(As told to an AMURTEL volunteer)
On Tuesday, January 12th Junior, a 20 year young man went to school and said good by to his five brothers and sisters as well as his mother, Leya, who also left the house to work as a cook. While Junior was returning that evening, to everyone’s surprise the earth shook in its ultimate fury. Houses fell, trees lay on the ground and dust filled the sky. Junior, one of the fortunate ones, was not hurt during those brief moments and ran alongside thousands of people that had now taken to the streets, crying and wounded. He only had one thing on mind: where are his brothers and sisters? Where is his mother? Junior couldn’t even recognize his house among the demolished homes. His family trapped in the fallen house, Junior searched frantically for help. Eighteen hours later, rescue workers saved his five brothers and sister alive but they suffered severe fractures and terrible bruises. We wondered how a young man, deals with such trauma, living in a camp without blankets, clothes, work, school and gazing into a dark and uncertain future. We asked Junior what he was going to do next. He said, “I’m waiting for someone to give me a job because I’m not going to leave Port au Prince. I know no one else elsewhere”
