"It is necessary to help others, not only in our prayers, but in our daily lives. If we find we cannot help others, the least we can do is to desist from harming them. " - Dalai Lama
A good friend of Olamild Ent went to Haiti last month and narrates her experience with us. "The trip was an eyeopening experience that I'm sure will prepare me for what God has for me," she tells OE. Ms. Chidinma is a sweetheart, you have to meet her to know that she is passionate about helping others. She is the author of Naija 
American Girl and here's what she had to say about the trip.
"The week of June 13 to June 20 I found myself in Haiti, following a team of medical volunteers as they journeyed to bring care to some of the country’s remote areas. It’s an experience that I am still absorbing and reflecting upon.
The trip was well organized; we were accompanied by members of Rays of Hope for Haiti, a nonprofit with years of experience in Haiti. We also were accompanied by Haitian translators who helped us communicate with the people in Kreyol. After arriving at the airport in Port au Prince, we spent the night at an orphanage before leaving for the island of La Gonave where the team would set up medical clinics in several small towns.
The next morning, we rode through the streets of Port au Prince to get to the town of Miragoane where we would take a boat to get to the island. A few Nigerians on the trip marveled at what they saw: cars packed the unpaved streets and drivers moved about with no traffic rules, driving very close to one another and the pedestrians that filled the busy streets; merchants fought to make sales to every vehicle that passed; they felt like they were in Lagos. However, the sight of tents lining the streets, even in the median of the road, rem
inded us where we were.
After arriving to the dock, we loaded the boat with all the medical supplies, food and clothes we brought and made the four hour trip to the island on a small boat. The following four days the team spent caring for people in medical clinics set up in the small towns of Pointe-a-Raquette, La Plaisance, Opac and Teresesh. The people were so grateful for everything that was given and all the medical care they received. Patients hugged and thanked the doctors for every wound stitched, tooth pulled, and eye checked.
The people in Pointe-a-Raquette were very happy to receive soaps and shampoos; the children in La Plaisance ran and jumped ecstatically for the new toothbrushes and toothpaste they got; and the way the children at the orphanage in Port au Prince clamored for the stickers we passed out to them, one would have thought they were made of gold.
For me, connecting with the children was the best part of the trip. Even though I did not speak their language, Kreyol, we found other ways to communicate. I wrote down arithmetic problems for them and watched as they completed them with glee. They asked me if I was a teacher. I told them no; I was the one learning from them. I enjoyed my mini Kreyol learning session especially; I drew pictures and they told me the word in Kreyol while I told them it’s English translation.
Though the team helped many people, I found myself wishing that I could do more. However, I know the trip served as an important lesson in my life, preparing me for things to come. Some may ask why a Naija girl would go to Haiti when she hasn’t been to Nigeria in years, but I know the trip fit God’s plan for my life. I believe there is a time and season for everything, and at this time, God opened a door for me to learn something. I know at the right time, He will also send me to Naija. But for now, there’s a new space in my heart." - Chidinma Ogbuaku
0 comment(s):
Post a Comment