Hanna Does Damage in Haiti - No Hydro, No Supplies, No Gas

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Hello Everyone,

I arrived yesterday (Thursday) about 2 p.m. Cap-Haitien time after a somewhat turbulent trip. The descent was made from a different approach necessitating a very steep turn. One could see the devastation.

Petit Anse looked to be half submerged. We have 15 kids there. Fosenmichel [Ft. St. Michael] was as bad - we have another dozen kids there. People were just wandering through the long grass surrounding the airport, or sitting in small groups. How much more 'mize' (misery) can these people process?

Gas Lineups in Cap
Jackson [cab driver] met me with his taxi but my luggage didn't arrive. After a trip down to Lynx to be told to call tomorrow [Friday], we headed for home. As we passed a line-up about a kilometer in length at a gas station, Jackson told me he had waited 4 hours in the morning to get 2 gallons of gas to pick me up.

Bridges Out
As the bridge to the south at Gonaives was washed away (our bridge to Sen Rafayel has been out for 2 years), we are essentially cut off from the south, so no supplies, including gas, are getting here. Traffic was greatly reduced due to the gas shortage. Driving through the streets was a navigation test -- greatly enlarged pot holes, tree limbs and whole trees provided the obstacle course.

Storm Damage from Hanna
Our street (Impasse Soeurs Missionaires) was cut off by a huge tree which had been uprooted. It had fallen across the street and rested on the roof of the corner house. Jackson managed to brush underneath it and we arrived at the house.

Inside the compound looked like a war zone. Our garden area was covered with downed branches as the staff had been busy cleaning up. The largest tree on our lawn had the top removed. It landed on our hydro wires in to the house.

There is no electricity anywhere so we'll try to repair today. Our banana tree was uprooted as well, and most flowering shrubs are gone. The water which came into the house entered the office and soaked the backpacks we had just prepared for Sen Rafayel.

School Supplies Lost
Mold and mildew are already growing so we will have to burn most. Replacement cost will be enormous and the back packs we just cannot get here. Although we have not yet paid school fees due to shortage of funds, we did inskri (register) many so had sent the first load of backpacks (with text books, notebooks, pencils, pens, erasers, pencil sharpeners, hygiene products) last Wednesday with Claudy and Louisena.

Haven't heard an update from Sen Rafayel as it is difficult to charge batteries with no gas for the generators. I had Jack charge our solar batteries to half using the generator in order to check weather this morning. Gas is almost gone so next update may be some time coming, unless we have enough sun to charge from the solar panels.

Hurricane Ike Coming
We had overcast skies and rain last night. Can only hope Hurricane Ike takes a hike north. Will try to get to town today for supplies as the cupboard is bare. So much clean up to be done and we need to try to check on our kids in the hardest hit areas. With no gasoline we may have to wait for them to make their way to us. Housing has always been a challenge and this will compound the problem.

Will touch base when possible.

Be safe
Sharon

P.S. Deb and Stan In USA : So good to hear from you. Your shining faces were missed on the shuttle yesterday to the airport. Glad you arrived home safely.

TS Hanna Battering Northern Haiti Flights from Florida Canceled

Hi All

A quick update as I sit in Ft. Lauderdale hoping to return home to Cap after a weekend of meetings here. Hopefully we can do an end run around TS Hanna [see National Hurricane Center for tracking map, and location of Haiti from east coast Florida]

It was good to see Alex and Laura's blog post. Another perspective is always enlightening for me. I look forward to their impressions of our home visit program.

I just talked to Lynx Air about the flight back to Cap-Haitien scheduled for this morning (Tuesday), and Lynx says to show up at the airport in any event, as no decision reached yet. Don't see how we can go, though, as all flight paths are contaminated.

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Just talked with Lynx rep again. The flight is delayed and may be cancelled but I need to show up as per ticket. If cancelled, I will come back to the hotel.

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Just arrived back to the hotel from the airport. Flight cancelled as Cap-Haitien is being hit hard by TS Hanna, and the Cap-Haitien airport is closed. According to one American with whom I am travelling, there are reports of bodies (10) floating in the street in Cap.

He had been speaking to folks in Cap who were waiting for his flight to arrive. They strongly advised against travel in the event the flight was not cancelled. Lynx is prudent and would not risk anyone. I have confidence born of 10 years of travel with them.

Apparently Artibonite and Gonaives flooded again as well. Will try to contact staff to find out how they are doing, and let them know that maybe tomorrow I can get a flight out.

[With the coming storm / hurricane] I think I am the only guest in the hotel so have the computer to myself. Will check in every few hours.

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Just got through to the house in Haiti. I spoke to Auguste, who said they had some flooding at the house and they are cleaning up. The kids couldn't get home last night, so they stayed at the house; I told them to stay again tonight if necessary. They have had no hydro, and no solar, so soon, the phones will lose charges. Hanna is still blanketing North Haiti.

If I am unable to inform them of future flight change and arrival time, I will take my chances at the Cap-Haitien airport. Lynx not certain which day we will get out. Apparently, Ike and Josephine are following Hanna. I hope we find a window. I am glad the kids are safe (as far as we know).

Pi ta
Sharon
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Wednesday, Sept. 3 2008 update:
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Hello again,

I will fly out on Lynx to morrow (Thurs) at noon. TS Ike is set to hit Haiti on Saturday, so that gives us a day on Friday to buy groceries, purchase cleaning supplies and help clean and repair as many ti kay yo as possible.

Here is the email I just received from Auguste in Kreyol, with translation. Reading between the lines, Sen Rafayel is again all but wiped off the map. This happened a year ago last Christmas too. They were just rebuilding and replacing animals etc Status quo has a very different meaning here.

Bonjou, Mme

jodia gen sevis internet paske gen piti soley. Dlo antre nan kek kay okap si tou moun ki rete Petit-Ance ak Fort-Saint michel.

Sen-Rafayel riviere desann li pran jaden ak bet.
Mesi, Bondye beni-ou.
Auguste

Today we have a little sun so a little internet. Hardest hit with flooding are many of the houses where our kids live in Petit-Anse and Ft. St. Michel.

In Sen Rafayel the swollen river came down the mountain and washed away gardens and animals (once again)

Thanks - Blessings

Social Justice Peace Studies King's University College Student Visits Starthrower in Haiti

Alexander P. is a student at King's University college in London Ontario Canada who travelled with friend and student Laura to Cap-Haitien to visit Starthrower Foundation. On their return, they plan to produce a short video and pictures of their visit. Alex writes:

Laura and I flew into Cap-Haitian late Tuesday afternoon on a full seventeen-seat propeller plane. On the way over, one of the other four blanc passengers had said to me, "I read your T-shirts; I think we're on the same team."

He wasn't quite right however. Like many aid workers who come to Haiti from the Western world, he was with a group of other travellers who were part of a religious team coming to save Haitian souls. I was not.

From my perspective, Haitians don't need charity or saving. They need, and deserve, justice. The poverty and inequity experienced by all majority world countries is a form of modern colonialism perpetuated by the Western minority.

Ever since Sharon came to speak to my Social Justice and Peace Studies class at King's University College, I have realized that the Starthrower Foundation is an organization that understands the current world order more than most, and I that could learn a lot from them.

At the Airport in Cap-Haitien
Our senses were immediately assaulted as we stepped off the plane. The smell of pollution, garbage and human feces permeates throughout. The airport was a small two-room building with a bare light bulb and fan, neither of which were operational since there is rarely any electricity.

The immigration officer dutifully stamped our passports without making any record of our visit or asking any questions. The customs officer rummaged through the bags of donations that we brought and claimed a back-pack as duty.

Sharon met us at the airport with Jackson, Starthrower's trusted and reliable taxi driver. Our drive back to the compound was an obstacle course around holes in the road and piles of garbage.

All along the way, raw sewage either ran down the road or in small canals beside it. It was immediately evident that this is a country that has had its wealth sucked out of it.

At Lakay Fondasyon
Sharon told us that the staff was really happy that we were here to visit and to learn from them. When we arrived at the compound, it was evening so the staff had already gone home, but we were greeted with welcome signs Auguste had made, and Carmen [cook] had left a hot meal for us.

After our first glimpse at the poverty and conditions in which people live, we started to get an understanding of Haitian life. Despite these conditions, it was amazing to see the staff start work the next morning.

The first thing they did was go straight for the water cooler. Safe drinking water is a rare treat in Haiti, and cold safe drinking water is an even rarer treat.

You could immediately tell that these young adults were happy to be here and to have a job that pays well by Haitian standards. The first couple days that we were here, we were fully staffed and worked on reconditioning books for the coming school year. Now we plan to accompany Sharon on home visits. I will tell you about that in my next post.

Laura McIntosh travelled from London, Ontario with Alex to visit Starthrower. Laura writes:

This trip to Haiti is my first time placing myself in another country that's not as privileged as my own, and with a different language and different customs. How we ended up in Haiti of all places is quite easy to tell.

When Alex first heard Sharon talk about Starthrower's work in Haiti, he was quite intrigued by her passion and her ideals. At the same time, I was researching Haiti for a case study I was working on for school.

The idea of visiting and experiencing this wonderful country with its rich and powerful –- as well as disturbing -- history made my heart just jump. Sharon's organization sounded perfect for us; being activists, the chance to meet these people, not to help them but for the opportunity to swap knowledge and to get to know them are humans was really important to us.

Meeting the Staff
The Haitians I have met are some the most welcoming people I could ever meet. On my first morning with them, I was bombarded with names I couldn't pronounce and I found it difficult at first to communicate with them, besides Hello (Bonjou). I was amazed, however, with the speed and teamwork they presented when setting about their tasks.

The majority of them were working on the textbooks for the kids this year: cleaning them up, making sure they had the proper number of pages, and making sure that the books were securely held together (if not they fixed them with white glue), as well as many other things.

No one person was in charge; each one seemed to know which tasks needed to be done. They were efficient, and still managed to gossip and talk about everything, just like your average teenagers.

For the first little while, I worked with them in silence, studying them and learning from them what they were doing. Then body language took over and I would tell them what things meant in English, with them giving the Creole names. They found most of the English words funny to pronounce, and things went on from there.

Another group of students was inside preparing backpacks with pens, pencils, erasers, mathematic sets, paper, etc. Throughout the day, Auguste met with students, counseling them and seeing how they were and if they needed anything.

There was a separate group working on renovations to the house and the yard wall. It's almost a 24 hour job, just maintaining the house. Sharon was inside working on books and paperwork, as well as conversing with the senior staff about what needed to be completed and worked on; making sure she always received their input.

Haitians love to sing, so of course there was music. These students were like those everywhere, but I've never seen such hard workers. They may joke around, and sing and gossip, but they're productive and focused. They seemed always to show respect for each other and take pride in themselves.

For people who barely have a home, and certainly no clean water, they arrive every morning on schedule, washed and wearing clean clothes with smiles on their faces for everyone. It's all just amazing to me how these people do this day in and day out.

Update from Alex:

Fortunately, Hurricane Gustav missed us, but unfortunately Port-au-Prince was hit again. We had some dark clouds come our way. It has been overcast for the past couple days so we didn't get much power from the solar panels. Also, this is the first time we've had electricity in several days except for a few minutes or an hour or so in the middle of the night.

We leave today (August 27). We had hoped to send another update before we left for home, but it will have to wait. Laura and I have quite a few photos and some video which we hope to incorporate into a future blog post.

Cap-Haitien Feast, Tropical Storm Fay, Charity, Social Justice, Medical Bills, School Sponsors

Hello Everyone,

Where to start?
Last week passed in a blur of noise and celebration. It was Cap-Haitien's patronal feast celebration (Notre Dame Cap Ayisien). The actual date is August 15th but celebrations begin a full week in advance. Many expats return for this feast. Hotels were full and music was everywhere, 24 hours a day. Sleeping was interesting. Gave new meaning to 'lullabye'.

Still no electricity and it's becoming more difficult to find ice. Our visitors arrive today (Tuesday), so I will have to take a taxi out to the Culligan factory in Morn Rouj to purchase ice. I'm using solar power for a few minutes just to send this update, then I'll get offline and reroute solar to the fridge.

On Friday, Tropical storm Fay blew in to town, ripping roofs off ti kay yo during the night, sending garbage flying in all directions and flooding many houses. On Saturday during the rain, Soeur Ginette dropped in from Sen Rafayel to deliver our students' medical bills and bills for pharmaceutical services. Last year we owed her 35,000 gourdes ($1,000 USD). This year we owe 103,350 gourdes ($2,953.00 USD) and this is money we don't have as yet to pay her. She is, however, extremely patient. The information she provides is so valuable in getting a clear picture of life in the village.

If we can find the funds to begin a pilot program of food and potable water distribution in Sen Rafayel (not to mention enough to restart our program here in Cap-Haitien), I am certain we would see a dramatic decline in the number of clinic visits. Sherline is working on the receipts, grouping them by month and checking the number of visits by each student. Afterwards I will prepare a list of illness, the number of times they occurred and the months when the most illness occurred.

School Sponsorship News
Marlene and Elorge set off Monday morning for Santiago, DR, to begin university life. Their courage is amazing. They also have intelligence and common sense so should be fine. Only Deles, Elorge and Marlene currently have sponsors.

Here at home we have a large number of students waiting to go on, and time is quickly running out for registration deadlines. Half of our kids from last year will sit out the year, as will our high school grads who want to go on.

Due to lack of funds, the graduating and current students NOT continuing this year are:

1. Micheline 2nd year of Medical technology program
2. Vincent 2nd year of Agriculture (his sponsor is unable to continue)
3. Rosenie first year kindergarten teacher
4. Alland - first year medicine
5. Brunie - first year nursing
6. Wisly - first year medicine
7. Osner- first year agriculture
8. Gabriel- first year agriculture
9. Lebrun - first year agriculture
10. Johnley- first year Genie Mechanique
11. Danius- first year Genie Mechanique
12. Frantzy- first year Medical Technology (he has a half scholarship for the 3 year program)
13. Plenitude (Jean Baptiste) currently in Port-au-Prince studying for entrance exams to study agriculture.

We won't even get to our waiting list of 140+.students this year.
So basically, the bottom line is:

• No money for food
• No money for school
• No money to pay the medical bills

The sad truth . . .
Starthrower received a sizeable donation prior to Christmas 2007 that has yet to be transferred to us here in Haiti. We can't feed these kids here in Haiti, nor can we send them to school or house them while this donation is still sitting in a U.S. bank.

This is another very real example of the 'Arrogance of Charity (see article on the web site). Many well intentioned folks have visited Haiti then left for home without really SEEING, smelling or feeling the misery of the lives of these young people. The lives of the most visitors are comfortable, so they can't see the urgency, the very real need, so why move with any speed?

I shake my head and sigh. Power and control over the poor is such a 'charity' mindset. 'Justice' wouldn't hesitate; a justice minded group would have had those funds here for last Christmas.

Please help if you can. Those who already have, thank you so much on behalf of these amazing young people. They more than deserve a chance, they are owed a chance..

Like Martin Luther King, I too have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have 3 meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.

Please be audacious and justice minded. Help us save this year for them.

Beni-w
Sharon

Exam Rewrites, Waiting Lists Sen Rafayel and Cap-Haitien

Hello Everyone,

Sorry it's been a while since last I wrote, but I've been fighting multiple infections, and simply had no energy to handle email, etc. on top of everything else.

As I write this, it's 6 a.m. on Monday: The house choir across the street (enfas nou) is practising; we had much needed rain last night; and at this current minute, there is electricity. In Haiti, it just doesn't get much better than this! And if we had television, I would be glued to the Olympics coverage.

Yesterday I was cleaning cupboards and drawers in preparation for the visit of Alex and Laura (who are coming from Canada next week), when I came across a newspaper clipping from August 2004, of a letter to the editor of a Toronto newspaper, written by our intrepid web wizard Karen. It is entitled Haiti: Things so much worse. The cut line reads:

"Food supplies are low, electricity limited, garbage is piled up, people are sick and riots, murders continue."

Seems old news is still news four years later.

Last week, Claudy and Fabiola came down the mountain from Sen Rafayel. They left the village at 6 a.m. and arrived here at 2:30 p.m. -- 8 and a half hours to make the 28 km (17.3 miles) trip. The vehicle broke down (enpan) and the bridge is still out. Fabiola came in Louisena's place, as Louisena was preparing to rewrite Rheto exams.

After they had used the facilities, and had something to eat, and stretched a bit, we met in the office. They brought report cards, and reinskripyon dates as well as new book lists. We prepared envelopes and lists for each school. We also made a cursory pass at the waiting list they brought. There are 72 in Sen Rafayel and 70 in Cap-Haitien on the waiting lists alone.

Please keep our kids in your thoughts this week as they retake their exams. We have 3 from Sen Rafayel (who have to go to Grand Riviere Du Nord to rewrite), and 3 in Cap-Haitien.

Claudy and Fabiola told us that during exams, nobody in Sen Rafayel slept, they just studied. If someone had a candle or a wind-up flashlight, several students gathered around the light to study together.

Around 5:30 p.m., Claudy and Fabiola left to return to Sen Rafayel. As we were concerned about their safety and wanted to make sure they got home, Auguste phoned several times throughout the evening. Finally Claudy called him at 2 a.m. to say that they had just arrived in Sen Rafayel. I will be so very glad when we find a vehicle. Putting staff at risk like this is a nightmare.

Although there are no funds, I have again juggled the rent money in order to send Alland, Brunie and Wisky to Port-Au-Prince (Potoprens) to write entrance exams to study medicine. If I am going to be awake anyhow, worrying about kids travelling in unsafe conditions, I might as well be awake for several reasons.

We have outgrown our space as many of you who visit us well know. We were offered a lovely house in Audecap which the owner was willing to repair for us; However, lack of funds and no vehicle make this an unviable option. We found a smaller apartment here in Cap-Haitien where we could move our Text Book Program, and free up space here at the house. It was beyond filthy but had potential and good location.

So we made a deal with the owner that we would first go in and clean from top to bottom, then he would paint. But when we arrived, in Jackson's 'old' taxi, ready to clean the place, everything -- filth and all -- had already been painted over. Today we meet with the owner to (hopefully) get our deposit back.

The choir is finished, and the hydro gone (now on solar). Will plug in fridge. More later.

Sharon