Climate Change Haiti Deforestation Hurricanes Poverty Linked

In small island countries like Haiti, climate change is exacerbated by a dispiriting merry-go-round of deforestation (removal of trees), Caribbean hurricanes and tropical storms, and the resulting landslides and floods, and lack of infrastructure and extreme poverty: Is poverty the chicken or the egg? Which came first? Or are climate and poverty co-dependent?

Since climate change is the focus for today -- Blog Action Day 2009 -- and Haiti and its poor are the focus of the Starthrower Foundation blog, it's a good time to think about how climate change affects poor countries like Haiti, and how the actions of Haitians and lack of actions of First World countries keep Haiti on a poverty continuum.

Effects of global warming on Haiti
Planetsave.com has a Top Ten list of the effects of global warming climate change; Haiti has seven of them.

Disappearance of coral reefs:
The beaches of northern Haiti near Cormier Plage are composed of sheets of dead coral:

Deforestation:
From the air, the deforested (treeless) mountains of Haiti mark the border with its greener island-mate, the Dominican Republic. Without trees to hold soil and absorb rainfall, the stage is set for landslides. Poor people do what they can to survive, and use whatever materials are available to them, like cutting trees to make charcoal for fuel.

Rise in sea levels:
As an island country, Haiti is at the mercy of rising sea levels. Major Haiti cities such as Cap-Haitien, Port-au-Prince and Gonaives are located at or near sea level. Gonaives has been devastated by floods several years in a row.

More killer storms:
Haiti is in the Caribbean hurricane zone. While 2009 saw no hurricanes or major tropical storms make landfall, the country is still feeling the effects of 2008's major hurricanes.

Crop failures:
Crop losses from storm-induced landslides and flooding in 2008 meant poor people got poorer, hungry people lost a source of food, and farmers had no crops to market.

Water shortages:
Like all poor countries, Haiti lacks the infrastructure to provide clean drinking water and irrigation for farms.

Fossil fuels use:
Poor countries like Haiti, those who have vehicles at all will have older, less fuel efficient vehicles and use more polluting 2-cycle engines. Most cars and trucks are used gas guzzlers discarded by richer countries.

Reforestation, Hurricane preparedness
The vicious cycle continues as poverty begets poverty. Even first world countries are unable to decide how to cope with the effects of climate change; poor countries cannot cope at all. Hurricane and storm warnings and shelters would help lower loss of life and property. Reforestation of Haiti would be a good start; Planting trees would help reduce the devastating effects of hurricane rains and flooding, and protect crops.

But given that Haiti is a small island nation roughly the size of the U.S. state of Maryland, would new forests in Haiti make much of an impact globally? Compared to the deforestation of millions of acres in large rain forests like the Amazon, likely not.

Making a Difference, One Child at a Time
But like Starthrower Foundation's slogan (making a difference, one child at a time), we can make a difference one poor country at a time, if needs be. Working in Haiti, we can help them to mitigate the effects of climate change; By planting one tree at a time, upgrading one vehicle at a time, cleaning one well at a time. Helping one country at time, we can help effect change over time.

As long as we don't run out of time.

-Karen Zabawa
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Related: Blog Action Day 2008

Haiti School of Nursing, France Pictures, Trip Colorado & Cap-Haitien, No Internet Lakay

Bonjou tout moun! Hello Everyone!

And welcome back from France, Sister Rosemary and Rosenie! This photo of them was taken at the base of the Eiffel Tower.

And Great News! Last night Auguste, Starthrower's director of education at Lakay Fondasyon, in Cap-Haitien, emailed with wonderful news!

Brunie, Gaby, Wisly and Alland, the four new grads that Starthrower had sent to register and write entrance exams for a Leogane, Haiti, nursing schooll were ALL bon (accepted)! Congratulations, to you all!!

How I wish I could have been at the kay for the cheers that must have resounded! All of us can be very proud of them.

This relatively-new School of Nursing, begun by Haitian-American Hilda Alcindor, has a demanding curriculum, and as we have been disappointed before, we didn't have high hopes for their success.

However, now that all four students have been accepted (you know what is coming!), we now need to find the money to pay for their tuition! I spoke with Auguste briefly this afternoon about the fees for the nursing school.

The total annual cost for each nursing student in residence is $2,000 USD. Comparatively speaking, this is such a small amount needed to do so much good!

Add that to the money needed for our other students in post-secondary: Vincent is still waiting to find out if he will be able to enter third year of the agriculture degree program; Plenitude was accepted at the private university in Port-au-Prince for a degree in electronics, and Casimyr and Osman were accepted at Teacher's College.

These young people are breaking all stereotypes, beating all odds (see Haiti exam results). I often refer to these students as "our kids'. Not mine, but ours. That is because they are children of the universe -- yours and mine. If we don't support them, who will?

There are many wonderful people who contact us, and offer support in whatever way they are able. They are the foundation of our Starthrower community. Blessings to all of you!

UN May 2002
Here's part of a May 2002 presentation to UN General Assembly Special Session on Children by Children's Forum members Gabriela Azurduy Arrieta, then 13, from Bolivia, and Audrey Cheynut, then 17, from Monaco. I re-read it often.

The statement opened as follows:

"We are the World's Children; We are the victims of exploitation and abuse. We are street children; we are the Children of War; We are the victims and orphans of HIV/AIDS. We're denied good quality education and health care. We are the victims of political, economic, cultural, religious and environmental discrimination."

And closed as follows:

"We are not the sources of problems, we are the resources that are needed to solve them. We are not expenses, we are investments. We are not just young people, we are people and citizens of the world. You call us the Future, but we are also the Present."

And even today, in the Toronto Star, Faith reporter Leslie Scrivener wrote a feature on the value in educating girls in developing countries. But in our opinion, all young people deserve an education. See full article here.

Trip to France ~ More Pictures

Here are more pictures that Sister Rosemary took of Rosenie and Nadeg when she accompanied these young Cap-Haitien Haiti students on the trip to the conference in France.

It's still hard to believe that one of our kids from the poorest of Haiti had the opportunity to travel to France!

Thank you, Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto!

And in this photo from a ceremony at the start of the conference, Rosenie and Nadege are adding soil from Haiti to the pot.

When soil from every participating country had been added, all soils were mixed together, and seeds were planted.

By closing day of the two week long peace conference, new plants had sprouted.

What a beautiful lesson: One family, one earth. We all have the same basic needs and same basic mandate.

Boulder Colorado Trip
I returned safely from Boulder, Colorado on Sunday night, after a whirlwind weekend of new faces and experiences at the UN committee fund raiser to support our Potable Water Distribution Program in Haiiti.

Many thanks to Jan and Tom, Ann and Oliver who went out of their way to make certain I arrived and departed all activities on time. (Jan, thanks also for a lovely evening with the board!).

To Nancy and the UNA committee: Thank you again for selecting Starthrower Foundation for this program, and for following through with a beautifully orchestrated event.

Condolences
Our condolences go out to Starthrower Jackie on the death of her mother, Eleanor. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Trip to Haiti End of September
I am making a trip to Cap-Haitien prior to my next surgery, scheduled for October 20. I will leave Toronto on Monday, September 28 and return on Monday, October 5. And yes, I realize that this is almost the exact date that I was airlifted out of Haiti last fall.

Starthrower's friend, and mine, Mme Marjorie, a retired nurse, will travel with me to Cap-Haitien and stay at the house. I know it's a short visit, but this is better than no visit at all. I really want to see staff and students and reassure them that I am very much with them.

Internet Cap-Haitien Down
We've lost internet contact at Lakay in Cap-Haitien. Auguste says that the 'NetGear' component (router) of our internet set up is kase (broken). Hopefully we can get the internet back up and running while I'm there. It appears that it will need services of a technician or a replacement. We really miss it as cell phone international calls are a lot more expensive.

Congratulations once more to all to our students in Haiti who worked so hard to pass their exams, both high school and entrance to post secondary.

To alll Starthrowers, please keep these young people in your thoughts and prayers and pass along their desire to attend post secondary programs to anyone who might be able to help. A little goes a long way ... a lot of 'littles' go even further!

Beni w
Sharon

Haiti School Registration, Supplies, Shipping Backpacks, Exam Results

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Hello Everyone,

As yet, I don't have an update from Sewoz (Sister Rosemary) on her trip to France with our student. When she phoned on their return two weeks ago, the phone connection was too poor and full of static, and she has been on retreat ever since. She did say the trip went amazingly well, and I will report details when I again hear from her and Rosenie.

Registrations, Text Books, Uniforms
Auguste, our director of education, has emailed that he is extremely busy registering (fe insripyson an) our students in school in Cap-Haitien, and arranging for registration in Sen Rafayel.

When students are registered, the schools provides the book lists and uniform material samples they will need to attend classes this fall. As the text book lists come in to our office, Starthrower's book repair team begins to assemble the necessary texts, and to compile lists of books that we do not already have. Each day, the staff will go to the market. look through the book stalls and let the vendors know which titles we need, and to hold them for us.

As well, funds to cover the cost of material for uniforms, and tailor / seamstress fees, and buying items like underwear and shoes will be distributed to each student. Claudy in Sen Rafayel is coming to Cap-Haitien this weekend to pick up the money needed to pay for inskripsyon and uniforms in Sen Rafayel schools.

Tuition First Semester
This coming week Auguste will make a return visit to the Cap-Haitien schools to pay the first trimester fees, and Claudy will make another trip to Cap-Haitien to pick up money to pay tuition in Sen Rafayel. Starthrower makes school tuition payments in stages because carrying large sums of money is not wise anywhere, and especially ill advised in Haiti.

School Starts, Exam Results
Haiti school classes are scheduled to begin on Monday, September 7, barring any tropical storms or hurricanes. The weather this year has been much calmer than last year. However, now that Bill and Danny have skirted Haiti, there is another storm brewing with the potential to escalate: See National Hurricane Center

Those students who were ajournee rewrote final state exams last week and are once again awaiting the results.

Sponsors Needed
Vincent, Brunie, Plenitude, Gaby, Alland, Wisly, Casimyr and Osmann are still praying for sponsors (see this post and this post for details on some of these students). Brunie, Gaby, Alland and Wisly will travel to Leogane to write entrance exams for Nursing Sciences program next week.

Backpacks
Currently we have no back packs to fill with supplies and distribute to about 125 students. Judy in NB Canada has some backpacks ready to ship, as do I here in Orangeville, but there is no cost effective way to get them to Haiti. Daniel in Toronto has purchased some in the U.S, and is working with cargo company CasXpress in Ft Lauderdale to ship 48 packs.

If anyone is planning to travel to Florida or Haiti and can deliver these packs part way or all the way to Haiti, please let us know. We are following up on a shipment of supplies (Thanks, Kayla) whose journey to Haiti began in June, and as of yet, have not arrived in Haiti. But many thanks to all who are doing their best to help these students. Whenever the packs arrive, they will be put to immediate use

Reading List
I have been reading lately; it's gift to have the energy and the time. In Teatime for the Traditionally Built, a novel by Alexander McCall Smith, his fictional African Bishop, speaking to a distraught parishioner worried about 'future doom', says,

"Our concern should be what is happening right now. There is plenty of work for love to do'".(p.56)

There is plenty of work for love to do: Such a simple sentence, yet such a profound sentiment.

In Wayne Dyer's Change your Thoughts, Change your Life, he quotes his teacher Nisargadatta Maharaj (pg. 23):

"Wisdom is knowing nothing, Love is knowing everything, and between the two, my life moves. And while you're living, stay as close to Love as you can."

What a challenge: To stay as close to love as you can. Easier said than done with the busy-ness and distractions of every day life. But what a difference we could make in this world if we each consciously make the effort to stay as close to love as we can. Think of the healing that could take place!

Boulder CO Trip
On the weekend of September 11, I plan to travel to Boulder, CO to attend a fundraiser to support our Potable Water Distribution Program. This will be my first solo trip since last summer, and I am looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones.

Thank You
On a personal note, I spent a day at St. Anne's Spa in Grafton, ON as the guest of owner Jim Corcoran. Jim had invited me to come to St. Anne's last summer, before my illness and surgeries intervened. Thank you, Jim and staff, for a very relaxing, rejuvenating day! As I have another major surgery scheduled for October 20, the timing was perfect.

I know what a fine job Auguste and staff are doing, and that we are all doing everything possible to keep programs running smoothly in my absence.

Thanks again to everyone who is supporting these young people. You are helping them change their lives, and that of their country.

Beni w (Blessings)
Sharon

Haiti National Exam Results ~ Starthower Students Make Us Proud!

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Haiti Exam Results are now posted for the country as a whole, and overall, Starthrower's high school students are more than holding their own, they are doing better than the national average!

This is especially gratifying for us at Starthrower, since these Haiti - wide results include all socio-economic levels, while Starthrower sponsored students are almost exclusively drawn from the poorest of the poor. Yet, once again, these hardworking and motivated young people have demonstrated that given proper support, they can not only compete with Haiti as a whole, they can and do excel!

I am not sure of whom I am prouder: Our students for their hard work, our staff who tutor them, or our sponsors who enable them to go to school! A pat on the back and big hugs to all of you!

2009 Exam Results are In
For 2009 Haiti overall: 23.42 percent success (16.27 percent en rhéto; 32.68 percent en philo) [Selon les statistiques fournies par le Bureau national des examens d'Etat (BUNEXE)].

Starthrower students' 2009 average is currently at 40 percent but hopefully that will improve after the rewrites.

[For those wanting more information, go to Haiti MENFP. Unfortunately, we don't know the breakdown for Haiti north, as the site only gives a breakdown for 3 of the 6 departments in the country.]

Last year, 2008, we had 100 percent pass at the Philo level.(see post July 2008) This year, Deles was unable to tutor students in Sen Rafayel due to his own school schedule, and his absence was keenly felt. Both he and Auguste are natural born teachers, and their tutoring and mentoring is a large factor in the students' success.

The 2008 Haiti country average was 62.19 percent. Quite a drop in 2009, notes Charles, who follows the results from Switzerland, considering the general calm this year in Haiti. But remember, too, that the 2008-9 school year began a month later than usual due to the series of tropical storms and hurricanes that hit in September.

For Starthrower Students July State Exams
Sen Rafayel: 2 pass Philo; 4 ajournee
Cap-Haiien: 2 pass Philo; 2 ajournee.

There were no failures at this level. Those who are ajournee (adjourned) will rewrite exams from August 24-27.

Congratulations to Gaby D. (Philo) and Rose-Guerlande B. (Rheto) who were bon (passed).

(Anna and Cindy from Penn. were able to meet and talk to Gaby, as he happened to be doing a bit of maintenance on the house.)

Gaby has worked very hard since he came to us 5 years ago. He has had malaria at least once every year, as well as other infections. The little kay (house) in which he and his brother, Lusnot, live has been flooded every year. And so every year, the boys have to find temporary shelter while cleaning up.

Now that he has graduated, Gaby wants to continue on to become a nurse, or a medical technologist. I have asked him to decide before we ask for a sponsor. Luckily, either course of study is less expensive than university tuition, and either one will lead to a good job when completed.

Alland and Wisly dropped by the other day. They originally wanted to be doctors but when they didn't get in to State University, and also decided the cost was too prohibitive for sponsorship, they settled on Agriculture at the University at Limbe, which costs between $4500 and $5000 per year.

Now they have been talking and thinking that they would like to apply to the new School of Nursing program at Leogane (they probably talked to Gaby!) which costs about $3,000 per year, and includes room and board. With their original interest in medicine, and with nursing school costs much lower than medical school, a much lower amount of sponsorship money is needed. Conversely, donations go further when programs cost less, and so will benefit a greater number of students.

Inskripsyon Registering for Fall Term
Auguste, Starthrower's director of education, is starting to visit area schools to pay for inskripsyon in order to hold places for our sponsored students. And we still need backpacks for September, though not as many as we did last week, thanks to Daniel in Toronto. He is trying out a new shipping route to send some of the needed backpacks and pencil cases, and will let us know how successful it is!

Post Secondary Sponsors Needed

As well as students listed above,sponsors are needed for Casimyr and Osman, Teacher's College (5 year Co-op), about $3000/year.

That will include a small allowance for room and board as well as travel twice a year home to Sen Rafayel.

If Micheline (see photo here) passes her Philo, she will return for the second year of the medical technologist program. Cost is about $1500/per year which includes a daily travel allowance as well as a stipend for room and board.

Elorge and Marlene, our current students in pre med in Santiago, Dominican Republic, need $5,000-$7,000 per year. This includes apartment, food, travel to Haiti twice a year.

We subsidize the sponsor money as there are always costs popping up throughout the school year which we cannot anticipate.

Johnley wishes to attend the Ecole Professionelle to apprentice electrician. (This is different from Plenitude in that it is not a University program; the requisite is 5 years of high school, or Rheto which he has.

It is a very well known and respected school. Cost per year is about $1500. Will have to check length of program but know that all are co-op. Diplomas are awarded and valued.

For more photos of these and other students see pictures on the Starthrower site.

Once again, thanks to everyone for helping make this possible. And we welcome any and all initiiatives to continue to support these deserving young Haitians!

Sharon

Travel to Haiti ~ American Visitors Bring Rice, Oil to Lakay Fondasyon in Cap-Haitien

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Much excitement this week in Haiti, as long-awaited visitors from America -- Starthrowers Mme Cindy and Anna, on their first trip to Haiti -- traveled by plane and bus to meet the staff and students at Lakay Fondasyon in Cap-Haitien!

Welcome Sign at Lakay Fondasyon

Staff and students had prepared a Welcome sign to greet Mme Cindy and Anna. Until now, the stafff had known of Mme Cindy and her friends in Pennsylvania by name only, and through the parcels they send several times each year. How exciting to put a face to a name, and to finally meet one another!

How to Carry a Sack of Rice in Haiti

And they came bearing gifts! Along with good wishes and clothing, Mme Cindy and Anna, with one of their Haitian friends (yellow shirt), brought some rice and oil they'd bought in Cap-Haitien for Starthrower staff and students. In the foto, Cindy's friend shows Anna how to balance and carry a sack of rice (diri) on her head.

Starthrower Students at Lakay Fondasyon Cap-Haitien

Several of the Starfish sported new Tshirts, which I believe were part of the gifts brought from Pennsylvania. At the Lakay, we keep an assortment of games and balls on hand for the kids to use. You may notice that socks and running shoes are lacking. Flip Flops (those flat, plastic sandals) are fine for walking around, but not suitable for playing soccer.

Mme Cindy, Micheline, Anna at Starthrower Lakay

No one was more excited to finally meet in person than were Anna and Micheline, one of Stathrower's senior staff on the Text Book Refurbishing Program. The girls have been emailing for almost two years (thanks to donors who arranged for internet access and computers at Lakay Fondasyon!), ever since Anna sent Micheline a Christmas gift box as part of Mme Cindy's holiday initiative that year.

Starfish Micheline, Anna, (Friend), Mme Cindy

This visit gave them a chance to meet one another and for the American visitors to see first hand Life in Haiti. Anna and Cindy will be back in the U.S.A. this week, and I look forward to talking to them about their trip.

For those of you interested in travel routes to Cap-Haitien, Haiti, Mme Cindy flew to Santiago, Dominican Republic, then traveled by road via Caribe Tours bus from Santiago DR to Cap-Haitien (Caribe Bus to Haiti Info) This is the same bus service that our two students Elorge and Marlene take to get to medical school in Santiago.

Mme Cindy's trip coincided with high school graduation in Haiti, and she was on hand to congratulate our new grad Gaby! (see update and photo here)

On another but related topic . . .

TS Ana map National Hurricane Center

Travel to Haiti at this time of year (late August, September) is often difficult as this is the time when tropical storms and hurricanes usually appear (see post last September - Hurricane Ike). For current information on tropical storms in the Caribbean see National Hurricane Center updates. Today, Ana and Bill, the first storms of the season, are south east of Hispaniola, Haiti's island.