Below is an update from the field from Adam Braun, who is currently visiting Haiti with Project Medishare, a non-profit partner that is providing medical relief in Port au Prince. Adam will be updating us on his experiences in Haiti with the Project Medishare team over the next few days.

I’m beyond exhausted from the last 72 hours. We flew in on a charter flight with doctors and heroes and 25,000 pounds of cargo the first morning. We were then picked up from the airport with the Project Medishare team. We spend the entire day at the Project Medishare tents and hospitals – heroes, heroes, heroes. It’s insane. The site was unbelievable – bodies everywhere, often with broken limbs, with doctors and nurses and translators doing the absolute best that they can.

We then went for a drive through Port au Prince – the entire place is destroyed. Literally. It’s just rubble everywhere, and hundreds of thousands of people living in makeshift tents, basically a tarp with some wooden spikes in it to hold it up. Every church, government building, home –in rubble. I’ve never seen anything close to it in my life.

Within 2 minutes of us entering the children’s ward, where kids are laying on cots with missing limbs, an 11-year old died. She was probably 10 feet from me. Two nights ago she was with her 13-year old sister walking down the street and power cables fell on them. The girl died right as we arrived. I’ve never been so close to death in my life. Hours later I asked a doctor about her story, turns out it was her 2nd trip there. 5 days after the earthquake she arrived with a team of doctors, who set up their own tents in a field next to the runway and immediately began treating people. As she’s telling me this, on the other side of the table, a man starts uncontrollably weeping. Wailing louder and louder. Four women are comforting him. It’s the father of the 11 year old and he just found out his daughter had died, and another doctor confides in me that the other daughter won’t live more than two more days.

At that point I just couldn’t take it. It was all just too much for me… but little did I know that in the midst of the madness there were signs of hope and courage all around… (to be continued)

Pencils of Promise is committed to supporting the children of Haiti in the time of their greatest need by providing healthcare (vaccinations, vitamins, checkups, de-worming, health education, etc) for students so they can stay in school. Roughly $100K is needed to provide this for 13,000 students.

Please click here to donate and include “HELP HAITI” in the designation field.