Haiti six days later...

Photos from Haiti. Eye-opening. Saddening. Disturbing. Mind boggling. Devastating. And these are simply pictures...

Click here: Haiti six days later - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Elsewhere in the world...

With the devastation in Haiti, it's hard to think of much else these days. However, I am aware that all over the world there are men, women and children suffering. We live in a world full of poverty. A world full of hurt and suffering.

Through email I have been helping out of a friend of mine in Sierra Leone. She came across a 9 year old child, in need of healthcare. So, I find my thoughts lingering to Sierra Leone, a country I once called home. And thinking how much easier it would be to help this child if I were actually there. But I am not, and email will have to suffice.

The child is 9 years old, abandoned by her mother and living with her grandmother. She is ill and her picture reveals that she has been sick for some time. There is not much history to be told. The grandmother said something about the child falling off of a hammock and having deformities of her chest wall since then. In Sierra Leone, complicated cases always go hand in hand with a history of a fall. I suppose they want to link the disease with a cause. Any cause. This child is obviously malnourished, has a deformed vertebrae and a very protruding chest wall. My first thought is spinal tuberculosis, otherwise known as Pott's disease. However, the very outspoken protrusion and an x-ray revealing a large mass make me wonder. Could this be something else? Are there multiple things going on at once? Is the mass a more serious condition, a tumor? I decide to request the help of a few extremely experienced doctors. And to my delight, they agree. Spinal TB. Not only am I happy that I was on the right track, but I am happy because spinal TB is a disease that can be treated in Sierra Leone AND at very little cost. Of course, other matters are not entirely ruled out, as none of us have actually examined this patient and the option of a CT scan is not available. But for now I think that this child will start anti-tuberculosis treatment this week and take her first steps in the long journey to recovery.

I am hopeful.

Dreamt of Haiti...

After finally falling asleep last night I dreamt of Haiti. The rubble. The cries. The desparation. And it was only a dream. I cannot imagine what it is like in real life. The sights, the sounds, the smells. My thoughts are still with you Haiti. And if somehow I can lend a helping hand, a caring heart, I will be there. For now, you are in my prayers.

Today I am thinking not only of those injured directly by the earthquake but also about the men, women and children with other medical conditions unrelated to the earthquake but not able to get help due to lack of medical infrastructure etc. The children suffering from pneumonia. The women in child labor without someone to hold their hand or someone to guide them through the delivery. The people suffering from common illnesses, normally finding care in the hospitals or clinics, but now having nowhere to go. My thoughts are with you.

Cannot stop thinking...

I cannot stop thinking about Haiti. I cannot push the images out of my mind. As I get ready to go to sleep I think about the thousands of people suffering in Haiti. The wounded; those in hospitals and clinics and those who have not yet received any help. I think about the mothers and fathers who have lost their children. The women and men who have lost their spouses. The children who have lost their parents. I hear the number of orphans has tripled. Who will take them in? What is their fate? I think of the uncertainty many people still have regarding the whereabouts of their loved ones. The fear of the unknown, the fear that they might be gone, forever. I think about the aid workers digging through the rubble. The medics as they tend to patients with so few resources at hand. The missionaries who were serving in Haiti, now needing to leave behind their homes, their friends, a piece of their heart. I cannot stop thinking. They are all heroes, survivors and fighters. My heart is torn as I sit here in a house, a roof over my head, with electricity, food and running water. Not being able to physically help. Being so far removed. Torn between scrambling to the other side of the globe to lend a hand and waiting until I know the time, if ever, is right. It is hard to simply watch. Tonight I pray for the people in Haiti. As I lay down in my bed I will think of all of those people in Haiti sleeping outside under the stars, fortunate to be alive yet unfortunate to have been present. Praying.

Thought for the day...

"Nobody made a greater mistake than the one who did nothing because they could only do a little" - Edmund Burke

Shaken...

Haiti has been shaken.

Literally.

And shaken hard.

In the midst of poverty and instability they now deal with a disaster.

The images are overwhelming.

But the whole world needs to see.

Infrastructure collapsed.

Rubble everywhere.

People missing.

People dead.

People afraid.

Children orphaned.

No water.

No elecricity.

A tragedy.

Chaos.

Can we even begin to imagine?

And in the midst of it all people are trying to help.

Help with limited resources.

A tough job.

Where to start in the midst of such shambles?

My thoughts are with the Haitians today.

And with those reaching out to help them.

For those on the ground.

And those from afar.

Help by giving: click here to donate

And be moved by the images: click here for images

$875 to go...

Wow!

I am amazed. In less than a month over $4000 has been raised through 'my' water campaign. Thanks to all of those who have donated so generously. Of course, I am hoping that between now and the end of the campaign (50 days from now) we will have raised the entire sum of $5000 so that a community will be provided with a well.

Imagine children being able to attend school because they no longer have to walk for hours to collect water. Imagine less children dying of water-borne diseases, that are so preventable simply with clean water. Imagine women being able to take part in income generating activities rather than searching for water. Imagine the difference a water source in the village will make for a community. Let's give a community a reason to celebrate in 2010. Let's work together to make a difference! Give life by giving water.

It's not too late to join in. See my campaign page and donate directly towards my campaign at: http://mycharitywater.org/sandralako

For those in Holland, contact me if you would like to donate through a dutch account.

Happy New Year...

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Wishing you a Happy New Year.

I hope that 2010 is full of adventure, laughter and good times with friends and family. As well as many moments to reach out and help those around us, wherever that may be. And that dreams will come true...