Nou led, Nou la

Nou led, Nou la

The phrase “Nou led, Nou la” is Haitian phrase coined during the time of the major disaster that took place in Haiti. A 7.1 earthquake that shook the whole island of Hispaniola and destroyed the country’s capital and some surrounding cities. When I heard this news, I I was immediately devastated primarily because I knew many people with family and friends in the country but mostly because the country already suffers from poverty and now this major earthquake. With a unstable government, Haitians are often taken advantage of because they would appoint leaders into the office who are supposed to help the country but end up only bringing it down.

Nou led, Nou la

The amount of pictures of dead bodies being loaded in to flatbed trucks to be dumped is a site that would stick with anyone. Being trapped under buildings for days being crushed by the heavy walls is enough to dampen anyone’s spirit. Yet it is amazing that there were so many people who were being rescued even 20 days after the earthquake had taken place.

Nou led, Nou la

What words of consolidation can one tell kids who have lost their mother, father, and other relatives to the buildings that crushed them? What words can be told to the mother who lost her whole family while they were waiting in the car for her to return from the building? How does one try to begin to heal the pain that these people are currently feeling?

Nou led, Nou la

As an onlooker from the United States of America, you think to yourself, “What can I do to help?” At times like this is when you really realize how much you take for granted even the simple things in your lives. Yet, it is at times of destruction when we really understand the importance of the people in our lives. So we try to help by sending donations through charities and rushing our doctors and nurses over to the country in need of our help; Forgetting that this country has always been in our backyard. They have always needed the help that we are only currently offering because of their current situation. Why is it that we waited until they experienced so much devastation before we decided to help them when they needed the help all along.

Nou led, Nou la

Hopefully we continue to be of help to these people, our brothers and sisters, in Haiti. As much as we hate to admit it, we are all connected to each other in more ways than one. The simple fact that we are human beings though, should be enough. So as we help our brot-hers and sisters in Haiti we should think remember that this can one day be our great country that will need help of other nations around us.
Nou tout led, Nou tout la.


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