Excited and a bit nervous. That’s the best description for how I felt when my boss told me a few weeks ago that I’d soon be spending a work week in the mountains… leaving early Monday morning and returning on Friday. The task: Overseeing that our mobile nutrition program gets off to a good start.

If I am asked whether I like to camp—having grown up near the Smoky Mountains (and proud of it!)—my answer is instinctively yes… though I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve camped for longer than one night at a time. Hiking has always been an enjoyable hobby of mine, though the hiking I’m used to back home is a bit different than what I’m growing accustomed to here. For starters, there are a lot more trees in the mountains of Tennessee as opposed to hiking in the direct Haitian sun, the paths are generally better maintained, and though I’ve been on some lengthy hikes back home, most are quite leisurely and include a picnic near a waterfall as a reward.

I’ve been anticipating “the week in the mountains” with excitement, realizing that it will be a great personal challenge—dealing with the unknowns of how long and difficult the paths will be, what it will be like sleeping in the homes of our monitrices, bathing, eating, “bathrooms”, and so on. And I’ve been anticipating “the week in the mountains” with a bit of nervousness for those very same reasons. I consider myself to be a strong, flexible, and adaptable person… but this would be a great test of those characteristics.

Monday morning at 5am I set off with Mismerique, our nurse who has been training with our nutrition program for a month and a half in preparation for her to take on the project of reaching the remote mountainous areas of Leogane with our nutrition clinics. My boss Kerry’s husband Lionel also went with us as additional support. We were dropped off by the riverbed at the foot of the mountain leading to Chevrine. And from there we began our ascent by foot. Each day we would set up our nutrition clinic at a different location.

Monday = La Tournell
Tuesday  = Campam
Wednesday = Degendre
Thursday = Ti Harpon

(And I found out on Tuesday that instead of coming home on Friday, we’d be able to be picked up Thursday afternoon and head on back.)

This is the route that Mismerique will be traveling every week. Although as the rainy season is fast approaching, we will reverse her route so that she will start at Ti Harpon (high altitude) and end at the riverbed, so she won’t have to risk crossing the river on her own before daybreak.

My job was to ensure Mismerique had all she needed for each clinic, to take copious notes describing our travel, the locations, how the clinics went, the problems we ran into, our time in the homes of the monitrices, etc.

In a week’s time we hiked a total of 7 hours, rode motos on rough mountain terrain for over an hour, saw over 80 children, and admitted over a dozen of those into our nutrition program. A couple children were so undernourished they were referred to the stabilization center, though it is difficult for the mothers to actually get their children there as it is so far and they often have other children at home to care for as well. While I was encouraged by the many children who we found to be in good nutritional health, there were many that are definitely in need of our program. I’m so thankful for CNP’s programs and for our ability to extend our services to these mountain regions.

Mismerique, our traveling nurse!

 
For our first two locations we had sent supplies up by mules. The final two spots are reachable by vehicle. 

On Tuesday we woke before the sun, started our hike with my dim flashlight, and kept climbing and climbing and climbing. Despite my exhaustion, I managed to enjoy the spectacular sunrise as best as I could. See that white patch in the distance? That's the riverbed where we started our hike on Monday!

Word of mouth, referrals by our monitrices, and apparently this guy with a megaphone = some of the ways people in these mountain regions hear about our mobile nutrition program!

The children are weighed, measured, and compared against the "norm". If they meet criteria either by being underweight for their height or by having a mid-upper arm circumference measurement below a certain number, they meet criteria for our program, begin treatment from our Plumpy'Sup or Plumpy Nut (peanut butter type supplement), and come for regularly scheduled follow-up visits until, hopefully, they are discharged from the program.


This is one of the children we saw who was especially underweight. He has a number of other health concerns as well, but getting him to the stabilization center is the first step. We hope the mother will actually take him there. 
Like most kids, they don't appreciate all the poking and prodding! We get a lot of tears and occasionally some screamers!

  
We ate WELL all week! The monitrices are all excellent cooks and had a feast for us each night. My body appreciated the refueling!

Always interesting to experience the various "bathroom" situations in Haiti, especially in the mountains. We had everything from a hole in the ground to a bucket beside our bed. I've learned that any latrine with some kind of a seat is a luxury.
  
Our "shower" at one of the homes. This was the only time I "properly" got clean with soap and water. Despite some peeping toms, I made it work. Other than that... baby wipes. They are my best friend for weeks like this!!!

Best part of the week? So many cute kids everywhere!! 

Spending my last night in the mountains lounging around with a little pudge. We sat like this for probably 30 minutes. Love him! 
Yesterday four of us went to Petit Goave (about 45 minutes away) to witness some final Carnival celebrations. Carnival is celebrated in Haiti for several weeks leading up to Mardi Gras. They have parades, floats, masks, beautiful and interesting costumes, food vendors, street dramas, and music... lots of music. It's everywhere and it's loud. It's blasting from parked cars, restaurants, and sound systems on the floats. Supposedly the first Carnival was celebrated in 1804, the same year Haiti was liberated from France. Some of the parades have kings and queens, similar to what you'll see in the Mardi Gras parades of New Orleans. 

 Up until yesterday I'd yet to witness any of the events and parades. Honestly, I've never been that interested because big crowds of people gathering in Haiti isn't typically my cup of tea. But our new intern Molly wanted to at least experience a bit of Carnival, so we decided to see what festivities were left. Had we thought about it in advance, we should have tried to go to Jacmel, which is known for it's colorful parades, street dancing, and good music. But we waited too late and missed out on going there. All that was left outside of Port-au-Prince (no way) or Cap-Haitian (too far) was Petit Goave. 

 We took a crowded mini bus from Leogane to Petit Goave, which costs 50 gourdes per person (around $1.25US). We found our hotel, put down our bags and headed for downtown. Around dusk, the festivities begin at the top of town and end downtown. We grabbed some griot, barbecue and fried plantains for dinner and waited. There were brightly colored decorations everywhere. A group of security guys on power trips were keeping the peace--mostly just turning that section of the street into a pedestrian path for the parade, directing the motos to another route. The power went out while we were waiting on our food so we just sat in the dark and chatted. It was about 7:30pm when we finished eating. There were more people around but not much was happening yet so we decided to start walking back towards the hotel until we found some moto taxis... that way we'd at least be walking distance to the hotel whenever we were ready to call it a night. We were told it would be another 2 hours before the parades would reach us. After walking for about 15 minutes, we met the parades. We stood by and watched. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get great photos because there wasn't much lighting and there were people everywhere, but I tried. After they passed, we took some motos back towards the hotel and stood around and listened to music and people-watched for a bit longer. Once back at the hotel we climbed on the roof for an aerial view. "Blasting" doesn't even begin to describe the music. I'm surprised any of us were able to fall asleep... some did better than others!

 Here are a ton of photos to give you a better glimpse into Petit Goave's Carnival...











Street vendors selling jewelry

Watching a game of Lawoulet (similar to what we know as Roulette)


350... for 350 years since the founding of Petit Goave

Molly found a little buddy to dance with. Those tiny kids can sure shake their tiny hips!

The view from the roof of the hotel. They had a VERY good sound system... :/
I've always thought it would be fun to teach the kids in Haiti how to make earrings. Especially since making jewelry is how I spend a large chunk of my time when I'm in the States. God dropped this talent into my lap during the summer of 2005, after my friend Tiffany gave me a pair of earrings she had made. That turned into me, her, and Jenny immediately going to Hobby Lobby to buy more earring making supplies, and that day has since evolved into my little jewelry making business--well, more like a support raising venture for missions. Since I moved to Haiti for a whole year, I've had to take down my website and put my jewelry making and sales on hold, but bringing some supplies to Haiti for the kids is a great way for me to continue my hobby and share it with others. 

Last Sunday I asked Pastor Jean Marc if he and the kids would be interested in me teaching them how to make earrings. They have a little wall under the pavilion with simple beaded necklaces and braided bracelets. The kids make them and they are on display for any volunteer teams that come through and may want to buy them. So I assumed they enjoyed doing this sort of thing. And my assumption was correct. There was no hesitation, they wanted to learn.

So today was our first class. I've been anticipating it all week. I had a basic plan, knowing which beads and supplies we'd be using, but I didn't have many expectations for how it would go. I think that had I had expectations, they would have been met and exceeded. The kids did such a great job! They didn't grab, argue, or complain. They were patient to wait for each other and follow each step. I think what warmed my heart the most was when we were getting started, Pastor Jean Marc was the first to pull his chair up to the table beside me. He had a big smile on his face and said, "I'm ready to learn!" 

I taught them how to do a basic earring design with a headpin. The beads were all mostly the same, just different colors. I showed them how to check the hole of their big bead to see whether it would slide off the headpin and if it did, to add a small bead below it. The finishing of the earring was the most difficult part as I expected. I had brought a couple of each tool but I really need more for it to be a more productive experience. But we made it work. Some of the kids got the hang of cutting, bending, and securing the hook. I told them that if they didn't want to do that part, to bring their nearly finished earrings to me and I'd put the hook on. Thankfully I had brought a piece of styrofoam from buying cucumbers at the grocery store and it served as a great mid-process earring holder. Several took me up on the offer to finish theirs up and that helped speed things along a bit. There were only a couple I went behind and fixed, all the rest were good enough. 

It's interesting what we observe about ourselves during times like these. That description I just used... "good enough"... that's a difficult one for me sometimes. I tend to be a perfectionist. Good enough is never as good as it could be. And I typically prefer the "good as it can be" category. I had a few private discussions with myself today, telling myself that these earrings did not have to be perfect. They didn't have to go through Hannah's quality control. They'll all hold up, be fine, and make someone's ears look extra fabulous one day... regardless of whether they have the perfect twist or closure. The point of today was to show these kids something new and to spend time with them. Although I was careful we didn't waste supplies or things got dropped on the ground, I reminded myself to relax when 3 tiny and eager hands were in my bead box at the same time. The kids were having a great time and taking such pride in their work and that's what matters!

All in all they made 38 pairs of earrings today! A wonderful success! I'm so proud of them and I made sure they knew it. I had brought along earring cards I'd made for them to hang the finished earrings on. One design has a photo of one of the little girls on it and the others are more plain in a variety of colors. I called them "Hope Designs" and each card says that the earrings are made by the kids at Children of Hope Orphanage. Pastor Jean Marc said they'll make a little shelf or display under the pavilion where volunteer teams can see them when they come. I hope they'll be a hit, because it will be a great way for the orphanage to bring in some much needed income. Their two biggest needs right now are for food and paying the teachers at the school. I'm worried about the health of some of the kids. I am happy to report that Children's Nutrition Program sent two of our staff on Wednesday to do a basic nutrition check for each of the children. The good news is that none of the kids met the criteria for our Outpatient Therapeutic Care program (for severely malnourished children), but I suppose the flip-side of that is because they didn't meet criteria, there's not much CNP can do to help them. If they had met criteria, we could have given those particular children a peanut-butter like food supplement. A couple of the children would have met criteria for our Supplementary Food Program (for moderately malnourished children) except it's only for children 5 and under. So... it's back to square one with the nutrition issue. Yay, they are not severely malnourished, but they definitely aren't getting all the nutrients they need and you can tell that just by looking at some of them. We may at least be able to provide them with a multi-vitamin they can add to their food or drinks.

But back to the earrings... Lesly helped take pictures while we were busy working, so I'll share them with you now. I look forward to our next jewelry making session and I hope to hear a good report from Pastor Jean Marc that some are being purchased. I'll have to send some back to the States as well to sell for them. And I hope to have some more tools and supplies brought down as well as these won't last the year. But for now, we'll keep having fun with it! Who knows, maybe one day one of these kids will want to do this as their little "ti-business". :)


Picking out which beads they want to use

Mari-France learning how to finish the earrings and put the hook on
  
Jackenson was a very focused worker today and is always helping the younger ones

Rosevelt (in the black shirt) was my assistant. He kept taking my stash of tools, so finally I decided to do the cutting and bending and he could do the fastening. It was a great system. :)

Pastor Jean Marc probably wins the best student award. He had as much fun as anyone, though we joked that some reading glasses may have helped.


 
Esther showing off her nearly completed pair.
  
I'm sure the little ones wanted so badly to participate. They behaved well though and just stood by the table and observed.

The photo earring card has Minourah's picture on it. She got a kick out of that.

A good day's work!

The kids wrote their names on the backs of the cards after their earrings were finished. Pastor Jean Marc went back through to make sure every kid was represented. He even wrote the little ones' names on some of them so they wouldn't feel left out. :)

Vania is proud of her design!

Great day, wonderful students! I couldn't feel more blessed to get to spend time with these precious kids!

 This photo makes me smile. 

 I look at her bright eyes. Her toothless grin. The wonder and curiosity she has when she looks at me. A moment like this can bring such joy to my heart!

 Yet seeing this child also brings sadness. The ragged shirt, too big for her petite body. Her barefeet running on the rough ground. I think of her struggles, disappointments, dreams, fears...

 I don't know the story of this particular little girl. She lives at an orphanage at least full- or part-time. She's one of thousands of children here in Haiti not living with her biological family. Maybe her mother has died and her father was never in the picture. Maybe both her parents have passed away. Or maybe her family feels unable to care for her and hopes someone else can provide her with "more".

 Ever since my first mission trip, to Peru when I was 14, I've had a special place in my heart for orphans. I remember spending time at two different orphanages, letting the little ones sit on my lap, and trying to love on them as much as I could in the short time we were there. In college, I went on a mission trip to San Francisco. We spent some time with a ministry that helps homeless families, particularly women with children. They had a daycare for the kids while the mothers were out working or trying to find jobs. I fell in love with an energetic boy named Taz. That was over 10 years ago, we were only there for a few days, yet I will never forget him. From that trip, my love for orphans expanded to a love for orphans and vulnerable children.

 There's yet to be a set definition for the term orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). Some organizations define it within the setting of being affected by HIV/AIDS. I'll chose to use a broader definition, where an orphan is any child who has lost one or both parents and a vulnerable child is one who either lives with family members or not and based on context is in a state of vulnerability due to illness of caregiver(s), poverty, inadequate clothing or shelter, limited access to education or medical services, and so forth.

 Since my call to full-time missions in 2005, I've spent a significant amount of time in ministry serving OVCs. I lived in Matamoros, Mexico for over three months and spent two days a week at "Esther's", a children's home for OVCs, though most were in the vulnerable children category. Many of their parents were incarcerated or in rehab, thus the children were forced to live at a home that struggled but did their best to provide for their needs. During my 18 months in Namibia, I served with Family of Hope Services, a locally run organization that helps 450 OVCs in the township of Katutura. And throughout my 8 months in Haiti, I've been involved with 9 different orphanages and visited several others. I will always gravitate towards this type of children's ministry.

 And this is where my new journey with OVCs begins... 

 Since last year, God has been speaking to my heart about ministry, specifically ministering in the developing world. There are so many needs here, most of the ones I focus in on are the needs of the children. And not just the children alone, but the families as a whole. Caring for completely abandoned orphans is one thing... the children who have no one else to turn to... but what about orphans who still have extended family that loves them and wants to care for them? And the "vulnerable children"? Those who still have one or both parents living but are in desperate situations that may only get worse without some help. What about children living in orphanages whose parents live just around the corner? Not an uncommon thing. 

 I truly am on a journey. Every day I'm learning something new. And I love that. I want my eyes, ears, and heart to always remain open. To be willing to see, hear, and feel... and change and adapt as I learn and grow. So this is me learning, changing, adapting, growing...

 And here's my first question... why orphanages? I understand a place is needed for children who have nowhere else to go. Yes, let's open doors and let them in. But have we become a little too eager? A little less selective in this whole process? Have we quickly assumed that orphanages are the "end all, be all" solution to the problem in say, Haiti? (I suppose since my focus is in Haiti at the moment, I'll limit my thoughts to this country, but the issue is a global one.) Since the earthquake, and perhaps even before, it's as if every church in America has decided to rush to Haiti and build an orphanage. And I've really struggled with that lately. Now hear me out, I'm not saying I have all the answers, and I'm not going to start judging every orphanage that has some North American church, individual, or group lending a hand. I am thankful for what many are trying to do to make a positive difference in Haiti. But again, I'm on this new journey, and this journey is opening my mind to a new way of thinking and to many new questions. Like my "Why orphanages?" question... "Are orphanages the best answer for helping OVCs in Haiti?"... "Should we focus more on how we can keep families together rather than providing such an easy way to separate them?" Because as I see it, all these orphanages keep popping up, and why wouldn't a woman with four hungry kids think maybe they'd have a better chance down the street where she keeps seeing the white people driving by in their expensive vehicles with truck load after truck load of food and supplies? Are you starting to see where I'm going with this?

 Let me give you a real-life example. Last year I became friends with a Haitian young lady. She was 19 and already had three small boys. One day we were sitting around chatting and she asked me if she could put her boys in my friend's orphanage. I asked her why and she said because she wanted them to have the opportunity to go to school. I processed that for a moment and then I asked her, "If--without promising you anything--but if I were able to find sponsors for your children to go to school, would you want to keep them with you in your home?" Essentially I was asking her if she still had the desire to raise her boys herself, despite the challenges and her young age. "Yes, of course!" she replied. I already knew and had seen how much she loved her sons. And this was just confirmation of that fact. She loves her children. She simply wants them to have the opportunity to be educated. The oldest is 5 and the next to oldest is 4. They are school age but have never been. Each day they see their friends and some of their cousins in their school uniforms setting out for their school day while they stay at home and make up new games to play in the dirt. That week, I wrote on my blog about these two boys needing sponsors for the upcoming school year. The cost: $130 per child for the year. Within hours, maybe minutes, I had donors ready to pay for their schooling. Their mother was thrilled and they started their first year of school last September. And as easy as that, a family was able to stay together... what they truly desired most anyway. Now I'm not saying that they won't still struggle, and I expect she'll face the same financial difficulty when the next school year rolls around. But I hope you can see a bit of the bigger picture here. I do not feel like an orphanage is the solution for this family when all they really want is an opportunity for an education. (And by the way, I plan to continue to find sponsors for this family to continue to allow these boys to go to school, and the youngest too when he's old enough.)

 One of the issues is that we need to take the time to really dive into the challenges and obstacles of a culture without just rushing in and assuming we have the solution. Like building an orphanage on every street corner. That can't be the answer. We're building orphanages for children with families who love them and often want to care for them... I can't quite wrap my mind around that. Even Haiti is catching on to the problem. The New York Times recently published an article about a campaign to close down "orphanages". You can read it by clicking here.

 The purpose of this blog entry is not to try and convince you of anything in particular. I simply wanted to write a formal introduction to my journey. Because I truly believe that this year will be a huge year for me as I seek God's will for my life and ministry in Haiti. Continuing to help OVCs will always be a big part of that, but I'm overwhelmed with trying to understand how best to help. Sure, I can do another fundraiser to raise money for an orphanage to have enough food and medicines for the children. And I know some orphanages that desperately need that. But what is the appropriate response and action for someone wanting to help--and wanting to help without doing more harm than good? These questions take me back to a workshop I participated in during my time in Namibia. One of the resources for the workshop was the book "When Helping Hurts". Many of us have a heart and desire to help those who truly need it, but are we helping in a way that actually provides the empowerment that can bring about lasting change or are we creating a cycle of dependency and running our own selves ragged with little results? I recently bought the book "Orphanology" and brought it with me to Haiti. It covers topics like orphan care and adoption and it's written by guys I know from my time in New Orleans. I look forward to starting it and gleaning some new insights about all of these issues. If anyone has any other book or resource recommendations, feel free to send them my way.

 I would appreciate your prayers as I begin this journey. And I ask any of you who are in the position and have the desire to help the poor or disadvantaged to take some time yourself to step back and ask these difficult questions. I dare say that the easiest ministry is the one we think is "best" and we can walk away from telling ourselves what a great job we did. The problem is, I've never read a verse of Scripture saying that the life and ministry of a Christian is easy, nor that we have all of the answers or even half of them. I'm completely reliant on God in all that I do. There are many days I walk away thinking about how much I just screwed up... which is when I realize that I relied on my own strength and abilities and left God out of the equation. 

 I can't look at these kids without wanting to do more for them. To help them however I can. To let their bellies get full every day. To know they can lie down on a comfortable bed each night. To tell them how much they are loved and that there is great hope to be found in this thing called life. For now I'll just keep doing what I can and praying for the wisdom to know God's will as I try to care for His children.
Me and Dinio. Words can't describe how much I love this kid!
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

About Me
In 2005 God asked me to surrender my life to His plans and purpose. Everything changed. From Mexico to New Orleans to Namibia to Haiti it's been one incredible adventure with the Lord after another. This blog is a piece of that journey.

Blog Archive

Popular Posts

  • The True Size of Africa
    My sister sent me an interesting graphic. It shows the true size of Africa when compared to other countries. I always knew Africa was a big ...
  • Let your light shine.
    I want to share a story with you. This story was recorded by Mother Teresa in her book "In the Heart of the World". Some of ...
  • Mt. Longonot...
    ...kicked my butt. On Tuesday, Jenny and I went with a bus load of other RVA folks to Mt. Longonot. She had asked me before I came if I wan...

Hope For Life Children's Home

Hope For Life Children's Home
Wanna meet some special kids? Visit www.hopeforlifehaiti.com and see what they're up to and how you can help! Click on the photo above and "Like" them on Facebook!