti’s children suffer from this situation. According to the 2006 UNICEF report ‘Child Alert: Haiti’, children there are more likely to die during early childhood than in any other country in the Western hemisphere. Only about 50% attend school, thousands of children are being held as slaves, so-called ‘restaveks’, and many boys and girls grow up as orphans in the streets of the capital, where prostitution and underpaid jobs are part of everyday survival. Since the earthquake, about a million people have lost their homes. Schools and universities broke down. Parents, children, teachers, professors, doctors have died. Many people, especially children, are traumatized. This obviously raises a critical question:

Are there no other needs than a photography workshop in Haiti?

Let us answer in the following way. Haiti has received development aid for more than 30 years. In these 30 years, much has been done, but almost nothing has changed. Before the earthquake, an estimated 80% of the population lived below the poverty line. Since the catastrophe, about 1.3 million people are living in horrible conditions, in tents or selfmade shelters. The Haitians have grown used to non-profit organisations being around. For many, it feels natural to receive help without working or giving back anything themselves. In order to fight against this dependence on foreign help, the aim of our photography workshop will be to teach the children to be proactive. No matter where they come from, no matter how poor they are, they will learn to help themselves through art. Furthermore, those who really want to work as a photographer in the future will learn how to sell their work, either to galleries or to the media. Another important aspect of the project is trauma relief via self-expression. The children will be taught to communicate their feelings by using their camera, light, composition, colours … The concept behind the project is help to self-help. We want to invest, not into another short-term aid, but into talent, with a concrete long-term plan and result: proactive children and independent photographers for Haiti who, at the same time, might find a way to overcome their pain.

What do we still need? How can you help or support us?

 We still need at least 8 Laptops (new or used ones) and 10 DSLR cameras (also new or used ones). Financial support is also always welcome through our bancaccount for donations:

 IBAN: BE78 7554 7338 2786
BIC: AXABBE22
Account holder: Viv Timoun
Banc: Axa Eynatten, Belgium

Thank you so much for your help and support!

The workshop will be held in our new built school MEVA.

It’s been quite a long time since 3Sat, a German TV channel showed this 5 minutes piece in their daily program “Kulturzeit”. The followed me around for one day in December 2010.

It is in German, but could be interesting even if you don’t understand the language. You can observe me working in Haiti and see how Landa is doing today (the girl of the Unicef picture of the Year 2008).

http://www.3sat.de/mediathek/?mode=play&obj=22039

and if you speak German, here is an Interview I gave right after my return from Haiti after the earthquake also in “Kulturzeit” on 3Sat.

http://www.3sat.de/mediathek/mediathek.php?obj=16617 (please ignore my horrible looking face when you open the link It was 5am, one week after the earthquake and my face is full of mosquito bites)

Yesterday I arrived back home in Belgium after a 6 weeklong trip to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, New York and Washington DC.  It definitely was one of the best trips I ever had.

POYi

It all started in New York, when I arrived there on the 3^rd of March. I looked into my emails and found a message of my professor of the LCC (London College of Communication). He congratulated me on winning the 3rth place in the category “Multimedia Portfolio” in the Picture of the Year international Award. I had no idea; nobody of the organisation “POYi” had notified me. I didn’t want to believe it until I got an official email a week later. It’s amazing, what a wonderful feeling to get such a high recognition for the hard work. All my gratitude goes to Frederic Biegmann, who helped me for weeks, day and night, to produce the different multimedia pieces.

Haiti Carnival

On the 7^th of March carnival was celebrated in Haiti. During 2 days I spent my time in Port-au-Prince watching, photographing and dancing in the parades. All Haitians told me that it this year’s carnival wasn’t as nice as the year’s before because of a lack of money. In my opinion (I have never been in Haiti for carnival before) it was a stunning celebration. The costumes were beautifully self-made and the dances looked spectacular.

Dominican Republic

In my last blogpost I have posted the pictures and the story I have worked on in the DR. For nine days I went almost every day into the Bateys (name of the towns where Haitian immigrant workers live) and documented their really hard work and life. Like I said before: It makes me angry that this topic has been an issue since a long time, but there are no visible improvements. The companies continue to exploit the people, treating them almost like slaves.

Back in Haiti

On the day that Aristide arrived in Port-au-Prince, I went back to Haiti. I was too late to see him at the airport, but I went straight to his house where hundreds of people were having a big party. They stormed into his house and apparently robbed him. It was crazy being in the middle of a yelling crowd and it felt great. Much more exciting than the elections two days later – they went very well and calm – no demonstrations, no overwhelming emotions and not much fraud.

On the 4rth of April they announced the results and Martelly, the singer “Sweet Micky” was the winner - he got 67% of the votes. All around the country people were happy, celebrating and dancing as if they had won the world cup.  For me it was a wonderful evening. I run into the middle of the crowd, jumping on and off cars of strangers who were all driving into the direction of Martellys house. I was just happy to be a part of this event of tremendous sentiments.

Washington DC

The highlight of my trip was the end, when I went to Washington DC. Last December I met a man on the plane, he was sitting right next to me.  His name is Charles ‘Chic’ Dambach, he is the CEO of the Alliance for Peacebuilding. I was fascinated by the story of his life (which he also just published in a book) and decided to go and see him in Washington, where he lives. We spent 3 days together, he invited me to his house and the next day we drove together to Virginia where he had 2 book readings that weekend. It was awesome to spend time with him and listen to his stories. I got so much inspiration to continue what I am doing and work even harder for a better world.

Check out his book, his life is amazing!

http://www.amazon.com/Exhaust-Limits-Times-Global-Peacebuilder/dp/1934074578/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302699172&sr=8-1

Batey communities in the Dominican Republic are company towns or neighborhoods where Haitian sugar cane workers and their families live.

Cutting sugarcanes is physically demanding and extremely low-paying work. An estimated 250,000 residents live in approximately 500 bateys. Most residents do not have access to drinking water, proper sanitation facilities, medical care, or education.

I spent 10 days in Barahona in the Dominican Republic documenting the life of those people. It is making me angry that this topic has been an issue since a long time, but there are no visible improvements. The companies continue to exploit the people, treating them almost like slaves. Here is a first selection of my pictures.

Barahona, Batey 3, March 2011.

The workers start early in the morning burning the canes and then cut until the end of the day.

Barahona, Batey 3, March 2011.

During the burning of the sugar cane, the particles in the air burn the eyes and infect skin lesions.

Barahona, Batey 3, March 2011.

Pierre is Haitian, 51 years old and has worked as a sugarcane cutter since he came to the Dominican Republic as a teenager. He is exhausted and his body hurts often, but he cannot think about stopping, since he would not get a pension.

Barahona, Batey 3, March 2011.
The workers start early in the morning burning the canes and then cut until the end of the day. The burned cane, easier to cut, is less well paid. Sometimes, the exhausted cutters get caught by the flames…

Barahona, Batey 3, March 2011. Once the cane has been cut it is loaded onto wagons and sent to be weighed.

Barahona, Batey 5, March 2011. A little girl next to the railways that are used for the transportation of the sugarcane.

Barahona, Batey 4, March 2011.
Mario is 12 years old. He was born in the Bateys. His family is very poor, so he has to help working in the fields. His family cannot even afford proper clothes or shoes for him to work in.

 Barahona, Batey 4, March 2011.
Alexandro is 10 years old. He was born in the Bateys. His family is very poor, so he has to help working in the fields. He is crying after his mum hit him with a machete, because he didn’t do his work properly.

 Barahona, Batey 5, March 2011.
Inside the home of Haitian workers. 6 people share one small room. There is no electricity, no clean water and poor sanitation facilities.
Keketo doesn’t know his age, but has spent more than half of his life in the bateys. Now he is too old to work and dement. He depends on his single child, who is also a sugar cane cutter, to support him.

 Barahona, Batey 5, March 2011. Living conditions in Batey communities are very bad.

 Barahona, Batey 4, March 2011. An old woman carrying water. There is no water in the houses in the Bateys.

 Barahona, Batey Cucilla, March 2011. Suady Garcia is 16 years old and handicaped. His mum lives in Santo Domingo to make money to pay for his living. He lives with his aunt. His father left when he heart that his son is handicaped. He lays the whole day on the floor, cannot talk and depends on his aunt to feed him.

Barahona, Batey 4, March 2011.

 Barahona, Batey 5, March 2011. Petit Louis is 60 years old and still works in the fields. Every morning he waits that a bus comes to pick him up. Sometimes the bus doesn’t come and all workers have to go back - a forced break without pay.

Barahona, Batey 3, March 2011.
The workers start early in the morning burning the canes and then cut until the end of the day.

Barahona, Batey 3, March 2011.
Michel Joseph is 37 years old. He worked every single day since he arrived from Haiti 2 years ago. He would like to go back, but the lack of jobs in his homecountry forces him to stay. Fifteen hours per day, the braceros suffer the hot sun combined with the heat of the burning sugar cane.

 Barahona, Batey 5, March 2011. After work the workers go to the nearby river to wash themselves.

Barahona, Batey 5, March 2011. A sugar cane worker is waiting for the bus to come to drive him to the plantation. Sometimes the bus doesn’t come and all workers have to go back - a forced break without pay.

I am in Haiti at the moment. Yesterday I went to the party in front of Aristide’s house (Haitis former president who lived in exile since 2004 and came back to Haiti yesterday). Thousands of people were cheering for his return. It was very peaceful, no protests.

I am sitting in Haiti at the desk of my friend Natacha not able to go outside because of a knee injury. Two days ago I found myself in the middle of a motorbike accident. Someone opened the door of his car when my driver and me were passing by. My knee was in between the car and the motorbike. We drove to the hospital and found out that it was only a contusion. I have to lie in bed for three days. But as long as I will be healthy on Sunday for the elections, everything is fine. 

When I arrived in Haiti on Tuesday I went to visit Landa and her siblings at school. They all changed school, to get a better education. It is working well, they already understand everything I ask them in French. To keep up with the level of the school, they get private lessons every day after school.

I have great news: I have just finished my final project for my MA in photojournalism/documentary photography. It is a website with 5 different multimedia stories about Haiti. Check it out: www.alicesmeets.com/haitistories

Also the website of our foundation is online in German as well as English! Have a look: www.vivtimoun.org

I have moved place end of November and live now 2 kilometers from the German border.  It is a beautiful little place in which my grandparents used to live when I was small. So it brings up many childhood memories, that’s beautiful.

This year is going to its end. It was definitely one of the most adventurous years of my life. All started with the emotional and heartbreaking earthquake in Haiti, which made friends and me create a foundation for Haiti. I returned 4 times to Haiti this year and met amazing people on my trips. I went to Benin for the first time, danced with Africans in the middle of the night and stayed with a family of a man who had 5 wives, about 32 children and 150 grandchildren. And not to forget: my beautiful holiday in Bali together with my great friend Miranda from New Zealand.

3 different continents and 3 new countries. It was a great year, even though it was full of stress. My plan for the next year is: do it exactly the same but less fast and less stressful. Friends and me are planning a photography workshop for teenagers in Haiti from August to December 2011. If you want to read more, click here or for informations in German click here.

I feel it is really hard to keep up with this blog. I would love to write my thoughts every week or even every day, but then I always have other priorities.
Right now my life is very stressful. At the moment I work almost every day until midnight. I am working on my final project for my Master at the London College of Communication. At the same time, my work as the president of my foundation “Viv Timoun” is much more than I had believed it would be. I just renewed my whole website, which also was a lot of work. I shot a couple of weddings and had commercial assignments in the meantime. Everything is a lot of fun, but right now it’s just too much.

I have been in Haiti in June-July and to Benin in August. Both awesome trips! I will go to Hamburg next week, to London the week after and to Bali on the 13th of October. In Bali I will finally take some rest, try to learn how to surf and just have normal holidays (of course with my camera ). But this time I don’t have a project in mind - I will just photograph whatever is beautiful!

For those who understand German have read my last post about the situation in Haiti. It is really depressing. Not much has been done, storms and rain make it almost impossible to live in tents. But it seems like the Haitian people have to stay in tents for years. There is a lot of violence in the tent-cities, a lot of rape and shootings. People are getting aggressive, they don’t want to live in such horrible situations anymore. I really hope the elections in November will change something…

Benin is a lot like Haiti. I call it: Haiti light. It is poor, but people still have the basic needs to live. It is chaotic, but you can still find some quite corners. It is much more relaxed and not stressful, as Haiti (or better Port-au-Prince) is. And it has the voodoo like Haiti has.
For those who don’t know: The Haitian people have been imported to Haiti as slaves many hundred years ago - many of them came from Benin or the surrounding countries.
“Viv Timoun” also supports projects in Benin. A friend of mine, Max Küchenberg, has started a project of rural development there 2 years ago, which is now integrated into our foundation. The project is based on a PhD-thesis in which our Beninese partner, Luc H. Dossa PhD, researched the breeding of the Beninese goat and its impact on the farmer’s quality of live. “Viv Timoun” has built a farm to breed strong, reproducible goats and grow vegetables at the same time.

Furthermore “Viv Timoun” also deals with ‘animal loans`. A couple of goats, pigs, sheep or chicken are donated to a family, which will help them to strengthen their income. The following year they will give back the first descendants of these animals and “Viv Timoun” will give them to another family. This project aims to the creation of a circle of sustainable help.

If you want to support Viv Timoun, here are the details:
IBAN: BE78 7554 7338 2786
BIC: AXABBE22
Bancaccountholder: Viv Timoun
Banc: Axa Eynatten, Belgien

If you understand German and wish for more infos, please visit: www.vivtimoun.org (sorry, the English translation will appear very soon).

Please also watch my new multimedia-piece (which is part of my final project):
http://www.vimeo.com/15296403

And at the end I want to show you some pictures I found today, that I never really looked at before.
Voodoo in Haiti from 2009:

Am 24. Juni landet mein Flugzeug in Haiti. Es ist meine siebte Reise in ein Land, das so arm, so schön und doch gleichzeitig so kompliziert ist. Es ist heiß und feucht, sehr feucht. Haiti befindet sich mitten in der Regenzeit. Meine haitianische Freundin Natacha, die Direktorin der Schule, die von „Viv Timoun“ unterstützt wird, kommt mich vom Flughafen abholen. Wir fahren durch die Strassen, es regnet. Ich blicke nach draußen und sehe die vielen Zeltlager. Die Anzahl hat sich nicht verringert. Es scheint als hätte sich nichts getan. Hunderte zerbrochene Gebäude liegen noch immer in Trümmern an den Straßenrändern. Hier und da sieht man, dass private Gebäude reicher Personen wieder aufgebaut werden. Aber alles andere bleibt liegen, fast nichts geht voran.

Die Menschen sind wütend und sauer auf die Politiker. Am 12. Juli, genau ein halbes Jahr nach dem  Erdbeben hat der Präsident René Préval andere Prioritäten als zum Volk zu sprechen.  Er überreicht Medaillen an den „besten Helfer“, den „besten Journalisten“, den „besten Arzt“ und den „besten Polizisten“. Er sagt nicht viel. Denn es scheint als wüsste selbst er nicht wie es weitergehen soll.

Eine halbe Stunde nördlich von Port-au-Prince gibt es ein neues Camp für die Menschen, die in den schlimmen Gefahrenzonen lebten. Etwa 7000 neue Unterkünfte wurden dort errichtet. Bei so vielen Hilfsgeldern, die Haiti versprochen wurden, sollte man davon ausgehen, dass diese Unterkünfte sicher sind. Doch es sind einfache Zelte und schon der erste größere Sturm am 12. Juli zerstörte etwa 1700 der Behausungen.

Auf der internationalen Gerberkonferenz im März hat man entschieden: Haiti bekommt zehn Milliarden US Dollar– eine recht bescheidene Summe angesichts dieser verheerenden Zerstörung. Vier Monate sind seit dem Versprechen vergangen und wie viel hat Haiti bisher bekommen? 10%. Wann und ob die restlichen 90% ankommen bleibt abzuwarten.

Die Menschen werden ungeduldig, sind wütend, hungern und leben in den schlimmsten Konditionen bei extremer Hitze. Die Gewalt und die Anzahl der Entführungen steigen.

Ich gehe durch die Strassen, mache Fotos und rede mit den Menschen. Manche drehen sich weg, möchten nicht fotografiert werden, da sie denken, ich würde mich an ihnen bereichern. Andere kommen auf mich zu, wollen sich mitteilen.

Eines Morgens spricht mich ein Mann namens Carlo an, er wolle mir unbedingt etwas zeigen. Er führt mich durch das Camp und bringt mich zu einer Frau. Sie heißt Natalie,  ist 29 Jahre alt, hat 2 kleine Kinder und nicht mal ein Zelt in dem sie unterkommen kann. Wenn es regnet, stellt sie sich mit ihren Kindern bei ihrem Nachbarn unter, dort schlafen können sie jedoch nicht. Sie spricht von der schrecklichen Situation in der sie lebt, beschreibt wie ihre Mutter, die ihr ein und alles war, beim Erdbeben gestorben ist und dann erzählt sie mir davon wie sie vergewaltigt wurde. „ Mein Baby war vier Monate alt, ich hielt es auf dem Arm. Sechs Männer kamen, haben mich genommen, mein Baby fiel zu Boden. Sie haben mir ein Messer in den Rücken gestochen und dann haben sie mich hinter einen Marktstand gezerrt und nacheinander vergewaltigt. Mein vierjähriger Sohn musste alles mit ansehen und ist weggelaufen. Ganze zwei Tage konnten wir ihn nicht finden.“ Tränen laufen ihr über die Wangen. Ich selbst muss schlucken, muss mich zurückhalten um nicht mitzuweinen. Ich verspreche ihr am nächsten Tag ein Zelt zu besorgen damit sie wenigstens einen wasserdichten Platz zum Schlafen hat. Auch rate ich ihr an, das Zelt in einem anderen weniger gefährlicheren Camp aufzustellen. Sie verspricht es mir.

Carlo führt mich weiter durchs Camp. Ich begegne einem 12jährigen, dann einem 15 jährigen, danach einem 14 jährigen Mädchen – sie alle sind vergewaltigt worden und erzählen mir davon. Es ist schwer, ich weiß nicht wie ich reagieren soll, was ich machen soll. Am liebsten würde ich sie alle drücken und sagen, dass sie sich keine Sorgen machen sollen, dass man die Täter finden und wegsperren wird. Doch ich weiß, dem ist nicht so. So gerne würde ich ihnen allen helfen. Jeden Tag begegnen mir Menschen, denen ich helfen möchte – aber ich muss mich immer wieder daran erinnern, dass ich einfach nicht allen helfen kann.

Ich bin froh, dass wir den gemeinnützigen Verein „Viv Timoun“ (Creole: lebe kleiner Mensch) gegründet haben und ich bin dankbar für die vielen Spenden, die nach dem Erdbeben eingegangen sind. So können wir doch einigen Kindern und Familien helfen und sie davor bewahren ein solches Schicksal erfahren zu müssen wie die Mädchen, die vergewaltigt wurden. Das ist ein gutes Gefühl. Der Bau der Schule namens M.E.V.A (maison des enfants du village de l’avenir) geht voran. In sechs bis neun Monaten soll die neue Schule mit integriertem Waisenhaus stehen. Sie wird größer als vor dem Erdbeben und nicht nur eine Grund- sondern auch eine Sekundarstufe haben. Momentan wird der Unterricht für die Schüler im alten Waisenhaus abgehalten – während die Waisenkinder in Santo Domingo sind, dort zur Schule gehen und jetzt schon fast perfekt Spanisch sprechen. Für die 150 Schulkinder in Haiti wird gut gesorgt, sie bekommen täglich eine warme Mahlzeit und haben das Glück nicht wie die meisten anderen haitianischen Schüler unter Zelten in brütender Hitze lernen zu müssen.

Es ist auch schön zu sehen, dass es den Menschen, denen „Viv Timoun“ im Monat März ein Startkapital gegeben hat um einen kleinen Marktstand zu eröffnen, immer noch gut geht und sie von ihrem kleinen Business leben können. Die Menschen sind glücklich und dankbar. Diese Dankbarkeit zu fühlen und den warmen Händedruck gehören zu den schönsten Dingen, die es gibt.

Wenn ich morgens aufwache, werde ich immer von einem siebenjährigen Jungen begrüßt. Sein Name ist Olivier und er ist ein kleines Wunderkind. Im Moment des Erdbebens spielt er gerade auf dem Balkon. Vor Schreck läuft er ins Haus, als dieses in sich zusammenfällt. Seine Mutter kommt gerade von der Universität und läuft sofort nach hause. Sie ruft verzweifelt nach ihm, doch er antwortete nicht. Ihre Freunde bereiten sie darauf vor, dass er sehr wahrscheinlich nicht mehr lebt. Doch sie gibt nicht auf. Am nächsten Morgen läuft sie zurück um ihn zu suchen. Sie sagt sich selber: „Selbst wenn er nicht mehr leben sollte, will ich ihn noch ein letztes Mal sehen.“ Immer wieder schreit sie seinen Namen, bis sie eine schwache Stimme flüstern hört: „Mami, Mami, ich bin hier. Rette mich!“. Mit der Hilfe von Freunden befreit sie ihn aus den Trümmern und meine Freundin Natacha fährt beide nach Santo Domingo, wo er zwei Monaten im Krankenhaus verbringt. Jetzt ist er wohlauf und einer der fröhlichsten und energischsten kleinen Jungen, die ich kenne. An seinen Handgelenken, Kopf und Beinen befinden sich ein paar schlimme Narben, aber nichts musste amputiert werden. Er hat Glück gehabt.

Hunderttausende haben nicht das gleiche Glück gehabt wie Olivier. Die Hitze und der Regen erschwert das Leben sehr. Im Ortsteil Carrefour von Port-au-Prince leben eine große Anzahl Menschen in Wellblechhütten und Zelten auf einem Bürgersteig mitten auf der Straße. Es ist eine stark befahrene Strasse, eine Hauptstrasse. Die Menschen leben zwischen Abgasen, Lärm und Dreck. Hupende Autos und LKWs rasen vorbei – Tag und Nacht. Es ist gefährlich aus dem „Haus“ zu gehen, jedes Mal könnte man von einem der rücksichtslosen Autofahrer überfahren werden. Mir läuft ein Mann über den Weg namens Jean Michel Bouchon. Er lebt mit seiner Familie auf diesem Bürgersteig, weil er nicht weiß wo sie sonst hinsollen. Seine Familie und Kinder, darunter zwei Babys – Zwillinge – sind dem Beben glücklicherweise unbeschadet entkommen. Doch eines Nachts fällt eines der Babys aus dem Bett und rollt auf die Straße. Bevor die Eltern es retten können, wird es von einem Auto überfahren.

Niemand hilft ihnen, es gibt nur noch wenige Nahrungsmittelverteilungen und es gibt keine Jobs. Viele Menschen haben ihre Zelte auf privaten Grundstücken aufgeschlagen. Die Besitzer möchten ihre Grundstücke zurückhaben und bezahlen Gangs, damit sie die Zelte zerstören und die Menschen – notfalls mit Waffen - vertreiben. Doch wohin sollen diese Vertriebenen gehen? Es gibt keinen Platz für sie.

Im Februar sprachen manche Menschen und Reporter davon, dass das Erdbeben eine Chance für Haiti sein könnte. Danach sieht es definitiv nicht aus.
Niemand hat einen Plan. Viele Hilfsorganisationen sind da und einige versuchen die schlimmsten Schmerzen zu lindern, doch solange es keine Infrastruktur und keine Jobs gibt, wird das Land nicht weiterkommen.

Ich frage mich und weiß absolut nicht wie Haitis Zukunft aussehen wird. Ich weiß nur, dass ich mein Bestes geben möchte um dem Land und seinen wunderschönen Menschen zu helfen.

www.vivtimoun.org

Viv Timoun

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