26 January 2010
Noel Michelle has gone from studying accountancy at university to fighting for survival after the earthquake.
Noel Michelle. Photo: Sarah Dellor/Tearfund
The 22-year-old lost her aunt, who she used to live with, and her home in the disaster.
She now lives with 4,000 other desperate Haitians in the grounds of a damaged Bible college run by Tearfund partner, the Evangelical Baptist Union of Haiti.
No family
There are 1,500 children in the camp, including many without families. Residents are organised into groups of 20, each with a leader.
Noel is glad to be here because it offers a measure of security compared with the streets of Port-au-Prince where lawlessness lurks when night falls.
But conditions are far from good with so many living in such a cramped space and with little clean water.
Strung up tarpaulins offer some cover but many are sleeping under the stars. They are just a few toilets which were hastily dug after the quake but not enough.
Food is in short supply and Noel spends much of her time looking for supplies, a task she shares with her cousins, also living in the camp.
Homeless Haitians take refuge in the grounds of a Tearfund partner's compound. Photo: Sarah Dellor/Tearfund
The stench of death is everywhere and that together with the dust makes Noel feel ill most of the time.
Noel’s been in the camp for nine days and finds it difficult to look ahead more than one day at a time
Noel said, ‘We’re glad to be staying here but we don’t know what the future holds. I have no idea how long I’ll have to stay at this camp.’
Tomorrow looks a little brighter. Aid supplies and tents are due to arrive at the Bible college. For the residents, they can’t come soon enough.
Partner staff register arrivals at a camp. Photo: Sarah Dellor/Tearfund