Bless Them

Aid workers continue to be on alert in Pakistan amid reports of deadly Taliban attacks against foreigners helping with flood relief efforts in the country.

It is 5:30 p.m. in Nowshera. The sun is setting, and it is almost time to break today’s fast. By this time of the day, the people are hungry and thirsty. They are worn out because of the weather. They have not eaten since 4:30 a.m. The fasting does not even permit them to swallow their saliva. The mood of the camp seems to be restless. Everyone is back in their own tents so that they can break fast as a family. It is hard to prepare any solid food at the relief camp. They do not have cooking facilities or raw materials to cook food. The common practice of breaking fast is to eat dates and have a sweet drink. Afterwards, a delicious meal is served with meat, rice and bread. But today in the Nowshera relief camp, the people only have dates for their meal.

We just pulled in with our small truck packed with 2,000 packets of cooked food. The food preparation started about 10 a.m. this morning with the help of 10 volunteers. At 2 p.m., we picked up the food from the old city to take it to Nowshera. This city was hard hit by the flood. It was inundated with about 10 ft. of water without any warning, and the people only had a couple hours to get out of their homes. Since they lived near the quarry, they managed to get to higher ground for safety. It has been more than a month since the flood hit their homes, and it is still flooded. The quarry has now become their temporary home, a very crowded tent city.

It is hard to control a hungry crowd. Men, women and children all pushing each other to get a meal. We had to quickly distribute the food and leave to avoid an unpleasant situation. I hoped that all would get a hot meal, but there are always the weaker ones who do not make it to the line. For such people, we kept some packets of food in the truck.

I was clicking away taking pictures when a very fragile lady touched me and asked for food. She could hardly speak and was mumbling to me. She was 85-years-old and lived with her only son. I gave her some packets of food, and she put her hand on my head to bless me. She then caught hold of my hand and took me to her tent. Her son had been putting up the tent and had not realized that the food had been distributed. The woman said that in all her life, she had never seen such a disaster. She hoped that she would not die in her tent. She just wanted to go home. I prayed for her.

The people in Nowshera were very grateful for the food we gave them. This was the only meal for most of the families when they broke their fast. We partnered with Shelter Now International, and together, we will provide food for them for a week. As I was leaving the camp, I saw smiling faces. They were waving their hands in appreciation of what we had done for them. Operation Blessing is a great blessing for the many lives we touched in the last few days in Pakistan. Thank you for supporting the work of Operation Blessing. God bless you.

Originally posted here: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/September/Faces-of-Desperation-Feeding-2000-People/

Most of the flood victims had simple homes made out of mud and straw. All their life long savings were used to build their dream home. They may not have had all the luxuries, but a roof over their head, a bed to sleep in, a proper bathroom, privacy for the families, drinking water, the ability to cook a decent meal, and a place to have a guest was all that they hoped for. Imagine the moment when all that was taken away. The worst part is that there is no such thing as home owners insurance.

Now they live in a cramped tent. Each day they hope their situation will improve. Their heart, mind and attitude changes because they are in survival mode. Before there used to be food on the table,but  now they had to watch and wait to see if someone will distribute food, blankets or clean drinking water. They must be quick and fast to get in line because everyone is dependent on aid and everyone is needy. There is no respect for their fellow neighbor anymore. They are angry, they push, and they fight to get their share of aid.

They now have to live with more than 100 families and share a common toilet.  There is no place to take a bath, they have no extra change of clothes, and privacy for women (which is an important part of the culture) is no longer there. Even if they are sick they don’t take medicines until the evening because they are fasting. I remember that in one of the medical camps a couple girls collapsed because of dehydration.

The weather today is very hot and humid.  As I stand at the entrance of the relief camp and watch their struggles, all I can do is pray for these people. The men are waiting at the entrance of the camp making sure that they don’t miss out on relief aid. The children are having a blast, swimming in the muddy river, cooling themselves off.  A little further down the river, there are women washing their faces, brushing their teeth and cleaning their utensils. They use the muddy water for both drinking and cooking. Imagine the women and young teenage girls who have to maintain privacy in their tents, they can’t even have a breath of fresh air, because no man should see them.

I walked to the river to demonstrate to the elders of the camp how the Life Saver Jerry can can give them clean drinking water. I had a huge crowd follow me which immediately attracted the police. They began dispersing the crowd so I had my interpreter explain to the police that we were providing clean water to the camp. They then decided to provide security. They also watched what I was about to do. I had one young man fill the Jerry can with the muddy water. I selected a kid and had him pump the can 15 times and then turn the valve. Suddenly, clean drinking water began to flow. They were amazed to see the difference. We had the kids line up and gave them water to drink. The men would not drink because they were fasting.

As we were leaving one of the police officers requested that we help more camps because the water was contaminated and people were sick. Our volunteers took the information and we headed out to Peshawar. It was almost 6 p.m. and everyone on the road was speeding, all were heading home to break their fast. By this time we were thirsty and hungry.  We also were a bit forced to fast since we couldn’t find a store open during the day time to even purchase water. We drove to the old city for dinner. This place has historical significance, http://www.khyber.org/places/2005/PeshawarCityandDistrict.shtml.

Tomorrow we are heading to another location called Nowshera where we will be providing dinner for 2,000 people. Please continue to pray for the flood victims as well as for safety for the team and myself. God bless.

Originally posted here: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/September/Faces-of-Desparation-From-a-House-to-a-Tent/

Aid workers continue to be on alert in Pakistan amid reports of deadly Taliban attacks against foreigners helping with flood relief efforts in the country.

Mohammed had a look of sadness on his face. Every time I asked him a question he would answer me with a sentence, without any emotions.

The flood destroyed his life savings. His four children and wife were able to grab whatever they could from their house when the water came. Now he sits at the graveyard under a tent without a job and no future. I did my best to talk to him and to his children, but Mohammad still had his stern look.

I noticed three kids under a tent. One of them was calling me, “Hey, Hey.” I went over to see what they wanted.

He pointed to the camera for a picture and I took one, he was so happy that he had his other friends stand next to him for another picture. Soon he was all excited and wanted me to take more pictures with his kite and small container of water cans. I remembered that I had taken a picture of him before carrying some water. I tried to talk to him but he only smiled. I realized that he had a speech problem. Because of his disability people used him as a water boy and he was by himself in the tent. His name is Daud.

A young woman with her three-year-old son was patiently waiting to see the doctor. I was busy taking pictures when I heard a hissing sound, “Hiss, Hiss.” I turned back and saw this young man calling his wife, which happened to be the same women with her three-year-old son.

He seemed to be in a hurry and with his facial expression asked her to see the doctor soon. She pushed herself and was able to get in front of the line. This brought to my mind a woman who laughed when her name was asked during a medical camp, she could not remember when the last time someone called her name. Her husband only called her ‘hey, hey,” or sometimes “donkey.”

In a moment I will come back to these stories, but first let me tell you what happened today.

We started this morning at 9 a.m. to participate with our partner, Humedica’s medical team, in a place called Charsadda. While on the road we were flagged by the police. Out came six policemen who knew exactly what to do. Each one of them had a specific task, it was so quick and they were gone. They checked the car papers, the chasse number, the trunk and took a look at the passengers.

We were stopped twice today. It seemed like a normal routine.

As we arrived at the entrance of this city, a police escort joined us on our way to the camp. With flashing lights and sirens the police took us smoothly through the heavy traffic. Once at the camp we were told that a bomb had exploded at a turn-about which we were supposed to take on our way there.

For some reason we had taken a different route. It must have been your prayers.

Charsadda was one of the worst-hit areas where the water level was up to 10 feet high. About 80 percent of the homes made out of mud and straw were completely destroyed. Many took refuge at the graveyard, which was on higher ground.

That’s where we were today with the Humedica team, providing health care to men, women, and children.

Scabies, infection, and diarrhea were the main complaints of the patients. Operation Blessing’s partner Humedica did a wonderful job by taking time with each patient. They talked with the them, laughed with the children, touched them with love and even dressed their severe wounds.

Why I say this is that I have seen local doctors who won’t touch the people of low caste in the village. They would just prescribe medicines without checking any symptoms. But this was different; this was about caring and loving the people regardless of who they are.

It was a hot day but, regardless, the Humedica team saw more than 100 patients. There were some serious cases, which were referred to the hospital, but overall the people at the camp were so happy to have a great team take care of their needs.

Going back to the story of Mohammad who lost his life savings, to Daud who has a speech disability, and the young wife and mother who lives a harsh life. One thing that changed their attitude was a simple word of encouragement and love.

I gave Mohammed a hug and saw tears come to his eyes, I played with Daud and made him feel special, and I prayed for the young woman and her son to be well.

This is what Operation Blessing is all about, showing the love of Jesus in word, deed, and action. This is what we did today with the Humedica team.

Originally posted here: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/September/Faces-of-Desperation-A-Touch-of-Love/

Aid workers continue to be on alert in Pakistan amid reports of deadly Taliban attacks against foreigners helping with flood relief efforts in the country.

It is 6:30 a.m. in the morning. Mostly women and children seem to be getting ready for work. Young teenage girls were preparing breakfast. Men sipping a cup of tea. Those who were rushing to work had a quick breakfast, and by 8 a.m., the camp is almost empty.

These ambitious people would find any work to do. For eight hours of work, they received only $1.20. Therefore, each family also puts their children to work to earn extra cash.

The only ones left in the camp were children in their teens and younger who took care of their siblings. One such young girl was Begum. I noticed her the first day - she must be at least 9-years-old - carrying her younger sibling. She would be following me while I am at the camp. I just could not resist noticing her; she reminded me of my daughter. I got to know her a little bit.

Her days start off early. She prepares the wood stove and helps her mom to make bread and tea. She cleans the house and puts all the beddings in place. She packs the leftover bread for lunch. Untill her parents left, she was busy doing something.

When they were off to work, Begum more than takes care of herself. She also takes care of her little brother, who is with her all day long. She has never been to school, and when she was sick, her parents treated her with herbal medicines. I had not seen her change her clothes in the last three days. But she always had a beautiful smile.

During the medical camp, I was looking for her, but she was not to be found. I asked the village leader her whereabouts and he said, “Begum had to work today along with her parents.” When I told him that this was an important day for all the kids be to seen by the doctor, his reply was, “But what would we do when our children do not work?”

I was so disappointed — children at a very young age working rather than having a decent education and enjoying their childhood.

Many children showed up at the medical camp. The doctor mentioned that most of the children seen here had water borne diseases. We had the right medicines and treatment for the children. Just as we were about to close, I saw Begum with her brother.

Her parent’s brought her back to the camp, because she was not well. She was still wearing the same clothes.  Her hair was messy, but she had the most beautiful smile. I brushed her tangled hair and said, “God loves you.” She did not understand a word I said, but her smile said it all. She was seen by the doctor and given medicines.

But Begum’s day did not end there. Whether she was sick or not — she had chores at home, and she had to prepare dinner before her parent’s came home from work. She gets no rest, but she sure has that God-given smile.

It was a long, hot day. We provided towels, soap, and shampoo for the children to take a bath. With the Life Saver Jerrycan, we provided clean drinking water. More than 100 children received free medical care.

At 4 p.m., I started the journey toward Peshawar to meet with Operation Blessing’s partner Humedica, which was doing a medical outreach in relief camps. There were no flights out of Sukkur. Therefore, I decided to take the 18-hour road journey.

At about 1:30 a.m. on the road, the Lord brought to my mind the faces of the children in the camp, especially Begum. I prayed for hope for these children.

Originally posted here: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/September/Faces-of-Desperation-Girl-with-the-God-Given-Smile/

This morning as I was leaving the camp the leader said, “These are our children, and they will be ours, thank you for helping them.” I was asking myself, why did he say that? There could be couple reasons, firstly because we were Christians helping their Muslim children, secondly, he probably wanted to make sure that we kept a distance, just do the project and leave. Hmm, I was telling my couple volunteers who were with me, “well, I hope through what we will be doing for these kids, he would change his statement.”

As promised I returned that evening to the camp with the Life Saver Jerrycan. The leader had all the kids assembled and I had him bring a bucket of drinking water from the river. Many men and kids were all around us curious to see what was taking place. I had the leader fill the Jerrycan, I pumped it and served him the first glass of water. He drank and drank, looked at me with a big smile and said, “It is sweet.” He compared the water they had been drinking and he just shook his head.  He told the kids to line up and enjoy the clean drinking water.

After all the kids had a glass of water we were about to leave, the leader came to me and said, “These are your children, please help them, and help us to help them too.” Those words touched my heart. Once again Operation Blessing and Life Saver made an impact in this village.

Tomorrow morning a team of doctors will be seeing to the needs of children. We also purchased towels, soap and shampoo for the kids to have a bath. Thank you.

Aid workers continue to be on alert in Pakistan amid reports of deadly Taliban attacks against foreigners helping with flood relief efforts in the country.

I was tossing back and forth thinking of the children I met in the camp who were in dire need of medicines, a bath, and clean clothes. There were no toilets or bathing facility in the camp. When it got dark, there was nothing much to do; there was no electricity. They slept out in the open, either on a cot or just on a piece of cloth. Surrounding them were donkeys and other families. There was no privacy. The beautiful clear sky and stars were all they could admire. I wonder what goes through a child’s mind starring at millions of stars. If it rained, they get wet and perhaps go to sleep with no change of cloths. But none of these kids knew that the God who created the millions of stars created them as well.

There were many power outages during the night, but my restless mind was thinking of what could be done for these children. I was sweating and not able to sleep. When I got up, I stepped on a pool of water. There had been a leak in the air conditioning system, and it was messy. What a great way to start the day!

When I arrived at the camp, the children greeted me. Their hair was a mess. They were sweaty. Their clothes were dirty and flies all over their faces. Many had severe rashes. In my mind, I was thinking how I could bring about a smile on their faces. Probably by this time my host was probably wondering, why is this guy touching all these kids?

I began to ask these children questions and, to my surprise, none of these kids knew their ages. They had never been to school. Sometimes they had to work along with their parents. If they don’t know their ages, I am sure they never celebrated their birthdays and they never received gifts. They had never thought of their future, and most probably they were married off young. Their future is bleak, but I was very sure that God brought me here so that Operation Blessing can be a blessing to these children.

I laid my hands on every kid and said a word of blessing. Each time I would touch a child there came out of them a smile — the most beautiful smile that reflected the love of God in these children. I was showing them the pictures I took of them. They were so excited and joyful. They only have one good meal day of rice and lentils. There was literally nothing for the kids to do.

I arranged for two pediatricians to visit the camp tomorrow. There will be a medical clinic for these kids, and they will be given proper medicines. Later today, we are arranging for all the children to take a bath in the river. I am purchasing soap, towel and shampoo. After which I am going to demonstrate the Life Saver Jerrycan that will give them clean safe drinking water.

The first day you saw pictures of children whose faces reflected desperation, but today the same children expressed joy. This is because Operation Blessing is there to be a blessing to them.

Originally posted here: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/August/Faces-of-Desperation-Blessing-the-Children-/

As I entered the waiting area before boarding the flight to Lahore, I realized I was already in Pakistan. The people, their dress, the language, their heavy carry-on baggage, massive duty free items, etc, etc, — this is it — welcome to another world.

As the flight took off, the first announcement was, “It is 4:15 a.m. Dubai time. We have only 15 more minutes before fasting begins.” The cabin crew was working hard to make sure all got their meals on time. I too, was treated as one fasting.

At 4:30 a.m., “Fasting has started. No serving of food,” said the cabin crew supervisor. The rest of the flight, nothing was served.  Although I needed a glass of water, I had to be sensitive to my neighbor, not to tempt him or make him upset that I was not observing Ramadan.

Going through immigration was not that bad, but again the question was asked.

“So, you are Indian background?”  inquired the officer.

“Yes, and I was born and raised in Singapore,” I answered. She flipped through the pages of my passport till another officer interrupted her.  She stamped my passport and said, “Next.”

Customs is always a hassle if you are a Pakistani, and I looked like one. My camera bag went through the X-Ray, and the customs officer alerted another colleague of his to check my bag.  He asked me why I was carrying five cell phones.

“Five, no way,” but he was trying hard to find the five. I had all kinds of stuff in my camera bag which was shaped like a cell phone, and he began to ask me questions and at this point I switched my language to English, “Sir I don’t speak Urdu.” It worked, “Okay you can go.” It was that simple.

It was humid and hot as I came out of the airport. Everyone wanted to help.  Everyone was offering a taxi service.” Naye Charyeya (I don’t need),” I spoke in Urdu and was able to get myself out of it. But always there is a persistent one wanting to push the luggage trolley.

I could have brushed him aside, but I realized that I could be the only one today who would have given him some extra rupees (Pakistan currency) to feed his family. It is a hard life for these men trying to just earn few rupees. With a large family at home, fasting all day, a little extra cash would bring some joy to the family.

Since it was Saturday morning, the streets were quiet. I was surprised to see donkey carts on the road.  A few new buildings had come up here and there but over all I felt nothing much has changed in Pakistan. I asked my host how are things in Pakistan. He said “Things have actually gotten worse.”

Just then I got an e-mail from my contacts in Peshawar saying not to travel today to Peshawar since the Taliban and the army was engaged in a fight.  I talked to our partner Humedica and they told me they could not leave the house either.

That changed my plans and led me to travel to Sukkur, Southern Pakistan, where the flood situation had gotten worse. Humedica will be packing their stuff and will be moving to Sukkur in the next few days.

I went to the local store to get a SIM card and exchange money to local currency. I was surprised by the number of security measures placed everywhere - security at the front gate, at the back, the side and security camera too. I had not seen this during the years I lived in Pakistan.

I turned to my host and asked him about a suicide bombing that killed the father of a friend, and with a smile he asked me “Which one? Almost there is one everyday. It is hard to keep track of it. You need to be specific.” I did not know what to say.

By this time I was going through jetlag, took a short nap, and visited some friends. At midnight, we started the road journey towards Sukkur. I was not sure what to expect during this 14-hour drive. Pakistanis drive like a maniac, and any accident would be fatal. I know this, because I had seen way too many fatal accidents during my 3-year stay in Peshawar, 1984 - 1986. My host in Lahore rented a car with a driver. He also gave me couple of his colleagues to travel with me. I felt very safe at this point.  Overall, the road was not that bad, driver was good and alert.

Because of pollution and to save on gas, most cars in Pakistan run both on gasoline and CNG (Compressed Natural Gas). All the way to Sukkur we drove on CNG gas. The gasoline was kept for emergency. We drove 700 miles and the cost of CNG was only $30.

As we crossed into Sukkur, I felt for the first time that this place was about 20 years behind. The mode of transportation included crowded vans, auto rickshaws (three wheelers), horse carriages and donkey carts. The streets were narrow and crowded. One had to a have a good eye to drive these crowded streets.

We were greeted by children at the first relief camp. These kids were dirty, flies on their faces.  I mean literally they had not taken a bath in days. Soon the man and women came around just asking for food and medicines. They were desperate for help. Just as we left the camp, one man came with his child and said, “Please give us bread.”

Just before I left for Pakistan I was studying the Pakistan flag. The 3/4 of green color on the flag means that the majority of the people are Muslims, and the 1/3 of the white color means the minorities. The minorities are tribes, Hindus, and Christians. The known fact is that the minorities in many ways are discriminated against. These neglected camps belong to the minorities. I do not want to go in detail, but the church where I had dinner tonight was burned down by extremists four years ago. The pastor’s wife narrated what happened, and I felt chills in my bones.

Well, let me get some sleep. It is 4:30 a.m., and I have an early start in the morning. God bless.

Originally posted here: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/August/Another-World-Eyewitness-Account-of-Pakistan/

In a few months, I will be 5. I can see am changing. I am getting taller, a little stubborn. I am sensitive how my hair is done, picky about clothes. The list can go on and on. In September, I will be in Kindergarten. I just can’t wait to get on a bus to go to school. I am telling my dad to get me flowers for my birthday and I am sure he will. Somehow, I feel I should get the whole world some flowers. But Dad has to always remind me there are others who need more than I do, and I say, “Okay, okay” dad.

Dad met a young boy Suresh at the children’s home during his recent visit to India. He looked at dad and said, “Sir, would you like to see me dance.”

“Sure,” dad said, and Suresh put a performance that surprised dad. Soon the other kids joined clapping and singing while Suresh showed off his talent. When he was done dad asked him, “Suresh, tell me about yourself.”

“Well, my name is Suresh. When I was 7, I lost both my parents. They both died of HIV. I stayed with my grandmother and many times, I was not feeling well. I had rashes on my body and it was really getting bad. My grandmother took me to a clinic to be checked and after all the tests, we were told I too had HIV. It was hard for my grandmother. I did not know what was happening. My rash was getting bad. In fear of what my neighbors, friends and relatives would find out what is happening to me, my grandmother brought me to the children’s home. I have been here for three years. Look at my hands, my rashes are gone. I get regular treatment for HIV and I go to an English school. I am taken good care of here.”

Dad had seen Suresh many times during his visit to the children’s home. This time it was more personal. Dad could see in Suresh’s eyes that he was not well. Suresh does not know how long he would live because of HIV. But the care given by the sisters at the children’s home is beyond imaginable. They love him and give the best to Suresh and the 50 other children who are all HIV positive. So far, only one child has died, but we all believe God would heal all of them.

My favorite song is, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” This is the message we, as a family, are sharing with 200 orphan children in India. Would you like to join us in supporting these children? For just $40 a month you can adopt a child in India who will be given the best care just like you and me are taken care at home. Suresh needs a parent, will you be one?

What is Bless Them Now? Here is how it all started. Dad has been telling me a story how God made me from the time I was a baby. This is how it goes. One day God met with Gabriel and Michael and said, it is kind of a quite day, what should we do? Michael came up with a brilliant idea and said to God, “how about making a beautiful baby”. God said, “Fantastic, lets do it”. He took some clay and began to form the face, body, hands and legs. After the final touch up God said, “It is GOOD”. God then blew on me some air, and I began to cry, I moved my hands and legs and Gabriel said, I know a couple praying for a child, how about giving her to them. The next thing I know you were with us and we named you Manisha. Even today he tells me the story and I just love it.

Dad tells me this story because he wanted me to know that God made all the children in the world and he made them so beautiful. He also tells me that everyone is made for a reason. He tells me that I may be a doctor, a teacher, or like my dad doing humanitarian work, whatever it is God has a purpose and we need to use it to glorify God and bless others. Dad goes on to say that I am blessed because I have everything I need, but not all children in the world are fortunate:

BECAUSE
•    Out of the 2.2 billion children in the world, 1 billion live in poverty
•    For the 1.9 billion children from the developing world, there are:
•    640 million without adequate shelter
•    400 million with no access to safe drinking water
•   270 million with no access to health services
•    24,000 children die each day due to poverty (Unicef)
•    An estimated 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, with 3 million deaths in 2004.
•    15 million children orphaned due to HIV/AIDS
•    Some 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water.

This was not God’s intent because He made it “GOOD.” But people were carried away with greed, power and control, which had led to the above. The number is too huge to make a change, but a step at a time making a difference in the future generation dad created Bless Them Now so that dad, mom and I will make every effort to educate and provide the best care and education to Children around the world.  How about you joining with me to make a difference!

All it takes is just $40 a month to sponsor a child in India. As an added premium I would like to send you a pound of coffee every month for each child sponsored. Each time you drink a cup of coffee it will remind you the difference you are making in a child’s life and likewise it gives you an opportunity to share the vision to your visiting family and friends when you serve them a cup of coffee.

After 5 weeks in Haiti Dad is leaving for Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The best part is that mom and i are joining him for a small family break. I just can’t wait to see him. His boss wrote a nice blog on the school my dad was involved in Haiti and i thought you might enjoy reading. Continue to pray for Haiti.

Dear All,

The tent school (below) is set up on a parking lot adjacent to Dadadu, a tent city in PAP where about 7000 quake victims are living in tents set up on a sun scalded Astroturf soccer field. David and I first went there over two weeks ago at the request of doctors from Partners in Health (PIH), whose mobile medical team had just started visiting the camp. Other than a scattered supply of bottled water, the people in Camp Dadadu were without water. Since OBI regularly works with PIH to solve water problems, the PIH docs met with us and requested that we provide water for Dadadu.

David and I drove to the camp that afternoon, met with Dr. Jounie, the camp coordinator, and investigated. We found an empty underground cistern and new 3000 gallon metal water storage tank, also dry. David asked Pradel, OBI’s Haitian administrator, to call the water company and order truckloads of water; within an hour a truck was dumping 8000 gallons into the cistern.

There are several trucking companies in PAP, all of which buy water from companies that operate deep wells. The water is clear and appears clean, but the aquifer that the wells draw from is contaminated with fecal bacteria that results from a dilapidated sewer system that leaks. Haitian adults drink the water and only occasionally get sick because their immune systems have grown resistant to the germs, but children have not yet developed resistance and suffer from chronic water-borne disease; worse yet, babies whose immune systems are most vulnerable, often die.

About two hours after our arrival at Dadadu, our white box truck rolled in with a WMI water purification unit onboard. We spent about a half hour discussing where to best set it up. The underground cistern was located over 100’ from the metal water tank. We had to engineer a way to pump the water from the cistern to the WMI unit and then into the storage tank. The problem, was that cars drove back and forth between the cistern and the tank and would squash our water line.

David found a way by tying the pipe along the top of the fence, and then elevating it high over the gate where the cars passed. It worked, and about an hour later, our water team, working with servicemen from WMI, had pure water flowing into the tank. By the time darkness fell, there was a happy crowd lined up filling their water jugs and bottles.

The next morning, Kumar visited Dadadu to check on the water system and investigate other needs. Dr Jounie explained to him that there were hundreds of children in the camp as well as 110 expectant mothers and 19 infants born since the quake. She told Kumar of the desperate need for formula and baby food as well as nutritious food for pregnant mothers. Kumar went back to the OBI warehouse and loaded a truck with baby food, formula, MREs and hygiene kits.

Kumar fell in love with the people of Dadadu and has been going back every day since. Dr Jounie told him how badly the children needed a place to meet and to resume some semblance of school. We had a 40’X60’ in our warehouse that had just arrived. It’s the one we used in post-Katrina Slidell as our food & eating area. Kumar spent about a week clearing the area to set it up near the water tank and organizing a group of teachers. Yesterday was the first day of class. As you will see in the photo below, it was a happy day at Camp Dadadu.

The people of Dadadu are still hurting, but they are much better off than they were two weeks ago. Now, by the grace of God, the dedication of the hard-working OBI staff on the ground, and the benevolence of OB donors, they have safe water, nutritious food and even a makeshift school for their children. This is a prime example of what OBI is doing in Haiti.

Bill