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Haiti Adventure: Shot Out of the Saddle, May 9, 2006

It was a beautiful, sunny morning December 1st, as we loaded into the Ford Ranger en route to the American Consulate for Shelton’s visa. We’d met Shelton during a rural clinic in an area above St. Marc called Gadere. He was 6 years old and had advanced glaucoma in his left eye. His condition caused the grayish eye to bulge out like a frog’s eye.

Go to the Haiti Adventure Blog for the rest of the story

Does Size Really Matter? 

Haiti is a small country, but its collective heart and spirit is enormous! Located just 600 miles SE of Miami, Florida, Haiti carries the sad distinction of being the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.

2005 is a landmark year for aid effectiveness. Initiatives were launched to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) aimed at significantly reducing global poverty by 2015. Brain-trusts all over the world have committed in theory to these lofty ideals. The influential are poised and ready to “take it on.”

The number one goal of the MDG’s is to reduce absolute poverty by 50% by 2015. To do this we need to have poverty reduction strategies in place. These strategies must align donors’ assistance firmly behind locally set priorities. This is also a first step in the journey to align NGO’s and others of like passion to focus on common goals.

This will not be an easy task. In order to achieve success at every level, various dynamics must align. These dynamics are the players in every national script, the human drama that constitutes the whole.

Read the rest of the story at
Xanga's FocusHaiti Blog

Thanks from Chavannes Jeune
Port-au-Prince, Haiti  June 8, 2006

Greetings!  Please allow us on behalf of UNCRH to thank you for all your effort and support without which the Party would not be where we are.

(About the UNCRH here.)
(About Jeune here.)

The elections have been a very long and difficult process.  Participating in the formation of the new government was even more stressful.  Today however, UNCRH has gained its place among the four major political parties in Haiti.  Let us remind you that UNCRH is only a little more than a year old. Briefly we are happy to report the following update and progress:

          • 6 Deputies (Congressmen) have been elected under UNION’s banner (2 from OUEST in Croix-des-Bouquets and in Arcahaie, 2 from Sud in Torbeck and Anglais, 2 from Nippes in L’Azile and in Paillant).

          • 2 Deputy Candidates are going to the second round in Sud (Camp-Perrin) and in Ouest (Ganthier/Fond Verette).

          • 2 Senators have elected (Sud)

For strategic and political reasons, Chavannes does not have a cabinet position in the new government but the Secretary General of NCRH; Eng. Claude Germain is the new Minister of Environment.  We are very pleased with this choice.  As you know the environment is a big concern for all of us in Haiti. And we are sure (based on the conversations that we are having with President Preval and Prime Minister Alexis, other strategic positions will be made available to other members of UNCRH as well.  We will keep you posted as more information becomes available.

Finally you should know that we met numerous times with President Preval and his close associates and we have built very good rapport with his government.  On what we have witnessed so far we have no doubt that GOD will use us to make the necessary changes for the next 5 years in Haiti. For 2011, the field is wide open and remains very promising for UNION, for Chavannes in particular as a strong Presidential Candidate and for future candidates of UNCRH in general as well.

May God continue to bless you all and your family in your desire to help the Haitian people!

Regards,
Chavannes Jeune
President of UNION

Crizauld Francois
Secretary of Public Relations and International Coordination

509-424-2904, 509-732-2934

Less poverty, more hope
BY RENE GARCIA PREVAL
Miami Herald
more Herald opinion

Ten years ago, when I became the 55th president of Haiti through democratic elections, little did I realize that 196 years of strife, foreign interventions and poor governance would be so difficult to overcome. Yet even against the odds, our government worked to redress two centuries of inequality. We tried to tackle, with extremely limited means, some of the most daunting problems that have afflicted our country. We built schools, roads and irrigation systems. We initiated a much needed agrarian reform. We confronted the evil of corruption and addressed the dire shortcomings of an ailing judicial system.

Today, I believe, we could have done better.

So when a delegation of peasants urged me in the summer of 2005 to become a candidate for the upcoming elections, my immediate reaction was to decline. But the insistence of my neighbors, whose determination deserved respect, gradually weakened my resistance. I also had become increasingly involved in local projects and aware that successful local programs had to be extended to other distressed localities in Haiti via structured national policies.

Thus, on Feb. 7, nearly two million Haitians braved doomsday scenarios and organizational lapses to send a message to the world: We, too, want to live in peace and dignity and build a better life. They queued in the hot Caribbean sun for hours to demonstrate to the world that violence is not, as it had been too often written and uttered, a "Haitian trait.'' 

Now I have become the 57th president of my troubled nation. Here is a thumbnail sketch of our predicament:

• An astonishing 50 percent of our population lives under poverty line.

• The infant mortality rate is 61 per thousand.

• The unemployment rate affects more than one fifth of our labor force.

• After years of willful neglect, our infrastructures are quasi nonexistent.

The challenges are great. I know that we are a resilient and proud people nurtured by a glorious past, but we have failed to take advantage of many opportunities to turn the tide. Now, we must reconcile and reunite to avoid getting deeper into this abyss in which we find ourselves.

The first thing that the government that emerges from parliamentary elections and I must do is to reach out to all our compatriots across the political and class divides that have paralyzed our country for two centuries. To that end, I have already begun consultations with many leaders of other political parties as well as those from society at large. Their positive response has, thus far, encouraged me to continue that dialogue and work on a positive agenda:

• Develop an environment to attract investments from local entrepreneurs, from Haitian living abroad and from international investors. That environment constitutes a prerequisite for job creation in the private sector. Providing security and building our basic infrastructures are key to that end.

• Create a truly independent justice system and a national police force that serves community interests.

• Restore our environment while affording farmers means to feed our children.

We cannot accomplish much of our goals alone.

While the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti has performed admirably, we believe its composition should be modified so as to focus more on the training and strengthening of our police force and on reinforcing our institutions. We hope that the international community will continue to help us lay the groundwork for a better Haiti.

We are further encouraged by recent reports suggesting that the Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership Encouragement Act, an offspring of an earlier version called Haitian Economic Recovery Opportunity Act, is being once again seriously considered. Introduced by Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, the bill will allow up to 3.5 percent of total U.S. imports to arrive from Haiti duty free, a quite needed boost to Haiti's failing economy.

This will not be a panacea. But it is estimated that the passing of this bill could generate around 80,000 jobs. Jobs need to be created here. And we must do it fast to bring a lasting solution to the endemic violence that has plagued some of our cities.

We also strongly believe that the rich human resources of the Haitian diaspora can be an invaluable asset in rebuilding Haiti. We are appealing to the many Haitians living abroad and working in technology, the environment, health and education to provide our ailing country the resources it needs to recover and flourish.

A brighter future

We are aware that all the assistance in the world cannot make up for poor governance. And, as the state has grown to be the country's largest employer, corruption and lack of efficiency have permeated all levels of government. This must change.

Though ravaged, Haiti is not the wretched land as so often described in the media. It is a land of hope for more than eight million people. I cannot achieve miracles, nor have I been promising any. But I feel I have the responsibility to the Haitian people to open doorways on a brighter future: less poverty, less inequality, more wealth, more hope.

This is why I ran again for president.

René Garcia Préval is president-elect of Haiti.

A song for Haiti's children
By CLAUDINE FAIAS, Lowell (MA) Sun Correspondent 06/03/2006

The children at Hope for the Children of Haiti express their thanks "merci" to St. Margaret's Choir.

LOWELL -- When the members of St. Margaret's Adult Choir raise their voices in song in a benefit concert for Hope for the Children of Haiti on Sunday, June 18, the music will have special meaning for two of its members.

Albert and Patricia (Charron) Jussaume became involved with Hope for the Children of Haiti on a missionary trip nine years ago. Only 17 years in existence, HFC was started by a retired American dietitian, Marion Austin, who visited Haiti. Captivated by the Haitian people and distressed at the suffering, especially the severe malnutrition exhibited by the often-abandoned children, she felt compelled to start her own orphanage in a very needy area of Port-au-Prince.

From the beginning, HFC has remained dedicated to honoring God and sharing the love of Christ with the poor and abandoned in Haiti. Its goal is to see that formerly homeless children become well-rounded adults who will one day play an integral role in improving conditions caused by the grinding poverty and lack of pubic education that cripple Haiti.

To that end, HFC operates a school for children from nursery school through eighth grade. The school provides a quality education not only for HFC residents but also for about 150 children from the surrounding community, many of whom would never have had the opportunity to attend school. Another grade is added each year as the children progress; HFC will eventually offer its children a full education.

HFC also facilitates short-term mission trips to the orphanage for groups of individuals who want to help with the work of the orphanage and to receive the blessings that come from serving others.

That's how the Jussaumes became involved with HFC nine years ago. Back then, the orphanage had 35 children and one floor. They have returned every year on a "vacation" week since then; the orphanage now houses 65 children and boasts a second floor. Thanks to the dedication of volunteers like the Jussaumes, a third floor should be finished this year.

The Jussaumes work as part of a team on the premises, helping with the children and doing the repair, painting and construction work that maintaining the structures to house a large group of children necessitates. Teams work on the school buildings, too, and, when time and energy permit, team members may help build homes for homeless families in the surrounding communities.

Each member is required to provide all trip expenses, as well as the costs of supplies, even construction materials. This year, the Jussaumes are co-leading the trip from June 23 through July 1 with Jean Soucy, owner of Mill City Iron, who is bringing three of his children with him -- daughters Kimberly Gauthier and Celine Soucy and son Nicholas Soucy. Also in the group -- the Third Floor Team -- is Soucy's good friend, Donald Lampron.

Another local member, Dick Morin of Guaranteed Aluminum, is donating all the supplies to screen in the entire orphanage and is sending one of his men to Haiti to help make the screens.

The team members bring with them as much medicine, food, and clothing for the children as they can manage. Since little fresh protein is available in Haiti and the cost of canned fish or meat is prohibitively expensive, the Jussaumes are requesting donations of large cans of meat or fish, which will be collected after Mass at St. Margaret's and at the concert and delivered by them to Haiti.

The trip is not without risk for the Jussaumes and their team members. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the three poorest nations in the world. It is plagued with malnutrition, illiteracy, unemployment and environmental problems. Water is not suitable for drinking or even tooth brushing.

In addition, or, perhaps, as a result of such deprivation, Haiti is also a land of extreme chaos, of social and political instability; it is not unusual to see military personnel fully armed on the streets.

Still, the Jussaumes and their team members are people of faith. For all who have been part of a short-term mission in Haiti, their time in Haiti has served as a spiritual retreat and becomes a means of personal growth. That many team members return again and again to Haiti is testimony that the ability to relieve suffering in even a small way is a reward in itself.

For those who cannot attend the concert or contribute, they ask only for prayers that they accomplish their work, be protected during their trip, and that they all return home safely.

Donations can be sent to Hope for the Children of Haiti, 21 Cummings Park, Suite 278, Woburn, MA 01801. Please indicate that donations are being directed to the work of the Third Floor Team. For more information, visit the Web site at www.hfc-haiti.org.
 

THIS IN FROM Faith in Action International

Thomas Braak
PO Box 171 Spring Lake, MI 49456
(616) 842-8951 Haiti 456-8515 tombraak AT yahoo.com

Growing Food

U.S. scientists are working with Haitians to create a nutritious pellet to feed tilapia. Haitian ponds produce only 10 to 20 pounds of the fish, but could eventually provide 600 pounds. BILL COBB
Sweet and flaky tilapia often graces the dinner tables of Americans, surpassing trout as one of the most popular fish to eat. But in its native tropical habitat in countries like impoverished Haiti, the tilapia often remains a runt - as malnourished as the local people.

Read the rest at the
Christian Science Monitor

MIAMI Charity seeks money for Haitian Girl's heart surgery (May 19, 2006 Tal Democrat)  

A Florida charity is asking for donations to fund a life-saving surgery for a 4- year-old Haitian girl, Pamela Marcellus has large holes between the upper and lower chambers other heart, and two of her heart valves are malformed.

Doctors at Holtz Children's Hospital in Miami say the girl's condition, called complete atrioventricular septal defect, causes blood to flow into her lungs. "From the moment Pamela was born, we knew something wasn't right. She had trouble breathing and eating," said Joane Degan, the girl's mother. "They would give her oxygen, but it had to be shared with other sick children."

The International Kids Fund hopes to raise $60,000 for the surgery Pamela needs, which officials say is not available in the family's hometown, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. "Without treatment, she won't make it. And if she doesn't have the operation soon, the pressure in her lungs will be too high to attempt the surgery," said Dr. Eliot Rosenkranz, director of congenital heart surgery at the University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Medical Center. Pamela's visa expires in October, when she will have to return to Haiti.

The fund seeks to provide medical care for needy children from around the world. Donations for Pamela's surgery can be made through the group's Web site

www.internationalkidsfund.org

  or by calling 1-877-IKF-KIDS or mailing a check or money order with the girl's name to the fund at P.O. Box 012297, Miami, FL 33101.

Faces of Slavery: Haiti's Forgotten Children

There's a dirty little secret in America's backyard. Hundreds of thousands of children are living in slavery in Haiti - taken from their families in the rural villages or given up by desperately poor parents for the promise of a better life in cities like Port-au-Prince, Jacmel or Les Cayes. The promise is rarely kept. Post reporter Ellen Lord went to Haiti with Cincinnatian Jean-Robert Cadet to report on child slaves, who are known as restaveks. Cadet grew up as a restavek. A three-part series.

Read the rest in the
Cincinnati Post

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Courage and hope in Haiti
by Bishop Thomas Wenski 

March 13, 2006
Twenty years have passed since the end of the Duvalier dictatorships, 15 years since Haiti saw its first truly democratic election. Today, however, Haiti still awaits a functioning government.

The Haitian proverb Ki mele pis grangou chen (What concern is it to the flea that the dog is hungry) has too accurately described the failure of Haiti's political class to live up to the aspirations of the Haitian people for democracy.

Read the rest in the
Orlando Sentinel