CBS4.com staffers show off events in South Florida
Sep 22, 2008 7:37 pm US/Eastern
Haitians Cling To Hope As Relief Supplies Arrive
CITI SOLEI, HAITI (CBS4) ―
A journey through Haiti plays on one's emotions like the ups and downs of a fast moving rollercoaster. There are moments of joy followed by moments of sadness and despair.
Each face, each set of eyes has a story.
Mihta, a mother of 7, lives in the town of Citi Solei; one of the poorest areas near the capital where most earn less than $1 U.S. per day. It is also considered the most dangerous community where violence, gangs and kidnapping were once everyday occurrences.
Mihta and her family live in a one bedroom house which most Americans would say is the size of a closet; the children's bed nothing more than a wood frame topped with a dirty torn piece of foam. She said this year's hurricanes and tropical storms have only made their lives more difficult.
"The hurricane left us with nothing. Look at how we have to live in our home," said Mihta.
Mihta's daughter Marquise is 11 years old and has never been to school, but
CBS4 Reporter Sharrie Williams said you would never know that unless she told you. Marquise said her dream is to live like everyone else.
"We're living bad today. We're living bad since the hurricane passed. We have nothing, you see our house?" said Marquise.
Williams said after days of despair there is a glimmer of hope in the Citi Solei. Food and water collected by South Floridians arrived in the country Saturday and prepared for delivery. Each care package has enough food to last a person for two weeks. Police, decked out in battle gear and rifles, kept order as the care packages were distributed to those that had been pre-selected to receive it.
"I thank them for their gesture, I see they've done a good thing," said a woman who received care package.
Williams found the peace surrounding the relief supply distributions doesn't last; with food scarce many people are will to fight for it. One woman said she had just received her care package and had placed it on the ground for a brief moment when someone stole it. But through all the struggles and hardships faced by thousands in Haiti, Williams found most, like Marquise, have hope that their suffering will be short lived.
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