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A multimedia project for the disaster's one-year anniversary
Welcome to the One Day in Port-au-Prince blog, putting you in the shoes of ordinary Haitians with remarkable stories of the earthquake and its aftermath.
As cholera and political instability dominate headlines around the quake's one-year anniversary, this space is a reminder that even in the shadow of tragedy, life goes on. People do what they can to cope.
Over the next week, we'll be publishing 14 stories of earthquake survivors, taking you to the streets and tent cities of Port-au-Prince.
From the homeless schoolgirl who studies science by candlelight to the doctor who built a makeshift operating theatre in the ruins of a hospital, these are stories of resilience, ingenuity and courage.
On Jan. 10, the people featured here will take centre stage in a multimedia documentary combining powerful stills and video with graphics and text.
You'll meet a Voodoo priest who takes a stand against mass burials, a young mother forced to sell her own body and a former professional goalkeeper who rhapsodises about soccer's power to heal.
In the camps, spend time with to a 73-year-old grandmother, a caregiver nicknamed "St. Anne" and an enterprising hairdresser.
Charismatic street hawkers complete this intimate portrayal of life after the quake: the woman who sells textbooks yet can't afford to send her own kids to school; the kerbside petrol vendor; the whiskey and champagne man; and a dealer in scrap metal salvaged from the rubble.
All tell their stories in their own words. Each story evokes issues central to Haiti's recovery, from education and health to resettlement and reconstruction.
We hope "One Day in Port-au-Prince" will be just the beginning of an exchange between those who are doing their best to cope with the Haiti quake and people around the world who support Haiti's recovery.
Almost everyone we interviewed said they welcomed the chance to give the world an insight into their daily lives after the quake. To hear back from viewers would mean a lot.
To that end, we invite AlertNet users to send personal messages to any of the people whose stories are told in "One Day in Port-au-Prince". We'll do our best to translate and deliver them.
To send a message, please leave a comment on the appropriate text portrait published over the next week or write to alertnet@thomsonreuters.com.
We also hope this blog will provide a space for others to highlight how people are coping with the disaster. We invite aid workers, Haitians living abroad and survivors in Haiti to share their stories.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
