Gao Zhihe participated in many important tasks like the rescue of earthquake survivors and safeguarding the national bank while in Haiti. [Provided to China Daily]

Their post-quake work centered on arresting heavily armed fugitives and guarding the national bank from bands of roving marauders.

Because they lacked medicine, they ate spicy food to induce perspiration to cool fevers. They drank as little water as possible, saving it for survivors they encountered on patrol.

"One Haitian told me they drank from a river," Liu recalled.

"The nearest place with safer water was several hours' drive away. Three or four children would share a single, melting chocolate chip. That was what Haitians faced every day."

The quake also created an about-face in the way locals thought of the peacekeepers. Before the disaster, Haitians viewed UN forces as heavy-handed outsiders.

"They even believed their government had to pay our expenses," Gao said.

But the 12,000-member force that had helped stabilize the country since its president was ousted in a 2004 coup formed the backbone of security for reconstruction and the recent presidential election.

Women now gregariously greet officers with "bonjour", while children sheepishly imitate Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee.

A Haitian-American businessman even offered generous financial assistance for the peacekeeping missions.

But Gao and Liu still worry about the country's future.

"Most of the rubble has yet to be cleared, and many people are still living in tents," Liu says.

"There's an outbreak of cholera - a disease of the poor. We found ourselves powerless to help Haiti escape the brutal cycle of poverty."