The experience of providing HST as told by a volunteer
“A 17-year old girl, Marie (pseudonym), told her story about the earthquake. She saw buildings collapsing in front of her eyes. Across the street, she saw her cousin’s house come down. As soon as she could walk, she ran there to help her cousin. She talked to her for hours while she was under the gravel and concrete. The cousin was only 8 years old, and Marie loved and took care of her like a mother. She tried telling her that help was on the way. After many hours, the crying stopped. There was only silence in the gravel. Her cousin was taken out three days later. Marie was there…Ever since that day she could not understand a word in school. The last images of her cousin kept coming back to her mind. She also told me that since then, she does not recognize herself in the mirror anymore: all she sees is sadness on her face.... She doesn’t understand why so many people had to die…. Feeling lost, alone and hopeless is a common and difficult challenge for those suffering from the effects of trauma in Haiti. People like Marie can be helped by communities being strengthened, by finding a purpose, and a connection with others.”
From a person helped by HST
“I feel I am stronger now...before I met [the volunteer], I didn’t have anybody to talk with, but now I have someone who listens when I am in need, and I think that things would be better if there were many, many people who would do this.”
From a person helped by HST
“Before, I didn't have someone who would listen to me. I think it is a good experience. Now everytime that I need- he is here, he is listening, and you should do this everywhere.”
From a volunteer
“When someone comes to talk to you, and that person tells you all the emotions that he has in his heart... that helps a lot because that shows how to keep secret….He is going to feel a bit better because he is giving all the emotions to another person, because when you have all those emotions and you don’t share them with someone...that becomes heavy on your stomach, and you feel abnormal. But when you find someone who explains, and you find a different conversation…..that means right now you will feel a little bit better."
From a person helped by HST
“[The HST volunteer] was really attentive to me…The intervention that [the volunteer] made with me was really helpful because I was in a state where I was really really down, and I didn’t know what to do, and after the intervention with [the volunteer] I had to go to school, and I put the uniform on and went back to school because I was feeling empowered after I talked with [the HST volunteer].”
From and HST volunteer
“The Health Support Team affected my life in a positive way because it made me feel helpful…. I would read the HST guidebook everyday, every single day, and that made me feel really helpful to people. I felt needed and people loved to talk to me all the time, and would share things with me, and I could advise people even though I am not a counselor…. People could trust me, and I would pay really good attention to people when they tell their stories and I would never try to cut that person off in talking, and that person would see that she is being listened to, and being paid attention to, so that’s how I felt really useful for my community, and for people around my neighborhood.”