Faces of Haiti: Herode

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Her name is Herode Jean Louis.  She lives by Petit Marchand with her husband and six children.  She is a Haitian and this is her story.

“My life has been very bad,” she said.  “My parents never sent me to school because they did not have the money.  But I am sending my children.”

Even though Herode’s husband is a rice farmer, their financial situation is still desperate.  She and all of her children have been trying to find jobs, but without any success.  Although a large family is expensive, she does not regret having one.

“I enjoy all my children,” said Herode.  “They are a gift to me.”

In January, the earthquake ripped her home apart.

“The earthquake took a part of my house away,” Herode said.  “There is a hole in the roof.  Rain has been pouring in and ruining my floor.”

Herode said she does not have the money to finance repairing the house.  For now, she wakes up every time it rains and has to sit somewhere else until it stops.  Rain is not the only water problems she has.

“My house is in between two streams, and when it rains, it flows in from both sides.”

Although her situation is difficult, she finds joy in singing.

“I love to sing in church or in the house,” she said.  “It helps me to not think about the problems I have.”

Herode’s message to America is her hope that opportunities will be made to fix her home and get her a job.