Visiting Ilna

Following Ilna - she wears her new backpack with textbooks

Entering Ilna's yard. The gate is made of bamboo, the fence is a cactus called 'raket'.

Entering the courtyard (lakou-a) of her aunt and uncle. Auguste follows.

The house is mud and stick construction, so there are many holes in the wall and the rain comes in.

Her aunt was at the market, so Ilna unlocked the door to let us in.

Inside, Ilna stands in the everything room 'grand sal'. I am standing in the bedroom doorway. The 2 rooms are separated by an ancient, flimsy curtain.

Ilna sits on her aunt and uncle's bed to answer questions. Her bed (which has no mattress) is directly across. She shares it with a cousin. Two other cousins sleep on the floor in between the beds.

This is the kitchen table/cupboard - utensils and plates for 6 people,  an empty toothpaste tube. We distribute toothpaste/brush/kotex/bar soap and facecloth. Note holes in wall.

Water for drinking/bathing/cooking is carried from a well many miles away. It is untreated. We distribute Aqua Tabs free of charge to all students, no limit.

I pulled the cover back on the bed Ilna shares with a cousin. It is a metal/barbed wire/stick frame covered with rags. assorted old clothes underneath.

These are a few of the neighbors who followed us in. There wasn't room for everyone. Visitors are an event.

This is the 'kitchen' where meals are cooked, when there is food available.

Ilna poses in front of her aunt and uncle's home. Windows have no screens, which would help alleviate the mosquito (marengwen) problem.

Ilna lives about 8 miles from the village and must cross the river, so shoes and socks come off and are replaced on the other side. She would benefit from a bicycle or from a place in town to stay Monday to Friday. We are looking into both bike programs a

Tigger, Rabies, New faces

It has been a terrible week.  Our big, brave, beautiful, bouncing 2 yr old dog Tigger began exhibiting unusual symptoms last Sunday, nipping at my throat upon our arrival. Monday he bit my finger, so before heading down the mountain we closed the center and called the only person in the village with a course in Veterinary care. He said there was rabies in the village and told us to quarantine so Auguste returned the next day with Dieugrand, our new Security Coordinator, to construct a safe place for Tigger. Our newly prepared bike garage was the only available space, so it became his prison.

There have been many experiences in Haiti which have made me empathize with Britain's Queen Elizabeth when she spoke of her "annus horribilis" in a year end broadcast. While the year itself is not yet over and there have been joyful times, this last week will be remembered as our "septimana horribilis"

Tigger always thought of himself as one of the staff.

Despite a severely broken leg at 6 weeks,
Tigger healed, and didn't walk, he bounded, hence his name.

We usually traveled up and down the mountain once a week as our truck was near the end. This week when we really needed a reliable vehicle, we were able to travel back and forth 3 times with peace of mind - not even a thought of a mountainside breakdown. No, the road surface did not miraculously smooth out, but thanks to Benjamin Plett and the  Jasmine Foundation, we now mountain climb without worry, because of a generous gift in memory of Jasmine co-founder Diane Plett, who died in January. No more eating dust or being drenched from the heat, just quiet comfort when taking the bumps.

Our new Nissan Frontier-no bells and whistles
just basic comfort.

Tigger's condition deteriorated, so Auguste returned to Cap for me. We drove back up Thursday and I was shocked at the change in our once happy, healthy dog. He had refused food for a week, but did take liquid vitamins which I fed him on a spoon (Thanks Dufferin Veterinary Clinic, Orangeville). Thursday night he paced and howled, gnawed the metal bars. I sat outside his cage fighting off the mosquitoes and talking to him. Our neighbor's wife, twenty years my junior, died during the time I sat with him, and the wailing from family and friends mingled with his cries. It seemed the whole village was in agony. It is a good thing hearts don't really break. I find it more difficult to witness suffering than to experience it.

After the church bell tolled at 5 am to wake the village,  a nearby house choir began to practice, soothing me and easing the sadness. For the first time I can remember, the women took their practice "repetisyon"to the street, processing around our "katye" and back home. No religious holiday, not taking it to church, just a spontaneous act of joy - human voices joined in song, sharing with all in range.

As  seen from our 2nd floor gallery - Singing to soothe the spirit - a spontaneous pre-dawn procession

Friday morning at a staff meeting we decided to open the cage and clean it out. Instead of bouncing out, Tigger shakily walked toward the pile of construction gravel to do his business, then lay down in the sunshine. The staff did not want to approach him, it was up to me.While attempting to close the cage door after cleaning, he took a last good bite out of my foot. Not his fault. We left him out as he had no energy to hurt anyone who didn't bother him. He died in the courtyard. Night student staff St.Luc was sitting beside him. This was my first encounter with Rabies. I hope it's my  last.

Back in Cap-Haitien, Saturday morning we took our male pup, Senkyeme to the 'vet' for neutering. Afterwards, I stopped at Santi Publique and made an appointment for anti rabies injections, 5 spread over a month. Our puppies here receive their Rabies vaccine at 3 months of age. A vet friend of mine in Canada cautioned that it's too young.  Antibodies in mother's milk are still working and can interfere with the vaccine. So the dilemma now is do we re vaccinate all? Tigger never ran free - he lived in the compound. Twice a day he and his kennel mate Granjil went for a walk on their leashes with staff members. There were no skirmishes with wild dogs, just barking and posturing. The only possible contamination that we can think of is a bat bite (chat-sourit).We'll never know for sure.

Closing the center was the only responsible action. Schools are scheduled to open October first so we still have time for interviews and registration. We will reopen the Sen Rafayel center Wednesday. While our "Waiting for Admission" list still sits at over 200, we have added many new faces using general funds.Here are a few:  In Sen Rafayel:

Alexandra - 8eme

Odette - 8eme

  Myka - 9eme

 Rose-Tania - 7eme

                Estepha - 8eme

Wilbrode - Sec. 4(final year)

Jonathan - Sec.4 (final year)

Jasmine - 8eme

Myrlande - Reto (second last year)                  

 

 Sylvina - 8eme 

           Merline - Reto

Dieuner - Sec. 1

Marguerite - Sec. 1

Fabiolla - 9eme

 Irlande - Sec.1

Paulene - Sec.3

Adeline - 3eme            

Ketteline - 2nd

Dupy - 9eme

Lilia - 3eme

Rose-Darline - 8eme

And in Cap-Haitien:

Fatia

Claudine

Delis

Emania

Jean-Watson

Ema

There are always lessons to learn and new experiences. Haiti is a surprising teacher. Some lessons I would like to avoid, others I embrace. When I look at the faces of the young people who arrive on our doorsteps and watch the changes in them as they grow, I am grateful for everything life throws this way, even the pain.

Let's make this new school year an "annus mirabilis"(amazing). Working together, we can accomplish anything.


Sharon

Lists explained, About my JOB

Eliczara Augustin was buried in Sen Rafayel last month. She had just turned 26.  I remember the letter she wrote last year asking for help to return to finish the last 2 years of high school. She was on our waiting list. Her letter asked for support because she wanted to be a "fanm itil nan sosyete" ( a useful woman in society). With an average of 300 on our waiting list every year (not carried over from the previous year) it is difficult to remember the faces and the stories. But Eliczara and I shared a birthday - July 13 - that I remember. Her cousin Rose Magda-Alina told me  Eliczara would sit in front of our Jasmine Center in the hope that we would find the funds for her. According to her brother, she had a ''pwoblem goj' (throat problem) and was dead in 2 days. It could have been anything from Strep to Thyroid. I don't have her picture because she was on our waiting list and would have been dropped from it this month, replaced by new hopefuls.

Two of us travel weekly to Sen Rafayel - sometimes myself with Auguste, sometimes coordinator Lusnot or Myriame, a senior student who works in the office.  Beginning July 1st we hold interviews our Sen Rafayel coordinator Edeline sets up, working through the more than 500 requests for secondary school support we received in the month of May. By noon on the first day of May, our Sen Rafayel office had already received 146 letters.  Of the 500 letters we received, 300 have been sitting out at least a year for economic reasons - everyone a student unable to attend school for at least 1 year. About a third have both parents deceased, more than half have one parent deceased. Those who still have a living parent are often the caretakers, as the parents are ill and unable to provide for their children.

A trip to Sen Rafayel wouldn't be an adventure without a mountainside breakdown. And of course, no matter where the breakdown takes place, there will always be an expert who appears on the scene dispensing advice (for a gratuity, of course).Big news on the truck front - stay tuned.

Always an expert on hand to advise Auguste - even on the mountainside.
Note the water pump action in the background.

After cooling down and watering the engine, we continued without further adventure until we arrived at our corner. Our corner was no longer there, taken over by work crews under a deadline to finish the road surfacing before the start of school. Students Consienne and Adolph were waiting for us at what used to be the corner with our wheelbarrow (bouret la) . Our branch coordinator Edeline had hobbled down to help as well, her painfully swollen right foot encased in a tensor bandage. This is a recurring condition which none of the medical personnel in the village can diagnose. With no lab for analysis, most diagnosis are guess work.

Student Consienne waits with the bouret (wheelbarrow) as our corner is
getting a facelift.

Unpacked and settled, the business of interviews starts. But it's not that easy to find a quiet place.

A game of dominoes on the gallery...students from Cap-Haitien visiting family
mix with Sen Rafayel students, new admissions and returning

4th year university student Weby-Schneider prepares a group for Reto in the

'Chanm Devwa' (Homework Room). This week it's Chemistry.

Always readers in the library (Gasnel and Clenie)

Interviews get started a little early as those who have an appointment are always early and those who do not have an appointed 'rendevu' show up in hopes that we will have some extra time. There aren't enough hours in the day but we work late into the night to accommodate as many as possible. School is life to these young people, the reason they get up every morning.

Auguste questions Junior J. about his family

I frequently use the term 'waiting list'. We have two. The lucky students for whom we have general funds are admitted to our program, and their fees etc.. are paid from the general pool. They are on the 'Waiting for Sponsor ' list. If and when they are connected to a sponsor, those general funds are freed up and we can take on another from our 'Waiting for Admission" list.

Junior, pictured above with Auguste, is on our 'Waiting for Admission' list. These are some of the 300 faces I see, most of whom we cannot admit, due to limited finances. Junior is 17 and wants to start high school. He has been sitting out for 3 years, since he passed his entrance (Certificat) exams. . His father, a farmer, was killed in a random machete attack on their house when he was in Grade 4. He remembers it vividly. His growth is stunted from malnutrition, but his eyes sparkle when he talks about what going to school would mean for his whole family.

Ancito D., 15, waiting for Admission

Ancito is 15, also waiting for Admission. He was in Grade 7 at the Lycee, paid for by his mother who sold items grown in her small garden in the local market. She became ill with Kolera on a Saturday afternoon before Christmas. She was dead before midnight. His school days ended. 

Cassimilia, 14, waiting for Admission

Cassimilia is 14. Her father contracted Kolera last spring and died the next day. She had been enrolled at the Lycee but failed her year.Like many, she didn't have any of the required textbooks. Anyone who fails the Lycee is put out and private schools are more expensive.

Her mother has had 2 operations 'on her head' (diagnosis unknown to us) and is unable to function. Now Cassimilia is parent to her 3 younger brothers, one younger sister and her mother. 

The term "waiting list" seems impersonal to me, devoid of emotion. The young people who comprise our waiting lists are very real, so I wanted to share a few of their stories with you. Even though we do not have the funds to say yes to everyone who applies, our staff does an outstanding  job of making each feel listened to and welcome.

While we are in Sen Rafayel, our Cap-Haitien office functions smoothly. Our book repair program which cleans and recovers between 1500 and 2000 text books every summer has just finished. We needed room in Sen Rafayel for our pilot 'Ready for Reto' program (requested by the students) so the job was completed in Cap. First year nursing students Edwina and Sherlyne have returned to help us and seniors Myriame and Camiose complete the team. We learned Sunday that Myriame and Camiose were in the minority of students who wrote Philo state national exams who were successful. 80,000 will rewrite next week. Congratulations to both. They hope to head to University to study nursing.

Cap-Haitien office - while we are up the mountain -
Camiose, Edwina and Sherlyne shelve cleaned text books

In spite of the heat and dryness, Dieugrand maintains the yard (lakou-a).
Isn't our hibiscus (choublak) beautiful?

Mme Carmene drops in for a visit and shows
Myriame how to mend a tear.

Once admitted, students head off to have their picture taken for school records. After they deliver the 

pictures to us, our staff meet with the various school  administraions with pictures, birth certificates and proof of academic standing to register. 

That complete, students then come in to sign a contract which allows them to  access both of our drop in centers and lending libraries. Everyone takes signing their contract very seriously - new and returning students. 

New student Fatia signs her contract

Returning senior Carline

Returning senior Stephan

New student Norceline

Norceline, 22, has been sitting out since the
earthquake in 2010

New Cap-Haitien admission Norceline signed her contract while we were in Sen Rafayel. She lost her parents, brother and sister in the earthquake of January 2010. She has been sitting out for the intervening 3 years.  It has taken us months to secure  papers for her to return to complete high school, as all her records were lost. This week we succeeded. One Starfish at a time....

'What is my job on the planet with a capital J? What do I care so much about that I would pay to do it?" Author Jon Kabat-Zin (Wherever You Go There You Are  Hyperion, 1994) challenges the reader to ask oneself over and over 'otherwise, we may wind up doing someone else's job and not even know it." (p206)

"You can start asking this question any time, at any age. There is never a time of life when it would not have a profound effect on your view of things and the choices you make....Interconnectedness is a fundamental principal of nature." (ibid) How fortunate to realize what that JOB is.

The most difficult part of this job is not doing without the basics, the amenities. It is not the hazards of travel. It is saying "Sorry we can't help you" because of what in the grand scheme of things amounts to a few dollars.

Last interview finished but paper work remains
No electricity or running water - no problem.

Author Deepak Chopra, along with many others, believes that the primary aim in life is to be present. Being here is enough. At this stage of my life I am in agreement. Having found my Job in the universe, I just have to remind myself every day to be present. That way, when  a moment of joy occurs, like Wisline C. feeling so accomplished when figuring out a Chemistry problem that she does a spontaneous twirl and  bow, I not only capture it, I appreciate it and share her joy.

Concial W.  - a little twirl and a little bow for Chemistry understood

Be of service to-gether

Share wisdom to-gether

Become a community in spirit.

The only service I can provide for Eliczara is to tell you about her.  And be truly present to those who come after so that their stories can be told.

Namaste
Sharon