We have a problem and we need your help.
For
the 18 years I've worked in Haiti school has begun in October. We pay
registration fees in August, have uniforms for new admissions made in
September and pay scolarite and first trimmest fees first day of school.
This year everything changed. Sept. 1 the ministry of education
informed everyone school would begin Sept. 7. Not much notice. The
ministry also informed us that they were changing all uniforms in state schools. Other schools followed suit and changed uniforms.
So we have 110 kids with last year's uniforms which they can't wear.
The other 50 can get by with last year's uniform but need shoes and
underwear. This means the 110 can't go to school although registration
and first term fees have been paid.
Cost of uniform, underwear and good shoes for 1 student $75. US( $100 CAN), cost of good shoes and underwear $30. US.($40 CAN)
If you can help us with a one time donation or pass this on to someone
who can, I know 160 young people who will be very grateful.
Mil mesi
Sharon
Please click the link below to make a donation
Canadian Charity Working to Promote Social Justice & Education
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Thursday, June 25, 2015
New home, new faces
Not being a writer, I don't have the discipline to get up and write x number of hours a day. I prefer procrastination. Even Facebook, which is forgiving with regard to length and content, is onerous. And there is so much content - there are not enough hours in the day to take in all the words of wisdom and follow all the links. Occasionally however a post will jump out, hold up a stop sign, flash a red light and demand that I spend some time in mindful contemplation. So it was this morning with Monica's repost from True Activist, as seen below. Having worked in Haiti for the last 17 years, I am not only familiar with but a strong supporter of the work and writings of Dr. Paul Farmer. Monica came to stay with us a few years ago and still has a heart for Haiti.
While
this post is for everyone, it will have special meaning for those who
have visited us over the years. Ashley, Shannon, Adrienne, Tanya, David,
Kathleen, Mark, Pat, Amy, Laura, Alex, Marisa and on and on came before we had a
home in Sen Rafayel and traveled up and down Granjil Mountain in an
unsafe, dirty, overloaded bus, bearing the travel with patience, while
fending off the chickens and goats that longed to be outside and free.
Daniel came to visit while we were in a rented mud hut. Nico, Robin,
Alice, Yvonne, Marjorie, Marilyn, Kathy and Monica.... lived through
various stages of building Lakay Jasmine and had the pleasure of riding
in our first vehicle, a decrepit Mitsubishi truck with the heart of a
lion. Everyone stayed in our rental home in Cap-Haitien, sharing space
with staff and students who invade the place daily. Thanks to our most
recent visitor Kim who toured the pink house (kay woz) and gave it 2
thumbs up before we began the negotiating process.
Thanks to Jasmine Foundation the Mitsubishi is now enjoying retirement at the home of mechanic Max in Sen Rafayel, replaced by a spiffy Nissan pickup. And after 17 years, Starthrower has a home of it's own as of Tuesday. We have been looking for 3 years for land or house that would meet our growing needs. Before I left Haiti we met with the notary and owner of the property we had chosen. After making a healthy deposit to the owner, and many weeks of legal surprises both good and bad, Auguste closed the deal Tuesday and had the keys in his hand by late afternoon.
Thanks to Jasmine Foundation the Mitsubishi is now enjoying retirement at the home of mechanic Max in Sen Rafayel, replaced by a spiffy Nissan pickup. And after 17 years, Starthrower has a home of it's own as of Tuesday. We have been looking for 3 years for land or house that would meet our growing needs. Before I left Haiti we met with the notary and owner of the property we had chosen. After making a healthy deposit to the owner, and many weeks of legal surprises both good and bad, Auguste closed the deal Tuesday and had the keys in his hand by late afternoon.
I
wanted to give you a mini tour but Blogger is not cooperating today.
That's another story. Welcome to Lakay Jasmine Okap ( or Lakay
Fondasyon as she is our flagship). Yes it
is pink - woz in Kreyol. There has been a great deal of discussion among
friends, family, staff as to the colour. Keep it and freshen up or
change? Without doubt it will be changed. But everything will happen in
its own time. We will move from our rental which has given us a roof and
security for 11 years to a new chapter.
Resettlement
will take place in July - Auguste is already changing locks and meeting
with kontremets to level the lot and pave 3/4 of it with interlocking
blocks. The other quarter will be garden. Two floors means the complete
first floor for programs, staff and drop in center and the second floor
for visitors, me and the dogs. As we have been in a furnished rental, it
needs the basics - tables, chairs, appliances, beds, dressers...
This
trip was very brief because of the work waiting. In Sen Rafayel, a
small notice inside the center indicating that we would accept letters
of request for admission for those who had been unable to attend school
for at least a year resulted in 203 letters arriving in the first 3
weeks of May. We moved the cutoff date up due to the volume of letters
and the knowledge that we just don't have the funds. Did I mention that I
really dislike waiting lists? In Cap-Haitien we did not post the
information because of the upcoming move and still word spread down the
mountain. We received hundreds of requests and accepted 99 from those
who qualified . We stopped counting at both locations after receiving
more than 500 requests from those in school this year.
Meet a few of those waiting for admission:
 |
| Kervensly |
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| Emave |
 |
| Yvrose |
 |
| Nerlie |
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| Jacqueline |
 |
| Benchilove |
 |
| Aniel |
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| Daiska |
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| Gasline |
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| Evenel |
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| Martin |
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| Walky |
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| Miliode |
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| Marieline |
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| Doudeline |
 | ||||||||||
| Laurence
If
any of these faces speak to you, please contact me through our website
for more information. If you would like to sponsor a student, or would
like to form a group to sponsor a student and none of these speak to
you, I have another 281 requests from this year.
There are also approximately 125 left from last year. I used to say
Welcome to my world -- making major decisions which will affect these
young people for the rest of their lives is monumental -- who gets a
chance and who doesn't. I have revised that - now it's Welcome
to my work - work that stays with me wherever and whenever I am. I consciously made the change because it's our world - yours, mine and theirs. Paul Farmer
said it succinctly
"The idea that some lives matter
less is the root of all that is wrong
with this world."
So
lets think and work ecologically to pull up those roots - one at a time
if necessary. Demonstrate by our actions that every life matters. We
can do that by saying yes to everyone who qualifies for support and by
continuing to grow. All we need is money.
Thanks
to returning sponsor Kathy for taking on Youseline, new sponsors
Ingrid for sponsoring Eveline, Frank and Daniela for picking up
Macline and Nikki for sponsoring Marckenson.
Thanks
to Cindy Storey for her Shake your Soul fundraiser - a joyful night of
movement and dance and I suspect the start of something bigger. Thanks
to Kim Webb, owner of Euphoria for her 'Dirt Cookie' fundraiser which is
sponsoring Jackenson for the final 2 years of high school.
|
Sponsors
come in all ages and sizes, employed, retired, self employed,
student.... Fundraising comes from ideas - an idea as creative as a
night of Shake your Soul or a gourmet cookie called a 'Dirt Cookie',
evoking the reality for many Haitiens of eating mud baked in the sun to
ward off hunger. Any idea that raises awareness and educates is a good
idea. If it also raises funds, it a bonus.
No life matter less than another. Everyone counts. Everyone deserves 'possibilite'.
Planning
a trip? Think a new destination - Ayiti Cherie. Looking for a cause
that is just and will change the world? Take on a Starthrower student.
Namaste
Sharon
Monday, May 18, 2015
Letters 2015
I will remember this week as a
turning point - so many changes have begun. It will take a while to implement them, perhaps years to see them bloom, but just as everything
was new and unknown on my first trip to Haiti in 1998, and again when I
made the decision to rent a house and set down roots in Cap-Haitien in
2004, now more changes and a new set of challenges. But without
challenges, we don't know what can be accomplished.
Wednesday
Auguste and I met with the Notary in Sen Rafayel and the owners of the
properties adjacent to our drop in center which we were purchasing. The
purchases had been negotiated by our Bus. Admin grad, Danius and funded
by Jasmine Foundation. Danius acted as our 'temwen' (witness) and helped
verify the funds as both were cash transactions in Haitian gourdes.
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| First property purchase, Danius, yours truly, owner, notary The 2nd floor of our center was an ideal meeting place. |
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| Notaire, our neighbor the second seller, Auguste Everyone signed the big book - a solemn occasion. While we were meeting upstairs, staff members downstairs were busy feeding kids, facilitating study groups and meeting with young people who were dropping by in a steady stream to deliver request for admission letters - those had been sitting out at least this school year, many longer. We accept letters from May 4 - 29. Between the 2 centers we have received about 200 letters with 2 weeks to go. There are also hundreds looking for entry who made it through the school year, but do not have the means to continue. Those letters we accept in July after year end results are posted, if is seems there will be funds available.
Reading the
letters is a labor of love - as the students have taken the time to
write and in many cases pour out their fears, hopes and dreams, we owe
them an attentive read. First read through is for the story of their
lives. Second read through we look for and highlight the information we
need to move onto the next stage, the interview. Students who receive an
interview (and we try to fit in everyone who writes) must bring their
papers to the meeting - birth certificate, last report card or receipt
from the Ministry of Education with necessary information.
Each year we
have limited funds, so a limited number of places. After admitting those
we consider in crisis, we generate a waiting list. It has been
consistently approximately 300 students each year for whom there are
insufficient funds. I carry those kids on the waiting list with me -
their names, their stories. Each one is memorable - asking for the gift
of education when it should be a right. Then the next year arrives and
a new group. Sometimes they write again, risking being turned down
again but with enough courage to try. Often I will be told that someone
on our waiting list has died. We try to begin with those that seem in
situations that are life threatening, but everyone of these young people
is in jeopardy so it presents a challenge. We are getting better at non
verbal cues during interviews.
|
Thursday, April 30, 2015
April
"April come she will... when
streams are ripe and swelled with rain..." so wrote musical genius Paul
Simon a century ago. (It feels like a hundred years some times)
Wouldn't
it be a treat if April showers really brought May flowers? But after a
week of heavy rain which clogged our gutter, it brought the gift which
keeps on giving --- mosquitos. It also gave way to summer temperatures
around the 30 plus degree mark . July in April... too soon.
 |
| April showers show off the newly whitewashed security wall (miray), a surprise by staff for our visitor. |
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| Our gutter was clogged ... a haven for mosquitos.
Lakay Jasmine in
Sen Rafayel welcomed new staff member Elanie, a former student who will
return to school in the fall to complete Philo. She fit in like an old
pair of shoes - comfortable and familiar.
|
 |
| Welcome Elanie, newest staff member. Here she prepares kasav, a flatbread. We have it made in Cap-Haitien and truck it up weekly. |
Our clinic, run
by Nurse Gaby is open on Thursdays but Gaby is on site the rest of the
week working with our senior students getting them ready to write State
National exams in July. In addition to diagnosis and treatment, much of
Gaby's job is education. The kids are comfortable with him and trust
him. I'll be looking for Malaria testing equipment in June. We don't
need a full lab but that will help.
 |
| Gaby checks Furmancia's blood pressure. Tansyon is a problem for many ages. |
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| If there is a medical emergency, Gaby is on site 5 days a week. Here some Gr 9 students prep for exams. |
At Lakay Fondasyon in Cap-Haitien,
similar activities. We are on the look out for another staff member as
the staff are stretched very thin, especially when I am out of the
country.
 |
| Coordinator Lusnot goes over a report card with Stephen, setting up weekend study sessions. |
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| Dieugrand works with high school students Celine and Melane on a homework assignment. Computers are becominga must at all grade levels. |
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| Lusnot works with 2nd year nursing student Myriame. |
The
clinic in Sen Rafayel is proving to be an asset. With no nurse in
Cap-Haitien, we deal with emergencies as best we can and staff are
becoming adept at first aid. Fatia and 4 year old sister Maniella were
injured when an allegedly drunken driver slammed his gravel truck into a
taptap. We sent them to Milot hospital next day. All soft tissue
damage. We had applied ice and Arnica cream and tablets. They are still
stiff but getting there.
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| Ice and Arnica for accident victim Fatia.
Wednesday Inea
came in for a dental referral - a filling had fallen out and she was in
pain. We sent her to Dr. T. who works at Justinien as well as private
practice. Instead of just replacing the filling, she noticed a cyst on
the roof of Inea's mouth and proceeded to cut it out. Inea had no one
with her and somehow made it to our door before collapsing. We kept her
here for 2 nights. Her face was still very swollen . Joceline stayed
over and to-gether we provided the care she needed. Yesterday Auguste
and I delivered her to the tikay she lives in by herself. The next week
she ended up in the hospital in Milot on IV. Thank goodness Gaby was
available for a home visit. We agreed it was yet another reason multiple
student housing is important. It would have provided her with the
support she needed yet able to stay in her own bed. Fritzman has told us
he found a house for rent with 4 bedrooms near the Semi-Lycee which 14
of our students attend. We checked it out and hope that we can bring in
some of our students who have a 5 mile trek to and from school each day
as well as 2 of our boys who have recently lost their housing.
Inea would
benefit as well as her place floods when it rains. When she is well
enough, we will take her to see it. If she is ok with the move, we'll
rent , clean and paint and move them in.
|
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| Joceline and Senkyeme look after Inea post dental surgery. |
We are still a community of readers -- our new admissions read with as much thirst as do our seniors.
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| Fritzman - new glasses, headaches gone |
 |
Travel
up and down the mountain takes longer and longer for many reasons. At
Easter we were held up by a band of RARA musicians looking for money.
It's not quite as aggressive as Kanaval but still demands one hand over
money.
 A RARA band stops traffic on the mountain and demands money. It only happens at Easter.
This
week it was another protest on the bridge. In a previous blog, I wrote
about the houses and businesses that were torn down along Airport Rd.
in order that the 'tourists' could see the water when they drive in from
the airport. This 'manifestation' was those displaced. Many came with
their bedmats strapped to their backs and laid down on the bridge.
  All one can do is wait it out. Police presence means a lot as far as resolution of the protest. It doesn't provide solutions for those displaced but usually brings about an end to the activity. 
One of these dogs had been severely cut by a machete, the other was blind.
We provided food and an antibacterial vet. spray to clean the wound.
Natalie's big brother touched my sandals and said he liked them, he didn't have shoes.
We bought 10 pair in the market in Sen Rafayel but none fit Natalie or sister Esmonia.
So I traced feet.
Auguste helps passengers sit safely. They asked for a 'wou lib' (free ride)to Dondon.
Unfortunately inside was full.
Auguste - first informal interview with potential admission to our program.
Now that we are posting on Facebook several time a week, I had intended to try to write a monthly blog - several entries each week. You know about good intentions. It is now April 30, 1:17 pm. We have had electricity for an hour. I'm writing as fast as I can. A month goes by in the blink of an eye. The shoes we purchase in the Cap market were a good fit. Dieugrand delivered them the next trip. 
Dieugrand fitting Princess Natalie's first shoes.
Camiose (2nd yr Nursing) diagnosed with Typhoid.
We still deal with nasty illnesses. 
Our 6 month old Shoset injured or was bitten on her
paw and still limps after more than 2 weeks.
This little one is still alive and getting stronger time we see him.
It is now 2:17 and the electricity has
been gone for about 20 minutes. This battery isn't holding a good
charge any more. Which brings me to the end of the month.
When I began to write, we had enjoyed (?) rain and temps had soared to the 30's. A month later, not a drop of precip and temps in the 40's every day. Summer in April. Heat exhaustion, dehydration, sunstroke are all making appearances along with the usual list of characters - Malaria, Typhoic, HPylori, Cholera, EColi .... We've started making frozen water bottles to distribute and are giving out baseball caps and sunglasses to help. Fritzman, Fatia and Camiose display their caps and glasses.   
I'm telling myself it can't get any hotter - but
experience tells me I know it can.Talk to you in May when I will have
some REALLY BIG NEWS!
Until the next Be well, be safe, be happy Sharon |
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