How do you begin to describe one of the best weeks of your life by trying to squeeze it in to a few short paragraphs? That's the problem -- words can't do justice to the experience that Haiti gives you.
I've said it before and I will say it again: people go to Haiti thinking they are going to work on Haiti, but the reality is Haiti ends up working on you! First, you lay judgement aside and then allow yourself to see the people instead of the poverty. The people are lovely, respectful, strong and resilient. Through it all they continue to carry on and we can certainly learn a lot from them.
Two and a half years after I first visited this remote village and saw a sense of dispair and hopelessness, I returned this month to find seeds of hope and smiles on kids faces. One in particular wouldn't stop smiling...
A few highlights include...We helped paint the new community building that currently serves as both a church and a school for 50 children. We started a new latrine on the school grounds and delivered 200 packs of seeds to help support the community co-op garden.
We visited people in and around the village in an effort to build relationships. During those visits we encountered a woman who had just given birth to her baby at home in her hut three days prior. What a joy to see the baby and congratulate her on her precious gift!
We also met a 65 year old woman who raised 10 children, having all gone off to school and she now cares for her elderly neighbors -- just the way community was intended.
Outside the village we saw walls going up around a church that our partners, New Life Haiti, help support. The construction was made possible through a gift from Church Project in The Woodlands, TX. Our team also was invited to help deliver food to elderly shut-ins, which was a powerful experience. We visited a new hospital for spinal cord patients, many of whom were injured in the 2010 earthquake, then we walked through a Cholera Clinic to learn about what can and is being done to treat victims. Finally, we got to visit the special needs orphanage and see Baby Grace, a mircle baby who survived a severe case of hydrocephalus and is now all smiles.
Another important part of our trip was looking for ways to help connect people in need to whatever local resources may be available. Baby Modelin from our village was born with a cleft palate. Through the efforts of our partnership and Mr. Len Morris, he was able to get the first surgery done to close his lip, however was not strong enough for the second surgery to close his palate. We found a resource for him in Children of The Promise where he has since been taken in and will be cared for until he is strong enough for the next surgery. It seemed so clear that he wouldn't make it if his severe malnutrition was left unchecked. Modelin's parents have hope for him and so do we.
During our trip we took time to meet with all of our Haitian staff who keep things going year round. It helped us gain insight in to how things work and what things should change. This included the Pastor, Community Development Liasion, Teachers, Cooks, and Nurse. We also had the unique opportunity to meet with people who participate in the community co-op garden and a large group of men in whom we recognized some pivotal changes ocurring. Our goal is to come alongside this community to help them identify their strengths and abilities to affect changes based on their own will and determination. Change from the inside out, if you will. Holistic and lasting changes they themselves will continue to carry forward. Last month these men met with an organization called Plant With Purpose (Floresta Ayiti) whose job it was to assess the village for the potential for economic and agricultural growth. The men's response when we talked with them was a simple thank you for helping them see how they could work together and for bringing them closer to God. It was the breakthrough we had hoped for and a powerful message from the village leaders.
Despite all the encouraging things we witnessed during this week, we know there is still much work ahead. In the coming months we hope to build a new kitchen (the old one hardly qualifies as a kitchen!), connect with groups who might be able to help build a bridge over the river that isolates villagers during the rains, start an adult education class for the illiterate men and women in the community, and explore ways to get more of the village kids in school. There are an estimated 70 kids who are not attending school, but after researching the National School we have learned that with a simple uniform and school books/supplies, many of these kids could be admitted. I hope people feel empowered by knowing that $100 could send a child in Haiti to school for a year!
The Embrace Haiti team is made up of many people just like you who give their time, talents, and wisdom to a project that wouldn't be what it is without them. We are eternally grateful!
God Bless,
Dea Taylor
