We recently ventured ourselves to go up to the public section of Pirón, in the commune of Petionville, located in the city of Port-au-Prince.

Pirón is at the hills surrounding the Haitian capital, at an altitude of 900 meters above the sea level. We had never reached that height before. It was a long, non-stop and winding journey that made us think that Piron is even farer from downtown.

The road was covered with stones and rocks all the way and the car stalled as it was ramping up. There are other similar and even higher hills around, on which one can see luxurious residences of exquisite style. Some of these mansions were destroyed by the recent major earthquake.

These constructions are the remaining properties of the moneyed classes that have left. Up to these heights those citizens with less means, whose houses are located in low land, have come for shelter.   

Up there and even on the slopes of the hills the landscape is different. The foliage is abundant and varied; it grows lushly due to the water that flows freely underground. Humidity covers everything; and it seems as if we were in the Amazon rainforest. Temperature is lower than in downtown and there is not a constant coming and going of people, these are partially virgin places.

The unexpected and furious quake that shook Haiti on January 12th hit those high lands with less strength, that’s why damages are insignificant there. We do not have to talk about post-earthquake recovery, but we do about health problems that people living in these communities have always endured, mainly peasants who have never received medical assistance. The situations even worsen now for many people have moved in after the earthquake pummelled downtown.

The neighbours of this region have asked for medical aid. For this reason, Cuban doctors will set up a first aid post soon, to keep providing free medical care to the inhabitants of this Caribbean nation.

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