Lessons in hope

Partners In Health sends thanks to Meryl Streep tonight on behalf of the people of Haiti. In her Golden Globe acceptance speech, by paying homage to her mother’s intolerance of “gloom and doom,” and by channeling her mother’s voice, Meryl gave hope to many—to our staff in Haiti, to our patients, to all those pained by the footage of a country in ruins.

For five days, we have been mourning for Haiti. Our hearts are broken, and yet, we know that we must not languish in our grief. We must persevere in our efforts to provide relief in Haiti; to increase our support with supplies, medicines, and trained medical staff; to continue to spread, expand, and disseminate our services throughout Port-au-Prince; and to ensure that our 12 facilities in Haiti’s Central Plateau and Artibonite Valley can absorb the increased medical and health needs of thousands of people for months—years—to come.

And like Meryl, we at PIH are grateful, extremely grateful, that we are in a position to help.

Since our founding, we have often had to explain that our mission is not simply one of charity—we do not limit ourselves to giving away medicines, but rather we live and work within communities to help build and strengthen health systems; to deliver and sustain medical, social, and economic services; and to promote solidarity.

Our goal has always been to serve as an antidote to despair by persevering in the face of even the greatest challenges. We have learned this from our Haitian friends, colleagues, and partners. As Dr. Paul Farmer articulated clearly on 60 Minutes  tonight, “Haiti’s got a lot to teach the rest of us about how to climb out of hell and they need it now more than ever… I’m not trying to romanticize anything about this resistance, or not giving up, that I see here in Haiti, but I think it’s palpable. Even at a dreadful time like this, it’s palpable to me.”

Meryl, you are much more than “a vessel for other people’s stories,” but we thank you tonight for launching Partners In Health’s story, and, therefore, Haiti’s story. Partners In Health is proud to be an organization that inspires hope and gratitude in you and many others. But we cannot take credit—all of our lessons in hope have come from Haiti.