The earthquake of 12 January which caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and compromised all the, material, social and political structures; the cyclone Thomas which if not as powerful as the tropical storms Gustave, Hanna and Ike, threatened the survival of the people; the outbreak of the anticipated cholera epidemic and the political and electoral complexities have also aggravate the deep wounds of Haiti.
The Salesians, who arrived in 1936, from the very beginning were engaged in the education of the population, giving special preference to vocational training. Taking on board the social, historical and cultural contradictions and problems they were engaged in the “construction” of a culture and of human development based on Gospel values.
12 January 2010 forced the efforts of the Salesians in another important direction. In less than a minute the earthquake severely compromised the State, the Church and the Schools. Building and people were destroyed, killed or put out of action. 90% of school buildings (primary, secondary and university) were reduced to dust; among the hundreds of thousands of victims were the Archbishop of Port-au-Prince; about 200 university teachers and 38,000 students, at every level. buried under the rubble.
Encouraged by the visit of the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez, immediately following the earthquake, the Salesians in Haiti considered what form the “reconstruction” should take, giving priority to education. The Rector Major invited the Salesians in Haiti to roll up their sleeves and to begin at once to take care of the youngsters, who, without any schools or other kind of formation could easily fall victim to the unscrupulous. Psychological and spiritual support services, in addition to material first aid were offered to the victims of the earthquake.
75 years after their arrival the Salesians are now engaged in the “refounding” of their presence. They anticipate various challenges in addition to those posed by the earthquake and the cholera: young people make up 52% of the population of Haiti; the universities both state and private are languishing; those who obtain degrees tend to leave the country; developing the essential role of the lay people and collaboration on all fronts.
Published 12/01/2011
