Lunches for our Students

One of the goals for this year was to secure a consistent source of food for school lunches. In July, while in Haiti, Susan and I meet with some wonderful folks from Living Hope Haiti. Living Hope Haiti is based in Florida and has a number of schools in Haiti. Because of the number of schools they support Living Hope Haiti is able to get amazing pricing on food from Feed My Starving Children. Cost for the food is basically just enough to cover the cost of shipping.

This is another great example of NGO's working together to help alleviate different challenges in Haiti. This cooperation enabled us to achieve our goal of providing school lunches year round. Our friend Chedlin, who has worked with us for a number of years, has sent these recent pictures from the school. His efforts are greatly appreciated and we look forward to seeing him again soon.

Thank you Oakhurst Rotary Clubs

Our local Oakhurst Rotary Clubs keep stepping up. Last week the Oakhurst Sierra Sunrise Club's (a.k.a. The Morning Club) Board matched a $300 donation from one of the Club's members. This combined gift of $600 will pay for two full months of lunches for 110 students in Pignon. Then today Susan and I gave a presentation to the Oakhurst Sierra Rotary Club (a.k.a. The Noon Club). They were the spearhead club for the Pignon well project that was completed in October of 2011. We are proud to say that Haiti Outreach, our well driller, finished the well ahead of schedule and under budget. We and the community in Pignon are eternally grateful. The Noon Club, both as a group and individually, continue to be very supportive of our work in Haiti and we feel truly blessed. We had donations this afternoon that will cover the yearly school expenses for 3+ children. We are getting closer and closer to our goal of supporting the entire school population of 110 students. Both Oakhurst Rotary Clubs do tremendous work within our community and throughout the world. Susan and I are proud to be members, along with so many close friends, of these two dynamic groups of people.

More About Lunches

This is part of the food delivery we arranged for school lunches. The food packets include rice, soy protein and spices. The kitchen staff typically adds beans and at times an onion sauce. We brought one of the packets home with us and will prepare it at an upcoming fundraising event. We have never had more than a small taste. As chaotic as our days can get with 200 kids, lunchtime is one of the most organized and calm times of the day. I think this calmness is in anticipation of food and out of respect for the kitchen staff's authority.

School Year Lunch Program

One of our projects this year was to find a reliable and consistent source of food for school lunches. We have found that source and now have to work on raising the funds to support the lunch program. For about $300 per month we can provide food and pay for preparation of daily lunches for 105 students. That's 2310 meals per month for $300. So help us spread the word, we need 30 new donors @ $10 or 15 @ $20 or .....

Haiti 2012 Images

This is a typical street scene in Pignon. The concrete roadways are a new addition since last year and much of the town is under construction with the roads and a new drainage system being installed.

One of our Haitian students. She is taking a break from getting water from the new well which was drilled last October thanks to the Oakhurst and Tracy California Rotary Clubs. We had a nice dedication ceremony one evening that included a ribbon cutting and numerous singing groups.

This is a rice paddy several miles outside of Pignon. It is in such stark contrast to the greyness of Port-au-Prince. The countryside can be quite beautiful.

A Long Reflection of Haiti 2012

So we’ve been back from Haiti for about a week now. Back to where a cool place can be found, back to running water and warm showers. It is nice to be home.

It’s curious to me that, at least in the short term, mosquitos, broken cars and dusty roads, leave the deepest impressions of Haiti. These are the subjects of stories we tell upon arriving back in the States. Eight hour waits while someone tracks down transportation from Port-au-Prince to Pignon, hours on dusty roads where minimal air conditioning feels like the greatest of blessings and legs dotted by mosquito bites that with every scratch remind us we didn’t take malaria pills. These are the memories that occupy the first days of being home. They have left their mark and it is good to be home.  It is good to be comfortable, to be wrapped in all the things that we’ve become accustom to.

Our Haiti trips are a chance to step outside what our lives have become. A chance to reflect on why it is that we have so much and others have so little. A time to realize that stuff doesn’t equate to happiness or a fulfilled life. A chance to see old friends, spend some time together and share how we have touched each other’s lives. A chance to experience making a difference in a child’s life, in a community’s wellbeing and in a student’s future.

Like each previous trip our mornings and early afternoons were filled with energetic kids, singing songs and doing craft projects at school. This year we made fans out of paper plates and tongue depressors, about 50 kids got supplies to make their own jump rope, we did a lot of coloring, we made edible bracelets with licorice whips and fruit loops and had a giant bubble making session that the kids just loved. During our “recess” the kids got to burn off some energy while the adults sat in the shade and caught our breath. We did get plenty of opportunities to throw Frisbees, kick a soccer ball and play catch. Many of the young students like to hang around, and on, us during recess. We are still novel visitors to this small town and we hesitantly enjoy the attention. Susan seems to be every baby’s adopted grandmother and it is not uncommon for a baby to fall asleep in her arms. This is a role that Susan seems to cherish. Tim keeps busy teaching proper Frisbee techniques and intervening in the occasional scuffle. Anytime the camera or video are taken out a chorus of, “mester, mester, photo” rings out as dozens of kids rush to get in front of the lens. They are not shy. After the photo, everyone grabs to see the picture while they laugh and point at the image. Throughout the week one of the most popular points of interest is the 20” X 30” photo college we post from last year’s pictures. Students and parents love to look at the images from previous years.

Again like last year, we had six to seven young Haitian adults helping in the classroom. Without Jean-Ronel, Benjamin, Fenel, Lenna, Marjorie, Sully and Chedlin we would not survive the first two days.  (It is being generous to assume we’d survive the first day.) It is at school that the inability to speak Kreyol or French is the largest detriment. We sometimes carry on conversations with kids speaking Kreyol and us speaking English. The content of these conversations is incomprehensible and unimportant. The connection is invaluable. With many kids there is some basic communication that happens with a few words and lots of gesturing. With others the communication is simply holding hands, placing your hand on a shoulder or opening your lap as a comfortable resting spot.

It is the moments at school; those hot, dusty, tiring moments that are the memories that last beyond the first week’s return. It’s 250 Haitian kids screaming “OUI…OUI…OUI” when asked if they want to sing the Hokey-Pokey again, it’s the smile of a young boy who just figured out how to throw the Frisbee, it’s a small baby surrendering itself into your arms, it’s seeing families drink fresh clean water from the new well, it’s young girls posing for a photo with their best friends and it is hearing from our Haitian friends how our time together has changed their lives.

I’m not sure we can successfully convey to them how much they have changed our lives. Our trips to Haiti have been profound. In a country where there is so much need we have found friends that will give up what little they have so we can be comfortable. They are gracious, generous, engaging and trusting. I often wonder if they would enjoy the same reception visiting our country.

Two days after we returned and after telling the car, road and mosquito stories to a close friend he asked, “Why do you put yourself through this?” It was a simple question that stopped me cold. It is a question that we regularly ask ourselves throughout the week in Haiti. I’m sure it is a question we’ll ask ourselves again.

The answer is simple, we do this because it makes a difference. It makes a difference in our lives and more importantly it makes a positive difference in others lives. It is our way of creating a ripple that will touch more people than we can ever imagine. Thank you all for supporting us and giving us this amazing opportunity.

Tired and Glad to be Home

Thanks Lauren Madden for posting our text messages from Haiti on our Facebook page. We got home late Sunday and are REALLY glad to be back to our home, family and the comforts of living in the USA. We'll get pictures posted as soon as we get settled in. Lots of typical Haiti stories including a 60 mile round trip, to arrange monthly food deliveries, to the school in Pignon, that took nine hours and included 4, count them, 4 blown tires! 


A very special note...Jean Ronel is so excited and thankful to everyone that contributed to his college scholarship. He takes off for school in St. Vincent August 28th and will not return to Haiti for two years. It just costs too much to travel back to Haiti for summer or holiday breaks. We will miss him dearly next trip.