Up and down the mountain

It seems climate change has arrived in Haiti. With the exception of one night, every night of the 3 weeks I have been home has been an adventure in weather - rain, wind, thunder, lightning. Both pictures were taken after about 30 min. of rain which continued until morning. I have no idea what happened to the rainy season. It didn't show up when it was supposed to and this is not it.

Our drive way in Cap-Haitien

Our corner in Sen Rafayel

Daytime temperatures well above 100, yesterday real feel 122 (50 celcius) combined with the wet nights make for a bad mixture of mosquitos ( marengwen in Kreyol ) and malaria. Frequent electricity outages in Cap-Haitien make a bad situation worse. In the village, we are still not on the receiving end of hydro.

When we arrived in Sen Rafayel this week, student part-time staffer St. Luc arrived for work about the same time, presenting symptoms which turned out to be Malaria. We began treatment and kept him. Sending him home was not an option as the rain had begun and was too heavy. On the way down the mountain we played ' find the hot telephone service  spot' with Cap coordinator Lusnot, He was calling to tell us Paudeline had just returned from the clinic with a Malaria/Anemia/UTI diagnosis.

Fortunately we passed a very small but well stocked pharmacy (famasi) just past the airport so were able to pick up Chloroquine/Vitamin C / Fertone and Multi vitamins. We still have an adequate supply of Allimax on hand so were able to begin treatment for everything immediately. Our protein powder supply is finished but it made a great difference for a while.

Paudeline down with Malaria but still reading.

No time is a good time for a malaria outbreak but we are in exam mode so this is particularly bad timing. Grades 7,8, 3 eme and 2nd began writing the 10th of June. State Nationals for 9eme will be written the last week of June, followed by State Nationals for Retho week of July 1st, Philo week of July 8th. Sen Rafayel center is open 7 days a week,  in Cap we have reopened Sundays for those who need some extra tutoring.

For our nursing students at University Roi Henri Christophe, exams run 15-26 of July. Nursing students in Leogane are writing and putting finishing touches on 'Memoires". University students in the Dominican Republic will begin August 1st.

Once results are in for State Nationals, those just on the pass/fail line will have a chance to rewrite in September (ajoune)



The Breakfast Club in Sen Rafayel-they line up before we open.
It is often the only food of the day.
Easier to study/write exams with food in your stomach.

In Cap - Stephan -Francais

Rosema and Viola - Chemistry (Chimie)

                                         In Sen Rafayel -   Eguens and Sterlin - discussion

In addition to study mode, May is our admission month. During May we accept letters from students who have been unable to attend school for at least the current school. Of the 500 letters we received during the allotted time ,  nearly 300 had legitimately been out of school. (There are always dozens delivered after the deadline but we do not accept them. Our resources are already limited and because of limited finances, we'll only be able to take in about 10% of the applicants.) The other 200 applicants  had lost or were in danger of losing their support and did not want to sit out. It takes every staff member many hours to read through the letters, highlighting the appropriate information which will lead to an interview or rejection. Someday we'll have the resources to say yes to everyone

Lusnot gives letters first reading in Cap.

Kesner helps sort letters in Sen Rafayel. Yes, the purple
briefcase is full of letters.

Of the potential admissions which could result from the letters, 45 have both parents dead,  134 one parent dead and one other support system ie an older brother who helped had died of cholera, an uncle who had paid for school had been killed in the earthquake...., 37 had both parents living. Of that number, not one had a parent in good health or able to work. There were 10 asking for transfers between Cap and Sen Rafayel, another 10 we considered URGENT and another 15 who had written before whose circumstances had become more pressing.

Urgent situations are dealt with as quickly as possible. If a student is trapped in a 'restavec' situation, or being coerced to provide sexual favors for school fees, or their letter is filled with despair, we interview them first. Over the past 10 days we have admitted Odette, Emania, Ralph and Nathacha. Emania lost her parents in the earthquake, made her way to an aunt in Sen Rafayel who would not take her in. Another family gave her a job sweeping and cleaning in return for a piece of bread and allowed her to sleep outside their house. We have found an older sister and will deliver her to the sister in July once she has all her papers to-gether. She'll start school in Cap-Haitien.

When we admit a student , once they sign a contract they may use our centers in both Cap-Haitien and Sen Rafayel daily as long as they follow the rules. Giving them a place to go while waiting to start school gives them a community.



Ralph - Admi

Odette - Admi

Emania - Admi

Nathacha - Admi

Up and down the mountain we continue to find our share of challenges - sometimes it takes persistence, sometimes it takes a spare part, sometimes it takes knowing that turning around to-day will allow us to try again to-morrow.

Arriving in Sen Rafayel - so near and yet so far.



The trench dug by angry residents was a sign to turn around and try again.
Next day was no problem although the anger still simmers.

Some times a helping hand (or three) is all that's needed.

Occasionally it's sit for several hours until to-gether we find a solution.
There are no tow trucks and the police drove by and didn't stop.

That nightly thunderstorm I mentioned earlier decided to arrive in the afternoon to-day. I've sent the staff and kids home as the wind is making airborn missiles out of usually earthbound objects. Again there is no electricity so this laptop battery and Natcom 3g WIFI stick have performed admirably.

Have a great week

Sharon

Make the World Awesome

After 3 weeks in Canada, I returned to Cap-Haitien yesterday - returned to no electricity,  temperatures well over 100,  a symphony created by horns, roosters, dogs, cats, gun fire, children screaming (at play?) , house choirs singing, angry voices in 'discussion'... Symphony or cacophony? It's in the ear of the beholder.

I also returned to a household tetanba (upside down). On March 19, our beautiful dog Joli (who had been 'fixed' by the local vet) presented us with 5 adorable puppies. Surprise! Veterinary science with a twist.

Joli and family - 5 days old
Sablo, Ti Jo, Tchale,  Senkyeme (nursing)and Ti Ke'm (in front)

My return was heralded by dogs everywhere - now  2 months old. How they had grown. Obviously I smelled the same as they had definitely not forgotten me.

Tchale, Ti Jo, Senkyeme and Sablo with mom in the corner.
First born Ti Ke was off by himself - probably reading a book.
Typical first born behaviour.

What does this have to do with making the world awesome, you ask? Aside from the factthat these are my first (and last) puppies and they are pretty awesome, everytime I return to Canada I meet wonderful people - sponsors, volunteers, students...

Last week I was invited to Laurelwoods Elementary School. Resource teacher Monica McDonald, whom I had met last fall at Acheson's Fundraiser, had shared with the Grade 6 class the story of Starthower and what we are doing in Haiti.

Laurelwoods ES - home of some pretty amazing people.

With the support of classroom teacher Ms. Michaels and French teacher Mme, a fundraising activity was planned and put into action. Everyone took part. They made beaded earrings and sold them for $6 a pair. Every pair was unique. They designed packaging for transporting .

The work corner where genius designs came to fruition using wire and beads.

Display and sales where business was brisk.

At the end of the visit I was presented with the proceeds of the first 3 days of sales - $1000.
 That 's a lot of earrings!!!!!

The savvy young man looking at the camera is Remington, who added the challenge
 "MAKE THE WORLD AWESOME' to the packaging design. 
I am modelling a pair of their earrings.

They had already decided as a group how the funds would be spent. They are going to kick start our "Borrow a Bike" program which we will be implementing in Sen Rafayel for the new school year. I'll let you know how we make out.

One final group shot and the visit comes to an end.

Later that day back at my apartment, 4 librarians from Mill St. library volunteered to come to work after work. They trooped in with enthusiasm to help package the more than 100,000 Aqua Tabs which we received from OVERT (Ontario Volunteer Emergency Response Team) by way of Sylvia, a nurse from Bowmanville , who seems inexhaustible in her volunteer activities.

Shoeless Jane, Leslie, Kathy and Deb - they packaged over 50,000 Aqua tabs in just a few hours. Many hands.....

To everyone who was so supportive during my recent trip, mil mesi. Thanks are insufficient but I don't have a job so I can't pay you.

A big thank you to Dr. Ann Voyame and the staff of Dufferin Veterinary Clinic for your support and meds donations. Thanks to Kim of Euphoria for feeding me every day. Thanks to Janet Nieuwehuis, bookkeeper extraordinaire for doing my tax return.

Thanks to Yvonne, Cindy, Ingrid, Daniel, Nico, Diane, BettyLou, Benjamin, Marilyn and on it goes. If I have left you out it was inadvertent. The universe knows.

It is said that it takes a village to raise a child. That is probably true in some situations. Sometimes it takes a child to raise us up - show that EVERYONE can make a difference, regardless of age, social status, income.....

So I leave you with the wisdom of Remington and the Grade 6 class of Laurelwoods ES

MAKE THE WORLD AWESOME!!!

Til the next time

Sharon

Sunday in Sen Rafayel - a pictorial blog

 Ayiti cherie -dear Haiti - is a study in contrasts. Cap-Haitien, a fast paced (bordering on frenetic) city of too many people and  too little anything including land. Sen Rafayel, a mountain village of land for everyone but only if you can afford it. And in both, the contrast between the haves and the have-nots constantly assaults the eye, if one is aware.

Early Sunday morning - Sen Rafayel. Each morning the staff member who works night security, in this case,  Kesner and student John-Steevenson head out with our dogs Granjil and Tigger. Each dog has a story to tell if only they could talk-if only they could write!! The sun was just coming up over the mountains and folks were making their way to church. Students work 30 min each day walking the dogs with a staff member. The morning walk is especially beautiful - everything feels fresh and clean, possibilities for the day seem endless. By the afternoon walk (student Furmancia) at 4 pm, the heat of the day has wilted everything and everyone.

Granjil, John-Steevenson, Kesner, Tigger - doing the dog walking dance,
also known as the tangled leash waltz.

The first neighbor we passed was completely indifferent to our presence, just taking in the sun and munching.

The dogs were respectful but curious. The  pig was neither.

As we left the path and turned to follow the canal, a taximoto driver stopped to practice his English and asked me to take a picture. The cost of a ride to church was 10 gourdes. Not many in the village can afford to be chauffeured. There are no gas stations so gas for the drivers is sold along main street in dirty, recycled plastic gallon and half gallon jugs.

Always contrasts- a motorcycle complete with driver (Fred) who spoke English.

We met all ages going about the business of life in the village (bouk-la). This young lady was gathering water from the canal - she told me it was for drinking. I invited her to come to the center for AquaTabs to treat the water but she never did.

Gathering water from the canal. It is used for everything
including laundry, cooking, bathing (humans and animals)...

We talked to a choir director and  my eyes kept going to his blackened teeth. I sent a silent message to the universe for dentists and our dental student.

The choir director asked me to take his picture
as he was dressed for church.  He carries a keyboard, hymn books,
 treasures marking him as a person of status.

Sunday morning bath in the canal - a family affair.

This early riser displays bread secured  for his family 
from the house of 'matant'(my aunt) 

Walk over, day staff (students Angeline and Adelaine) had arrived and John-Steevenson changed his shoes and sat down to eat breakfast. We provide running shoes and socks for dog-walkers. Breakfast consisted of    Kasav (flat bread we purchase in Haut-du-Cap- made from manioc root - no wheat, no gluten), home made peanut butter (mamba), a sachet of potable water and a banana, which we had purchased in Dondon on the way up the mountain. Although bananas grow here, everything has its season, and right now bananas are difficult to find and very expensive. All students receive the same unless there is a peanut allergy and we eat what they eat. We alternate peanut butter with boiled eggs and cheese.

 Breakfast over we met with the engineer  (after tending dog bites on each of his ankles - another story) regarding pouring the roof for the second floor. Carpenters have been working on the frame and  boss feraye comes in next week to add the horizontal rebars. After the engineer,  2 intake interviews with new students Fresly and Jessido. By this time the center was full and Kesner had returned to take us to see the house he is building on the land he was able to purchase because he has a job.

   

His property is across from the new market (another story) in the middle of nowhere. The truck was secured, even though it would  have taken a pretty knowledgeable thief to steal it- the starter is gone and we have to use a screw driver under the hood to get going. The fun never ends.

Auguste locks the truck and checks. I'm not certain who would steal it
 - the chicken or the donkey?

Kesner proudly showed the walls, septic (fos pedi) he dug himself , chicken coop (already full) and the lean-to he constructed for temporary housing. His 11 month old niece was taking an afternoon nap on his bed while her mother and 2 siblings sat outside under a tree.

Security staff member Kesner is a builder and property owner.

His 11 month old niece takes a nap on his bed. She doesn't have one.

Visit over we stopped at a 'restaurant' for take-out - rice and beans with vegetables (diri ak sos pwa ak legim) the only item on the menu. The cook's son was kneeling beside the shack,cleaning the head of a goat recently slaughtered. Took my appetite away. As the vegetables need a lot of preparation, the cook only prepares legim once a day. If you arrive late, there is no food. Normally if I sat in the truck waiting, a small crowd would gather as I am a blan (stranger).However there was A DOG IN THE TRUCK - so the crowd grew very large and encircled the truck. Some asked questions, some taunted the dog and some had rocks to throw as that's how animals are treated by many. After several tense minutes and much talking, our food arrived and we headed back to Lakay Jasmine without further incident (except for the problem with the brakes).

Auguste eats Haitian style with a spoon. The dog is sitting on the steps
as the table is beside the staircase.(another story)

As we ate, I asked Auguste about the use of a spoon. He reminisced  about his childhood in the countryside commune of Montorganize. Growing up, his family only had 1 eating implement - a spoon. For everyone to eat at the same time, they hunted leaves which were strong and could be made into a scoop. This is still practiced  or fingers are used. 

Dinner over, I decided to forgo the afternoon dog walk and take a little solitary walk (ti vire) in the village (bouk la) We work in the community so it seems a good idea to be a visible part of it's life. Our drop-in center, Lakay Jasmine, is only about 3 minutes off the main thoroughfare. At our corner, a funeral home, the largest business in the area. Turn right and you head out down the mountain, passing through the bel antre.

At our corner, La Main Divine (The Divine Hand)
Funeral home

To the right, the grand entrance (bel antre) to Sen Rafayel

To the left, small homes and smaller businesses. Study on the roof top in the waning daylight. Electricity still has not made its way into Sen Rafayel, although there are posts and wires,

Small business - selling rice (diri) by the
cup. ( gode) Dressed for Winter - nightime
temps drop to 60.

Studying on the roof is common for those who have a roof.

Another small business- selling tomatoes.

Perhaps Haiti captures my heart because it is so real  and it challenges me to be real and to be totally present. Lately I've been reading author Deepak Chopra, this week The Ultimate Happiness Prescription" . Embedded everywhere  are nuggets of wisdom I want to mine and keep.  I have developed  a love/hate relationship with electronic readers. I can take a library with me to Sen Rafayel but I can't underline what I want to remember. This I want to remember:

 "The true self lies beyond images. It can be found at a level of existence that is independent of the good and bad opinions of others. It is fearless. It has infinite worth."

On January 24, Starthrower lost a treasured friend and staunch supporter. The world lost a tireless worker for improving the lives of those living in absolute poverty. Her family lost a wife, mother and grandmother.

Diane Plett was co-founder of the Jasmine Foundation, along with husband Benjamin. She was too young and too vital to be gone. She knew her true self and that's what you got when you met her. She was fearless and had infinite worth.

Diane's spirit is alive and well at Lakay Jasmine, part of her legacy in Haiti. She is remembered  and celebrated -   a true fanm vayan (valiant woman).

Beni-w

Sharon

Catching up

The wild dogs were restless last night - alternating, seemingly non stop barking, whining, sharp yaps, crying out. Sleep is as elusive as hydro, the dog chorus hardly a lullaby. Since last blog there has been very little electricity delivered  which in turn means very little opportunity to communicate as internet access eludes capture for more than a few minutes. Emails have gone astray, and telephone lines are also experiencing extended disruptions in service. Because of these disruptions, our first January visitors arrived on a Tuesday, their luggage on Thursday. Emails detailing what to bring and how to pack were never received. In one fashion or another we managed.

Visitors Robin and Alice count gourdes for second trimest school payments.
No change of clothes!!

In short, our ability to communicate  has been severely compromised - not a new problem but seemingly growing in complexity.  

A Christmas suitcase from Pennsylvania - center coordinator
Lusnot has help unpacking and itemizing.

A day's salary and a good deed - cleaning up the neighborhood.
Garbage (fatra-a) is a countrywide problem, with much of it clogging rivers and beaches.

Since last blog, I have taken more than 500 pictures- so many stories.So here in brief, is catch up. Auguste worked in Sen Rafayel for the Christmas holidays in order to give full time staffers a break. Edeline, Solange and Kesner were all very appreciative of the time off, and the student staffers who picked up extra hours were also happy. On Christmas day, the center was so overcrowded  that he hired those who were interested  to clean up the path from our center to the canal, providing work gloves, masks and running shoes and socks. A day's pay, a good deed and Christmas spirit. Then the major problem of large garbage bags filled with unburnable styrofoam and plastic, old shoes and tires. 

The Cap center was closed for the day as I needed a day to paint and move furniture.The rest of the holidays were filled. Post-secondary students were home for visits, in need of funds, dental surgery, computers and instructions.

Rose-Guerlande - home from university in Santiago
(mandatory General  year)
In need of sponsorship for 5 year Dentistry program which hopefully she will begin in September.

1st year nursing students Sherlyne and Edwina - in for
computer tutoring

Elorge - 4th year medicine (Santiago)

Gaby - 4th year nursing - dental surgery before 
returning

Secondary school classes resumed on Jan.14, giving everyone except us a very long holiday. The Haitian  President declared that the 3rd anniversary of the Jan.12, 2010 earthquake would be incorporated into the Holiday break. University students did not have that luxury.

Ednie - no place to go. Reading by solar light on our gallery.
Libraries and lamps!!  Making the best of a bad situation.

On Jan. 7th., Ednie showed up at our Cap-Haitien center 10 minutes after closing. Fortunately, we seldom close on the dot.

She had been visiting her handicapped father in Ouanaminthe (mother is dead) and did not know school opening had been delayed. She returned to find that the friends who had given her a place to sleep had locked her out, saying they no longer had room. As we had just painted the security quarters, she had a clean, safe place for the night. No electricity but that was a minor inconvenience.There was still propane for cooking. After a good breakfast, we took her over to the 2 room tikay we rent for Inea and her sister. Inea no longer has sponsors, so we were looking at moving her to a less expensive tikay. As there was room for another bed, we moved Ednie in and will keep the location. This is to get her through the school year. After that ?? 

In addition to Ednie's unanticipated housing need, home visits continue. These were among the 20 visits in Sen Rafayel during the break and on weekends.

Gissenie shows us the shower area - no toilet,
no kitchen, no running water, no bed.

Auguste and Jacques-Jumel check out the community well
and talk Aqua Tabs.

Jose is experiencing severe speech disruptions, headaches,etc...
The local hospital has been unable to diagnose.

Vaudeline's mom has suffered a stroke and depends on her daughter
for everything.

Thanks to new sponsors Kathy (Rose Magda-Alina)  Marilyn (Angelene)  and Cindy (Carline M.), general funds were freed to take on new students. Fresly and Jessido were already in school. Fresly's uncle had paid first trimest for him, but died of Cholera the week before Christmas. This information came to us from his mother  on  a home visit to  sister Louisemine. Their dad was one of the first casualties in Sen Rafayel when Cholera broke out. Now Mme has also lost her brother to the same. Sylvanie will begin in September.

As school was late resuming, we are just now receiving results from first trimest exams. This means our tutoring program will move into high gear. In Cap-Haitian, we are opening Sundays beginning this week. Lusnot will work as he is Adventist and needs Saturday off. He will take another day during the week as well. In Sen Rafayel, we have to replace our grad. tutor Nicoly as he continues in first year seminary in Port-au-Prince.

Auguste and Lusnot are in Sen Rafayel for a few days to interview potential tutors while I hold down the fort in Cap-Haitien. 

At the moment - electricity and internet although it has gone out 3 times since I began. There were other attempts over the last 2 days, but Blogger would not load for me. The universe was telling me I wasn't ready.

This is a bird's eye view of what we have been up to. It doesn't begin to give the full picture but some information is better than none -- I think.

What grabs your attention when you read a blog - statistics? stories? visuals? brevity?  I know what I need to read on -what do you need? If you get a moment, let me know.

Kembe pa lage

Sharon