Civil Unrest - a different day in the life.

Tuesday morning, 10 a.m., Comfort Suites, Providentiales, Turks and Caicos.
The plan was for me to be picked up at the Cap-Haitien airport at 9 a.m.  Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men...

Going to Haiti for an extended stay means routines - pay the hydro in advance, put the phone on seasonal service and pay it in advance, prepare and deliver rent cheques for the upcoming year, deliver a cheque to the insurance rep., who will fill it out and notify me of premium.  Prepare and mail all tax receipts for donations received to date.  And of course some things just never go smoothly.  For example the eight automated phone calls I received informing me I had to be at home for a telephone service rep to come out and put the phone on suspension.  After three phone calls to the company, the automated messages continued and I left it in the hands of the universe.

Then the actual trip preparations: purchase supplies needed, pack, weigh suitcases, always mindful that Westjet (until Jan 2011) allows two suitcases, but Air Turks and Caicos only one at 50 pounds.  Any overage is $1USD per pound.  So contents of that second suitcase better be worth the amount charged.  I probably pack and weigh 4 or 5 times before I finally walk out the door at 6 a.m. Monday to meet the taxi I had booked the previous day.  I'm flying into Provo on a Monday as the Saturday flight is mayhem - 4 large carriers arriving within minutes of each other, creating long lines for customs, longer waits for luggage, and being jammed into a taxi van with 9 others, all going to different resorts, each person charged the same amount, $26USD. Monday proved to be not such a great idea, as traffic from Orangeville down to the airport was bumper to bumper, forcing the driver to take the toll road to arrive in decent time.

But I did arrive, printed my own bording pass (soo proud of that accomplishment), stowed luggage and settled in to wait.  As I sat in the lounge a young woman arrived with twins.  Of course I had to see them, had to ask how old (1 month) and complimented mom on her courage flying already.  But she was't going on a holiday - she was Haitian and her and her husband were returning to St. Marc where he is a pastor.  We switched to Kreyol, making me feel at home already.  I didn't see them after boarding but the flight was smooth, as was the customs line.  Same crowded taxi but no hardship.

By 3:45p.m. I was settled in.  As the hotel in Provo has wifi in the rooms, I decided to check emails before heading out to purchase potable water.

One new email, from the airline, time stamped 3:37p.m.  It reads "Good afternoon, please be advised that flight PLS/CAP has been cancelled due to CIVIL UNREST in Cap-Haitien. Please call to rebook".

You must be kidding.  And of course no one was in the office to answer my call, nor did my email receive a reply.  So I kept the taxi reservation for 6:30 this morning and went to the airport.  The airport in Cap is closed, I was told.  Call us.  Yes, and someone will really answer?  No thank you, I asked to speak to someone who could help.  I don't travel with money to burn.  The manager arrived about 8:30 and very gently said that this was an act of God (news to me) so the airline would not provide vouchers or reimburse any expenses incurred.

So I am back in room 103.  Thank goodness it had not been cleaned, it feels a bit like home with my half gallon of potable water waiting.

This is when I realize how necessary the internet and inverter/solar set up are for our home in Cap-Haitien.  I cannot reach the staff.  The phone doesn't ring in.  Auguste would have to go to town to find a functioning cybercafe to find out what is happening. From the sound of it, going into town is not such a good idea right now.  Being self contained once again is the goal.  That has become the priority.

I will make the best of this enforced stay.  I would rather be home in Cap but it will come.  We have endured frequent "Civil Unrest".  Let me know if you have any further information and I will do the same.  As the Haitians say "Demen si dye vle" (to-morrow, God willing).

Will update asap.

Sharon

Hurricane Tomas, Student sponsorships,

My Scottish grandmother always said that no news is good news.  I, on the other hand, would rather have the news, no matter the quality.  Auguste was able to send news via email twice this week.  He is tenacious - no electricity, daily rain, yet he managed to find a cybercafe with a signal.  Good news to me.  Cap-Haitien has had rain every day since Siklon Tomas (Hurricane Tomas) went through last week.  No surprise as the north coast has a rainy season from October to May, followed by hurricane season from May to October.

A week of rain means mold and mildew.  It also means that everyone is cold - Auguste did mention that.

As our centre is made of concrete blocks, it holds the heat in the summer and the dampness in the winter.  Apparently we have also sustained some water damage from the hurricane.  Staff will be back to regular hours and jobs this week, so we'll tackle the problems.  Interior painting was on the agenda anyway.

Good news from Léogâne.  The road to Ti Goave is passable again (which can mean so many different things) and our nursing students are re-scheduled to begin their hospital practicum (staj-la) Monday 15th.  More good news.  One of our nursing students, Gaby, has been sponsored for the remainder of his program.  Daniel and his wife Nadia have started a campaign called "Starthrowers in Action", an invitation and a challenge to make every dollar work. They have gathered a group of friends who have pledged $10 or $20 dollars a month. This group of donors is giving Gaby "possibilité" for a lifetime, and giving Haiti a well trained, dedicated nurse.  Awesome - in the truest sense of the word.

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Daniel here - we have since expanded the campaign to everyone interested.  Here's the "pitch":
Many of us would like to help sponsor a Haitian student through Starthrower Foundation but cannot afford to take on the full cost of the sponsorship. I don’t know many people who can afford $220 a month to sponsor a nursing student, or even $55 a month for a high school student. However, many of us can spare $10 or $20 a month, but we often don’t donate thinking our small donation won’t really make a difference. So this is where “Starthrowers in Action” comes in. The concept is simple.  Individually, we feel that we cannot make much of a difference, but TOGETHER, we can make a BIG difference.
Go to our website (which was built under Sharon's supervision) for more information.

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Daniel made the trip up to Orangeville this afternoon (Sunday) to bring gifts and cards for staff and his sponsored student.  I leave tomorrow (Monday) morning and will be home in Cap-Haitien early Tuesday.

Repairing storm damage will be first on the list.  As the weather is changing, our "drop in" meal for the kids will change as well.  We'll be back to making large pots of homemade soup with bread, a beverage and piece of fruit.  Carmene's cabbage soup is a work of art.  Sometimes study and eating go hand in hand.  Our centre in Sen Rafayel doesn't have the luxury of a kitchen so we will continue to distribute crackers and cheese with potable water.  Our students are welcome to drop in Monday to Friday for a snack.  Both centres are a brief respite from the reality of home life.  Photo:  Wilsaint's house in Sen Rafayel damaged by the earthquake.

Jack has been scouting for new batteries to bring life to the inverter.  As we are back to no electricity again, the solar panels will become our life line.

Cindy phoned from Pennsylvania with good news - her Fed Ex account has been reinstated, so supplies will again be able to flow into Cap-Haitien from Pennsylvania. We're looking at a variation on the Christmas package program this year.  Versatility is the hallmark of a Starthrower.

The coffee shop is closing in 5 minutes so I will send this abbreviated post to Daniel now.  More next week from Cap-Haitien, when I find time to get into town for banking and internet.  Special thanks to Sproule's Drugstore in Orangeville for their donation of hand sanitizers.  It will be more important with the spread of Cholera.

Beni tout moun (blessings everyone)

Sharon

Going Home

This is the third concerted effort to put to-gether an update.  The first responded to the cholera outbreak, the second the impending Siklon Tomas (Hurricane Tomas).  As we no longer have internet service at the centre in Cap-Haitien and the supporting solar/inverter is in need of new battteries, communication with the staff has been sporadic and frustrating.  To send an email, Auguste must first of all call in staff to cover for him.  No easy matter over the past week as I have been unable to get a phone line into Cap.  Then he makes his way to town and searches for a cybercafe which has a signal, functioning generator or EDH (Electrique d'Haiti).  While we never took the gift of internet/solar power for granted, we are acutely aware of its loss.

The first and last communication came Thursday.  I had sent a list of jobs to be done before the storm hit, including filling the water chateau and tying down anything that could be lifted.  Below - Jack on roof with water chateau and solar panels.

Prior to Hurricane Tomas passing through, we were concerned about finding the funds to continue to support our post secondary students.  Now after seeing reports of the flooding in Leogane, thoughts again are in survival mode.  No mention in news reports of how the North fared.  I will be so glad to be back next week.  Although communication will remain a challenge, there is peace of mind being on the ground and knowing where everyone is.  The rainy season will be upon us, heightening the potential for rocks and mudslides.  Thank goodness for our 4 wheel drive vehicle. Below - the road to Sen Rafayel during the dry season.

Daniel here: I've taken the liberty of including sketches from my sketchbook that I did in September on our way to Sen Rafayel.  Sure was a bumpy ride...

So many things on the list for November but again we wait to hear from everyone, begin clean up and if necessary start again.  The patience of the Haitian people seems to be rubbing off - what a blessing.  Will send a post script as soon as I hear from Cap.  Packing is always a reflective exercise for me.  As I pack, weigh, repack, reweigh, those with whom I have crossed paths during my stay come to mind. 

Many thanks to Jeff , Pete and Signe of 'In The Hills' magazine for the time and conversation.  I appreciate being included in the upcoming edition.  Thanks also to Don and the Optimist club for a warm welcome and insightful questions.

Last year, Diane, owner of Achesons in Orangeville, opened her doors for a fundraiser and this year has jumped in again to support our young people.  Thanks Cindy S. for your organizational skills and for assembling a great team.  I know the day (Dec.2) will be a success.  Although I won't be in the country, Starthrower will be represented by our web administrator Daniel Lafrance.  He will be there signing copies of his graphic novel "Starthrower in Haiti".  As he is fresh from his visit to us, he will be able to personalize the work we do in both Sen Rafayel and Cap-Haitien.

Thanks also to those who have commented on the new web site. Your feedback is important.

And last but certainly not least, thanks to Deb, Sue and Janie, owners of Mochaberry coffeeshop.  On more than one occasion, they very graciously let me spend long hours over my sandwich and coffee while working with Dan to get the new site up and running.

More later as I hear from staff.

Sharon

PS. I have just received emails from Alland in Leogane and Auguste in Cap-Haitien. They are safe. As of this writing, the road to Ti Goave which our nursing students in Leogane must take for their nursing practicum at the hospital is impassable because the river has broken over its banks, flooding all in its path, forcing road closures.

We have had no communication with Sen Rafayel as of yet, nor have we heard from other students in Port-au-Prince, Limbe, Cap.

Changes, Sewing Machines and Heroes

October is a month of change - seasons change, clocks change, in some places we get out the winter clothing.  Daniel has been working furiously to create our new website which showcases the young people we serve, as well as some of those on our active waiting list.  As of to-day, it is live, yet another change.  We will be adding more faces from time to time, as we are still waiting for some state exam results for those who wrote their exams the last week of September.

Daniel's time with us in Cap-Haitien provided hands on experience which will add to the impact of the new site.  Please check it out - same place starthrowerfoundation.org.

Thanks to David in New Brunswick, two of our summer graduates will be self-employed.  Paulaine (in Cap-Haitien) and Kesner (in Sen Rafayel) each graduated from sewing/cooking programs.  Paulaine received her sewing machine last week.  We transported it in the back of the truck, Auguste and I holding on to it as the journey was brief but the road jarring.

Here's a short video of the delivery.  Better quality video on our website.

Thanks to Cindy in PA and the Flip video she sent via Daniel, there have been many moments of fun and opportunities to connect. 

Nothing happens quickly in Haiti and most transactions depend on having funds on hand.  The sewing machine for Kesner was sold to someone who happened to be on the spot, however the boss who sold the machine to Paulaine is on the lookout for another and will phone us when it arrives.  Another connection.

Secondary school officially opened Mon Oct 4, although some of last year's students are still waiting for results, so they missed placements.  Nothing is simple or easy and there are always surprises which present themselves.  There are still schools with structural damage from the Jan. 12 earthquake, so Plenito's 2nd year (of a 5 yr degree program) in electrical engineering is up in the air.  Administration was determined to open in the damaged location but the students banded together and wrote a letter, asking that an alternate, safe site be found.  He was concerned about our reaction to this action.  For me, this is the difference education makes - it helps people find their voice and put it together with other voices.  He contacted us today, saying that administration is determined to open in the old location, so the entire class is now looking for a university offering a degree program in electrical engineering.  The challenge will be to find one which accepts their first year credentials.

Our centre is still in need of repairs as a result of quake damage.  I can't imagine sitting in a classroom with the knowledge that it has been labelled for demolition.

Elorge and Marlene (below) returned to the Dominican Republic to find that fees per credit and inscription fees had all been raised.  Every student was in the same predicament, so they banded together in a quiet protest.  The fee increase remained, but again - the courage and determination to make their voices heard.

Many thanks to Cindy and David S. in Inglewood, Ontario for their donation of a reconditioned laptop.  Daniel delivered it to us and it left Cap-Haitien Monday Oct 11 headed for Leogane, in the care of our nursing students who are thrilled to have it.  They now share 2 laptops among the 4 students.  There are other students still in need of wireless laptops, so please contact me if you have one to donate.  There are visitors coming who will each be able to transport one.

Rain has been hampering communication in Cap-Haitien for the past week.  Internet locations in town have been without a signal.  Our centre (Lakay Fondasyon) is still without internet service and the batteries for the solar/inverter system have all died a natural death.  As they were a gift, we will replace them only when funds permit.  After rent and staff salaries, school fees and supplies have priority, then food and water distribution.

I will be in Canada for about a month to meet with our bookkeeper and fulfil speaking engagements.  In my absence, Auguste will continue running the centre and Micheline and Erzilia are continuing to purchase text books in the market, cover and label them and deliver to those waiting.  Below - Erzilia on the floor of the office labelling text books.

Jack looks after the grounds with Lusnot and Dieugrand working security.  Carmene and Joceline keep the house in shape.  Although their hours are cut back out of necessity, with the exception of Jackson, our driver, everyone is still working.  As he still has his taxi business, he'll be just fine.  Daniel has added a page to the new website showcasing our staff.  We hope that it's an opportunity for you to put faces on the names I mention so frequently.

For the last 6 years our book renew program has kept our spending on new text books to a minimum.  This year the pilot secondary programs (nouvo secondaire I, II, III and IV) have made demands on our funds and staff.  However, Erzilia and Micheline are not complaining as it has created a weekend job for them.

So I'll end where I began - with an invitation to look over the new site and become acquainted with the courageous young people we serve.  We've kept their stories brief to give you an idea of the challenges they face in their lives.  They are heroes.

Kembe pa lage

Sharon

Visitor, School supplies, Sen Raphael, Home visits

Last week brought 2 visitors to Lakay Fondasyon, Daniel our website administrator (aka webguy) and ELECTRICITY!  For the first time in 12 years there was electricity daily.  Admittedly it was intermittent, not strong enough to pump water from the well, provide internet access, freeze water or run a fan, but it was present.

The first day of Daniel's visit, we took it easy as the humidity of summer still lingered.  It takes awhile to acclimatize.  Dan jumped into every activity, travelling to town to pick up and then unpack a box of supplies from Cindy and company, weeding our garden, meeting the many new faces which kept arriving for school support, a little chat, food, medical referral etc...  In short, it was a normal day.  The staff carried on its usual jobs.  We have had a surge in Malaria and Typhoid cases over the last 2 weeks, averaging a new case of Malaria daily.  Fortunately, we have been on the receiving end of a wonderful gift - a carton of the natural supplement Allimax donated by the CLM Health Group in Mississauga, Canada.  Dan picked them up and brought several packages.  We have found that it cuts recovery time from Malaria in half.  Many thanks Heather and all staff involved in the donation.  You're generosity is improving quality of life.

Tuesday, we went to town to pick up supplies and check on bank transfers.  I'll try to pursuade Dan to share his impressions of the traffic circus which performs daily in downtown Cap-Haitien. (DAN:  I'll do better than that and post a video... It's not the worst that I've seen there but it will give readers an idea of the madness!)

 

With supplies purchased, it was time to fill the Igloo cooler with bottled water and Tampico, and pack everything for the Wednesday trip to Sen Rafayel.  Wednesday at 5 a.m. we made sandwiches after daily chores finished and Auguste, Jack, Daniel, myself and our driver Jackson headed up the mountain of Grand Gilles. The 28 km trip took us 2 and 1/2 hours - including a 5 minute stop in Dondon to purchase bananas (fig yo) - AND we arrived intact.  First up - visit Sister Ginette and catch up on the convent and clinic news.

Then on to the office to deliver a brailler and manual typewriter to Guilene.

The originals, also donated from Pa, were destroyed in the January 12th earthquake which also trapped Guilene for 6 days.  The guys took Guilene home to check her ti kay (house) for appropriate space to house the machines.

We began to distribute back packs and text books to the new crop on 1st and 2nd year high school students.  Then we began interviews in response to letters received from prospective students.  Lunch break at 12:30 saw everyone crammed into one room.

No rest in Sen Rafayel - lunch over, Dan left with the staff to take a look at village schools and some student houses.  Auguste and I had just begun the next round of interviews when Consienne (July post) came in, very quietly announcing that her father had just died (pictured below).  What was she supposed to do? 

With Auguste to handle interviews, I left for her house as Consienne's mother was on her own and she is blind.  I sat with her in the small, dark, musty room furnished only with a single bed, mattress made of old clothes.  Mme was desolate.  Her husband had a fever for 15 days.  She had taken him to a local hospital and asked them to treat him out of compassion, but care was refused.  He was 62.

With the help of staff, we found a villager to perform the ritual bathing of the body (benyen), secured his birth certificate and went to the local magistrate for the death certificate (deklarasyon).  Of course, the office had closed at 2 p.m. so we would have to wait for a day.  Then we found a carpenter to make a coffin (bwat), agreed on a price, then returned to the office, packed up and headed home.

Thursday and Friday were spent doing home visits, showing parts of Haiti not found on a map of tourist attractions.  Gabriel's rented floor space (he does not have a room) is in a house built on a garbage dump (photo below).  The dump was created to stop up the salt water marsh (bouche) which is a breeding ground for so many sources of misery.  Unfortunately, the salt water always wins, eating through the garbage and the houses built on top of it.

At Paudeline's ti kay, our visitor treated neighbourhood children to the 'magic' of instant replay. 

We check everything on home visits - sleeping space, study space, kitchen facilities, latrines (if there is one).  On another home visit, Althega's rental space has an outdoor kitchen but no latrine.  Plastic bags are used and discarded in a not so empty lot across the street.  There is a soccer field built by well meaning visitors but no ball, no shoes (see video below).

Saturday morning, upon returning from depositing Dan at the airport, the electricity we had celebrated was gone.  "Where," the staff asked jokingly, "did he pack it - back pack, pocket, or suitcase?"

Our internet at the centre has been suspended so I am writing from the dining room of the Hotel Roi Christophe.  Am hoping to have it restored before I leave for Canada next week but first have to track down the donor for account information.  It has been such a wonderful gift and now a necessary part of our lives.

Every one of the young people mentioned here is in need of a sponsor - from Guilene who will resume studies in Port-au-Prince to Gabriel entering 2nd year university to become a teacher.  To those who support so often, many thanks.  If you're thinking about it - please take the leap.  We have almost 400 on our waiting list between Cap and Sen Rafayel.  Please spread hope.

Ala pwochen

Sharon