JANUARY 25, 2010

After a late start due to a punctured tyre Times reporter Will Pavia and I arrived at Port-au-Prince late last night. The darkness hid the scale of the destruction. After a good sleep on the floor of a hotel room and a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast, I headed out into the escalating heat with correspondent Martin Fletcher to report on the risks of increased child trafficking which could become a problem while Haiti’s borders are so porous. Many children have been orphaned by the huge earthquake that rocked the city on January 12th. If they are lucky they are now being cared for by other relatives.

Car troubles seem to follow me around the globe. Here a roadside mechanic fixes our punctured tyre in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, before we set off for Haiti. Click image to enlarge (Ben Gurr/The Times)

At Cepem refugee camp people sat in the shade resigned to their day. Some boys played basketball on a dusty court. Save the Children were on hand to provide toys to entertain the children and set up a class room of sorts and the children sang songs.

Eliassaint Ketia is being looked after by her uncle at Cepem Refugee camp in Port-au-Prince Click image to enlarge (Ben Gurr/The Times)

As we drove through the dusty streets to and from our assignment I observed the random destruction of buildings. There may be one demolished in a row of several still standing. Single level buildings are toppled while brightly coloured tower blocks of about five floors remain untouched. What appears to have been a three-floor shopping centre is reduced to just that – three floors, no walls to support the upper floors. A motorcycle shop has collapsed with just the front wheels of the bikes peering out from under a wall.

Children play with toy medical equipment provided by Save The Children at Cepem Refugee camp in Port-au-Prince Click image to enlarge (Ben Gurr/The Times)

The brave people of Haiti who have such a tough history are resilient. They continue their daily chores of buying or selling food going about their daily lives and simply surviving.

A woman decants water into a bottle at Cepem Refugee camp in Port-au-Prince Click image to enlarge (Ben Gurr/The Times)