Where He leads...: January 2013

People often ask me what the food is like in Haiti. In one word... delicious!! I love the food here. And during an extended stay, if you're not careful, you could easily pack on the pounds! The food here is carb-heavy. That's great for the energy needed to climb these mountains, I'm just hoping I balance it all out properly so that I'm able to burn all those calories!

I definitely have some favorites (griot, papitas, kinnips) and I'm typically craving this or that. Here's a photographic list of some typical dishes, snacks, and drinks you can enjoy here.

During the week, our excellent cook Jolina prepares breakfast and lunch. For dinner, we heat up leftovers. The menu each week is often the same, but I love everything she cooks! When lunch is ready, she puts it on the dining table upstairs and we dig in. This particular day we had mayi moulin (a cornmeal porridge, similar to grits or polenta) with bean sauce, beef and legim (a thick vegetable stew typically including eggplant, cabbage, carrots, chayote, onions, garlic, and whatever else she wants to throw in there).

Here's what it looks like on the plate. After a few bites I generally start mixing it all together.

Chicken and rice is probably one of the most popular dishes in Haiti. Many Haitians eat nearly the same thing every day. If Lesly had his way, he would have diri and poul (rice and chicken) every day. This meal was served with a potato salad as well. Often meals will come with pikliz, a very spicy slaw type dish made of cabbage, carrots, vinegar, and peppers. Pikliz can be eaten by itself, or with the rice or whatever to add some spice.

Meals often come with a salad (sadly there is typically no dressing) and fried plantains.

Fish is a common find in restaurants. I typically do not like fish with bones, but I've learned to carefully pick through and find good meaty pieces without biting into a bone.

With all the fruit trees around, you can often get fresh juice. Jolina makes it most every day. I never know exactly what kind it is... I'll taste hints of orange, grapefruit, passionfruit. It's always good, but they typically add lots of sugar. Sometimes too much.

Here's some cherry juice and passionfruit juice we ordered at a restaurant. I also love papaya juice. They typically put milk and sugar in it. First time I heard about the milk, I thought that sounded gross but it's actually delicious! I always ask for papaya juice anywhere I go, though they rarely have it so it's a real treat when I find it!

This is Haitian hot chocolate. It was also loaded with sugar, but it was really yummy and had a very unique flavor. It's made by crushing up fresh cocoa. There's probably some condensed milk in there too!

We went to a restaurant last week and they served a proper salad--with dressing! It was delicious! Look at those tomatoes! The dressing was a vinaigrette.

I ordered chicken pasta that could give Olive Garden a run for its money! Granted, I rarely get anything like this in Haiti, so when I do, it tastes extra good!

I love pizza!! They have a great pizza place in Port-au-Prince so every once in a while I'll splurge and get some. I heard there is a new pizza place in Leogane, so I'll have to give it a try soon.

Kinnips are a unique summer fruit here. I always look forward to kinnip season! They are like nothing I've ever had before. Similar to grapes I guess, but the way you eat them is very interesting. I also enjoy mango season though I recently learned I'm actually allergic. Sad! :(

Kinnips have a very big seed in the middle and the fleshy outside does not cleanly detach from it. You break open the peeling and pop them in your mouth. You mostly enjoy the sweet juice of it, then you just roll it around on your tongue and use your teeth to get as much of the meat off of it as you can. After that you spit out the seed.

Papitas are thinly sliced and fried plantain chips. I first had them in Ghana. I used to get them every time I saw anyone carrying them in Haiti. I don't crave them as much anymore, but I do still love them.

Fresh roasted Haitian peanuts!

I bought some popcorn kernels and learned how to pop it on the stove. First time went well enough!

Some other common foods to savor in Haiti...

Griot: deliciously seasoned fried pork. Sometimes it's like a thick pulled pork you could make into a sandwich and sometimes they are more like bite-sized clumps of pork. Both are yummy though all quite unhealthy I suppose!

Tchaka: A thick soup with hominy, beans, and pumpkin. It's quite unique and very yummy!

Spaghetti: Haitians love their spaghetti almost as much as they love their rice and chicken! Spaghetti can come a number of ways, and is often eaten by Haitians for breakfast. They'll top it with ketchup or mayonnaise (oftentimes both). Sometimes they'll add hotdogs or salami. I've eaten it nearly any way that it comes, and I always like it. But I enjoy it most with tomato paste and salami, though you can't find the salami in Haiti anymore. It was imported from the Dominican Republic, but a rumor started spreading that it was poor quality. I still loved it!

"Maggi" boullion cubes: Seemingly used in just about every Haitian dish!

Pate: A common snack here, it's like a meat pastry. I love them. The bread it flaky and crispy. You can buy 4 for $1 on the street.

Okra: Typically cooked as a sauce with carrots. It's good, but it's very slimy. Not quite like my great grandmother's fried okra, though we did fry some up once and it was pretty good!

As for dessert, I haven't really had any authentic Haitian desserts. They sell ice cream and popsicles on the street. They're not too bad. Mostly I just buy packaged cookies either on the street or in the store. They are good and fresh and typically enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. Then there is the occasional find/splurge of Nutella and pretzels or DoubleStuf Oreos! :)

And that concludes your food tour of Haiti. Though not an exhaustive list, it gives you the basic idea of what the options are here and what I'm eating the most of. If you come visit, you can try some of these dishes. If you're a picky eater, I'm sure you could still be satisfied enough during a short trip. There's definitely something for everyone down here!!

Children's Nutrition Program wears many hats, but all with the same focus... To raise a healthy generation of children who can in turn help raise Haiti out of its impoverished situation. I've already blogged about a couple of their nutrition programs. Now I'll tell you about one of their Safe Water efforts.

But before I do... let's answer a couple questions... Why is safe water so important in Haiti? And why is an organization called Children's Nutrition Program putting so much effort into a safe water program? A good answer can be found on CNP's website:

"Diarrhea and malnutrition have a strong connection in children. Malnutrition may predispose a child to diarrhea, and diarrhea can aggravate malnutrition. Diarrhea often persists much longer with malnourished children and with a greater severity resulting in a higher mortality rate. In a country where 30 percent of deaths of children under fiver are caused by diarrhea, ensuring access to clean water and providing guidance on good hygiene practices save lives."

CNP helps teach families safe water practices, we've installed over 100 biosand filters in schools and homes throughout the Leogane area, and we're currently finishing up a latrine pilot project in Chevrine. The latter is where I've spent a bit of time these past couple of weeks. Like most of the areas where we work, Chevrine is up in the mountains surrounding Leogane. A vehicle can only take you so far before you're forced to hike the rest of the way. There was a road that ran along the river, but Hurricane Sandy took it out. The first time we went, we walked quite a ways along the riverbed before we even reached the foot of the mountain path. The river isn't typically that deep this time of year, but the current is still very strong. It's easy to lose your footing and you could be in more trouble than you realize. During the rainy season, many lives are lost trying to cross these rivers.

Hiking through these mountains is an interesting thing. On the one hand, I'm amazed by the fact that this is actually "my job"! Someone is telling me that I have to spend my work day in the hills of God's creation. I love it! On the other hand, it's a bit crazy to realize that the very mountains you see all around you are what you are about to climb up and over and up and over and up and over again! To look out at them, it's both beautiful--and exhausting! And I suppose if I had a third hand, all the while I'm processing the fact that although I love to hike and be in nature, I do it mostly for recreation and by choice... and yet, the people I'm passing on the trail are doing it out of necessity and survival. There's no running water up in these mountains. No electricity. No supply stores. Schools and clinics are usually 1-2 hours away. You've got your own two feet, maybe a donkey or horse if you're extra blessed, and maybe a couple kids--if they're old enough... at least 5 or so--to help out. Perhaps your children are the ones who aren't able to go to school because 1) you need them to help with basic household chores and 2) you really can't afford it anyway. Even though every day on their way back up the mountain, carrying a heavy bucket of water or leading the mule, they see the other children in their uniforms, somehow getting the blessing (for now) of an education. (Though in reality, how good of an education is it really?)

But the views are incredible. And I try to soak it all in on my way up. I can already feel myself getting stronger with each hike. I love the variety of my internship here. Being in the mountains and getting to know these communities will definitely be a highlight of my year!

We finally reach Regina's house in Chevrine. Regina is one of our monitrices, a community nutrition worker who has been trained to help her own community lead healthier lives for themselves and their families. Chevrine was chosen as the location for our pilot latrine project. Thanks to the sponsorship of the Chattanooga Breakfast Rotary Club, we've been able to install 50 latrines in Chevrine. These latrines are designed to also help toward reforestation in Haiti. They're called "Arborloos". After the initial latrine spot is filled, the base, frame and handwashing system are moved to another site and a fruit tree is planted in its place. Here's Regina showing off her completed latrine. I can personally attest to the fact that its much easier and more sanitary than a latrine-less situation. :)

Regina's house

While several of the latrines are completely finished, all that is left on the rest is to complete the seat. We've spent a couple days in Chevrine helping out.

A square form is made and concrete is poured around the bucket in the middle...

After a couple days, the bucket is removed and you begin to construct the edge of the seat.

The last step will be to flip them over and construct a concrete rim for the top and voila! The toilet seat is ready to be placed onto each latrine.

Of course while we're there, I get the wonderful opportunity to meet and spend time with Regina's family and others in the community. This is what I love the most!! It's easy for all of us to get sucked into the tasks of the day, but the most important thing in the end is the relationships we're building and the impression we're leaving on others. I pray that my time in Chevrine and with CNP in general, yields fruit of a year well spent loving on people and empowering them to transform their lives both in Haiti and for eternity.

This is Regina's sister Veronik. A skilled seamstress who in this photo is fixing the button on my pants! :)

When Children's Nutrition Program began its work in Leogane, Haiti in 1998 the acute malnutrition rate was 24%. By 2011, that number dropped to less than 3%. Even though I'm only in week one of my year long internship with CNP, I'm already so proud of the great work they've done, are doing, and will continue to do. And I'm excited because this is such a wonderful opportunity for me. In just a few days, I've learned A LOT about the issues Haiti faces in regards to nutrition and how to work within the communities to make a difference and literally save the lives of thousands of children. As I've said before, nutrition and safe water are not fields in which I have loads of experience but they are in the forefront of everyone's mind whether you are living as a local or working as a foreigner in a developing country.

There are many statistics available telling a sad story about Haiti... for children under 5 years old half are malnourished, 18% are moderately or severely underweight, 25% of infants have a low birthweight, and so on. Nutrition often takes a back seat to other programs such as those combating AIDS, malaria, TB and so on. It's also difficult to make strides in any country where there is limited local government involvement and resources. But I'm encouraged to see so many Haitians here who believe in the work of CNP... from the staff to the volunteers and from the community leaders to the families.

This week I'm spending my mornings with the Supplemental Food and Outpatient Therapeutic Programs. Children in the community are regularly monitored through this program. They each have a file to keep track of their weight, height, health issues, etc. The Supplemental Food Program (PNS) treats moderate acute malnutrition and come for an appointment with our CNP staff about every two weeks. They receive a nutritional supplement called Plumpy Nut or Plumpy'Sup in addition to the balanced meals we encourage the families to provide daily. The Outpatient Therapeutic Program (PTA) is for children who are too ill to be rehabilitated through the Supplemental Food Program. Again, they may be given the nutritional supplements, or if they have further complications they may be immediately referred to a stabilization center. Currently the closest one is 40 minutes from Leogane. I'm enjoying getting to know our staff and volunteers and trying to learn as much as I can about CNP's nutrition programs. There is a set protocol to be followed as for what children can be admitted into the programs, when they meet criteria to be discharged, etc. I'm hoping to absorb all of this information as quickly as possible so I can serve most effectively in my role as a CNP intern. I love getting to see all of these precious children, but it is also heartbreaking to realize what they are up against, starting in this harsh world with so many disadvantages already. But these mothers and obviously the CNP staff seem determined to change their fate. I'm confident that these programs can continue to make a lasting impact on these families and raise up a generation of healthy children who can be leaders in their communities.

Here are some photos from my morning with PNS and PTA.

Everything happens in this tent. Yesterday I was thinking, "It's pretty cool in here," but today we were all roasting... The "waiting room" is under the tree to the right of the tent. You can barely make out the people there.

As you can imagine, this is the point when many of the babies start crying. From there they go to a wooden measurement device and cry some more.

Every once in a while you see a child, like this one, who realizes, "Hey, this is pretty fun!!" I love watching all of the different reactions.

Measuring height for those under 2 years old

Measuring mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC)

Volunteer mothers in each of the communities CNP serves regularly teach their own communities about good nutrition practices, breastfeeding, hygiene, preparing balanced meals, etc.

Plumpy Nut (for severe malnutrition) and Plumpy'Sup (for moderate acute malnutrition) are perfect for providing instant nutritional supplements. They can be consumed directly from the packets and do not run the risk of spoiling.

This little girl was brought in this morning from the mountains. Even though her measurements were good, she had other issues that warranted admission to the program and immediate action to get her well.

This is the kind of face I love to see and hope to see more of as more and more children continue to improve through the PNS and PTA programs.

Well, I've officially moved into my new home here in Haiti! After all the months of preparing, I can't believe that I'm actually here, settled in, sitting on my bed, and ready to begin a new chapter of ministry with Children's Nutrition Program. I love the CNP house! This is the fourth place I've lived in Haiti, not counting short visits elsewhere, and I think I love this house the most. I suppose there were bits of each place I enjoyed... I loved staying right on the beach with Samaritan's Purse. I loved the bigger "yard" and big social area at the God's Planet Guest House. I loved the air-conditioned dining room and kitchen at the Georgia House. And here at the CNP house... I love my bedroom. It suits me. And I really love all of the social areas throughout the house. If I want privacy, I can shut myself in my bedroom (for as long as I don't have a roommate anyway), or I can spread out and read or chat in the sitting area upstairs or at one of the two balcony/patio areas outside.

I know my family especially would love to see where I'm living to get a better idea of my life here, so I figured I'd go ahead and give everyone the grand tour!

With my back against the perimeter wall, I had to take two photos and merge them together to get this exterior view. There is not much of a yard, but there are several fruit trees and a small garden.

Look at all this stuff!! I brought with me from the U.S. the 6 items you see in the front... the two suitcases on the left, the laptop bag, the smaller duffel on the right, the rubbermaid container, and the stuff sack with the blanket I'm using to try to make the mattress softer. :) The stuff in the back I either left behind last summer or when I came in November. It's an insane amount of stuff and more than I truly need, but I decided to bring as much as I could for myself and others and hopefully I will be covered for most of the year. It's not easy or cheap to buy things here and I can't receive care packages. Ok, I'm done defending my over-packing! :)

My nest. I love it! It's colorful and perfect for me. :)

I like to be organized. My parents may disagree as my room generally looks like a tornado hit it--and hit it again! But the truth is, I'm a bit OCD when it comes to organizing. I want everything to have a place. If it doesn't have the perfect spot, I will just leave it lying around. So I tried to come prepared with storage boxes, organizers, and baskets so everything can have a home and I'll keep my sanity and a clean living space! I highly recommend over-the-door organizers for anyone living in tight quarters.

My "closet". My boss Kerry and her husband hung this up for me. Love it! I brought a pop-up hamper and the Rubbermaid container gives me an extra and sturdy storage space.

I will likely have a roommate at some point this year. Their side of the room mirrors mine and we will share the hanging "closet".

This is the seating area upstairs. Great for reading, watching movies, chatting, having meetings, etc.

One of the balcony patio areas. We often eat our meals out here.

Another shot of our eating and hanging out space. The second and smaller balcony is on the back of the house. You can kind of see it in the background.

Our view from the balcony. The cars enter the gate you can see with the pointed top. There's an empty lot across from us and on one side. Otherwise, there are houses all around. We are just down the street from Medecins San Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) and one street over from where I lived last summer.

The kitchen. I've been drinking from the Tiva Water filter to the left of the stove, not pictured. I met our cook, Jolina, when I stayed here in November. She's so sweet and an excellent cook. She cooks our meals during the week and we warm up leftovers at night and on the weekends (or do a bit of our own cooking on the weekends). There are a few restaurants around so that's an option from time to time, though the menu would be much the same as I'm eating here. The main office area is that part past the kitchen and there's another conference type room to the right of it. There's also an office near the right corner of this photo where Kerry and her husband have their desks.

This will be my office area. We may brainstorm a new office floor plan, but for now, this is where the action will happen!

The grand tour would not be complete without showing you another important room. Although I have found myself in some quite interesting bathroom situations in Haiti, I'm blessed to have a "normal" bathroom here. The showers are cold, though mid-afternoon the water might be warmer from the tank sitting on top of the roof. I typically don't mind the cold showers because I'm so hot and dirty and just happy to be getting clean!

And finally, I figured I'd include an important duo who come with the house. Kerry's son Shaun and their dog Lacy. Lacy is a 10 year old rescue that they just got from Chattanooga last year and shortly after brought to Haiti. Needless to say, she's quite timid but we're already friends. Shaun is a ball of energy, so sweet, sharp as a tack and already multi-lingual... English, Creole, French, Spanish... and probably some others he's yet to tell me about!

So that's the tour! If I could, I'd let you feel the heat, smell the smells, hear the sounds, and taste the awesome food but for that... you'll just have to come and visit!! You're welcome anytime! :)

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