Little Mike making his first greeting card!
Ralph in the foreground, Christina in the back salvaging medical supplies.
I want to start this entry with a bit of BPaul's blog. Remember the supplies we rounded up the other day? Here is his take on me, the Diva:
" So, we're all working in the sweltering heat, I'm sweating so bad it looks like I've been rained on, Chrisitina is so dirty it looked like she was rolling around in the mud, and the Diva is so sweaty, dirty, and tired that she looks at me and says, "I'm a quarter century older than all of you, I'm taking a break!!!" That put a huge smile on my face because I was getting a little worried about her but thankfully she called it early enough before she got sick. So, the truck shows up, LP gets the guys in order and we start loading it up. The biggest finds we had were about 3 pallets of vitamins, 2 pallets of EMS gear, tons of adult diapers, LRD5, and a pallet of Doxi. It was a really hard day and we were all exhausted by the end of it."
But I’ll admit; no one was as exhausted as me! I can’t describe the heat. ‘Unrelenting’ is probably a good word.
Yesterday, we (Stacy, LPaul and Ralph) headed to Kola in what looked like a beautiful afternoon. But the skies opened up and we arrived in a torrential down pour. Fortunately LPaul had the tarp enclosures built; otherwise we would have all been standing in the rain. We were all able to stay dry and introduce the kids to a little arts and craft project. We made greeting cards. Don't worry, I'm going to bring them all back with me so if anyone is interested in buying one, they will be available. All proceeds will go right back to Kola to help them have a steady supply of food and help them move to a new location. The person who owns the little piece of property where Kola is located (it's about 30' X 100'), wants them out. We are working on finding them a new place to live. Kola is an orphanage located in Rue Route Frere, a small area in PAP. It was started by Lorvelle, a young Haitian woman and her mother, about a year ago. "We just love kids" she told me (Ralph translates). “Everything was going so well for us, now keeping these kids fed and clothed has become all but impossible”.
" So, we're all working in the sweltering heat, I'm sweating so bad it looks like I've been rained on, Chrisitina is so dirty it looked like she was rolling around in the mud, and the Diva is so sweaty, dirty, and tired that she looks at me and says, "I'm a quarter century older than all of you, I'm taking a break!!!" That put a huge smile on my face because I was getting a little worried about her but thankfully she called it early enough before she got sick. So, the truck shows up, LP gets the guys in order and we start loading it up. The biggest finds we had were about 3 pallets of vitamins, 2 pallets of EMS gear, tons of adult diapers, LRD5, and a pallet of Doxi. It was a really hard day and we were all exhausted by the end of it."
But I’ll admit; no one was as exhausted as me! I can’t describe the heat. ‘Unrelenting’ is probably a good word.
Yesterday, we (Stacy, LPaul and Ralph) headed to Kola in what looked like a beautiful afternoon. But the skies opened up and we arrived in a torrential down pour. Fortunately LPaul had the tarp enclosures built; otherwise we would have all been standing in the rain. We were all able to stay dry and introduce the kids to a little arts and craft project. We made greeting cards. Don't worry, I'm going to bring them all back with me so if anyone is interested in buying one, they will be available. All proceeds will go right back to Kola to help them have a steady supply of food and help them move to a new location. The person who owns the little piece of property where Kola is located (it's about 30' X 100'), wants them out. We are working on finding them a new place to live. Kola is an orphanage located in Rue Route Frere, a small area in PAP. It was started by Lorvelle, a young Haitian woman and her mother, about a year ago. "We just love kids" she told me (Ralph translates). “Everything was going so well for us, now keeping these kids fed and clothed has become all but impossible”.
Lorvelle
Yolanda, the budding artist!
The kids LOVE Stacy's hair.
Making cards under the shelter LPaul built for the kids.
Get ready ro distrubute some donated goods.
Stacy and the newest addition to Kola, 4 month old Samuel. Samuels' father died in the earthquake and his mother died 1 month after his birth. His uncle dropped him off because he was unable to care for him.
As it stands now, these little orphanages are completely dependent on outside support for everything. There needs to be a trend toward self sufficiency. That’s the goal. It’s lofty but doable and absolutely essential. Stacy and I are going to focus on Kola. It’s small (about 20 kids); the kids are in relative good health. There are signs of malnutrition in some of them. Their diet consists mainly of rice and beans; no real substantial source of protein. Anyway, I’m attached to these kids. I spent a lot of time with them during my first trip and it makes sense to start with them.
Just for the record, this trip has been a little tougher for me. Maybe it’s the heat – so much hotter and no improvement with the bathing facilities. Maybe it’s seeing this relentless suffering with no end in sight. I don’t know but oh boy, it’s been rough.
Yolanda, the budding artist!
The kids LOVE Stacy's hair.
Making cards under the shelter LPaul built for the kids.
Get ready ro distrubute some donated goods.
Stacy and the newest addition to Kola, 4 month old Samuel. Samuels' father died in the earthquake and his mother died 1 month after his birth. His uncle dropped him off because he was unable to care for him.
As it stands now, these little orphanages are completely dependent on outside support for everything. There needs to be a trend toward self sufficiency. That’s the goal. It’s lofty but doable and absolutely essential. Stacy and I are going to focus on Kola. It’s small (about 20 kids); the kids are in relative good health. There are signs of malnutrition in some of them. Their diet consists mainly of rice and beans; no real substantial source of protein. Anyway, I’m attached to these kids. I spent a lot of time with them during my first trip and it makes sense to start with them.Just for the record, this trip has been a little tougher for me. Maybe it’s the heat – so much hotter and no improvement with the bathing facilities. Maybe it’s seeing this relentless suffering with no end in sight. I don’t know but oh boy, it’s been rough.
I'm going to blog more but I MUST take a shower. I have to find a place to do that. UGH!
I’m pretty sure anyone who knows me is probably wondering how I even function in Haiti. I am somewhat of a princess and it is even incredulous to me that I manage here. But the truth is, I know, whatever the physical discomfort is, it’s a time limited experience. It’s temporary. I keep saying to myself “I can do this for a few more days” or “just another week”. That’s my strategy. I can put up with anything because I know the end is in sight. The Haitians don’t have that luxury. There is no end in sight for them. But the main reason I am able to function the way that I do is because Big and Little Paul enable me to. I get around PAP because they transport me around PAP. If they didn’t, I couldn’t. It’s as simple as that. To rent a car in PAP is prohibitively expensive and all the money I raised before I came here would be spent on that alone. The other form of local transportation is called a Tap Tap. Most Haitians get from point A to point B riding a Tap Tap. They are various modifications on beat up, broken down trucks and cars (I'll drop a photo in when I have a better connection). There is no end to the variations. The come big and small, dirty and dirtier and they get their name from the way you hale it down; you tap on the side of it. The Tap Tap slows down (a little) and you jump on and try to find a place to sit or stand or even hang of the back or side – there are no laws that restrict the number of passengers that can ride in one. I’ve seen people hang off the roof! I don’t do that. I have the luxury of being chauffeured around in the broken down old pick-up that belongs to MMRC. I love it and I’m very grateful.
Tap Tap
Hi Cory, Thanks again, for being in touch. We are all thinking of you and I, personally, know how you're doing it even if you don't and even if you might consider yourself a bit of a princess. I think most of us are what I would refer to as "Situational Princesses," when circumstances permit. But I also know the strength of a woman like you who is on a mission with the welfare of children at stake. I can't help but conjur up the image of Sigourney Weaver in Aliens when she is up against the Big Mamma. Well, that's how I envision you... not as a princess at all but a determined and blessed mother who is seeing one more mission through on behalf of, well... love. (And chewing through concrete when necessary, thanks to Joan S for that image!)Thank you, Cory, for being "That lady." We love you, pray for you and can't wait to see you soon. xxx Jeanne
ReplyDeleteThanks Jeanne. I appreciate your constant support of my work in Haiti. I know it causes stress back home but there simply aren't enough people to do this kind of work so, I am compelled to be there and help out.
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