Eye opener

This is what much of Haiti has looked like at various times throughout the last 4 days

Things seem to have blown over in Mirebalais. Town was quiet yesterday and we even were able to go and get water.Praise the Lord!! What seems to be happenening is the riots are moving from town to town across the country, though the unrest is continuing in the bigger centres.

I have to admit it's an odd feeling to be in Haiti when things like this are happening! It makes the reality of being in a 3rd world country much more real! There have been reports from nearby orphanges and clinics that they are being flooded with children. People are finding themselves unable to feed their families, and are giving up their children. Here at HCH we came to the conclusion that we are not going to take children unless they are babies, as until we know what is going to happen with food availibility, we have to ensure that we can properly feed and care for the children we already have. This was a tough decision, but Pat and Melinda have been through hard times before in this country, and have experienced being unable to provide for the children as they would like.

Here are some shocking numbers that might give you an idea why things are so tense in Haiti:

(thanks to the Livesays for this info)

1 bag of rice (50kg) 1200gds ($31.37us) is now 2000gds ($52.28us)

1 bag or beans (50kg)2000gds ($52.28us) is now 3000gds ($78.43us)

1 bottle of cook oil 175gds ($4.57us) is now 300gds ($7.84us)

1gallon of gas 175gds ($4.57us) is now 230gds ($6.00us)

1 can of powder milk 1000gds ($26.14us)is now 1800gds ($47.05us)

These numbers are very significant when you think that one of our workers makes on average 2500gds(~$50)/month....doesn't go very far in the first place! The people in Haiti simply cannot absorb the cost of living!