It is hard to believe it has been two years since the earthquake. For those of us who worked in Haiti prior to the earthquake, we still vividly remember exactly where we were on the evening of January 12th when we first received word of the disaster. It was not until the next morning when we awoke to the first pictures coming out of Haiti on the morning news that the full magnitude of what we were up against hit home. We still are flooded with tremendous emotion when these yearly anniversaries roll around and we reflect back on those first few weeks post-earthquake.

Haiti today is making progress. It is always slow going in Haiti, but the country is returning to a “new normal”. They do have a functioning government with a visible president that is making generally good decisions. It is fair to say the country is the most stable and safe it has been in years. Building efforts are underway. Rubble removal is much further along than is generally portrayed. General infrastructure is always an issue. Roads still need improvement as well as water quality and sanitation. There has been more attention to these issues since the earthquake, but we still have many years ahead of us in addressing these problems.

Often we are asked about the hope for a better Haiti post-earthquake. We won’t say there is more hope; Haiti has always been a country of very resilient and hopeful people. This is one of the main attractions to the country when people first visit. You are fascinated and admire the Haitian people for their determination and resourcefulness. The Haitian people have suffered greatly, but they would never want to be looked upon as victims. They have, as they always have throughout Haitian history, picked themselves up and moved forward. Haitians are very smart people; they understand their problems, they know the solutions, and they can set the priorities -  the issue is always with having the resources. That is where Family Health Ministries can make the difference and provide the “hope”. We don’t need to dictate the direction of Haitian recovery; we need to provide in partnership the educational talent and financial resources. The hope comes in the Haitians having sovereignty over their own lives. They need a hand up not a hand out.

This is something Family Health Ministries has done for years. We have always talked about the partnerships first and the projects second. When the earthquake happened, our partners knew we were there with them for the rebuilding process. Today, two years later, we still have some post-earthquake rebuilding projects underway at the school in Fondwa and the guesthouse in Leogane, but for the most part FHM has transitioned from relief work and rebuilding back to developing long term programs in the area of women's and children’s healthcare. Post-earthquake, Family Health Ministries has developed some wonderful new relationships with the Ministry of Health and other Haitian run NGOs. FHM’s long-term goal and one of our main focuses for future collaboration in Haiti is to work with the Ministry of Health to establish a nationwide cervical cancer screening program. Women die of cervical cancer in Haiti which is unheard of in the US. In conjunction with this screening program, this spring FHM is launching a capital campaign to raise funds for building the Surgical Facility of the Leogane Family Health Center to address the special needs of women and children. You could even say that a positive outcome of the earthquake is the establishment of these new partnerships that will support the future work of Family Health Ministries.

It is nice to move on from our earthquake days. It is always nice to reflect on progress. Although Family Health Ministries work is moving forward, it still important to acknowledge how much still needs be done in the future. Haiti still has so many needs. Many Haitians still remain in massive tent cities, don’t have jobs, and have children that suffer from malnutrition and cannot afford an education. Family Health Ministries cannot right all the wrongs that Haiti has experienced over the centuries, but we can make a difference for those lives we do touch on a daily basis in the communities we serve. We have been in Haiti for 19 years and we are there to stay.