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