Nursery Nirvana

This was our last full-day in Haiti. We stopped by Carmel Wagnac's home. She is the founder of the Nelly's House school lunch program that feeds over 500 schoolchildren each day out in southwest Haiti. Feel free to check out her ministry at http://www.nellyshousehaiti.com/   Carmel is also concerned about the problem of the abandoned elderly. It is not that unusual for the elderly who ceased to be able to assist the family through caring for the grandchildren and such to be cast out. It is a function of poverty, there is just not enough food to go around. So assuming you even beat the odds and live to an advanced age, you might then die of starvation. Carmel currently houses 7 elderly women and pays a lady to cook three meals a day plus a snack. The seven ladies are sleeping in 2 bedrooms (4 beds to a room) but are so grateful to have a safe, clean place to live and not to be hungry. Carmel is out of town at the moment, but we did speak with Michelle, the director of the elderly program and I'm really glad that these ladies have this haven. 

We spent the remainder of the day setting up the orphanage nursery room with the new cribs. We scrubbed all the toys and mats and things were looking pretty good by dinner time. Without a doubt, we worked like dogs. There was a lot of dust and slobber to wipe away. In Haiti, I have learned that it is good to celebrate the small victories and today we celebrated a cleaner nursery. It was our Nursery Nirvana Day.

And speaking of dinner, we thoroughly enjoyed another traditional Haitian dish, black rice with beef sauce along with fried plantain. Life is good. So now we're packing up. All the supplies that we brought down (300 pounds) have been distributed to various organizations. This is the third year that I've been buying artwork and wooden items from Andre. Without a doubt, Andre had a good sales month. Tonight when he parted, he didn't just say "Mesi", he exclaimed "Mesi an pil! (thank you very much!)

The plan is to fly out from Port-au-Prince airport tomorrow at 5:30 via Ft Lauderdale to Chicago. My plan is to post our last day photos sometime this weekend. 

It is now raining pretty hard which will settle the dust.

This is a typical dog that you will see on the streets of Port-au-Prince. He hangs out at the HIS Home gate and would escort us whenever we walked up the hill.



Cherdinor is riding a very clean rocking horse. He was born with a cleft palate which has been surgically repaired. He is beginning to talk. I've been teaching him the phrase "Auntie Linda is my favorite aunt."



Tina and Steve scrubbing the play mats.  

The mats are drying.

These 3 little busters are waiting to be taken to visit with their soon to be adoptive parents. They flew into Port today and will be able to spend a few days with them at a local hotel. The rather glum faces are probably due to the fact that as I was taking this photo, I was blocking their view of a TV cartoon show.

Tina with her latest purchase of wooden trinket boxes. Sadly, I didn't take a photo of Andre who assured us that he was most content. We are very pleased to be able to support Haitian made items. Haiti has a rich history of metal work and other crafts.

Traffic and More Firsts

It was a bit more humid today in Port-au-Prince. We took a ride up toward Petionville to see the wedding dress rental shop that will be opening soon. Things are looking great. We spent a while watching all of the traffic on the main route (I think) from downtown to Petionville. There were lots of tap-taps, trucks, UN SUVs, tankers. I bought some kind of cookie bread from a street vendor. Very interesting - sort of a almond and ginger flavored scone cookie. We finished up all that we could do with the catalogue. Baby Brandon was a bit fussy in his crib, so he sat on my lap while I finished typing up the dress description pages. In the evening we loaded up the truck and drove over to the Habitation Hat Hotel where the kids swam and then we had dinner. We invited 3 of the older girls from the orphanage to join us. Two years ago they were living in tents, today they got to swim in a pool and then have a nice dinner in a restaurant - two things they had never done before. Tina and I ordered Kabrit (grilled goat), another first. It was pretty good. As I write this, a gentle rain is following - hopefully, just enough to settle the pervasive dust, but not enough to cause problems.




When I donned my U of M shirt, then Dana had to change into her MSU t-shirt.



The wedding dress and fancy dress rental store is almost open for business. I understand that they are just waiting for the paperwork to be completed to obtain a business license.

View of the road to Petionville.

Another view. It was busy but the traffic did flow.

James will manage the wedding dress rental store (real name: The Creator's Design Boutique).

Tap-tap. I counted 15 passengers.

I just thought that the bunch of colorful brooms on top of this super-sized Tap Tap was interesting.

Look closely over the truck and you can see the only traffic light that I've seen since I was down by the airport.

Typical side road scene.

Kids in pool at Habitation Hat Hotel.

Today I met Eduardo!

It has been a glorious day in Haiti. We started the day by greeting some cows in the street just outside the guesthouse gate. We then attended opening exercises at TLC Barefoot School and Mr. Nickson, the principal, gave us a tour of the facility. This school enrolls almost 100 children grades pre-school through 8th grade. These children come from very poor families who could not otherwise send their children to school. Public education for all Haitians does not currently exist. Feel free to check them out at http://www.tlcbarefootschool.com/  I can vouch for this place - it is outstanding.  We then walked down to the orphanage and did some traditional division of labor. The guys sanded and painted newly constructed metal crib frames for the nursery. The women worked on setting up a catalogue of over 250 wedding dresses and formal dresses for the formal dress rental shop that is being started to give the older girls in the orphanage some vocational training. To clarify, HIS Home for Children not only houses children that are up for adoption, but also has a separate house for 30 preteen and teenage girls that had been living in the tent cities without family protection. In the afternoon, I was so thrilled to meet the young man that my family is sponsoring. Eduardo just graduated from TLC Barefoot School and is in his first year at high school where he is doing very well. His dream is to become a doctor. His mother passed away from cancer almost 4 years ago and he wants to help others avoid such an early death. His father is a good man who has not abandoned his children and struggles daily to support his family. But for the TLC sponsorship program, this very bright young man would not be able to attend high school - public school is not free. We met at the school after he had finished his classes for the day and had a wonderful chat. Then he invited us to go to his home a couple of blocks away and meet his father - this was huge honor. As I write this, I am still overwhelmed with joy. For less than the cost of the laptop that I am currently using to create this post, Eduardo has the support for one year, one grade closer to his dream. So after that, the rest of the day just floated by. Oh, and another story as to why I love Haiti, last night 3 new guests arrived late in the evening at the guesthouse. One of the men looked at me and said that I looked familiar - turns out that Bryan and I were guests here 2 years ago after the earthquake, but that's a story for another day. One last thing, the city electricity is currently off and the roar of the guesthouse generator engulfs us. In Haiti, it is best not to rely too much on electricity.

Here's the cow.

The kindergarten classroom at TLC Barefoot School.

The 5th grade teacher at the blackboard.

Babies Jameson and Brandon taking their morning nap at HIS Home for Children.

Dana is working on the wedding dress catalogue. The majority of the dresses were donated by a bridal shop in the US. 

Kindergardeners during afternoon recess at TLC Barefoot School.

Eduardo and I. Have I mentioned what a great kid he is!?!

Steve putting the primer on the double-decker cribs.

What's a day in Haiti without an "art" shot?  This is a bougainvillea blossoms in the front yard of HIS Home.

Steve with Damine who lives at the HIS Home older girls house. Steve is her sponsor.

Going Back to School

We spent the day working on craft projects and artwork with the older children ages 6 to 16. These items will be added to the sponsorship packages for HIS Home for Children. Folks, it's hot here, but the nights are delightfully cool.

Loubencia is a flourishing 9 year old. I met her 2 years ago after the quake and while she was very sick, she had a resoluteness of spirit that was a wonder to behold. With that toughness is a capacity for kindness. Yesterday, I watched her as she served glass after glass of water to the toddlers. She holds a special place in my heart.

We attended morning devotions at the HIS Home school. There are two classes taught by Mr. Merton and Mr. Phillym. The kids sang beautifully and from memory.

This lady is employed to do the wash for 30 boys. It's all done by hand. Here it is best to rely on electricity as little as possible.

Madame Franciose cooks lunch for about 40 school children. As you can see, the pot of beans and rice is cooking on top of a propane tank in the kitchen. In Haiti, it is best not to rely on electricity. Rice and red beans is a primary dish here. I have no idea how it is seasoned, but it is delicious.

I'm witih Jullina who has drawn a lovely picture and added a special note to me.

Tina is with her new buddy, Dave. He spent alot of time sitting between us coloring up a storm.

This is the entranceway and courtyard of His Father's House, the guesthouse where we are staying. It is a wonderful oasis for visitors in the Delmas 75 area. Hosts Julie and Garrett vanWagenen have been nothing but wonderfully gracious.

Jinia is decorating a bookmark.

Marie Mica is doing very well in school and I am very hopeful that she will earn her high school diploma. Education is one of the most important keys to development.

Geoff is surrounded by some of the girls in the older girls home as he shows them photos of his home in Michigan and his family. Geoff and his wife have adopted 2 young girls through HIS Home.

A Superbowl Party in Haiti

It was another wonderful day in Haiti. We began the day with worship at Quisqueya Chapel which has an English speaking service. Team member Tina was recruited to play the piano the day before and did a fabulous job. Then it was off to the HIS Home for Children orphanage and ate grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. We worked with some more children on sponsorship packages. Tina and I spent some time with the toddlers who will mob any willing adult with an avalanche of hugs. Via some internet connection, we were able to access the NYC NBC station and watched the Superbowl. It was a bit surreal - attending a Superbowl party in an orphanage in Port-au-Prince.

Tina practicing with Cedric, a gifted guitarist, prior to the service.

Steve is setting up the Thomas the train set for Cherdinor Luc.

Tina working on crafts with Fritzner, Marc-Ely and Daniel.



Dana with 2 month old Jameson.



Our Superbowl party.

Haitii - February 4, 2012 at HIS Home for Children

We had a very productive day at HIS Home for Children. Our primary task was to update the sponsorship packets with new photos, info sheets and crafts Today we finished all of the materials for the newborns and toddlers.  As you can see, we also had loads of fun with the children. To sponsor a child is only a $35 per month commitment. The money goes to the administrative costs for this orphanage. More information can be found at http://www.hishomeforchildren.com/

Dana is assisting one of the boys with a craft. Today was her 17th birthday.



Tina has been so looking forward to holding babies at HIS Home. On her first full day in Haiti, Tina is feeding Brandon.



I am very privileged to be able to sponsor these sisters - Dascheka and Joceline.

Here I am with 2 month old Jameson.

Here are 2 captured geikos in a plastic 2 quart jug.

Here is the 2 quart jug which contains the unlucky geikos held by Sam, Geiko Hunter Extraodinaire, and 2 of his helpers.

This is the new playground that was built within the past year.

Berline has sparkle and spunk.

Tina and Steve are engulfed by the toddlers while one dapper young man models Tina's sunglasses.

Cherdinor is with his buddy, Steve. He is now 4 years old.

Today was a good day in Haiti.

Arrived today in Port-au-Prince

Steve, Tina and I arrived in Port-au-Prince this afternoon. It was the usual chaos at the airport. Hal Nungster met us in the parking lot and we dropped off our supplies - mostly infant formula - at the orphanage. Some old faces, some new faces. Then we were off up the hill to the guest house. We had a delicious Haitian stew. And now am planning on hitting the sack soon.We will be starting early tomorrow at HIS Home for Children working on the sponsorship kits.

No photos today, but should have plenty tomorrow.