Le mal n'est jamais total

One of the questions that I have started asking recently is something to the effect of: "Have there any positive aspects to the earthquake?" The answers have been surprising. Obviously no one is enthusiastic about January 12th, but some people feel that despite all that has been lost, there were things gained. One young man, standing inside the ruins of home, told me that after the earthquake his brother was able to find a job working with a NGO, and that it is a serious blessing for the family. Finding a job here is a like winning a small lottery. An evangelist living in the camp told me that thanks to the earthquake many more Haitians are opening themselves to Jesus and repenting their sins. God made himself known, and now many more are coming to the light. Churches (those that remain) have been overflowing on Sundays. I spoke with a small group of young first-aid workers yesterday who had started their training program two months before January 12th. This kids have seen so much. They worked shifts in a hospital for several weeks after the earthquakes. According to one, the occasion to help so many people, and to be able to express love to strangers was a rare and beautiful occasion. Also, thanks to the presence of the NGOs, they were able to take classes in health care that would not have been offered otherwise. Another said that before the earthquake there were many people in her neighborhood she wasn't connected with and didn't know, but January 12th leveled everyone. Everyone in Port-au-Prince was in the same situation, either crying or praying. Strangers were helping each other in the street, bending together over rumble to lift people out. The community coalesced like it never had before. Another said that many embassies opened their doors after the quake and helped Haitian students get out of the country to continue their studies elsewhere. Of course, the 'positive aspects' conversation only composes a small part of the interviews I've been leading. I feel like its important to write this though, since the New York times recently ran a very very sad article on the front page about a woman from Champ de Mars camp that was kidnapped, gang raped, and ransomed. I in no way mean to underplay the devastation of the earthquake, but I believe that the image of Haiti that is being projected into the minds of outsiders is not sufficiently complex to reflect the reality of living nearly six months after. I feel like much of the news is meant to provoke fear, of Haiti and of Haitians. Sexual violence is news, but so are less frightening things, like the number of futures in Haiti that are being retarded by the lack of access of education. It's also news that the earthquake offered destruction but also opportunities. Please don't read this and think "oh, haitian students are community building and going abroad! haiti's doing great!" but understand that not everyone is getting gang raped. The dominant emotion is not fear. Many lives here are much more difficult since the earthquake, often tragically so. But this is a multifaceted destruction. "Le mal n'est jamais total", as one of my young first-aid-loving friends said.