Rea strapped a gallon of the surgical disinfectant Betadine to her back and climbed through the devastated hillsides, washing the wounds of the injured as best she could. When possible, she arranged transport for the broken bodies that still held a flicker of life.
How did she find the strength?
"I have gone beyond what I was the day before the earthquake," is all she will say.
And so Save the Children has done nothing to save Rea's children. But she continues to try, against all odds.
Needs are many. Temporary classrooms are a must, but tents are impossible to come by here. The current school will never be used, but the field is secured at 83 Delmas Road. She needs $20,000 to pay it off completely. Haitian officials have promised tents, but it is doubtful they will arrive.
Before the quake, Haiti was the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The average income in Haiti is 75 cents to $2 per day, with the cost of food comparable with that of the United States. Today Port-au-Prince can be compared to Mad Max on steroids, but Rea is undaunted and unbowed.
So many write and ask me about grass roots programs in Haiti.
Contact Rea at readol2002@yahoo.fr
Cross-posted with LAPROGRESSIVE and Huffington Post(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
