the scars to prove it

Once, there lived a young man who walked around with his beautiful, perfect heart on display for everyone to see. He showed it off, pointing out its flawlessness. All who met him marveled at the sight until one day he came across a certain old man. This old man also carried his heart where others might see it but his was not new-looking or perfect. It had pieces missing, gaps where ill-fitting pieces had been jammed, stitching, and deep fissures. When he saw this, the young man asked,

"Old man, why would you show off a heart like that one? Look at mine, how perfect and smooth it is." The old man smiled. Slowly, he lifted his heart and began to explain, gesturing with one bony finger,

"Each missing piece, each fissure is where I gave a part to someone else. Sometimes I received pieces in return. Some of those pieces fit and some didn't -- but I kept them anyway. Sometimes I gave pieces away but never got anything in return."

The young man looked down at the smooth sides of his heart, its flawlessness, its constant shape. Tears welled in his eyes. He was overcome with helplessness. Understanding immediately, the old man tore away a generous piece of his heart and offered it to the young man. The young man hesitated but then clumsily tore away a bit of his own heart, making room to fit the offering.

"That's a start," commented the old man and the young man walked proudly away, holding his heart high.

~~~~~~~~~~

I am back from Haiti (for now). I certainly have the scars to prove that I gave it my all: heart, body and soul. My legs are mangled from necessary motorcycle travel, my waist marred by massive jellyfish stings and my heart a bit broken. The leaving was bittersweet -- sad to leave behind the Espwa kids, good friends and meaningful work but ready to start a new chapter of my life. No doubt, I'll be back to visit soon and my work as a volunteer with Espwa will continue on a part-time basis from the States.

Please do keep up with my blog. I will still report on Pwoje Espwa and other events in Haiti on a sporadic but regular basis but the focus will shift to reflect, in photos and words, the goings on of wherever it is I happen to be located.

in their hands

The future of Haiti lies with these young ones.

higher sea levels

This is the most damage that the streets of Les Cayes suffered in the Hurricane Dean aftermath. So far, only a few deaths have been reported throughout the southern department.

just brushed

The eye of the hurricane passed south of the coast of Haiti. Thus far there has been little rain and only tropical storm-force winds. A few trees fell and the water on the beaches rose several feet. The waves are actually quite impressive.

Our kids were all staying in the primary school for the night and are fine.

Hurricane Dean moves off toward Jamaica and has, thankfully, left Haiti relatively unscathed.

before the strike

"Everyone" is watching the progress 0f Hurricane Dean except those in the Department of the South in Haiti. One does not find too many televisions and radios around these parts any how. Locals express incredulity that anything will actually happen (it has, afterall, been over 20 years since Haiti took a direct hit from a major hurricane). The sky is getting grayer -- taking on that yellow color that it often does before major storms -- and the winds are picking up. The vendors are still in the streets, their wares blowing back and forth. The government sent out alerts... but they are not doing much (they really cannot do much).

The market this morning was empty. No one is stocking water. The guy next door is still washing cars. The streets are full of activity.

The UN is doing what is possible in their limited capabilities to aid the local population -- but this is not exactly their mandate. But either way, no one else is here to do anything: preventative relief is not a priority for the global community so funding is nearly non-existant. Aid will come after; already some major huminatarian relief organizations gearing up to fund the "disaster zones."

If Dean comes too close, southern Haiti will suffer greatly -- even without a direct hit.

Hurricane Dean

No doubt about it, a big one's headed our way.

Hurricane Dean.

The Weather Underground has a pretty good series of maps if you care to view.

The sucker's getting bigger... We're just hoping it slips through Jamaica and Haiti and doesn't head north at any point. Otherwise, next week is going to be all about disaster relief.

a little help for some friends

Yesterday, a Uruguayan unit of the military branch of MINUSTAH went to visit St. Flora's orphanage on Ile-a-Vache. We asked them to help us help her by providing some "expertise" and "budget estimates." All morning, as we trooped around the property in the glaring sun, a little train of followers kept us company.
Among many things, the engineer was amazed at the antiquity of a the hand pump being used on the only operational well on the property. The "pump" has little rusted buckets attached to a leather belt, which reaches down 18.5 meters. The buckets splash water into a trough when someone winds the handle. Saying that Sr. Flora operates on a shoe-string is an understatement. Hopefully, with this added expertise, a project proposal that is in the works will bring much needed aid to Sr. Flora's 55 kids.

Ankle-deep in Haitian mud

It rained all night last night and all night the night before that. Now the road leading to the farm is a 1-2 foot river. It's supposed to rain more yet...

Our cleaning lady holds hour-long conversations with the bathroom walls every morning.

stripping away belying smiles

Despite their tragic histories and less than ideal lives, the Espwa kids smile regularly and "fe desod" (act out) on a daily basis. In fact, catching any one of them in a pensive or sullen moment is rather difficult. Perhaps that goes to show how our screen-less and packed homes, three starchy meals a day and boundless, muddy farmland compare to the alternative, which is nothing - less than nothing - or death from starvation. Yesterday, Paige and I went out to try to "capture" some of the kids looking gloomy. We literally had to bribe them with candy -- and even still, we caught far too many smiles! But man, without a cheerful, toothy grin to hide the sorrow, their eyes reveal naked tragedy. They possess memories that no one deserves, let alone kids their age. This little boy (below) did not need any coaxing, however. It would be hard to exaggerate the harsh reality of going through life with one foot -- especially in a place where prosthetic limbs are only a fantasy.

colonial ruins

Colonial ruins in Mercen, Haiti.

Saut Maturine

Rough n' Tumble

Good News From Haiti

"Good news" is a sort of oxymoron in any case but it is especially rare for the Republic of Haiti, over 200 years independent, over 200 years of turmoil, violence and corruption. Lately, enough positive changes have occurred in the security sector, however, that it may be safe to say that today, there is some good news coming out of Haiti. One can only hope that with a bit more stability in the capital and the outlying territories, the government and outside investors will be able to help bring an end to the still rampant poverty.

Under President Renee Preval, elected in 2006, Haiti has begun to see peace in its streets. According to NPR's latest piece on Haiti, the UN stabilization mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) "...has managed to control security because of Preval." Late last year, the president agreed to sign over more authority to the UN mandate, enabling peacekeeping troops to go after gang leaders in the anarchical streets of Cite Soleil.

Figures provided by the U.N. show the dramatic downward trend in the violence nationwide. In January 2006, there were 240 attacks on U.N. troops. Over the past four months, there have been only 12. Kidnappings are down as well: six in June, compared to 162 in December 2005.

The commander in charge of the peace keeping troops, Brazillian Carlos Alberto Dos Santos, is responsible for spearheading this mission. Whether by luck or strategy, the "soccer-mad" Haitian residents of Cite Soleil resisted less to the presences of these foreign soldiers because a majority came from Brazil, a favorite soccer team.

Lourdes Garcia-Navarro of NPR writes,

Furious building is going on at city hall, another sign of improving times. But while everyone concurs that security has improved, Haiti is still a place of abject poverty. There is no fighting, but there also is still no work.

The UN has a mandate to improve public buildings, but foreign aid will have to come from governments as well as private-sector organizations. Less violence and a more stable government infrastructure are the first steps needed toward greater investment. Haiti has a lot of potential; perhaps it is on the brink of realizing some.

Mountains