"Survivor-Evelyn's Girl" Jacmel, Haiti

CAPTION
This young girl is one of Evelyn's children photographed over a three week period while on assignment for Suisse based MEDAIR and The Paradigm Project - shortly after the tremors from the 2015 Haitian earthquake calmed down. Like many who escaped the initial impact of such a violent tragedy, Evelyn and her daughter did the best they could. Evelyn held a piece of wood in her hand to protect them as they slept, too dangerous to stay in her damaged home and hearing rumors of a different kind of danger for women and girls if she went to the relief camps living in tents. So they stayed together on a dirty sheet until it was their turn to receive assistance. 

But beyond the initial impact the Haitian earthquake like all tragedies, keeps visiting the survivors in their sleep, in their dreams, hearing voices and replaying images in their head, while guilt becomes a constant companion for never having had a chance to say good bye or asking themselves - why did I survive. The United Nations stated that the loss to those who survived the 2015 Haitian earthquake was enormous with over 1.5 million children under the age of 18 effected by the tragedy - much of it personally experienced. They lost complete families, lost generations of mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, with laughter and dreams exchanged for nightmares, screams and fear. The sights and sounds of such enormous human loss, the emotions felt in losing loved ones, will be forever trapped inside young minds with memories and experiences more dark than not. A survivor yes thankfully - yet forever scarred.

"Evelyn" Jacmel, Haiti

CAPTION
While not everyone survived this immense tragedy, those that did were trying to sort out their lives by asking questions on which way to turn, how to move forward, where to find work and what to do with themselves as they deal with the enormous pain for having lost loved ones underneath the debris. Still more pressing questions remain each day. Where will I sleep. Where can I find something to eat. Is my family safe tonight while they sleep and how do I take care of my babies when I have nothing left to give. Evelyn slept on the dirt with her babies for six weeks, too afraid to sleep inside her humble, red walled single roomed home, with finger sized fissures and cracks form floor to ceiling from the earthquake that took so many of her neighbors lives. In this image, on one morning, she was less concerned about her own life than she was about finding food, any food, and a bit of brown water from the river..for her babies.