Embassy of Haiti in Washington, DC
I decided to go to the Haitian Embassy to see if there was something I could do to help in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. I arrived at the embassy to see it blanketed in camera crews and news trucks. There was a small candle memorial in front of the embassy as well. Apart from the news personnel, I did not see many people outside. I saw two gentlemen walking toward the embassy and I thought I would offer them my $10.
Gilles’ mind was clearly elsewhere and I sensed that he has suffered greatly from this earthquake. Despite this, he kindly responded to me, “You can give me money, but any money you give me is going to go directly to the efforts to help those in Haiti.” He invited me into the embassy and said he would be with me in a minute. I figured he worked for the embassy at this point, but I later found out that he was from Philadelphia and worked for Church & Dwight, the company that makes Arm & Hammer and several other household and personal care products.
I waited in the lobby of the embassy for Gilles for a few minutes. There were about 20 in the lobby. Some looked almost lifeless, paralyzed by the tragedy and loss of this week’s earthquake. Others were bustling around trying to resolve a myriad of questions.
Gilles appeared and explained to me that he was born and raised in Port au Prince and had left his homeland five years ago to move to Philadelphia, PA. He had driven down from the city of brotherly love to try to get his passport in order so that he could fly to Port au Prince to help in the relief efforts. His plan was to get a satellite phone and then help the people of Haiti get in contact with their friends and families. “Communication is limited there right now.” He paused and continued, “There are lots of deaths.” I asked him about his family and he said he was able to contact his family to find out if everyone was ok. I heard a tremor in his voice and saw him holding back a tidal wave of emotion. There was a split second where I had to decide whether I push on and ask about his family or avoid the potentially painful subject. I gathered the courage and tried to respectfully push further.
“I lost my mother,” he said.
Gilles didn’t cry, but the tears were flowing inside him. I found it hard to swallow and really wanted to just give him a hug. I understood that she died at home when their building collapsed. He says the rest of his immediate family appears to be ok.
Where do I go from here? There are so many things I want to ask him, but I also know
Earthquake devastation in Haiti
that he has much more important things to be doing now. I asked him how readers of my blog could help. “They need food, water, and medicine,” he told me. They really need on the ground volunteers he explains. He says he will introduce me to someone from the Greater Washington Haiti Relief Committee who can give me more details on how you can help.
But first he says, “Come with me and we are going to donate the $10 right now.” We walk to a desk with a woman speaking on the phone. When she hangs up, she explains that she can not accept cash. Gilles holds the $10 out in front of him and says, “You keep it man. Find another way to donate.” I encouraged him to hold on to the money and put it to good use while he was in Haiti. He agreed. I gave him a hug and said I was sorry about his mother and wished him good luck. I wish I would have asked for his email address so that I could follow up with him later. It was such an emotional moment that I simply forgot. Maybe someone reading this blog can help me find him. I did some searches but haven’t had any luck so far.
I later spoke to Fermin from the Greater Washington Haiti Relief Group. He said the best place for information on how to help can be found at their Facebook page. Type “Greater Washington Haiti Relief Committee” in the search field and it should come up. There they give this information about donations:
Make checks payable to “GWHRC” and mail to:
Greater Washington Haitian Relief Committee
Embassy of Haiti
2311 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC 20007
Needless to say it was a very powerful scene to witness first hand. I gave my name and contact details to them and offered to help in any way possible. I even offered to go to Haiti one month from now to help in reconstruction efforts. Hopefully I can help in some way.
Year of Giving 