Upcoming Elections

The tension is palpable in the days leading up to the election. There are 19 official candidates running for president (even 1 woman). Sunday is voting day. Of the 4.7 million Haitians eligible to vote, I wonder how many will actually venture to the polls.

Anecdotal conversations with my team members, people in the camps and the neighborhood point to high level of distrust, anger, resentment toward all the candidates. I have been hard-pressed to find even one person who plans to vote on Sunday. Those who do plan to vote are endorsing Manigat, the only woman candidate, or Martelly, a former musician.

As one of my team members explained, "It's almost becoming a cultural norm to fear the days leading up to and days following the election." Our team leaders discussed and decided that our programs would be closed today and Monday due to potential violence and volatility at each of the camps due to political tensions. Each site coordinator would decide when to re-open based on the local situation.

In the last week, more and more streets are blocked for demonstrations. One of the leading candidate's deputies was shot. Gunfire is regularly heard at night in some areas of the city. One of our team leaders cautioned us to prepare for a lot of unrest next week as the results are being tabulated.

With the increasing rate of cholera cases, several candidates urged authorities to postpone elections, but the move was denied.

Cholera is a huge threat, and people are more aware of the potential severity of the disease over the next year. Some reports project that more than a 500,000 Haitians could contract cholera. Already some family members of my team who live in the provinces have contracted the disease and are barely hanging on. We are sending medicines and oral rehydration salts (ORS) as fast as we can.

We learned last weekend that cholera has reached the Artibonite communes of Sou Chod and Terre Neuve, where AMURT has had a variety of project over the last six years. These two communes are located in the northwest of Haiti. The two local clinics responsible for the whole area were swamped with patients and were distributing ORS and antibiotics, yet already several had died. The elderly and children are still the most vulnerable.

I would say I see a marked difference in our team's overall well being these last couple weeks. With all of the stresses, unknowns and challenges that everyone faces, people are really feeling stretched. I continue to be inspired by the strength and support among our team members. The team has grown steadily over the last 10 months, yet the love and respect for each other is unwavering.