A meeting with some of the primary school teachers

I had requested a meeting with the teachers.  Six of them arrived. I asked them about their year and they told me that the biggest problem is the lack of any lunch program.  Many of the children come to school without breakfast.  Sometimes they just fall asleep in class because they have no energy.  They were excited to hear that Fr. KeKe said that Mary's Meals (of Scottish International Relief) will begin supplying food in the fall.  They told me that some preschoolers bring a snack with them to school, but not all of them.  They asked if we could help them provide a small snack to preschoolers and 1st and 2nd grade students who haven't had breakfast.  Apparently the teachers know which students these are and could do that inconspicuously.

They also talked about how Chikungunya fever had swept through the area, beginning in April.  We certainly talked to a lot of people who had had it!

I asked if they have faculty meetings and they replied that they have them at the end of every month.  They have no parent-teacher meetings though.  They told me that the school feeding is important for the teachers too, because they sometimes don't have enough to eat either!

The other issues they raised are that the children have never seen any historical sites.  They would like to be able to take the 6th graders on a field trip.

Sigh!  Their requests are reasonable.  I hope we may be able to do something about at least some of them!

Djemson: one of our translators

Our trip to Haiti was greatly enriched by the wonderful interpreters that we were blessed to have. Djemson (Sounds like Jamison!)  was born right outside of Hinche. He has 2 brothers Wenson and Jeffly, Wenson is currently in school and Jeffly is not right now. Djemson went to primary school in Hinche, but his mother died when he was 10 and he had to leave school for a little while. He moved to Cap-Haitien, but lucky he was able to go back to school and finished up secondary school in Hinche.

            Djemson is currently attending law school in Hinche where he is going into his 4^th and final year in the fall. However, he doesn’t necessarily want to be a lawyer. He said that he is going to law school just so he can get some sort of higher education. It is so hard to get into University in Haiti that any schooling you can afford and get into is beneficial; even if the topic you are studying is not what you want to pursue professionally. It is his dream to become a dentist. As Djemson put it, “Life is not easy in Haiti.” His father has no job, so Djemson’s translating is how his family pays for most of what they need. 

            We were so glad to have had Jamison with us on our trip and he shared so many wonderful things with us about Haitian culture.  

The interpreters made it possible for us to connect with the Haitian people on a deeper level and we were able to talk with them about parts of Haitian culture that we didn’t quite understand.  Djemson

and all of the other translators were wonderful to get to know and we all really appreciated what they taught us about the beautiful country of Haiti.

Sigh! by Kathie Falls

Sigh….Today was a day of contrasting feelings; feelings of hope and progress yet also despair and frustrations of the injustices in the world.    After leaving Cerca Carvajal where we spent the past 4 days, we ventured down the bumpy dirt road to Hinche.  20 years ago, I spent several weeks here working at the Azil so it’s a pleasure to be back to revisit a place that I’ve held close in my heart all these years.   Much to my surprise, the landscape is almost unrecognizable.  The small town that I remember has turned into a city with cars and motorcycles where there were once only bikes and donkeys and the occasional jeep going down the road. The new paved road from Port au Prince to Hinche, as well as migration following the earth quake, has helped to develop this town into a bustling city.  I have certainly seen signs of progress and development.  We’re staying at Maison Fortune, an orphanage for children that is doing a wonderful job teaching and raising these otherwise homeless and extremely poor children.  We had the pleasure of talking to the director of the Hinche branch of Fonkoze.  This organization is an amazing sign of hope and promise for all of the women they serve.  We also saw the Whitney clinic which is providing prenatal, dental and general medical care to many needy residents of Hinche.  All of these signs of hope for the Haitian people are a tribute to the hard work of so many, including the twinning relationships of the Richmond Diocese.   Our last stop of the day was a visit to The Azil, where we got to hold and help feed children who we being treated for malnutrition.  Words can’t describe the helplessness that I feel when I think about these children and the parents who left them there to be cared for because parents can’t meet their most basic need.   I weep for the women who have no choices, I weep for the fathers who cannot provide for their children and I weep for the innocent children who were born into this difficult life.  The shining light at the Azil is the Sisters of Charity who dedicate their life to loving and caring for these children who need their help so desperately.  Tonight I say a prayer of thanksgiving for these women and their selfless ministry.  

Our driver, Thimothee

Thimothee was born in Gonaive in 1975.  Unfortunately, he didn't grow up in a family.  His mother passed away when he was only one or two, so he never knew her.  He moved to Port au Prince with his brother, and went to Louverture Cleary orphanage.  He stayed there and went to a primary school in Port au Prince.  He continued his schooling at the Louverture Cleary Secondary School which still exists.  (The orphanage does not.)  After secondary school, he stayed at the school, helping out by driving and translating.  About that time, Brother Cosmas Rubencamp, at the request of Bishop Sullivan travelled to Haiti and began setting up what has become our diocese's twinning program.  Along the way, he and the bishop decided that the diocese needed a way for parishioners to visit Haiti, and a way for them to travel while in Haiti.  Thus the diocesan jeep program was begun. Brother Cos talked to Patrick Moynihan, the director of Louverture Cleary School about finding a permanent driver. Brother Cos interviewed Thimothee and knew he was a good fit to be the diocesan driver, interpreter, and generally a big help to all who use the jeep.  Thimothee began driving for the diocese of Richmond in 1996.

He and his father and nephew were in Port au Prince in 2010 for the catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti.  His father lost a leg, and passed away about one month later.  I asked Thimothee about the changes he has seen in his time as our driver.  He said there have been very many changes.  God has put a good heart in many people; there are many good projects.  Many schools have been built and many more children are in school thanks to our twinning program.  Other projects such as goat projects, school gardens, new clinics and water projects have happened thanks to the good hearts of the people in the diocese of Richmond.

Thimothee said life is so much harder for people in the rural areas of Haiti.  They are always in his mind and in his heart.  We are truly blessed to have Thimothee as a part of our ministry.

The Azil: Morgan

When we left Cerca Carvajal this morning, we crammed two translators (Fiednel and Djamison), eight Americans and our amazing driver into one jeep and began the drive to Hinche.  35 minutes later we pulled into the orphanage here in Hinche.  Maison Fortune is a beautifully constructed space.  In fact, “Kathie 2” (Kathie Duo the Haitians call her) commented on its guest house being constructed like a resort.  We explored Hinche in our jeep, gallivanting around and stopping in at various clinics and co-ops. Our final stop left a lasting impression with me. 

The Azil is a hospice type building where each room is filled with beds for

malnourished Haitians, mostly young children.  I had no idea what was in store when I walked up the steps.  Upon entering we were greeted with twenty five or more cribs each filled with a small child under the age of five.  I was in awe.  We continued walking and continued to see more and more cribs.  It took me a good ten minutes to wrap my head around what was going on.  These children hadn’t done anything wrong.  They’re just as innocent and fun loving as the next; they were just not presented with the best opportunities.   Parents will drop off their children for as many as 2-3 months to allow them to become healthy under the nuns careful watch.  There is visiting on Monday for the children’s parents, but other than that they are completely alone.  We were told to hold the children, because they don’t receive much of that, considering there were so many of them and not half as many nuns.  It was heart breaking to say the least. Our group spent a good hour in the children’s rooms picking them up and trying to pull out one of their rare smiles.  Once we were pulled away from the adorable kids we went into another building, this one for adults.  The only difference was bigger beds.  We saw a boy when we first walked in who could have been anywhere from 10 to 15 years old.  His skin was stretched tight to his bones and his head looked too big for his body.  It was seeing in real life those pictures of malnourished kids people share on Facebook.

The irony here is after we left, we went to the super market. And bought Pringles. 

Seeing those children sitting there was painful for me and reading the other members of our group, it was for them too.   I knew that it was a problem, but seeing the real life effects on real life people was like a slap in the face.  Realization is something that has been hitting me a lot in Haiti.  The real life problems are just that: REAL.  Sometimes we get caught up in our American bubble where cell phones keep us from eating, but the reality is these people cannot afford to feed themselves, much less their children.

Chikungouya epidemic

Juvs, far right with her family

We had heard about Chikungouya fever and we prepared by coming with lots of insect repellent and mosquito nets.  These have been very effective.  The mosquitoes are not really bothering us, but the same cannot be said of the people here. It seems no family is unaffected.  My godchild, Juva, and her entire family have had it.  Her mother, Alina is still recovering.  It starts with a high fever and a rash and progresses to a kind of arthritis in the joints.  This pain can last anywhere from a few days to months.  We visited Juva and her family in their home.  Alina was walking with a kind of shuffle because of pain in her ankles and knees.  The Haitian people, at least the poor which is most of Haiti, are completely defenseless against this virus.  There is no real treatment except palliative care with Tylenol, and there is no vaccine to prevent it.  Yet Haitians just accept it as a matter of course.

It is rainy season but actually this has been a relatively dry rainy season which is good for us (roads in good condition and fewer mosquitoes) but probably bad for Haiti.  Some of the land is as dry and dusty as during the dry season.  Fields that should be under cultivation are not being cultivated.  Despite all of the problems, people have a certain kind of joy that is hard to describe.  They have a kind of joy in being alive, in being together with others, with a deep sense of God's presence in their lives.  As I sit here typing, a group is out in the gazebo preparing for tomorrow's liturgy followed by the preschool graduation.  They are singing together, a very common occurrence here in Haiti.  In the background is another group practicing their music in the church.  Beautiful!

Market Day (Clara)

Today was market day in Cerca. The market is much like our grocery stores in the US. It is a weekly market where people can sell what ever they have. Today as we walked through the village to market',all of the people on their porches outside stared at us; just as on all of our previous walks. We are such a minority here, and unlike any minority group in the US. The people only see, "Blancs," as they call us, a few times a year; so when they do they make sure it is known. The usage of the word Blanc is not derogatory towards us but solely announcing to others that they see us. We are in a way like Blimps in the US, they do not often fly in the sky, so

when they do we make everyone aware of the fact. The market was very interesting to see,and in a way it was like a farmers market at home. Different vendors were set up in rows, with all of the goods laid out on the ground. People were everywhere and many odd smells arose from the sights. The most interesting thing for me at the market was the vast variety of fruits and vegetables being sold. Being sold were many things that we have in the US such as okra, garlic, avocados, cashews, and spinach. There was not very much supply however. For example only a couple of vendors sold each vegetable I described above. As I asked the reason for this to the translator he spoke of how Haitian farming is just not very good and so the supply is very limited. We had a wonderful day today, Haiti is a beautiful place filled with many wonderful people.