Haiti earthquake: young and old line up to call their loved ones
21-01-2010 Feature
A few hours after a strong aftershock jolted thousands of earthquake victims in Port-au-Prince awake on Wednesday morning, people lined up to call loved ones via satellite phones provided by the ICRC.
Interview with the ICRC's Robert Zimmerman on what the organization is doing to help restore family links severed by the earthquake.
Looking for a family member?
ICRC activities in Haiti
Young and old line up under a canopy where entire families are already sitting. Some opt for a two-minute phone call. Others give their name and address, which the ICRC will post on a website that relatives looking for information can consult. Marie Simon, 61 lost everything nine days ago, including her husband. She lives just nearby, on a cardboard, with not even a sheet above her head to shield her from the sun. " I want to leave " she tells her son, who is in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, " Please tell me what to do! "
Catherine, 26, also camps in the square. She studied public relations before the quake. Her house and her school collapsed last week. She owns a phone but cannot afford the fee young entrepreneurs in the square ask to recharge it. She calls a friend in Miami in the United States of America and hands the phone back. " Merci " she says simply with a beautiful bright smile on her face.