Roger's story

My long term friend, Roger Desir, was next on my list of people I wanted to see while in Haiti. I didn’t know he was in the country, because he and Mithilde were in Washington, DC at the time of the quake to attend a special meeting of the Faith and Money Network (the successor organization of Ministry of Money). He came back to Haiti to participate in the funeral of a nephew who survived the quake after being pulled out from the rubble with only scrapes and bruises. But the trauma caused by the earthquake complicated some of his previous health issues, and he died suddenly.

Roger Desir, a retired Episcopal Priest, and his wife were surviving on his modest pension, living in their modest home in Port-au-Prince. This home was their security for their future. The earthquake destroyed their home and most of their possessions. As Roger described the loss, they even have to go out and buy new underwear.

Roger had not seen his home since the earthquake. So, Nixon and I took him by to see it. Roger pointed out the thin re-bar that had been installed in the cement walls of his home when it was originally built. It wasn’t built to withstand the 7.2 earthquake.

Roger and Tida are now trying to decide how to move ahead. They do not have the estimated $70 to 80,000 needed to build a modest, single story, wood home on their property. They may try to find an inexpensive apartment to rent in the Washington, DC area. Members of the Church of the Saviour are attempting to help them find such a place. But Roger indicated that he would prefer to return to his life-long home in Haiti.