The Long Road to Response

A letter from Carlos Cárdenas serving in Nicaragua

February 2016

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Twenty-three years ago today churches and faith-based NGOs in this region struck out on an uncharted path—the slow and careful road from not-knowledge to knowledge, from empiricism to professionalism, in preparing, organizing and implementing our response to disasters. It has been painful and long road, especially because of increased funding pressures on all humanitarian organizations.

I think back on so many stories. I remember those terrifying nights lived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, waiting for the aftershocks to the earthquake. We knew they would come, and they did.

I remember the first 72 hours after the Haiti earthquake as we jockeyed for space to store the emergency aid we brought in from the Dominican Republic; we were competing with spaces claimed by the canine rescue teams from Japan, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Mexico, Canada, and Australia. It was only later that we understood the irony of competing for space with dog teams framed by flashy logos from all over the world. The rescue effort had become a tower of Babel, and although the rescue teams often did not understand one another, our common language became “help,” “love,” “solidarity.”

I remember another scene from that rescue effort. Water was so scarce that extreme rationing was implemented: each member of the team was allowed one glass of water. What to do? Quench your savage thirst or brush your teeth?

Arriving in the chaotic darkness, we placed our scanty provisions in the common cupboard in the kitchen. Obviously our feed went to feed others in need. But already in the early hours of the morning we knew that we too were hungry. Would any one good Samaritan share a bit of breakfast with us? In such circumstances private property ceases to exist. And during those first three days no one even thought of taking a shower.

“In our walk along the route to risk management we haven’t been alone and we’ve learned to accompany each other mutually…”

My companion on this journey was Don Tatlock of Church World Service. We had traveled together from the Dominican Republic, not yet understanding that we were embarking on a crisis of long duration. When Don and I crossed the border into Haiti we were promptly humbled to witness a land in such terrible mourning. We heard of thousands of families that refused to abandon the bodies of their relatives buried in the rubble. As we approached Port-au-Prince we encountered endless rows of vehicles loaded with coffins and household belongings. These were the images that welcomed us to the country.

My first steps in disaster response go back to 1974 when Hurricane Fifí wreaked devastation on the Atlantic coast of Honduras. At that time I was a young volunteer for the Honduran Red Cross. Later on came years of study in the USSR; I returned to Honduras in the midst of the Contra war and the Iran Gate scandal. Because of the Cold War, I had to abandon my home in Honduras and seek political asylum in Nicaragua. The wars in the 1980s caused hundreds of thousands of Central Americans either to flee their countries as refugees or to become internally displaced persons. In response to this crisis I collaborated as a consultant to the UN High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) on behalf of the government of Nicaragua. In 2001 I returned to the field of emergency response when I began working for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA). That was the year of two major earthquakes in El Salvador.

In 2002-3 Action by Churches Together (ACT International) was formed under the auspices of the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation. This new coordinated vehicle for humanitarian response to emergencies allowed churches better to respond to disasters like Hurricane Mitch, the “storm of the century” that killed more than 11,000 Central Americans.

In 2010 ACT International built on years of experience to merge with ACT Development to create a new global platform called ACT Alliance focused on development, emergency response and advocacy, especially on climate justice. PDA is a member of ACT Alliance.

You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
—Psalm 139:3

With five years of experience it is time to ask ourselves what is the value added for our churches by participating in this Alliance? What has been the impact on our communities?

The first important achievement of ACT Alliance, I think, has been creating a space where the churches have been able to create a common language and common criteria for risk management, emergency preparedness, and appropriate humanitarian response. Also, our churches have been able to overcome old paradigms that reduced humanitarian assistance to charity. We have been able to develop a far more professional understanding based on humanitarian standards, the rights of persons to receive and give assistance that respects human dignity, even in times of crisis. Finally, by working together, our churches now share qualified personnel and emergency response teams trained in how to evaluate a crisis and in how to save lives, especially in the first hours after disaster strikes. Global connectivity is another added value; our churches all over the world are no longer isolated entities. We now work as part of networks that incorporate hundreds of trained humanitarian actors from the community level to the national and international arenas.

As I begin another year of mission service, I am sustained and encouraged as I remember so many scenes of hope and transformation as the communities we have accompanied have demonstrated their resilience when confronted with adversity.

On behalf of PDA and as a Presbyterian mission co-worker, thank you for all you do to support my ministry. Please continue to give in this new year. Your prayers, your regular encouragement, and your financial support have helped to build a unique system for total response to disasters in Nicaragua and the whole world. In all these years we never have been alone—we always were accompanied by your prayers, your visits, letters of encouragement, and your financial support.

May the Lord bless you always!

Carlos Cárdenas M