September declared Haiti Awareness Month

When Bloomington occupational therapist Kevin Kathman arrived in Haiti in late February, the devastation from the magnitude 7.0 earthquake was barely more than a month old.

During the 10-mile trip from the airport to Tabarre, Port-au-Prince, Kathman noticed large piles of rock and rubble — the remnants of homes and businesses — lining both sides of the road.

Tents and blankets had been cobbled together to make shelter. Wildlife was scarce; the only animals visible were those that had escaped from destroyed farms and were now starving, he said.

When he returned in August, the changes were few but noticeable. The tarps and tents were still up, now shredded and dusty from the months of harsh island weather, but plant life was beginning to grow and animals were returning.

Though nearly eight months have passed since the earthquake, the need for help and relief has hardly ended, and efforts by Bloomington residents and IU faculty and staff are helping keep Haiti’s plight stay in the public’s mind.

With this in mind, on Friday Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan officially proclaimed September as Haiti Awareness Month.

Local book and record stores, as well as the Monroe County Public Library, are supporting the month with displays and special orders of products
focusing on Haiti.

IU has several Haiti-related events and lectures planned to honor the newly-proclaimed month, many sponsored by IU’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. On Wednesday, IU professor Albert Valman will present a lecture on the language of Haiti — Creole. Titled “Language and Education in the Reconstruction of Haiti,” the talk will take place in State Room East at the Indiana Memorial Union.

Another event will be a performance by Haitian vocalist Emeline Michel at the Lotus Festival. Michel will also visit Foster’s International Living-Learning Center 7:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 21. to discuss her life and career.

Another event later in the month will be a lecture by Lizzie Cooke, co-founder of Imagine Haitian. Titled, “Reforestation as Restoration: An Examination of the Link between Environmental and Economic Restoration in Post-Earthquake Haiti” the talk will be 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 24 at Boxcar Books and Community Center. Cooke’s organization, Imagine Haitian, works with community groups in Haiti to promote environmental education and help plant trees.

Kathman, who was taught Creole by IU graduate student David Tezil, spent his most recent trip to Haiti at three different hospitals, treating patients and training a small number of Haitians to be therapist assistants.

One hospital, St. Luke’s, was made out of shipping containers and could only hold about 60 patients at a time, Kathman said.

He also said in the four months between his visits he has noticed some improvements, but there are some things that actually seem to be worse.
“It seemed like we were getting more children admitted to the hospital for malnourishment,” he said. “Prior to the earthquake, St. Damien’s actually had a ward just for malnourishment, but to see so many starving children come in was really disheartening.”
Also worse, he said, is the state of the temporary structures. In the midst of the hurricane season, tents are leaking and tarps are coming apart.

“I once asked the gentleman I trained how his weekend was,” Kathman said. “‘Oh, not too good,’ he told me. ‘I spent it holding my tent up trying to keep my children from getting wet.’”

Kathman said he did notice improvement in transportation, and despite the lingering devastation, an improvement in the spirits of some of the people.

“Everyone seems to have purpose,” he said. “Even those without a job or good shelter, you see them working each day to get themselves clean, to find food and to make sure they get their families to the hospital.”

The doctor also said even though it has been months since the earthquake, it is important to keep focusing on Haiti.

“Not to over dramatize, but it’s a matter of life and death,” Kathman said. “There’s not many times in therapy when you can say that — where some of the things you’re doing are the difference between someone living or dying — but that’s how the case was in Haiti, and still is now, eight months later.”