Stories from Haiti
Tue, 06/19/2012 - 7:48pm -- admin
By Alicia Lloyd
This was the second time I had the privilege of serving on a short term aid trip to Haiti. Last year I had visited a number of orphanages and I was hoping I could see some of the same children I had met last year. Even though I remembered some of the names and faces of the children I had met a year ago, I wasn’t sure if they’d remember me.
Last year when we visited Haiti, I met a young 13 year old girl named Chama at C.A.D. Orphanage. At this particular orphanage, we were instructed by the staff to keep minimal physical contact with the orphans as many of them had come from abusive families. Chama, I was told, was raped by her father on so many different occasions that her neighbors reported the abuse to the police, who then took her to the C.A.D. Orphanage.
Not only did Chama have the psychological damage that rape causes a young child (yet alone rape from a father), she also had physical damage, as stigmatisms in both of her eyes caused her partial blindness.
The first thing I did when I arrived at C.A.D. Orphanage was look for Chama. I had been praying for her this past year that God would give her strength and confidence. Last year I had noticed that she was always picked on by the other children and I had wanted to see her to see if God had answered my prayers.
Photo: Chama and Alicia
A couple hours went by and I saw no sign of Chama. Then, at about 3 PM, I saw her and called out her name. She walked over, came up to my face and started touching my face. This was her way of recognizing faces. To my surprise, she not only remembered me but she remembered my name.
Last year I had noticed that her hair was falling out because of the sores that had formed on her head. This year I had brought her a pretty bandana to cover up her sores and her patchy hair. I gave it to her. She loved it and put it on her head.
As soon as it was on her head, another girl came over and demanded Chama give her the bandana. Chama put her foot down and firmly said, “no.”
Although, the “no” was just a small glimpse into Chama’s life, it spoke volumes to me. After being raped, after suffering through blindness, Chama’s “no” was a sign that God had heard my prayers and was strengthening this little orphan with his confidence inspiring love. Even though I only saw Chama twice in a year’s time, my prayers – I believe – had made a difference in her life.
This was the second time I had the privilege of serving on a short term aid trip to Haiti. Last year I had visited a number of orphanages and I was hoping I could see some of the same children I had met last year. Even though I remembered some of the names and faces of the children I had met a year ago, I wasn’t sure if they’d remember me.
Last year when we visited Haiti, I met a young 13 year old girl named Chama at C.A.D. Orphanage. At this particular orphanage, we were instructed by the staff to keep minimal physical contact with the orphans as many of them had come from abusive families. Chama, I was told, was raped by her father on so many different occasions that her neighbors reported the abuse to the police, who then took her to the C.A.D. Orphanage.
Not only did Chama have the psychological damage that rape causes a young child (yet alone rape from a father), she also had physical damage, as stigmatisms in both of her eyes caused her partial blindness.
The first thing I did when I arrived at C.A.D. Orphanage was look for Chama. I had been praying for her this past year that God would give her strength and confidence. Last year I had noticed that she was always picked on by the other children and I had wanted to see her to see if God had answered my prayers.
Photo: Chama and Alicia
A couple hours went by and I saw no sign of Chama. Then, at about 3 PM, I saw her and called out her name. She walked over, came up to my face and started touching my face. This was her way of recognizing faces. To my surprise, she not only remembered me but she remembered my name.
Last year I had noticed that her hair was falling out because of the sores that had formed on her head. This year I had brought her a pretty bandana to cover up her sores and her patchy hair. I gave it to her. She loved it and put it on her head.
As soon as it was on her head, another girl came over and demanded Chama give her the bandana. Chama put her foot down and firmly said, “no.”
Although, the “no” was just a small glimpse into Chama’s life, it spoke volumes to me. After being raped, after suffering through blindness, Chama’s “no” was a sign that God had heard my prayers and was strengthening this little orphan with his confidence inspiring love. Even though I only saw Chama twice in a year’s time, my prayers – I believe – had made a difference in her life.