David Darg
By Ashley Andrews, 700 Club Interactive
CBN.com –SETTING THE SCENE
It is mid-day - not a cloud in sight. A group of neighboring boys are playing baseball in an unkempt field, whooping and hollering as one of the players rounds the third base and makes a dash for home. They each share bats and gloves, and they use sand bags for the bases - it is all they have, but they don't mind. In fact, when these boys are playing baseball, they don't have a care in the world. It is only when the game is over that they remember...
AN OUTBREAK
In hearing the word "Haiti," your mind most likely jumps to images of the massive earthquake that ripped into the country of poor and poorer in 2010. And although this event happened over a year and a half ago, we can still see those very same images of a distraught, grief stricken nation today. But these days, an earthquake is not to blame for Haiti's ever-devastating reality. No, this time, the tragedy could have been avoided.
On October 21, 2010, families in the Artibonite region along Haiti's central river system reported several cases where relatives were vomiting, dehydrated and had profuse diarrhea. Medics quickly diagnosed the symptoms as cholera, a waterborne illness. Now generally, cholera is easily treatable with oral rehydration solutions; however, for those who lack access to clean water and medical care, it can kill in a matter of hours. And for some families living along the river banks, it took a mere four hours. Within days, the bacteria spread to other towns. By mid-November, less than 30 days after the initial outbreak, cholera had claimed the lives of nearly 2,000 Haitians. In May 2012, the Haitian government reported that over 7,200 people have died and over 542,000 have been infected with the disease. Before October 21, Haiti had never had a recorded case of cholera. But now, fear of the disease consumes every Haitian man, woman and child. But just how did cholera make it into this country?
CUE DAVID DARG
David Darg is the Vice President of Operation Blessing's International Operations. He has made his life about helping those devastated by war, natural disasters and poverty. He has been a part of OBI's team since 2001 and began overseeing humanitarian programs for the West African and European region in 2003. He has witnessed the trauma of war in the Sudan, Kenya and Somalia; he has aided the recovery efforts in Myanmar and China; and now he is working tirelessly to help the families and orphaned children of Haiti.
As far as David is concerned, there is only one explanation why cholera is just now wreaking havoc among Haitians. "Geneticists and epidemiologists have verified that the bacteria originated from a riverside UN peacekeeping base in Mirebalais. Numerous DNA tests and epidemiological studies, including those of the UN itself, have documented that MINUSTAH personnel deployed from Nepal brought the vibrio cholera bacteria to Haiti. Although Nepal has endemic cholera, the UN did not test or treat the Nepalese Peacekeepers for cholera prior to their deployment to Mirebalais." And what's more, they "lived on a base with a 'haphazard' and 'inadequate' sewage system that dumped all waste into an unfenced pit." With that, it is no wonder that cholera was then spread to the Haitian people, because as David explained, "It was easily foreseeable that human feces containing cholera bacteria could contaminate a tributary that runs just meters from the base into the Artibonite River. In fact, the record speed of the outbreak caused epidemiologists to hypothesize that a full cubic meter of cholera-ridden water was dumped into the Artibonite and traveled downstream like a plume, infecting the Haitian families that drink, bathe, play and do laundry in the river along the way." But despite "the glaring evidence," both the UN and the Peacekeepers deny any and all responsibility. But David Darg refused to let the Haitian people's cries go unheard. With that, he helped initiate a public awareness group justly entitled UNDeny.
UNDENY
At UNDeny, their goal is to see that justice is brought to the people of Haiti and that the UN takes responsibility for their involvement. What's more, David and the UNDeny team hope to ensure the installation of the water and sanitation infrastructure necessary to control the cholera epidemic. "This campaign will amplify the cries for justice of Haiti's cholera victims and their families, and connect their struggle with supporters from less vulnerable countries. We are all able to join in the fight - through watching the film, signing the petition and sharing the site we can be a part of ending the crisis."
CURRENTLY...
"In November 2011, over 5,000 victims of cholera filed claims with the UN, seeking compensation, investments in clean water and sanitation infrastructure, and a public apology. The UN has not formally conceded its responsibility yet, but since then: The cholera victims' fight for justice has received favorable press coverage throughout the world. In March 2012, UN Special Envoy to Haiti Bill Clinton conceded that UN troops were the 'proximate cause' of cholera in Haiti. In March 2012, France's UN Security Council representative acknowledged the damage cholera has done to Haitians and the UN's reputation in Haiti, declaring, 'We can regret this, but we cannot ignore it.' Pakistan's representative declared that the UN must do 'whatever is necessary to make this situation right.' In June 2012, over 75 members of the U.S. Congress joined in a letter urging the United States to call on the UN to respond to the epidemic. And, 'We are just starting this fight.'"
BASEBALL IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA
When David and fellow volunteer Bryn Mooser were working in tent camps in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, they decided to make a documentary about the little league baseball team they helped start there. But as cholera swept across the country, their story changed. The story of a young boy, Joseph Alvyns, and his love for baseball collided with the tragedy of the cholera outbreak. All David and Bryn could do was document the story as it unraveled.
"Baseball in the Time of Cholera premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it received a Special Jury Mention in the Best Documentary Short category. It has now been released online for free viewing, a decision that both David and Bryn say "was the only option for this film. The message must be seen by as many people as possible, because the situation is urgent." So far, it has been viewed almost 70,000 times on YouTube. The film's goal is to pressure the UN to bring more aid to Haitians suffering from cholera: "we are hoping that the UN will take some of their huge budget for peacekeeping (800 million dollars) and spend some of it on lifesaving clean water.'"