HAITI :: Saying No

Port-au-Prince street vendor

From the moment you step out of the Touissant L’overture airport, poverty slaps you across the face. You smell it in the trash along the street and on the sweat-drenched bodies; you taste it in the dry dusty air; you see it on the cinder block walls and tin shacks; you know it when you see the look of anguish on people’s faces. 

When a thin child with thread-bare clothing and holed-shoes walks up to you, rubbing his stomach and saying “hungry” (possibly his only English word), how do you say no?

That’s what happened when we went to St. Christof. It is a sacred place, where 1,000s of bodies were buried in mass graves following the earthquake in 2010. The morgues were overflowing and the decay so great in Port-au-Prince that bodies were disposed in the only way possible. Soon after the area was covered in small black crosses remembering those who lost their lives. 

St. Christof after the earthquake (2011)

St. Christof today (2014)

Our team always makes a point of stopping at St. Christof with both seasoned and new team members. It’s a time for remberence and reflection. This trip was no different…but for the child.

THIS child, walking up to the team, saying “hungry” was too much. Our hearts too weary from the week and everything we had witnessed. The goodbyes from St. Vincent’s were still fresh on our tongues. 

We all *know* about the poverty in Haiti. We’ve read the statistics. We’ve seen the pictures on TV. We’ve even watched the masses pass us by us first-hand when we drive to and from St. Vincent’s. But when a single child lumbers up to you with his hand rubbing his stomach, it’s enough to bring our team into a sobbing mess.

As we ushered everyone back into the van, the tears turned to anger. WHY can’t we give him a dollar? Just a dollar? Or a lollipop? I’m so MAD!

We are GLAD you are mad! It’s NOT right. It’s NOT just. But it is the reality in Haiti and our good intentions are often misguided. 

Long-term effects

Giving that single dollar or lollipop only perpetuates deeply rooted problems already present in Haiti:

• first and foremost it makes it dangerous for the child - our generosity would put him at great risk - if someone sees him with a gift from us, he will likely become a target and possibly a victim of violence - on previous trips, team members have witnessed scuffles among the Haitians as the team drove away, fighting over the tiniest of gifts
• it discourages independence - we don’t want to give the message “all good things come from white people” 
• it is undignified, casting us in the role of rich benefactors and the recipients in the role of charity cases
• it makes it that much harder for the next team - if there was one child this time, there will be 10 next time and 50 the next, each asking for more and more - the original intent of paying respect to the deceased at the memorial is lost in a frenzy of misguided giving

Perhaps the most wisdom came from the youngest member of our team, 13-year-old, Jaden: “The fact that we are already here [working in Haiti] acknowledges that we care. I don’t think we should stop here [at St. Christof] - it makes us sad and cry. We can’t help people if we are sad and crying.”

by Sonya Yencer

The plan for the St. Christof memorial

New Orleans – Day 2, Part 3

After hearing about what a special place St. Vincent’s was to the disabled population in and around Port-au-Prince, the room fell silent as Fr. Sadoni recounted his personal experience the day Haiti shook.

The day that changed everything...

On January 12, 2010, Fr. Sadoni was driving to meet with a parishioner. He felt the car begin to shake violently and they were suddenly being pulled off the road. The air was thick with clouds of dust, forcing Sadoni and his 2 passengers to stay with the car, waiting for the air to clear. When they could see again, they realized that the streets were impassible. So they moved the car to the sidewalk, and journeyed on foot to the parish and then on to St. Vincent’s.

People walked the streets in shock, searching for family members

The destruction was unimaginable. They passed “people sobbing, body parts in the streets”, people wandering around in shock, buildings flattened, rubble everywhere. When they reached St. Vincent’s, the two-story buildings that housed the dormitories, clinics and school had collapsed into the middle of the street. It was as if someone had given the building a nudge and tipped it over.

St. Vincent's buildings collapsed into the street

The students were terrified and confused. Thankfully, St. Vincent’s staff moved swiftly and were already evacuating the children from the damaged buildings when Sadoni arrived. (Author’s note: I can not imagine helping 350 healthy children during these circumstances, let alone blind, deaf and disabled children using crutches, canes and wheelchairs.)

Ten people from St. Vincent’s lost their life that day: 7 precious children and 3 dedicated employees. In the midst of their mourning, the group continued to focus on the living, helping to reunite families and caring for those whose permanent home was St. Vincent’s.

After 5 long days, the staff was able to locate one of the missing children, whom they presumed was dead. Instead, she had made her way to her family’s church. She was trapped in the debris there for 4 days before she was rescued and returned to St. Vincent’s.

With no shelter, the staff, children and Sadoni spent one week living on an open soccer field. They received no support from the locals who didn’t sustain damage from the quake. It was truly “every family for himself”.

The “growing smell of decay” forced the group to move out of Port-au-Prince in one of the only things they had left: their bus. They headed north to Montrouis where they lived in tents on church property for several weeks. The kids loved being out of Port-au-Prince but they were deathly afraid of the ocean with threats of a tsunami. Warner, a faithful employee of St. Vincent’s, played guitar every day, a blessing that helped to soothe the children.

Students with Fr. Sadoni and Fr. Squire in Montrouis

During their time in Montrouis, everything that was not destroyed in the earthquake was stolen from St. Vincent’s campus. Desperate people looted everything, including all documentation.

Upon the groups’ return to Port-au-Prince, Sadoni worked to find someone to clear the rubble from property. With help from Children Mission for the Blind, they were able to coordinate with the French Army to clear the area. Thankfully some of the doors, tables, furniture that was not destroyed or stolen was salvaged. But most everything was gone.

The French Army clearing the site

Today, the entire space has been cleared and is ready for rebuilding

And that’s where The Red Thread Promise steps in.

New Orleans - Day 2, Part 2

We’d like to paint a picture of St. Vincent’s for you, based on our conversations with Fr. Sadoni, Priest in Charge of Ephiphanie Church and St. Vincent’s Director for the past 3 years.

BEFORE JANUARY 12, 2010

Exterior of St. Vincent's

St. Vincent’s Center for Handicapped Children School and Medical Facility was, and still is, a unique place in the heart of Port-au-Prince. It was the first school in Haiti to care for disabled children and, over the past 65 years, has never lost its focus. Located just one block away from the Presidential palace, St. Vincent’s serves some of the most disadvantaged children in the city—blind, deaf and mute children as well as those with other physical disabilities—with ages ranging from 5 to 18. It is the only facility in Haiti to work with the blind.

The school began with just 70 children and has grown to serve 350, 150 of which are living in the dormitories. The center provides education and continuous health care to these exceptional young people, teaching them the skills necessary to take care of themselves beyond their time at St. Vincent’s and prepares them to become productive members of Haitian society.

Another equally important goal of the center is to change Haitian’s perception of people with disabilities. They envision a future where these exceptional children receive high quality care and access to mainstream opportunities in both school and work no matter where they are in Haiti.

Three different groups of children arrive at St. Vincent’s door on a daily basis:

• Day students come to school every day but return home in the evening.
• Boarding students stay year round but go home during vacation.
• Displaced and orphaned students live at the center year round. It is their home.

The school provides both elementary and secondary education. The basics of reading, writing, math, history and geography are taught. English is taught during the 3rd cycle. The classroom structure for the school is as follows:

• Kindergarten: 5 year olds
• 1st cycle: 6-9 year olds
• 2nd cycle: 9-12 year olds
• 3rd cycle: 12-15 year olds

One of the many classrooms

St. Vincent’s respects the different learning styles and capabilities of its varied student population. The center seeks out the highest level of teachers for the classrooms. They are also committed to developing partnerships with other organizations that work with disabled people in order to insure that the services delivered on site are of the highest caliber.

Some of the deaf students

The school deals with its deaf children differently than all other schools in Port-au-Prince. While everyone else teaches lip reading, St. Vincent’s teaches its students sign language. Unlike Braille, which is universal, sign language is not. It is generally taught in the spoken language of each country. Since the nuns who started St. Vincent’s were from Massachusetts, both American and French sign is taught.

Blind students learn to read and write in Braille and also work with music. The school had a music room where the students have lessons and study. Many excel in this field and aid in teaching the younger students.

St. Vincent’s housed multiple single-room clinics including orthopedic, auditory, optical, neurological and general where children could be seen for their various maladies as well as a surgical room, pharmacy and brace shop where orthopedic braces and prosthesis are made. Operated by local physicians and volunteers, these services were made available to both the students of the center as well as local residents.

The brace shop was another unique aspect of the center. Not only was it the first facility to fit and make prostheses and braces in Haiti, but it also has the distinction of being the only facility in Haiti that is entirely staffed by deaf employees. Full-time workers make and repair prosthetics, orthopedic bracing, crutches, and other apparatus needed to correct many deformities for residents and local people.

St. Vincent’s was (and still is) truly a gem, deep in the heart of Haiti.

35 Seconds

Many of the same buildings that we photographed in our March and May trips are seen in this video. It also shows footage from some of the storms that wracked Haiti in 2008.

Lastly, and most importantly, it expresses some of the country's plans to re-build a better Haiti for the sake of future generations. The Red Thread Promise plans to be a part of this effort.

Palais from Morgan Freeman on Vimeo.

National Day of Mourning in Haiti

Friday, February 12th was declared as a national day of mourning in Haiti by President Preval, marking one full month since the devastating earthquake that crumbled the government of Haiti to it's foundations. According to the last death toll we have seen, 250,000 people were killed in the earthquake. There are still many missing. We can only imagine how many are now homeless and jobless. We can only guess at the number of orphans now.

Many churches in Haiti took this call to mourning a huge step further. Churches asked the people of Haiti to pray and fast for the past three days, ending yesterday. Services began very early all over Haiti on the 12th; singing and praying filled the air. People cried out to God for this nation, repenting of their sins, asking Got to bring unity among the people, to provide for those in need, to heal the broken and to bring spiritual renewal to this land. Praises rang forth to the Creator who has been merciful and gracious; to the one who is the Provider, the Healer, the Protector.

Just as it's own people are praying, please take a moment to lift your voice to God on behalf of the people of Haiti. Please also pray for our team that will be flying to Haiti on March 6th to work with the people in every capacity possible.

Light in the Darkness

With all of the news of the devastation in Haiti, there is a bit of light in the darkness. A group of 14 seventh and eighth graders in a small Montessori school in Ohio decided to help.

After hearing the news on Tuesday, I asked for permission to do a presentation at my children's school on Wednesday afternoon to suggest a community service project for the children. As always, they welcomed me into the class during their community meeting at the end of the school day.

You see, I was already Haiti-bound prior to the earthquake. Plans had been made and tickets had been purchased for me to accompany Kathy on the next ESL trip Jan 30 - Feb 5. We were organizing a supply collection of items that are expensive to purchase in Haiti to take along for the orphanage. I was tasked with 2T and 3T toddler pull-ups as well as children's chewable vitamins. Following the news of the earthquake, it seemed like it was even more important that we gather as much as American Airlines will allow us to carry in our suitcases!

So, I met with the kids. We sat in the small ampi-theater and they listened to me tell about my involvement with The Red Thread. We discussed the earthquake, the Richter magnitude scale, the island of Hispanola, the unemployment and poverty of Haiti, Rivers of Hope orphanage and Mountain Top Ministries. They asked thoughtful questions such as:

• Why is the unemployment level so high?
• Are there not enough jobs?
• Do people not want the jobs?
• How can people live on so little?
• How many people are hurt?
• Do you know how many died?

Then we talked about ways they could help. I told them about the pull-ups and the vitamins. But they wanted to know what else was on the list since it wasn't enough just to collect those items. Then one of them suggested doing a pizza fundraiser for the entire elementary school and everyone readily agreed. They even decided to write an article for the school newspaper and made fliers for the fundraiser (which were in the parent mailboxes today!).

As students were picked up by their parents, they told them excitedly about the items they "have to go buy". For them, helping wasn't something to think about doing—it was what they were going to do and they had already begun! When I left the classroom, my heart was ready to burst. These kids were on fire and so willing to help people that they will probably never meet.

We can learn something from these children. Even at 11, 12, 13 and 14 years old, we can join these young adults and be compassion in action. I can't wait to see what these kids accomplish. Regardless of the amount of money or supplies, it will be something to be remembered.

Earthquake Update

It is Wednesday morning and we have more news from Willem:

1/13/10

1:00 am

After shocks stopped for a while but they're starting back up again. The church in Gramothe is all lit up & the whole village must be there praising the Lord! Talk about a city on a hill!

1/13/10

4:20 am

The team returned at about 2AM, exhausted physically & emotionally. They were able to help at least 100 people w/severe trauma injuries. We are grateful for your prayers, please do not stop. Morning will bring more for us to face.

The Red Thread Promise has set up a Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund. We will send any contributions marked "earthquake" directly to Mountain Top Ministries and Rivers of Hope Orphanage. While we may not be there to physically to help, we can certainly make a difference by allowing both organizations to purchase food and supplies for those in need. Our mailing address and PayPal button are on the right. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

Get the latest at NPR News. There is a photo gallery there of some of the devastation (image above is from NPR). Viewer discretion is advised.

Please continue to keep Haiti, it's people—its' visitors, its' government, its' orphans—in your thoughts and prayers.

Earthquake in Haiti

As you all know, Kathy just returned from Haiti on Friday from a week of teaching English at the Mountain Top Ministries School. The plan for tonight's post was to give a summary of the week. But that post will have to wait since the more pressing issue at hand is the tremendous earthquake that hit Haiti this afternoon.

At 5:40 I received a call from a TRTP supporter alerting us of the breaking news in Haiti. Since we were on our way to celebrate my son's 9th birthday, my husband's iPhone became an even hotter commodity than usual as we kept checking NRP for more details. My phone was ringing off the hook from concerned supporters throughout the meal and the drive home.

"Have you heard from Rivers of Hope and Mountain Top Ministries?"

"Is everyone okay?"

"Do you know any details about the hospital that collapsed?"

Thankfully, the second we reached home there were many emails from Kathy. Although the phone lines to Haiti were constantly busy, she was able to get email through to Rachoul (Rivers of Hope).

1/12/10 @ 6:09 pm

Thank GOD everything is ok at the orphanage. I didn't want to leave them [the children] here, so I am still there [at the orphanage]. The problem is we still feel the earthquake [tremors] every 5 minutes. It never stopped. I think it the 20th one we feel. I don't know what is happening but it's something frightening. We don't know what can happen.

I heard that lots of building were damage. But we are in good shape. The children are playing. Dayana and Xavier just left the hospital today finally.

Willem and Beth are ok.the team is ok. Now they are helping people from Gramothe, because their houses are damaged.

Thank you for your concern.

Blessings
Rachel

I then checked FaceBook and Willem (Mountain Top Ministries) has been posted. Thank God for technology!

1/12/10 @ 7:51pm

Pray for Haiti tonight. Our family & guests are fine. Our structures are fine. The med team has been mobilized to help at the Bap. Mission hospital. It will be a long night for them. Please pray for their stamina & ability to endure what is before them. Phone lines are down, no communication except for those crying for their dead. Thank you all in advance for your prayers.

1/12/10 @ 8:00pm

Phone lines seem to be opening, but not fully. Have had 2 light tremors over the last hour. It may be a while before any new news.There is much that will be revealed in the morning light. Right now it's dark but people are still crying out in the night.

1/12/10 @ 9:00pm

The Gramothe church is open & there is singing up there. Another local church is having a singing service. Praise God! The tremors still continue.

Please keep all of the people from Haiti in your prayers. There is much work to be done in the coming days and months.

You can find the latest on the earthquake from NPR News.