With tears flowing down my cheeks, I sat in stunned silence as Helia Lajeunesse shared what happened to her and her family during and since the earthquake. Helia is no stranger to violence. She encountered it as a restivick child growing up as a virtual slave. To learn about that part of her life story, check out http://www.freetheslaves.net/Page.aspx?pid=368 She had already suffered more violence than any person should ever have to endure. And then it was January 12th – the day life changed forever for Haiti.
She was supposed to be in a meeting, but decided to stay home, and was sitting in a chair in her home when the earth began to shake. The intensity of the shaking threw her out of her house, as the house fell down. Her 6 year old son, Rubens, was still in the house, and said, “Mommy, I'm here.” Helia couldn't rescue him. Everyone was crying, running, trying to get away. Nobody could help each other. My house and everything in it was destroyed.
She ran to the school to see what happened. Almost crushed by two cars that slammed together. Children were dying at the school. But she was able to take her children away while the earth was still shaking.
She fled to St. Bernadette Catholic Church. “Many people fled there to find a safe place to live. When it rained, it was very bad, because we didn't have anything to put on the ground. And while there a lot of guys came to do violence and rape the women and girls. My 4 year old granddaughter was raped (and her granddaughter was now sitting next to her as she told her story). She knows everything that happened to her and talks about it.”
Helia's sister was selling downtown at the time of the earthquake. She died. She had two children, and Helia is now taking care of them. For safety, she sent the children to the countryside, to Jeremie.
To help her survive, David Diggs of Beyond Borders, sent her a tent to live in. It isn't large enough for the seven people living with her to stay inside, so she is also having to use a tarp to provide some shelter, especially from the rains. But men come and take their knife and cut the tarp open. And they come in to do violence (rape) to the women.
Helia said, “There is no effort to stop the rapes and other violence against women and children. We tell the police, but they say, 'It is not my thing. Go tell President Preval.'”
Life is very hard for Helia … and she concluded her statement by saying she has considered suicide. And she may have done that, except for her work to end the violence against women, and the restivak children.
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