(ANS – Rome) – In view of the third anniversary of the earthquake that struck this Central Amercian nation we report here some reflections that Fr Guillermo Basañes, Regional Councillor for Africa-Madagascar has offered. From 23 October to 28 November 2012 he carried out the Extraordinary Visitation to the Blessed Philip Rinaldi Vice Province of di Haiti. It offers us a picture of the progress of reconstruction and to building a new culture amongst young Haitians.

If we flick through the pages of the handful of books to survive in the ENAM (École Nationale des Arts et Métiers) community, we get this strange sensation of very fine dust that penetrated just about everything at the time of the earthquake. It is a sign of Haiti's darkest night. Hours of terror and desperation that nobody wants to talk about.

The Haitian people, sadly used to starting out from scratch, set about reconstruction immediately. Don Bosco's Salesians who also have this spirit immediately rolled up their sleeves as well.

In this process of reconstruction the Salesians have offered and are still doing so, good example and encouragement to all of Haitian society. The majority of works and houses were hit, especially the ones around Port-au-Prince, the capital – ENAM, Thorland, Fleuriot, Drouillard and Gressier – these are all undergoing reconstruction, some already complete, others still underway. This is all the result of generous and well-organised solidarity open to the country and the world, and at the same time comes from an arduous and persevering networking.

Unfortunately too many families are still under canvas. Diocesan seminarians from Port-au-Prince, for example, continue to follow their classes each day in tents. The salesians in ENAM and Thorland are still living in prefab quarters.

The role of the Rinaldi Foundation – the Provincial development office – has been fundamental in all this reconstruction work. This Foundation, reconsigned by the State on 24 December 2009, some weeks before the earthquake, on 12 gennaio 2010 took up the coordination and support for all Salesian projects in Haiti, public and private, national and international. More than 300 projects have been presented to the Rinaldi Foundation since 12 January.

But it is not only a question of buildings. The enormous will of the Haitian people to restart normal life after the earthquake has been transformed into the unstoppable desire of young people to get back to school. Enthusiasm has been generated for going to class, studying, the determination to learn new skills. This atmosphere has also affected adults who take the opportunity in some of our works to finish their primary schooling many years later. It is often the Salesian settings that continue to attract many people outside the school ambient, especially young people who want to do their work by benefiting from a calmer and more serene environment.

During the Visitation some of the best moments were spent in communication and sharing with young people: the Good Morning or Good Night in schools and boarding centres, recreation, meeting with groups, hundreds even thousands of young people. They are deeply intelligent and clearly understand that before all natural catastrophes, the biggest calamity of a people is lack of education and sinfulness.

This is why Salesian involvement is not only about building construction. “Continuing to look after the formation of good Christians and upright citizens for the nation” was what was written into the planning for 2012–2013. “Continuing”, yes, given that the Salesian of Don Bosco have been at work since they came to Haiti more than 75 years ago.

Faced with so many new formation opportunities and challenges, there is also a danger: that young people end up being reinforced in an individualistic, consumer mindset and become merely competitive.  He often told them: “You sing ‘Haiti chérie…' with plenty of enthusiasm’, but your dream is often to set yourself up somewhere else to – or so you believe – give yourself a secure future…”. The central challenge for education today is to form young people to a sense of free giving, to solidarity, service, so everyone, like Blessed Ceferino Namuncurá, can say “I want to be useful to my people”. The Rector Major also said it in his letter on 25 February 2010: “creation of a new culture is what it is about, through a new education which is able to build a new Haiti”.

Salesians believe this. This is why they are investing in accompanying lay people in spreading this new kind of education. They are following up concrete plans to make Salesian pedagogy better known, and are revising primary and secondary schooling to create a stronger link with the  Salesian Schools Network in the Americas.

Published 11/01/2012