A basketball game at Maison Fortune orphanage in Hinche

[posted by Theresa Kitts]

Maison Fortune is an orphanage in Hinche.   It houses approximately 250 boys and girls until the age of 18.  Since the girls have moved to newer quarters we only visited the boy’s campus.   The older boys are taught to be more independent by doing their own cooking, cleaning and laundry in preparation to leaving the orphanage and living on their own.  Overall the boys appeared well fed and happy.

Outside the boys were engaged in soccer and basketball.  Didn’t take Max (13 years old) long to join  in playing basketball with 2 other boys.  Next Troy joined the game.  Troy and Max didn’t want to stand out playing in tennis shoes and the Haitian boys with bare feet, so they removed their shoes and continued to play but later paid with sore feet.  It was a pleasure to watch them play and the Haitian boys seemed to enjoy the competition.   

 

A visit to the Whitney Clinic in Hinche

[posted by Theresa Kitts]

After visiting the Co-op, we continued to The Whitney Clinic which is much larger than the clinic in Cerca Carvajal but then Hinche is a much larger city.  Outside the clinic as well as inside, there was a line of people waiting to be seen.  It is nothing for these people to wait for hours to see the doctor.  This particular week a group of American dentists and physicians sponsored by Saint Monica’s Church in Georgia were there delivering care.  Along with their arrival, they bring supplies not always available in the clinic such as dental instruments for cleanings and extractions and medications to treat a variety of illnesses. Only the most basic of care is available. 

As a nurse I can see that working here would be both frustrating and rewarding at the same time.  The frustration coming from limited availability of treatment options and the reward comes from their gratitude in even relieving some of their discomfort.   I was so moved by the work being done and the need that I hope to return to Haiti in the future but will investigate going with a group of medical personnel where I can use my skills as a nurse to administer to God’s people.

A visit to the women's co-op in Hinche

[posted by Theresa Kitts]

Friday 2/21/14 Hinche, Haiti

Today started with a visit to the Women’s Co-op where Haitian women gather to embroider motifs on napkins, pillow cases, tablecloths, towels and other items to sell to sell.  Their embroider y is intricate and beautifully done.  The stitching is masterly done and outdoes anything done by machine.  The Co-op gives these women a chance to learn a trade and teaches them business skills so that they can earn a living. 

These women were very proud of their work and enthusiastically shared with us their handiwork.  The pieces were so beautiful, I couldn’t leave without purchasing a set of napkins to adorn my table at home and remind me of these industrious women.

Left: Lydia, Vicki and Linda with women from co-op

Our final entry for this blog

[posted by Kathy]

We thought you might enjoy and group shot, from the porch of the rectory in Cerca Carvajal.  From the left: Troy, Linda, Theresa, Lydia, Vicki, Max, Kathy (Fr. KeKe in the front).

It was a really wonderful trip with many great experiences.  When we met after we returned to the US, several commented that they thought it would be sad going to Haiti, and instead they found the opposite, a joyful, happy people who have so much to teach us about livng in community.  If you have considered going to Haiti, any of us would be happy to talk with you about it.  And if you have thought about bringing children, we know have quite a number of families who have gone on our pilgrimage to Haiti and could talk about their experiences.

I also shouldn't forget to mention the beautifully plated food and tasty Haitian beer!

Scrambled eggs with spam garnished with tomatoes

yummy pineapple

Haitian beer

God's presence always seems closer when we are in Haiti; maybe it is the deep faith we witness in the people, the way their conversations are punctuated with "grasadye" meaning by the grace of God or "si Dye vle" meaning if God wills, or their joyful trust in God's providence.  

Interviewing the scholarship students at St. Martin's

[posted by Linda Manz]

We visited St Martin de Porres Secondary School in Hinche headed by Monsignor Jethro Noel.  The Richmond diocesan Haitian Education Fund is providing scholarships to about a dozen students chosen by Monsignor Jethro.  He called them to his office so we could meet them and Kathy spoke with each one briefly.  They come from Hinche and rural areas, several with only one parent.  One was even from Cerca Carvajal.  They are all from impoverished families but understand the importance of education in their desire to rise up out of poverty.  Monsignor Jethro is a kind and jovial man who obviously is dedicated to provide learning and hope to all his students.  

With Msgr. Jethro

Bassin Zim - Another perspective

[posted by Linda Manz]

My visit to Bassim Zim was similar to Kathy’s, a beautiful waterfall amidst the dusty and arid landscape of Haiti.  However, after leaving our car, we were surrounded by a group of very friendly boys.  Two of them introduced themselves to me and latched on to my arms, pushing away the others who were also trying to hold my hand. After viewing the falls, we climbed rocky stairs up to a cave where, the boys said, voodoo was practiced.  By now, I realized that my “boy scouts” were hoping for money for their services.   The climb was not difficult, but they assisted me over unstable areas and streams, still swatting away other boys.  However, they were always very polite to me. Returning to the car, I was happy to tip them for their help, mostly because of their resourcefulness in the face of poverty.  I have a feeling they had done this a few times!

My helpers

Dr. Chartelin

[posted by Linda Manz]

Dr. Chartelin with Nurse Elvita

I had the opportunity to have a longer talk with Dr. Chartelin.  He is 27 years old and is the physician at the clinic at Holy Family Parish in Cerca Carvajal. Becoming a doctor fulfilled a dream he had had since childhood;  he wanted to help his people.  

He attended primary and secondary school, after which he had to take exams to qualify for university.  He applied to a private university where about 120 applicants out of about 800 are chosen. Fortunately, I was one of the 120.  It is even more difficult to get into the state university.  It is a 5 year program, followed by one year of internship, which is owed to the state. His father paid for his first two years and several parishioners of St Edward Parish paid for the remainder.

His profession is very satisfying for him because he is able to care for patients and dispense medicines to help them.  He really doesn’t become frustrated because of the lack of equipment and supplies, he just does the best that he can with what he has.

The most common health problems that he sees are malnutrition, pelvic infections, pneumonia, and gastrointestinal diseases such as ulcers.  He sees an average of thirty malaria cases per month. Infants and children are not vaccinated in Haiti, but this is something that hopefully is being worked on with the health officials.  Juvenile diabetes is not something he has come across here.  For adult cases of diabetes, he provides oral medication and education for the patient.  The patient is asked to follow up in a week for lab work and then they are followed monthly with lab tests and medication adjustment as needed.  One of the biggest concerns for these and all the patients is the lack of keeping return appointments.

He would like to enlarge the clinic to provide better emergency care with the capability of the physician to stay overnight with the patient. At the present time, a patient in an emergency situation would be brought to his house.  From there they would go to the clinic.  If he is unable to help the patient, he/she would have to be transported to the hospital at Hinche by motorcycle or whatever means available.

He plans to become an orthopedic surgeon or maybe pursue a master’s degree in public health. Coming from a private university education, it is difficult to get into a residency program.  There are less than 70 places in the program for all private university graduates.

His hope for the people of Haiti is the provision of basic things such as education, food, good health care, jobs, utilities and a stable, effective government. 

He asked me to express his sincere and deep gratitude to the people of St Edward the Confessor Parish. He would not be a physician without their help.  

Sunday Mass – the highlight of our trip

[posted by Kathy Gross]

People are always astonished when I tell them that Sunday Mass generally lasts from 2-3 hours and that it is always the highlight of our trip.  They are always surprised to hear that children sit still and are not disruptive for such a long service.  Yet, that is all true.  We were caught up in the music, sung with enthusiasm by strong and beautiful Haitian voices and accompanied by tambour (a Haitian drum), electric guitars and keyboard.  Fr. KK, our pastor made us feel welcome by pausing to address us in English.  This time, for the first time, he read the gospel in English after he read it in Kreyol and gave part of his homily in English.  At the sign of peace, everyone joined hands across the aisle and swayed as they sang a song of peace.  My heart was filled to overflowing with a sense that this unity is truly what we are called to, what the kingdom of God is all about.  For one brief moment, we were truly connected to our brothers and sisters in Cerca Carvajal.  I pray that we will carry that love and unity we felt with us always.

About Holy Family Clinic

[posted by Linda Manz]
My name is Linda and this was my first visit to Haiti. It was an enriching experience that I will not forget.  I have been asked to tell of a few of the many places and people we encountered.

Unpacking

unpacking the meds we brought with us

Dr. Chartelin in the middle and Dr. Job on the right

Exam Room

The pharmacy

The clinic at Holy Family Parish is very rudimentary but such an asset to the community of Cerca.  There is an intake/record room, two exam rooms, a pharmacy room, dental room and a lab for basic tests. There is no running water but there are plans to rectify this with the addition of possibly two bathrooms.  Drs Chartelin and Job do the best that they can with what they have, a stethoscope to hear abnormal sounds, their hands to palpate, and caring hearts for their patients.  Dr Chartelin is the doctor normally, but Dr Job came because we were there.  Theresa and I spent only one morning with them getting vital signs, weights, and reason for their visit, with the help of our trusty translator, Joseph. We were free some afternoons, but there were few or no patients at those times.   Apparently this was due to tthree reasons: thanks to the medical care that has been provided, people are healthier than they used to be, a group of Americans visited a Protestant church recently and provided care and lots of medicines, and, because no American doctors were with us, they did not advertise on the radio station as they for our past visits.  Thanks to the generosity of St Edward’s parishoners, we were able to stock the pharmacy room with many medicines which were given to the patients as ordered.    

The most health problems they see are related to malnutrition, with gastrointestinal ailments and pneumonia prevalent also.  Dr Chartelin says he sees about 30 malaria cases per month.  The doctor does some patient teaching at the visit, but says patient follow ups are minimal due to the ignorance of health care concerns on the part of many of the people.

The Azil

Here we have two posts on the Azil by two of our travelers.  Both are included because the Azil affected each of us somewhat differently.

[posted by Vicki Brooke]

               Friday finally arrived and was the day we would visit the Azil.  We had left our little cocoon of Cerca and traveled to the big city of Hinche.  My husband and daughter had talked about their visit to the Azil immediately following the earthquake, so I thought I had prepared myself for this visit.  But even with this support I found this place to be both beautiful and emotionally gripping at the same time.

              As with all other properties in Haiti, the Azil is enclosed by 12-foot cinder block walls and a enormous metal gate.  As we drove up to the front gate and honked an attendant opened the gate and the first image we saw was a huge picture of Mother Theresa painted on the wall of the building.  The Azil is run by Mother Teresa’s order, the Missionaries of Charity, and visitors are greeted by angels in the highly recognizable white and blue habit swishing about the Azil tending to their little guests.  Families in the city and surrounding mountains bring their young children or babies to the nuns and staff at the Azil when they can no longer care for them.  Here at the Azil the little ones get medical attention, food and loving care.  The nuns and staff care for the little ones until they are able to return to their families or return to God.

               The first room with cribs had one and two year old children, many standing up in their metal cribs clearly able to climb out but none of the children seem interested in getting out.  These little ones were quick to laugh and full of joy.  The next room had the babies and children with more significant needs.  Many of the babies in this room were unstable.  We were all eager to pitch in to hold the babies, feed and change diapers.  One team member, a nurse, felt pretty confident that one particular baby would probably not live through the night.  We touched her, knowing that we were in contact with a little angel.  My little guy closed his eyes as soon as I picked him up and brought him close to me.  He never moved or uttered a sound.

               After a while one of the sisters stopped her duties and spoke to us briefly.  While extremely pleasant it was clear that she had more pressing duties than to tend to our questions.  Her mission was the care of the baby.  I knew I was in the presence of Holy Spirit.

               Before leaving we spent some time with a group of youngsters who, perhaps 3-5 year old were on break from class.  While all of us had children on our laps our team member Troy soon had children climbing on him, like he was a tree.  When it was time to leave the children followed Troy out of the building and all the way to the car.  It was a joyful way to end our visit.

[posted by Lydia Turkaly]

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this was my second trip to Haiti, my first trip being right after the Earthquake in 2010. 

One of the most memorable and sad experiences from my first trip was a visit to the Azil, a place run by the Missionaries of Charity, the group of nuns that Mother Theresa founded.  Parents can drop off their malnourished children to hopefully be nursed back to health by the nuns.  Parents can visit their children while they are there and hopefully take them home once they are healthy, but a happy homecoming isn’t guaranteed.

 I will never forget my first visit there, the sounds, the smells, the many, many children who were on the verge of death.  As I held one of the infants and tried to feed him I wasn’t even sure he was still alive.  This was so upsetting to me that I am ashamed to admit that when the child would not take the bottle I was offering him I returned him to his crib and quickly left the room.  I was nearly sick to my stomach and overcome with the horror of the situation as I saw room after room of malnourished children.

As I prepared to return to Haiti the only thing I was concerned about was visiting the Azil again.  I felt great guilt about not wanting to go back.  However, to my great surprise I found a very different situation than the one I saw 4 years before.  The number of children at the Azil was greatly reduced and I am hoping this is due to improved living conditions. The children I did see appeared much healthier and were beaming when they saw their newest group of visitors.  The toddlers in the cribs were very playful and I was even able to get a laugh or two out of a few of them by playing peek-a-boo.  There were some very sick infants but compared to what I had seen before I felt relieved and thankful for the progress being made.

The Sisters are amazing and the work they do is so inspiring.  They are truly doing God’s work and will always be my heroes. 

[posted by Max Turkaly]

During my trip I met Benkasey Joseph. He is in the 12^th grade. He is twenty years old and lives in Cerca Cavajal, Haiti. His mother is a street merchant and his father is a delivery man. He has five siblings. His family is considered middle class. They are fortunate to have electricity in their home, so when we stayed late for an English class at the school he brought the light bulb from his bedroom to school so we would have light.

One day he took me on a tour of Cerca Cavajal. We went to two manmade lakes. I also saw a lot of the village where most of the people live in Cerca Cavajal. While we were walking around he would point to something and tell me what it was in Creole and then I told him what it meant in English.

On getting away

[posted by Lydia Turkaly]

“Vacation is what you take when you can’t take what you’ve been taking any longer”

-The Wizard of Oz

A trip to Haiti may not be the first “vacation” destination that comes to mind…but sometimes it’s just good to step back and get away from it all.  I was so looking forward to taking a break from emails and tv and just the general craziness of daily life that stresses me out. 

It had been 4 years since I’d been to Haiti so I was in for a bit of a surprise to find the rectory in Cerca now with full electricity (well 95% of the time) and a TV (though a very small one).  There was even wifi now, even if it was out more than it was available. 

Daily life for me includes constant checking of emails and texts and lists of tasks to accomplish before the next round of tasks is assigned.  I feel like I am constantly trying to keep up.  What is most important is often replaced by what is most urgent. I am a worrier and my anxiety is often high.  Haiti was sounding better by the second.

                I did thoroughly enjoy NOT being available 24 hours a day.  I loved being able to allow myself to relax and look around and enjoy the chickens running across the yard, the beautiful palm trees, and the constant smiles and laughter of my group and the people of Cerca.

All that being said, there is no shower like the first warm shower after your return, no bed more luxurious than your own, after 8 days away, no water more appreciated than the clean free flowing water that comes from your faucet.  The simple things in life are often taken for granted.  Haiti helps me to refocus and reenergizes me to move forward and remember what is truly important in life. 

A visit to Cerca Carvajal’s radio and TV station

[posted by Kathy Gross]

I have seen the building with the radio station for several years, but had never been inside of it until this trip.  Sony Orzile, who is the computer teacher volunteered to take our group there and show us around.  They even have a website where you can listen to their broadcasts: www.http://radiotelerossignolhaiti.com/

The radio station can be heard throughout the village and the surrounding areas.  We were told that most people now have access to a radio.  People are now get news of what is happening in Haiti on a regular basis. In the village they estimated that almost have the houses now have electricity and most of those have television sets!  How quickly things are changing.  Sony told us that when children from a rural area have gone to Hinche, they were teased for being from the country, but they were better prepared than their urban compatriots.  He attributed this to the lack of access to TV.  In his opinion, children watch TV and spend less time on their studies.  Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

The TV station does its own local broadcasts as well as carrying broadcasts from their national channels.  They include game shows, news shows, talk shows, religious services.  We asked if they had a regular Catholic program, we were told not yet, but they would be happy to carry it if asked.  They also do public service announcements.  When we have brought American doctors with us, they have advertised that in advance. 

They gave us a tour of the station, including the rooms where they film live broadcasts.  It was exciting to see Cerca Carvajal making one more step forward!

Joseph in the broadcast room

[posted by Max Turkaly]

One highlight of the trip was when I attended an English class for the 12^th graders. This class was taught by Joseph, one of our interpreters, because the 12^th graders did not have an English teacher. The students were going to have an English exam at the end of the year, but there was no money to pay an English teacher. These classes were held after school in the evening from 5-7. During one class Joseph and I had to leave in the middle of class to go to dinner. Before we left Joseph gave them some work to do.  I did not think that they would get the work done because it was starting to get dark. After dinner, I was walking back to the classroom and I saw light coming from the room. When I walked in, to my surprise, they had all of their work done and they were listening to music and dancing. Later, I found out that Benkasey Joseph (one of the friends I had made in Haiti) had walked to his house and had gotten a light bulb from his bedroom for the classroom so that they could continue the class. I was very impressed by the students’ work ethic and their great desire to learn!

The 12th grade class with me in the classroom.  

With my friend Benkasey Joseph

[Posted by Lydia Turkaly]

Since I am a teacher by profession, I was particularly interested in talking with the teachers of Holy Family School.  I had an extended conversation with one teacher, Madame Alina Jean Joseph who teaches preschool which is equivalent to our kindergarten.  She is 38 years old and has 76 students in her class this year. She has no aides or helpers.  She enjoys her students and told me that they are very interested in learning and are very well-behaved.

Her greatest frustration is the lack of materials for her many students.  They lack basic materials such as paper, crayons, markers, scissors, and other common classroom teaching aides.  The classroom is also very small for so many students.

Parents stop by weekly to get updates on their child’s progress.  However, many parents are unable to help their children at home as they are uneducated themselves.  Many students arrive at school hungry and leave hungry because there is no school lunch program.  It is hard for them to stay focused when they are hungry.

Pay for teachers in Haiti is very low, about $110.00 per month. Teachers have no benefits or sick days.  If a teacher is sick he or she must find a replacement and pay them for the day’s work.  Teachers may arrive at school hungry with nothing or little to eat.  It is hard to get by on such a low wage. When I asked her about the future, she told me that she would love the opportunity for additional training.  She is eager to continue her education and improve her living conditions.

Alina with her husband and three of their four children

{Posted by Troy Rysedorph}

Shortly after our arrival to Cerca Carvajal, we were introduced to the translators we’d hired to help us through our week of activities, meetings, and interactions.  We met Laprade.  Laprade is from Hinche and studies Agronomy in Port-au-Prince.  Fednel is also from Hinche.  And finally Joseph.  Joseph has been a translator for 8 years and after a break of many years has gone back to High School in Hinche where he has three years left.  Each of these fine young men “skipped school” for a week in order to earn money by being our translators.

While each of the three translators performed their duties admirably, it was Joseph who distinguished himself during our trip.  It makes me happy just thinking about him and I want to tell you all about this remarkable young man.  It did not take but one day for Joseph to emerge as more than an English-Kreyol-French translator.  In a previous post, I mentioned that we’d visited a classroom studying English, but with no English teacher.  This was the 12^th Grade.  [Schools in Haiti go up to the 13^th grade, but Holy Family School does not yet have a 13^th Grade, so these are the most advanced students in the school.]  As a Haiti Committee member, I noted this unfortunate condition for future consideration.  In contrast, Joseph took immediate action.  The very next day and for the next four days, Joseph, and his trusty assistant Max Turkaly, became the Holy Family School English teacher!  Joseph saw an opportunity to use his talents to raise up others, and he wasted no time doing so.  Every time you turned around, Joseph and Max were over at the school, teaching English—I was simply astounded!  Joseph expected and received no monetary compensation for his work.  Instead he received overwhelming gratitude from his students, and us, the seven travelers. 

Joseph was also a sight to behold in the Computer Lab.  He served as my translator during the Monday evening adult education class.  I did not realize that Joseph was multitasking the whole time—not only helping me to understand the key things the instructor was saying, but also absorbing everything being taught.  After the class, we got to spend some time working on Microsoft Excel—Joseph was very interested in that.  He did not want the learning to end.  The very next day, Joseph was giving back what he’d learned, in this case to the 11 Holy Family School teachers that came to the lab for “train the trainer” instruction.  And at the end of the week, I caught Joseph practicing Org Charts in MS Word, which was one of the things taught on Monday night.  Joseph makes the very most of every day that God gives him, and in doing so, inspires me to do the same.

If you ever go to Haiti, and need a translator and disciple of Jesus Christ, I would encourage you to look him up.  I don’t think he’d mind me sharing his e-mail address with you.  It is ewinsjoseph@yahoo.fr.  Which reminds me, I have the hardest time with first names and last names in Haiti.  On the last day I chuckled when I realized that I’d been calling him by his last name all week—which would be like somebody saying to me “Hey, Rysedorph, got a minute?”  But since Joseph is how he introduced himself, that’s what we all called him.  Hopefully someday I will understand the system of names in Haiti and the cultural influences that make it that way.  Sounds like a goal for my next trip.

Joseph translating for Kathy Gross at the end of Mass

A visit to the waterfall at Bassin Zim

We visited the Whitney Clinic in Hinche, where Champagne is the manager.  Champagne if you read my previous blogs, has been one of our translators for a number of years, and when I was in Cerca a year ago, he was my Kreyol tutor.  This year, St. Monica parish from Atlanta is visiting their twin, the Whitney Clinic during our visit so Champagne wasn't able to be with us.  At any rate, we got to talk with some of the doctors and nurses who were volunteering their services at the Whitney Clinic.  One of them suggested that we visit Bassin Zim, a waterfall perhaps a 15 minute drive from Hinche.  I needed to meet with Richard Joseph, the director of the Catholic Bureau of Education (BDE) to discuss some Haitian Education Fund business, so I decided to have them drop me off at Sacred Heart School in Papaye on their way to Bassin Zim.  I had visited the waterfall before so decided it would be ok for me to miss the opportunity.  I met with Richard, and then he offered to take me to Bassin Zim.  On the way there, we met the jeep with Thimothe and the rest of our group.  They continued on to visit Maison Fortune and we went to visit the waterfall.  The government has made a lot of improvements since my last visit.  They now have a little house to welcome people which has restrooms in it and the steep path up to the top of the falls is now a stairway made from rocks.  I was still a little hesitant to walk to the top of the falls.  I remember slipping and nearly falling on the path the last time.  Two teenage boys encouraged me, took my hands and led me up the path.  When the going was steep or slippery, they offered my their forearms so I would have a better grip.  I had to stop and catch my breath halfway up.  When we got to the top, they took us into a large cave.  They told me that there were hives for honeybees nestled in the rock at the side of the cave.  Now that made me a little nervous, because when I have been stung in the past, whatever appendage was stung got very swollen.  But I continued in the hope that I would not be stung.  It was such a beautiful sight both looking down from the top of the falls into a pool there and also from the bottom of the falls.  Here are some photos taken by Richard Joseph.  I didn't have my camera!

Thursday 2-20-14

My name Theresa and this is my first time in Haiti and following is a story about “Crazy Americans.”

Our journey began today with a trip to Hinche and the group decided to visit the Cathedral.    Regrettably the gate to the Cathedral was locked.  Disappointed we walked around Hinche and passing by the Cathedral on our return to the Rectory, we noticed the Cathedral’s gate was unlocked and open.  We seized the opportunity and entered.   The interior was simple but beautiful.  After taking pictures and spending a few moments in prayer, we exited.  To our surprise the gate was locked and in walking the perimeter found no other exit or anyone to assist us.  Finally, after knocking on a door someone answered and seemed perturbed to find us in our predicament but he did unlock the back gate and freed us.  He probably thought “those crazy Americans”.  I guess no trip should be without at least one misadventure.

Note: Gates were originally locked.

I have written before about an elderly man named Josias Bien Aime.  I interviewed him again in the hopes that we can produce a short video about him.  He is 88 years old and has worked most of his life for Holy Family parish.  His mother also worked for the parish. A little of his life story:  He was married (His wife died a year ago.)and had 7 children. Three have died, one as a child, the others as adults.  He gave his house to his widowed daughter-in-law who lives there with her 5 children and second husband.  He sent his children to Holy Family School because it is the best in the area, but he has no means to send his grandchildren there so they go to the public school.  He shares a room with some other parish staff and with occasional visitors. 

He has done many things during his time working at the parish.  He has prepared the altar for mass.  He sweeps the dirt yard every morning.  He sometimes helps to shuck beans.  He feeds and cares for the parish rabbits.  Fr. KeKe has told him to stop working, to “retire”, but he loves helping in any way he can.  What I think his greatest contribution to the parish is the way he radiates his spirituality.  He is always joyful, always greets us with such pleasure, like we have made his day by greeting him.  He laughs frequently.  He truly lives his faith, as we are all called to live.  His only regret is that he has nothing to give us in return for what we have done for the parish.  I try to explain how much he has given us by his very being.  I am again reminded that it is difficult for people who always are on the receiving end of things (or at least think they are).  Imagine, if you were given gifts, but did not have the means to reciprocate.  Part of me would love to bring Josias some new shirts because many of his have holes in them.  Yet I realize that, in a way, that imposes a burden on him because he cannot reciprocate.  I asked him if he thought Haiti was getting better.  He replied no, that governments come and go, but that God is always here helping him.  We asked if he taught his grandchildren about his faith.  He said “of course!” and that they love to be with him because he acts like a child.  I am sure he is a wonderful grandfather.   I know that he blesses us with his presence every time we visit.  Here is a photo of him dancing with the primary school principal, Sr. Oxilia or Sr. Oxi for short.

My name is Max Turkaly, I am thirteen years old. I go to Midlothian Middle School. This is my first time in Haiti. During the middle of our trip we went to the Fortune Maison (which is an orphanage). Troy and I played basketball with two Haitians, Haitian style (barefoot on pavement).  The Haitians we played with loved to do basketball tricks. Playing basketball with them was a great experience.  This pilgrimage to Haiti has been very exciting and fun.

Notice the bare feet!

Hi, my name is Lydia Turkaly.  This is my second trip to Haiti.  I first traveled to Haiti in 2010, shortly after the earthquake, with my daughter, Sarah.  This trip I am traveling with my son, Max.

It has been 4 years since my last visit to Cerca and I am amazed at the progress in the town.  For example, the streets in the town are now paved and have street lights.  Many of the residents now have power as well.  There is a beautiful park in the center of town as well as a large monument.

Of course the most impressive improvement, for me, is the new church.  The new church is the gem of the town.  It is spacious and beautiful with 3 large stained glass windows. The inside of the church now has sturdy benches and wooden kneelers, which is a huge improvement. The floors are tiled and the altar is attractive.  But the most important improvement is that the people of Cera now have a safe place to worship and a real sense of pride.

I am thrilled to be back in Cerca!

Back to the Lab!

{Posted by Troy Rysedorph}  Tuesday afternoon the team was back in the computer lab, this time with 11 teachers from the Holy Family School.  The idea of the session was “train the trainer”.  While it is somewhat unclear when the teachers will be in the role of trainer, we set out to educate them in the use of computer hardware and software.  During the needs assessment that we conducted following introductions, we learned some significant things.  Practically, we learned that 5 of the 11 had some experience with computers and 6 others had none at all and wanted to start with the very basics.  More importantly, we heard from some of the students that they would need more time, more training, more practice than the two hour session that had not yet even started.  This point was unarguable.  We were struck by the fact that this additional was not provided for in any master plan that we’ve conceived or are aware of.  That said, rather than throwing in the towel on the basis that they would forget everything they learned before their next time in the lab, we decided to proceed nonetheless.

I assigned myself to lead the exercises for the completely inexperienced.  I quizzed the group to identify the names of the key pieces of hardware—monitor, keyboard, mouse, CPU.  I showed them the necessary connections on the back and how the monitor and CPU needed to be plugged in to a power source for the computer to turn on.  Then I demonstrated how to turn the computer on.  Then it was their turn to do it—there were enough desktops for each student to have one.  As expected, each successfully turned on the computer.  I decided to throw one student a curveball by unplugging his monitor and CPU.  It took him a while, but with some assistance from my trusty translator, Joseph, he was able to get it running.  Soon everybody was wanting me to mess up their computer so that they could try to fix it and get it up and running.  Launching a piece of software was the next challenge.  But first, I had to teach the importance of the “left click”.  Did you know that not everybody knows how to point and click with a mouse?  It took about ten minutes to demonstrate launching Microsoft Word (there was no icon on the desktop for it) and another twenty minutes for the students to demonstrate competency in performing this.  I was struck by how much of my own skill I take for granted, and also how many steps are truly strung together to accomplish things that are reasonably simple.  There’s a temptation to go fast and cover the most ground.  But there’s a need to go at a confidence building speed to prevent discouragement, which we were flirting with all afternoon.

For the last 10 minutes we demonstrated some educational games that were loaded onto the laptops.  A series of volunteers got a kick out of clicking and dragging puzzle pieces to form simple pictures (2x2).  They got a taste of what they could, someday, share with their students from the Primary School.  But then the time expired.  It was clear the teachers wanted more.  They said this before the lesson started, and nothing changed that viewpoint.  I don’t know how it is all going to come together.  But I have faith that it will.

Hello my name is Vicki Brooke and this is my first time blogging and my first visit to Haiti.  Both my husband and daughter have visited Haiti so I have heard many beautiful stories of this land and the people of Cerca.  Despite these stories I was not prepared to be greeted so warmly by a massive mountain range that surrounded us as we began the drive to our village.  Although I have heard that there are still tent cities, we have not yet seen any evidience.  In fact, we saw multiple examples of new housing construction.

Today was spent with the children.  They are lively and fun and truely excited to have visitors.  The little ones hold hands, skip and sing.  In fact everyone sings, old and young alike.  Nowhere was the singing more beautiful then the voices that we hear at daily mass.  This is a spirtual treat to look forward to each day.

Computer Lab at Cerca Holy Family School

{Posted by Troy Rysedorph}

As a group, we spent a fair amount of time the second half of Monday in the new computer lab at the Holy Family School.  [A brief summary for those who are not aware of the backstory:  St. Edward the Confessor Haiti Ministry was fortunate enough to link up with two different outfits distributing computers to places in Haiti in need of them.  In August of 2013, St. Edward funded a project to make significant security improvements to an existing building as well as wire it for electricity.  As part of the same effort, 24 desks were purchased and installed.  In September, 23 computers (half laptops, half desktops) were installed and the lab became operational.]  Three of us from the group attended what would best be expressed as an “adult education” computer class being held in the lab.  The instructor, Sony, delivered an engaging and informative session helping the students to understand and practice key elements of word processing including shapes, lines, text boxes with practical applications in depicting processes, marketing materials, and organizational charts.  The young adults in attendance are paying for this class on the belief that mastery of some computer skills will substantially improve their chances of succeeding in the brutal job market that is seemingly eternal in Haiti.  As far as I could tell, the young adults, roughly 24 of them, signed up for and are taking this class that meets 4 times per week over a 6 month period.  This intensive training has the potential to leave the students with substantial expertise.  It is unclear how much it has cost them to receive this training.

Sony, the skilled instructor, has had to overcome significant challenges to deliver the learning experience.  The quantity of electrical power is limited.  By all reports and appearances, when all the computers in the lab are up and running and the instructor then turns on his laptop and projector, the electrical system cannot handle the load.  This is overcome by Sony negotiating with Father KK to turn on the generator.  When the generator is up and running they switch over the power source of the computer lab from Government power to generator power.  The laptops make the transition gracefully, while the desktops go down and need to be restarted.  Another technical challenge is that the donated computers came with different operating systems—the laptops arrived with Linux, the desktops with Microsoft Windows 7.  In order to ensure that the students are all working on the application he is teaching, Sony has had to “level the playing field”.  His solution has been to equip each of the laptops with a Windows virtual machine within which Microsoft Office applications are run. 

One of the biggest questions coming out of this experience is, “How do the students of the Holy Family School benefit from the existence of the new computer lab?”  An honest answer would be that so far, the students of Holy Family School do not benefit very much.  Some Holy Family School students, key word being some, receive 1 hour of computer familiarization training per week.  It is safe to say that this quantity of training, while better than nothing at all, is insufficient in building computer skills.  It familiarizes—students will be able to say they’ve seen and touched a computer.  It can stimulate an interest that can be acted upon later.  Not much beyond this is accomplished.  All of that said, the computer lab is a mere 6 months old.  The opportunities and possibilities are substantial.  Much more needs to be done to turn these into realities for the students of the Holy Family School.

Hello.  My name is Troy Rysedorph and this is my 3rd trip to Cerca Carvajal, Haiti.  On the first full day of this visit, right after breakfast, our group of 7 visitors set out to visit all of the classrooms of the Holy Family School.  We were warmly welcomed by the school children who in most cases sung us songs which touched our hearts.  We had three translators with us, Joseph, Laprade, and Fednel--they of course, helped us to understand what the children were singing.  We would thank them for their warm greetings and ask what they were studying.  They answered with the subject, and so we would probe deeper.  We were thrilled to have youngsters working out math problems on the chalkboard and reading passages from their Catholic education class.  We were not the only ones asking the questions.  The students were curious about us, too!  Many students asked about our interests and our purpose in visiting them. One brave soul in the English language class asked me if I knew how to conjugate a verb.  The class got a good laugh when they saw that I was stumped.  They did not know that I am more of a math guy.
In the older grades, some very open discussions broke out.  The students were very curious about the drastic tuition increase that their families had experienced from one year to the next.  The students were curious why they did not have an English Teacher.  The students vocalized their dreams to have a science lab for chemistry and other experiments.  They dream of having a library.  They dream of having more computers in the computer lab.  They asked about scholarships.  We encountered some classrooms without a teacher present--just students diligently doing their work (until we arrived to disrupt and distract.)  All told, we were left with the distinct feeling that the student highly value their educational opportunity and want to make the very most of it.  And even though we were not in a position to promise them any of the things they were dreaming of, we were consistently given boisterous appreciation as we departed for the next classroom.

Eight pilgrims from St. Edward in Richmond, Virginia will be traveling to visit our twin parish in Cerca Carvajal, Haiti beginning on Sunday, February 16th.  We hope to record our thoughts on our journey on this blog.  Our group has met for orientation three times and we wait with expectant hearts for God's grace to help us on the way.  But first I am hoping that each person can introduce themselves.

I am Kathy Gross and have traveled and led groups to Haiti many times.  Yet each time is filled with its own unique grace.  As I told the group, I always plan what we will do and when, but trust that the Holy Spirit has her own plans for our journey.  We hope you enjoy this blog!