Haiti Unrest, Sen Rafayel, Water supply, vehicle news

Hello Everyone,

I am in Canada for the next few weeks. I had planned to stay here until the end of June, but with the situation in Haiti deteriorating quite rapidly (no hydro, iffy phone service, airport closures, manifestations (protests) gun fire), I don't like to be away from Haiti for too long. A group of visitors planning to come in May has postponed travel until the situation improves. I am glad to hear this, as this is not a good time for first time visitors.

I had been dedicating our solar power to running the fridge, and only occasionally disconnecting it to use the internet. I don't know how much further prices can escalate. There is so little left to purchase that those who have stockpiled goods are making a fortune. And the gap between rich and poor widens yet again.

When M. Brutus arrived to collect rent one morning at 7 a.m., he said that he had walked from town (about 5 miles) as no taxis or tap taps were operating that day due to gasoline shortage. Some taxis and tap taps started operating again a few days later, but gas now costs $100 Haitian a gallon ($14.50 US).

Only a few stations were open with very long lines and very short tempers. Most of those in gas lines also had drums they fill for reserve. One day, I went to town, and traffic was about half its normal frantic self. Our taxi driver said that he sat home all weekend as no one was travelling. He is single and supporting his mother, brothers and sisters. The price of gas later dropped to $80 Haitian per gallon ($11.50 US). I don't know where it is now. Taxi and tap tap drivers are more casualties of the current situation. That means many of the small middle class are now directly affected by rising prices and scarce commodities.

The announced 15 % drop in taxes on rice is a mere drop in the proverbial bucket when we are paying 3 and 4 times what we did last September. This only lowers the price of a sack of rice by $20 Haitian ($3 USD) Last year, we paid $120 Haitian ($17 USD) a sack. Currently, we pay $400 Haitian, so this tax cut only drops the cost to $380 Haitian per sack. Yet even so, the store still charges $395 Haitian ($60 USD) a sack, so we doubled up on cornmeal instead.

The tax cut seems to help only those who purchase in huge quantities. The poor who purchase rice by the cup (gode) receive NO relief whatsoever. Once again, the rich will get along and the poor will be worse off. With scarce commodities and high prices, staff no longer have enough to provide for their families. They need double their salary now just to eat and we do not have the resources to give them a pay raise.

When we sent Camiose and Edwina to the corner clinic for stomach pain and gas, they came back with requisitions for lab work ( testing for gastric ulcers, anemia, intestinal parasites, vag. infections), and the PRICE OF LAB TESTS HAS TRIPLED SINCE LAST WEEK, quite possibly because there is no electricity therefore the lab must need to run machines using a gas-driven generator. If this keeps up, we won't be able to afford school tuition etc. -- just a little food with medical and dental support. Again, I shake my head.

Sen Rafayel News
The week before I left, Jeff (USA) came to visit for 2 days. I had hired a driver and kamyonet to take us to Sen Rafayel. The village had been cut off completely as the road was blocked by burning barricades, part of the country wide protest. Schools had been closed in Sen Rafayel as demonstrations continued, and may still be closed. The road was opened for a few hours on the Sunday so although the staff chose to go to Sen Rafayel, Jeff and I decided not to make the trip, a difficult decision, but certainly the correct one given the tension.

Auguste (one of the staff who did make the trip) had never been up the mountain before, and, as Director of Education for Starthrower in Cap-Haitien, he needed to see what we deal with in Sen Rafayel. Although he himself is one of 'the poorest of the poor', he was very shaken by the misery he witnessed there. He thought it could get no worse than Cap.

Auguste talked at great length one day after work, asking me what more we can do to support (ie feed) our current young people, and also take on the many who wait. Much of our energy is directed here in Cap-Haitien, and so Sen Rafayel seems forgotten, except for school fees and uniforms. This is an SOS -- We should at least establish a food and water program there as well.

We can't do full scale food distribution as in Cap-Haitien, but we will hire Kesner's teenage sister and one of the women in the village to make sandwiches in our Sen Rafayel branch office Mon-Fri. We will also purchase and distribute Tampico (juice) every other day. The alternate days, students can bring in their empty bottle and fill it with potable water which we keep in the office.

Those who attend school in the morning can come to eat at break time (rekreasyon). Those who attend in the afternoon can come before class. We will send a list and have our sandwich makers check off names each day. It is a baby step but better than spinning our wheels. (if we had wheels to spin, that is)

Water Works
The good news is that fundraising is underway in the US for our new water purification system. AJ and Frank (our water experts from NJ) were here for the week. (Since the Port-au-Prince airport remained closed due to unrest, and buses had not been running between Cap-Haitien and Port-au-Prince as the road had been closed at Gonaives by manifestations, AJ and Frank were fortunate in getting seats instead on Lynx and flying to Miami. Travel plans, currently, must be flexible and day to day).

At the request of staff, AJ and Frank tested the water in two katiye-yo (zones) -- Auguste (Haut de Cap) and Jacque (La Boul). Auguste's water is okay for bathing and laundry; Jacque's water supply is as contaminated as ours -- poison for every activity.

Jacque is devastated by the info that his water is so contaminated. With 2 daughters (ages 2 and 6) and 3-4 thousand people using the same supply, staff here have seen the illnesses and deaths. Of particular concern is the high nitrate level, extremely dangerous for children. Jacque tells us most have constant diarrhea, skin infections etc . Many die of undiagnosed illnesses.

The Sante Publik (Dept. of Health) tested the water and said it was okay for everything, although best not to drink if possible. How do the poor purchase potable water when they haven't enough money even for food?

As a result of the water testing last week, we are now providing gallon jugs of potable water for staff living in La Boul. Our staff and students living in that zone have an inordinately high number and frequency of abcesses. After the water testing, we now know why. Jhennie had an abcess the size of an orange under her right arm. We had been using homeopathics and antibiotic cream. It finally broke (pete) on the weekend and she is able to once again to move her arm freely.

Education is so important, and our staff members are becoming very knowledgeable about water borne illnesses, and they do a great job of passing on what they learn to our students. They now have a good understanding of WHY potable water is critical to the health of a country, and are passing that on.

This water testing process has been a great learning experience for me as well as staff. Our centre, and Jacque's katiye (zone) are microcosms of the macrocosm that is Haiti, as is Haiti for the poor of this planet. Purchase and installation could take a while but we are already reaping the benefits in education.

Vehicle Update
About the vehicle we are trying to purchase (thanks to a generous US donor who understands the need): I sent Jacques and Auguste to check on what's required. After spending a frustrating morning at DGE trying to get a kat d'identite, it seems I must go to Port-au-Prince for a permis de sejou and register the organization before I can even buy a USED vehicle.

Daniel (who works for the UN) told me that the government is phasing out those requirements, as I had heard also from other reliable sources, but no one, apparently, has told the DGE employees. The bos mechanisyen said the Isuzu needed work, which Daniel had told us. He also said he wouldn't guarantee it. So the search coninues.

I am working on a new list of things we need, and will post it as soon as possible. I have a tremendous amount of work (speaking engagements, moving to a smaller apartment, Starthrower administration, and purchasing supplies) to finish before I return the end of May.

Thanks to all those who donated money and goods to Starthrower. With your help, we CAN make a difference!

Sharon

Good Used Vehicles, Housing Needed in Haiti

Hello Everyone,

From time to time in the updates, I have mentioned that Starthrower needs to have its own vehicle in Haiti, but I have not gone into much detail. After the recent update about why we need our cats, and cat food, I thought that I should explain why we need a vehicle here in Haiti, and, even with the overwhelming need for food and medical supplies here, why a vehicle is a necessity, not a luxury.

So here, in what is likely more detail than you need, are the reasons why Starthrower needs to have at least one vehicle in Haiti (though given the wide geographic area we travel, two vehicles would be even better).

Why Starthrower needs a vehicle:

• Security - Staff has been robbed in the market waiting for taxis
• Safe travel for me (I have been robbed 3 times on public transit)
• Transport goods to and from shops, customs office, etc
• Transport goods, text books, foods, to and from Sen Rafayel (28 km / 17 miles; a 3-hour trip), pay tuition, visit those in crisis
  
• Transport students to and from home/doctor in Cap-Haitien and outlying hospitals
• Home visits to students in areas not accessible by taxi (taxi drivers refuse to enter some areas)
  
• Reliability and cost of taxis

Here are some typical trips in and around Cap-Haitien that we now make by taxi and or tap-tap:

• Weekly food purchases in bullk (100 lb. bags) for our twice weekly distribution program
• Transporting propane tanks for refill
• Purchasing house supplies/hygiene products in bulk for student distribution
• Transport students to Carfoumoustik for x-rays, sonograms (45 miles / 73 km), accompanied by staff
• Transport students to Sacre Coeur Hospital in Milot, for surgery (accompanied by staff)
• To Milot for pre/post op appointments
• To Hopital Justinien for emergencies
• Drs. Jerome and Bell for private consultations
• Dr. Junior for dental emergencies
• Labs for analysis
• Home visits to students in Cap-Haitien
• Purchase and deliver beds, mattresses, mosquito nets to students homes
  
• Transport centre repair/building supplies - - heavy things like planks, sacks of cement etc (same for repair to student residences)
• To various schools to pay school fees
• Security for trips to do banking
• Delivering ill students to their homes
• Delivering meds and potable water to those too ill to come to Starthrower's centre
• Purchase and transport 5 gallon containers of water currently used in our 6 month Potable Water Project

I have looked into what's involved in buying a new vehicle: New vehicles must be purchased in Port-au-Prince, and require a lot of government paperwork beforehand, and after-purchase trips for maintenance. The trip to Port-au-Prince means travelling over rough roads, and requiring an overnight stay, which is not only costly and time consuming, and would take the vehicle out of service for several days, but it is considered a dangerous trip by UN workers. If we buy a used vehicle, we can purchase it here in Cap-Haitien for a lower price. I cannot put a price on added security and fast access to medical care.

We draw our young people from a fairly wide geographic area, and need to take them to various medical clinics, schools, etc. in various locations. When we have to stand and wait for an hour for taxis and the cost of taxis, it takes up a lot of time that could be used better.

A used vehicle usually costs $10,000 -$15,000 USD, and even then, are in short supply, and there is much competition for them when they do come up for sale.

By outlining the reasons we need a vehicle of our own, I hope you all can better understand and appreciate our situation here. I am most acutely aware of the great many other things that we could buy for that amount of money. I arrived at this conclusion based on my 10 years experience in Haiti, and almost 5 years experience working with our staff, students and schools, and living among those Starthrower serves, in two very geographically challenging locations. It is only possible to know what is needed here after living and experiencing to the fullest the misery inflicted upon these young people.

While I am at it, I may as well mention the need for proper housing. Student housing is an ongoing critical issue. Two more of our girls were put out of their ti kays on the weekend. These orphans are at the mercy of whomever is paying the bills and have no security. We really need to find a way to offer them proper shelter. How can they concentrate on their studies when they suddenly have no place to live?

If we purchased the partially completed house in La Violette and put on a second story, we could easily house 14 young people very comfortably. Asking price is $25,000 USD (down from original $40,000 USD. To complete the second storey construction, it would cost about $25,000 USD.

Beni-w
Sharon

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Starthrower house cats in Haiti earn their keep

Hello, Everyone,

House cats in Haiti may seem an indulgent luxury, but I can assure you, they are not. House cats earn their keep by controlling mice and cockroaches.

And everyone and everything suffers here, including the animals. For example, just last night, I was wakened by the sounds from a dog that had been crying in hunger for 2 days. Its owners had finally let her off leash, and she began throwing herself against our portail about midnight.

I woke to this din at the door, and realized what was happening, so I took some dog food to the gate, and put it through the bottom opening. The poor thing literally inhaled the food! Dog food is plentiful in the stores, as dogs are used (and abused) for security purposes. Cats, on the other hand, are eaten by a starving population, so there's no need to feed them.

It is now 2:30 a.m., and I can't sleep nor can our cats -- Lucy and Charlie Brown - so they are guarding me as I compose this update. We are desperate for cat food here. No amount of money will help this as it is just not available for purchase in Cap-Haitien.

Again I am asking all visitors to please help by bringing some cat food:
The cats tolerate IAMS brand dry and tinned cat food. The cats are constantly vomiting from the human food we try to feed them.

The problem goes back to customs and the recent, ongoing difficulties in shipping goods to Haiti: In November, I sent 6 months worth of food to Haiti. This cat food is still sitting on the docks in Haiti, though likely by now, it's been eaten by rats or carried off by thieves.

If each person in each group planning to come to Haiti to see us would PLEASE bring a bag and a few tins in their luggage, we would have healthy animals again.

I really need to have these 'live mouse traps' at the house. If any group is willing to purchase cat food and bring it here, in bulk, I will gladly reimburse all receipts. I have put out similar requests with only one person out of 10 recent visitors responding.

Thank you to our recent visitors Melanie, Shera, Kathy and Joan for your help with painting, preparing food sacks and helping staff purchase and transport water, charcoal and paint supplies, as well as for making home visits. Your courage is large.

Some thoughts in closing from Paul Farmer in The Uses of Haiti:

. . . illiteracy, poverty and disease constitute human rights violations. More specifically these are violations of social and economic rights" ..."The violations are not caused by Haiti but by its powerful neighbours . . . (p 351)

. . . without social and economic rights, political rights have no soil to grow in. The brutality in Haiti's streets will not be tamed by legal reform or by extralegal political action but by confronting poverty and disease. (ibid 372)

To order a copy of this book, see this blog post.

Beni-w and Happy Easter, all!

Sharon

Haiti School News Sen Rafayel successes, post secondary sponsors needed

Hello Everyone,

This week, staff from Sen Rafayel hand-delivered 5 typed letters from our students there who are finishing Philo (high school) this year. That Sen Rafayel, a poor little village in the mountains, will have high school grads is unheard of!! We should be proud of our part to make this happen, and I thank you all for your support!

Each of these graduating students went to see Guilene (our blind student) and asked her to type on their behalf a request for assistance so that they may attend post secondary schools.

To Don and Cindy and everyone in Pennsylvania who secured the Brailler and typewriter for her, thanks! Guilene has become the village secretary! Bon dye va beni-w. (see website for pictures of Guilene)

The requests for financial assistance are from these students:

• Danius and Jhonley want to become master mechanics, and so will have to go to Port-au-Prince to study study Genie Mecanique.
• Brunie wants to become a nurse, so will have to leave Sen Rafayel, as the village has NO post secondary offerings.
• Casimir and Osman want to study agronomy, so they will need to move to either Limbe or Port-au-Prince to study La Science de l'agronomie.

As well, other students need help with post secondary education:

• Deles and Vincent, our first 2 university students, are completing their first year at the University in Limbe, and will need financial help to continue. Although we can spread our limited resources further for secondary support if we pool the funds, these post grad requests really require one-on-one sponsorship.
• Jhennie is still waiting for a sponsor to send her to study Tourism Administration.
• Frantzy needs a sponsor so he can study Medicine.

Sponsored students Elorge and Marlene will go the Dominican Republic to study intensive Spanish, and then Medicine. Both of their sponsors have approved their out-of-country study.

If we expand our mandate to see these young people through post secondary institutions, they will truly be in a position to affect change their country. The elite 1% still has a stranglehold on the country. That must change for Haiti to flourish.

For example, Marlene finally had breast surgery yesterday. We have been waiting for this surgery for almost a year. I received a phone call at 8 pm last night saying she had arrived home (by taxi; we had sent Daniel and Jackson to bring her from Milot back home to Cap-Haitien). The hospital in Milot was unable to keep her, as it is on short staff due to the Easter Holiday.

We recently purchased beds and mosquito nets for 3 of our young people -- Dieunet, Jean Ricot, Nandecie -- as each of them had suffered multiple bouts of Malaria this year. We do what we can one person at a time.

We will try to meet the demand, if possible, but housing, of course, is another, great challenge. Often in their ti kay-yo (rented rooms), there is insufficient space for a single bed. Dieumane moved into a new room this week, so she is next on the list for a bed. Auguste and I visited it last week with some of our Canadian visitors.

Her new room is just a cement box without windows, but at least it is out of the swamp she was in before this. Houses are available for purchase in Haiti, but (again) red tape and lack of funds make this virtually impossible.

These are the stats courtesy Paul Farmer, writing in his book The Uses of Haiti

There are 1.2 doctors, 1.3 nurses, 0.04 dentists for every 10,000 (Haitians), in the U.S., there are 27.9 doctors per 10,000 inhabitants; in Cuba, there are 58.2 doctors for every 10,000 inhabitants.

If you haven't yet read Paul Farmer, I highly recommend getting a copy of the Uses of Haiti. Another good book about Haiti and Paul Farmer is Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. If you buy more than one (get one for a friend) you may get special shipping rates in the U.S.

Sharon