Life in a Displacement Camp at the OPC

At the Office for Citizen Protection (OPC) in Bourdon, hundreds of families are not living but merely surviving. Having fled neighborhoods like Solino, Nazon, or Delmas 30, they have turned the premises of this institution into a sprawling camp for displaced persons overnight. This camp, marked by a lack of space, comfort, and above all, tranquility, is now home to Renée, a 21-year-old young woman who lost both her feet during the January 12, 2010, earthquake. A former resident of Solino, Renée has demonstrated extraordinary courage, navigating life without feet to save herself and pursue her dreams.

Jonasson Odigène
Par Jonasson Odigène
02 Dec 2024 | Lecture : 4 min.

Renée now spends her days on a street near the OPC, far from her home in Solino, which was burned down by arsonists as gangs overran her neighborhood of 21 years. Dressed in a navy-blue dress and sitting on a sheet on the ground—an area doubling as both a garbage dump and an improvised shower for some—Renée shares her story when we meet her on Friday, November 29. We sit beside her on the ground as she lets us into her life.

When Renée speaks about her childhood, her voice falters as though reluctan

Si vous avez déjà créé un compte, connectez-vous pour lire la suite de cet article.

Pas encore de compte ? Inscrivez-vous

Read more