Our Mission In Haiti

OUR SILVER LINING

2011-06-11T16:27:00.004-04:00

Me, Brenda (the mom), Alex(14), Tyler (17) and Jared (10)

Over the past several months, ArtStore4Haiti and MMRCHaiti.org have been working hard, against all odds, to help out with the monumental problems that continue to plague Haiti. Cholera, mud slides, dwindling medical supplies, starvation, the scarcity of clean water are just a few of the challenges the country faces every day. But the real challenge we face is raising funds.

I am very proud and pleased to tell all of you that a “band of brothers” in a small northern Westchester community got together to help me sell the jewelry made by the Haitian children in the orphanages we work hard to support. Tyler, Alex and Jared Cohen with the help of Mrs. Moussa, the director of the Human Rights Club of Lakeland High School, raised almost $900.00.

Because we are a very small and completely volunteer organization, this money will go far to provide food, clean water, shelter, and educational material to some of Haiti’s most desperate.

March, April and May have been extremely difficult months filled with many dark clouds for me and the people I work with. This has been our silver lining.

Tyler, Alex and Jared, thank you for making such a tremendous effort for our cause.

“A man's errors are his portals of discovery.” James Joyce

2011-03-25T16:39:00.000-04:00

THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY OF RALPH SAINTILUS

2011-02-10T21:38:00.017-05:00

“I finally got the passport this morning. THANK GOD!!” the email from Ralph came glaring from my Blackberry. It was the final document needed to extricate him from Haiti. Almost a year of jumping through hoops, everything we needed, except the airline ticket, was in place. I called American Airlines and had him scheduled on the 12:30 flight out of Port-Au-Prince the following day. You don’t want to wait too long because you never know what can happen in Haiti one minute to the next. Between the political unrest, the rioting, cholera; the government can shut the airport at any given moment.

Ralph was 9 when his father left his mother, remarried and took him and his new wife to the United States. They started a life in Pompano Beach, Florida and despite the fact that Ralph missed his mom, he loved his dad and was excited about living in a country he had heard so many amazing things about. Although he did not speak a word of English, he quickly assimilated, mastered the language, made friends and was doing well in school. Everything seemed to be perfect until one day his stepmother, using the ruse of going to visit his family, took him back to Haiti. Once there, she handed him $100 dollars, took his passport and Green Card and headed straight back to Florida. After six years of living in Florida, going to school and making a life, at 15 he found himself alone and without any identification in Port-Au-Prince. Even his birth certificate was back in Florida. Haiti is not a country you want to be in without ID. You cannot go to school, get a cell phone or do much of anything for that matter, without ID.

Ralph found his way back to his mom who was barely managing, living in a small, one room hovel with her 5 year old daughter, Ralph’s new half sister. The following day, he called his stepmother's cell phone, "I'm in Miami", she said. "Miami!!" Ralph screamed in disbelief, "How about me??" "You're gonna be there for a while - get use to it", she snapped back and hung up. He cried for weeks. One week later, after continually trying to call home, the numbers were changed. That was the last he heard from them.

Ralph lived with his mom and little sister, scraping together barely enough to sustain themselves. Cramped inside this tiny room, Ralph would occasionally sleep on the roof but the frequent heavy rain made it impossible to make the roof his home. He left within a month because he knew he was a tremendous burden on his mom. From his mom’s roof he went to his aunt’s house and asked if he could stay with her. She was sweet and kind and welcomed him but after three months it became too difficult for her to care for Ralph. She had two children of her own and was struggling to keep them fed. She told him he had to leave.

With no place to go, Ralph found a few pieces of wood and some old sheets and made a shelter for himself in the outskirts of Port-Au-Prince. He lived there, with 2 other street kids, doing odd jobs for pennies or scraps of food. When it rained, he would leave his makeshift tent to find better cover for the night. For almost a year, he lived like this, barley surviving, until January 12th, 2010. The earthquake changed everything. With fluency in English and Creole, Ralph was a valuable commodity to the thousands of relief workers. With inner ambition and a strong desire to help, he dug in. While assisting with transports, search and rescues and working as a translator for doctors, he had access to food. His daily struggle to survive was at least temporarily, over. As a gift for his hard work and translating skills, a doctor gave him a good tent. He parked himself outside of Haitian Community Hospital and his life as a relief worker began.

I met Ralph immediately after I arrived in Haiti. He was my right hand man: my translator, body guard, and keeper of my backpack. I don’t think I was there 24 hours before I started questioning him about his perfect English and his clearly American way. When he told me what happened, not only was I appalled at the recklessness of his father and stepmother, I was determined to get him home, here, back in the United States where he belongs. A year later, he is here. Amen and God Bless America!

A million thanks to Paul Waggoner, Eileen S., David C., Lisa A., and Pius D. Without these people, this doesn’t happen. These are the people who stuck their necks out, giving their time and expertise to see this through. In addition, they put up with me.

p.s. Although this act of abandonment sounds horrific by our standard of decency, it happens enough to Haitian children to earn them a name; “throw backs”.

DEAR MR. PRESIDENT

2010-12-26T08:38:00.011-05:00

Corrine Kaiser Gould, R.N. 1 Renaissance Square White Plains, NY 10601

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500 12/25/10

Dear Mr. President,

I am writing to you about a desperate situation in Haiti you may or may not be aware of. My friend and co-worker, Paul Douglas Waggoner is in Haiti’s National Penitentiary for allegations originating from ignorance and a deeply rooted belief in Voodoo. Although I chronicled the facts in an enclosure, in brief:

On February 23, 2010, Paul was working at Haitian Community Hospital (HCH) when a father brought in his 15 month old son. The child was critically ill, listless and died shortly after he was admitted. Although having nothing to do with the care of the child, Paul is accused of putting a spell on the 15 month old turning him into a zombie for the purpose of kidnapping him. The father viewed the body but did not take it because he did not have the funds for a burial. There is a death certificate that is signed by a Haitian doctor and 3 signed affidavits: one by an American attending physician and two by R.N.'s, all present at the time of the baby’s death, stating unequivocally that the baby died. Because the baby's eyes were not closed (rigor mortis had set in), the father was convinced the child was not really dead but put into a trance by Paul. The father confirmed his belief with a local witch doctor. Watch Anderson Coopers’ report:

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2010/12/17/ac.aid.worker.cnn.html

I am an R.N. and have been doing relief work with Paul on and off for months. He has done nothing but break his back for the Haitian people. PLEASE help him. I have exhausted every avenue and his health and life are at risk. There is not a shred of proof to hold him. To the contrary, there is proof that the baby died and the father did not want the body.

For the past 10 months Paul and I have been working together raising funds to support several orphanages. We have been supplying them with food, shelter, medical care, educational material and teachers. Some of these orphanages depend on us exclusively for their food. I enclosed some of the projects we have been working on with the kids.

We are also working hard on getting a young Haitian American, Ralph Saintulis, back into the states. He was abandoned in Haiti by his stepmother in November of 2008. She left him there without his passport or any form of ID. After the earthquake he started working as a translator for us and we have been trying to help him re-establish his U S. citizenship. The process has been excruciatingly difficult and we have the help of an immigration lawyer here, in the states. Can you imagine how frightening it was for a 15 year old American boy to be abandon on the streets of Port-au-Prince? Paul and I are his only hope.

Why is this man behind bars? He has done nothing but work night and day to help the Haitians. In addition, his human rights are being violated and the U.S. Embassy has not been fulfilling their obligation to ensure humane treatment.

Paul, along with Paul Sebring are co-founders of MMRCHaiti, one of Haiti’s small but more effective NGO’s.

Please feel free to contact me at anytime. I am willing to return to Haiti with you and show you the good work Paul has done. But please, make that phone call. I know you can ensure his release.

Respectfully,

Corrine Gould

Other links:

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/12/25/v-fullstory/1988042/in-haiti-tension-builds-against.html#storylink=fbuser

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/offbeat/relief-worker-jailed-haiti-12222010

WHAT THE NECKLACES CAN DO!

2010-12-07T21:26:00.000-05:00

WILNER'S STORY

2010-09-21T09:08:00.029-04:00

“Adversity is the first path to truth.” – Lord Byron

Over the past 5 months I have come to know the remarkable story of St-Fort Wilner; a Haitian street kid who has managed to survive and triumph over incredible adversity. As his English has improved (because my Creole has not) he is able to share his amazing journey with more detail and much more clarity. We are working together in hopes of shedding light on the nightmare of exploitation of Haiti's innocent children.

Wilner's Story:

My name is St-Fort Wilner and I was born December 17th, 1987 in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. When I was 2, my parents separated and from that moment, my life became one of suffering and a struggle for survival. Twenty one years later, I am still struggling but I am no longer suffering. My belief in God has grown and sustained me despite my unbelievably difficult journey. My story is not for the faint of heart but only for those who believe in the strength of the human spirit and have faith that by the grace of God, we are all capable of overcoming enormous hardship.

After my parents separated, I spent the next two years being shuffled back and forth until my father unexpectedly passed away. My mother no longer wanted me and I was taken by my uncle Jeasilus, high up into Haiti’s mountainside, to Belle Fontaine, 40 miles outside of Port-Au-Prince. For the next 7 years, I was treated like a slave. Forced to do every chore; transport water, wash dishes, clean the house, take care of all the animals (cows, chickens, horses, donkeys and goats); if my work fell short or if I missed even the smallest task, I was severely beaten. I was kept from going to school and I never had one single minute to play.

After 7 seven years I could take the abuse no longer and ran away. With no where to go, I became one of Haiti’s thousands of street kids and my suffering continued. I went for days without food and had no place to sleep. If my begging led to even a little bit of money or a crumb of food, the older and bigger street kids would come over, grab it and beat me. I always had tears in my eyes. There was no one to help me, nobody cared. But somehow God always protected me. My heart stayed open, even when someone beat me. Always humble, I never fought back. God gave me this heart and these strong feelings of compassion even when I was suffering. I now believe this is how God cultivated love in me. Maybe I was forgotten by I was never forsaken – God was always with me.

I was living on the streets for about a year and a half when I was rescued by a white man from Texas. He came to Haiti and started an orphanage. When I met him I thought my prayers were answered and my troubles were over. I thought my life of poverty and suffering would end and in fact, within six months I no longer looked like a street kid. Everything had changed and it seemed for the better. More orphans came to this man’s orphanage and he had power to truly improve the lives of many suffering Haitian children. He brought hope to those in need and smiles to the faces of those who were desperately unhappy. He brought us clothes to wear and shoes for our bare feet. But he did not do it for the love of children or to help our country. He did to swindle money out of unsuspecting Americans. He made a Web Site that showed how desperately the children of Haiti needed contributions. He showed my sweet face and used my hard story to influence and deceive people. Anyone with a heart would be moved by this heart-wrenching Web Site to send money and they did. But he hurt us. He brought men and women to the orphanage to have sex with us. He was a lion in lambs clothing. He corrupted many of the children, some ruined beyond repair. We felt so obliged and then we felt so ashamed.
...to be continued
Follow Wilner's story and see how he managed to rise above adversity, start his own orphanage and save many of Haiti's street kids from falling victim to those who would take advantage of the most vulnerable.

THE HAITI NECKLACES

2010-09-13T08:24:00.008-04:00

High in the mountains of Haiti, there is an orphanage run by a man named Wilner St-Fort. Once an orphan himself, he began, about 3 years ago, to take care of some of Haiti’s street kids. Originally, his orphanage was in the heart of Port-Au-Prince. But when he could no longer afford the $1500 yearly rent, he remained determined to keep his kids safe and moved the orphanage to a small parcel of land in Haiti’s mountainside.

It is important for everyone to understand that a Haitian orphanage is nothing more than an open lot that may or may not be surrounded by cement walls. The children usually sleep outside on the ground, exposed to the elements. There is very little in the way of sanitation because there is no running water. Few have electricity. The advantage these orphans have over the children living in the street is a sense of belonging and a sense of security. But there is a constant struggle for survival because food is so expensive and money is so scarce. The situation was dire before the earthquake, it is unimaginable now.

While I was doing relief work in Haiti at a small NGO (MMRC), we got a call from Wilner informing us that he was out of food and supplies. We packed the truck and made the 3 ½ hour trek up the mountain to make a delivery of food and other essential items. While there, Wilner asked if I would like to buy one of the necklaces made by his wife and the kids. I asked him if the kids could make a big bunch of them, so that I could take them back to the U.S. and sell them to help raise funds for his orphanage. Later, I made the same offer to the other Haitian orphanages. All the money raised from selling these necklaces goes directly to providing food, medication, educational material and shelter for some of Haiti’s most vulnerable children.

Diana Heimann has been kind enough to show case these beautiful necklaces in her store. Please help support some of the sweetest children you will ever meet. Diana’s store is located in the lobby of The Ritz Carlton Westchester in White Plains, New York.

Diana's contact info:
http://www.dianaheimann.com
3 Renaissance Sq
White Plains, NY
914-467-5880

Thank You,

Cory Gould

Silva, Wilner and Kola

2010-08-20T19:14:00.082-04:00

Stacy, Silva's mom, Silva and the prosthetic team.

Trapped under the rubble for two days while her mother stood by pleading for someone to help, listening the whole time to her 6 year old daughters’ fading cries, Silva was one of the thousands who lost a limb in the earthquake. She lives in a tented city. It’s where she lived before the quake and it’s where she lives now. Stacy and I met her while doing relief work back in April. She was supplied with crutches and learned how to manage pretty well considering the obstacle course that is Port-Au-Prince. Crutches are a little more challenging here, especially in a tented city. The ground is rubble (and there is a lot more of it now); rubble and cracks and pits and all kinds of crevices that make maneuvering difficult for those of us with both legs. While here this time, Stacy ran into an Israeli group set up at General Hospital, fitting people with prosthetic limbs. She remembered the little girl and asked if we could find her, would they get her fitted with a new leg. “Absolutely”, they said. Yesterday morning, we got in the pickup and headed over to the hospital, picked up two members of the prosthetic team and drove to the neighborhood we remembered seeing the girl. We did not know her name so it would have been an impossible mission if Stacy had not taken a photo of her with her iPhone. We showed the photo to a few people and we were led right to her. What are the odds of that? The 2 women told the little girl and her mother what could be done and they flew into their tent, quickly bathed (in a bucket outside their tent) and got into their best clothes. They were both in disbelief (so was I – that we actually found her). We drove them over to the hospital, she was examined and fitted and that was that. The biggest obstacle right now is that most of the prosthetic limbs that have been donated and shipped over from Israel are stuck in customs. What the @#*% is Customs gonna do with them! That’s Haiti; always a fight.

After the earthquake, there were hundreds of amputations performed on the street, in buildings and curbside. People were trapped and the only way for them to get free was amputation. During the first few days (weeks even), there was no anesthesia. There was some morphine but many amputations were done without sedation. One little 6 year old girl was trapped under a pile a rubble. Her leg could not be freed and to save her life her leg had to be amputated. The doctor tending to her was American. He was crying because he could not bring himself to do it. He could not fathom inflicting that kind of pain. But after a few minutes the little girl grabbed his arm, looked at him straight in the eyes and said in Creole, "it's okay, it's okay, just do it. I'll be all right". She was braced down, and without so much as a whimper from her, he did it. That's courage - on everybody's part.

Our plan was to spend the afternoon at Kola but we got consumed with the transfer of a head trauma patient from General to Medishare (The University of Miami Hospital). A 47 year old man, who was in a car accident, fractured his skull and needed to be moved to a hospital where they have a trauma center. But we actually had to sneak him out. The family had to drive him off the hospital grounds and then, when we were a few blocks away, we moved him on to our truck, braced his head and raced him over to the hospital. General wanted to keep him even though they are not equipped to care for him. An American doctor from General called us and told us what was going on. General charges, Medishare does not. Crazy, and it was pouring and thundering and lightening. Oh man! I was glad when that was over with. We’ll go to Kola tomorrow afternoon. In the morning we are heading up to the mountains where there is an orphanage that is out of food and all other supplies. I’ll let you know how that goes.
Getting ready for transfer

Our 47 year old head trauma patient

7 a.m. Friday morning, 8/20/10

To me it is 8 and I am a notorious early riser; always have been. I've been up since 5.

I just showed Ely how to floss. He saw me doing it and was fascinated (we do everything out in the open here – privacy does not exist). It’s interesting because back home it would be very difficult to get a 10 year old to floss. But because it is something he’s not exposed to, it becomes a novelty, a new fun thing that's cool to do. It’s the same with school. School is not available to most kids. It’s not free and very few Haitians can afford to send their children. It’s a huge problem – illiteracy. There are some missions that provide schooling but they charge. They feel the parents must be truly invested in their children’s education for them to be committed and take it seriously. I have mixed feelings about that because it eliminates most people. On the other hand, I understand where they are coming from.

Another interesting thing missions do is charge for medical care. They don’t charge a lot, but they charge. What they say happens if they don’t, is a person will come in for treatments that are not necessary OR they will come in for somebody else. They will state the complaints of a family member, pretending it’s them in the hopes of getting the right treatment. It never works out very well and once a few mistakes were made (without an exam it’s hard to come up with the right diagnosis), the doctors figured out what was going on and instituted a charge. It still happens but it happens less, they tell me. What do you think? Maybe it’s true, maybe it's not. There is a whole lot of preaching going on in Haiti. Remember The Way? I’ve seen groups of them here.

August 20, 2010

Wilner’s Place
Today was one of those days I will look back on with complete disbelief that it actually happened. It started out great. We packed up the car and headed up the mountain to bring supplies to an orphanage whose owner, Wilner, called LPaul and told him they were out of food and supplies. We rented a 4 wheel drive car that could make the 3 hour trip, 2 hours of it, off road (way off road). We packed food, formula, mosquito netting, some toys and a few other miscellaneous items.

I probably should have been tipped off about the drive when LPaul said our truck couldn’t do it. I thought our truck could anything! One question I kept asking myself; “would I have gone on this trek up the mountain if I had known how treacherous it was”? I’m sure I would have but I would have tried to find a vehicle like the U.N. has; the one it uses to drive all over Haiti.

The good news; we made the trip and we made it for one reason and one reason only, LPaul knows how to drive in any and every situation imaginable and some that are unimaginable. I’m including some photos but they don’t do justice showing just how impassable this path was in some places.

During the ride up you see abject poverty, the likes of which you cannot imagine. Most of the children have no shoes, clothes that are mere threads and the smallest child was carrying large baskets of water or food on his or her head. The mountain is very sparsely populated. I can't help but think how little it would take to make life better here. Does anybody know there is a tiny orphanage up in the mountains of Haiti where a handful of children depend on people like LPaul to drive 3 ½ hours to bring food so they can survive?

Wilner, the orphanage owner came with us for the ride. He spends most of his time there with his wife and 3 year old son. But he also spends time in town where he and his wife try to make a few dollars selling necklaces she makes (I’m bringing some home if anyone would like to buy one let me know). They also try to get assistance for the kids. I learned quite a bit from talking to him. He started this orphanage about 5 years ago in a downtown area near PAP. He was renting a parcel of land for $1500.00 a YEAR from a Haitian. The rent was being paid by an American who was ‘sponsoring’ him (for lack of a better word). The sponsor, as it turned out was not well intended and when Wilner would NOT fulfill his unreasonable requests, the funding stopped (I will share that story at another time). Wilner was going to abandon the orphanage when a pastor who had land up in the mountains, agreed to let him move the kids onto his property free of charge. Everything was actually working out fairly well until January 12th, when Haiti was rocked to its knees by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake . Just for the record, “fairly well” would be deplorable by our standards. But everything is relative and the fact remains living in these ‘orphanages’ (and I’ve already told you that is a very loose term here in Haiti) is usually better for these kids than living on the street. However, sometimes the street is not preferable but necessary. I was informed that if a child is not thriving (and I mean physically), if they are showing signs starvation, they will be sent out on the street where they will get more food. It is dangerous. There are all kinds of risks when living on the street (disease, violence, drugs, rape, trafficking), but they risk it in order not to starve to death. A small child might be sent out into the street to beg for food because their chance of getting food is that much better. Wilner has been struggling so much to keep his small group of kids fed, he has considered sending them back out into the street. What sounds incredulous to us, is part of life in Haiti. I guess I struggle with the fact that Haiti is so close to the United States, it seems outrageous that more cannot be done to help these kids

We bring the kids some simple entertainment. Who doesn't love bubbles!

We finally arrive at the tiny compound where a few children were sitting under a makeshift canopy for shade. Sitting and chatting just like our kids do but without one single luxury; no electricity, no bathroom, no running water, nothing, but they were happy. Wilner showed me around, including the tiny room where he and his wife and child, sleep. The other children sleep outside. For water, the kids make the long hike down a steep hill with buckets. We took a walk down to the river and as we started out Wilner’s 3 year old son was following us. Wilner sent him back. A few minutes later I look back and see one of the young boys running down the hill with Wilner’s son on his back. I obviously looked very worried but he assured me “these kids run up and down this hill so many times a day with heavy buckets in their hands, they can handle it”.

Budding artists!

We stayed for a little while, handed out some snacks, dropped off the food and supplies and head out. It is not a trip you want to make in the dark! As we are driving, we have to stop and help a truck that is stuck on the road. It’s a miracle we only had to do that once. I imagine a lot of people get stuck and there is no doubt, a lot of people fall off the cliff. We had a nice ride back, stopping for a minute to eat some food we brought with us. We make a quick stop at Fort Jacques and look at the cannons; one of the few “tourist” attractions in Haiti. But as we get into town, into the crowded streets of Petionville, we lose or brakes. The car will not stop and we are heading right into a truck. LP masterfully figures out in a millisecond how NOT to get us killed. I do not know how he did it. We side swiped a van and two cars. Three women street-vendors jumped out of the way as we rode up on the sidewalk and over their merchandise. A motorcycle driver leaps from his bike, crashing onto the pavement. We swerve to avoid the unmanned bike, ultimately turn a corner and stop.

The crowd quickly gathers and LP gets out of the car and takes the crowd away from us. There were a lot of angry Haitians but when they came over to the car and confirmed that we really had no brakes, it was all handshakes and pats on the back as everyone realized Paul managed not to kill anyone – nothing short of a miracle.

All that might have been enough excitement but don’t forget, we are the local ambulance. We called Big Paul to come get us with the pickup AND the kid who jump off his bike. He hurt his leg and needed to be taken to Medishare. Into the back of the truck he goes and we’re off through grid lock traffic, to the hospital. Little did we know that a riot was brewing in downtown Cite Soliel over the ousting of Wyclef Jean from the presidential election. As we approach the hospital, a big truck filled with Haitians in green t-shirts, some with their faces covered yelling, “#@%& the police, we’re going up Delmas!” Delmas is the main drag that goes through most of the boroughs of PAP. The police were worried that if the rebels had access to that road they would gather more followers.

We honk for the guard to open the gate at Medishare to let us in. Our patient is unloaded from the pickup and we hang around a few minutes to wait for him to get an x-ray. While waiting a big supply truck is heading out the gate. Within minutes he is speeding back inside, a large crowd follows close behind, trying to escape the violence that just broke out. The guards are armed and think nothing of using their weapons. We run for cover and find ourselves hiding out in a back room of Medishare. Although it might seem safer to stay, I want to go back to our compound. And I’m not gonna lie, I was a little scared.

Eventually, the rioting dies down and we head back to our camp. I think about heading back home a day early but everyone assures me I will not have a problem flying out on Sunday and that I am safe. I have one more promise to keep while I’m here and I want to make good on it.

Kola Surprises Us With a Fashion Show

The promise I made was to Lorvelle, the woman who runs Kola. I promised her an infant seat for 4 month old Samuel, their new addition. Sounds simple enough, right? Not in Haiti. It took 3 days to find one. We had all but given up when Christina shouts out, “I see one…INFANT SEAT!!” We hang a big U turn, survive it, and buy it. Now we simply have to make the gridlock drive over to Kola and deliver it.

They were not expecting us and as soon as we knock and they slide open the gate, everyone disappears. We wait patiently while the kids seem to be hiding. In the meantime, I give Lorvelle the infant seat. She is over-the-moon, excited. Such a simple thing, but when you have 19 kids to watch, It’s nice to have a place to put an infant down that is soft, clean and safe.

One of the children brought Christine, Ralph and I, chairs to sit in the shade. Then, one by one they came down in the clothes that were donated by friends of mine and put on an outstanding fashion show. Photos are included. WOW! Wait for the video.

Christina showing the kids their beautiful photos.

The kids love Ralph.

I head home tomorrow. I will write my post script from the comfort of my air-conditioned home.
Rest assured everybody, the reason I came down here has been addressed. Enough said.
Thank you all for your support.
Love, Cory

A Letter From Wilner

2010-08-19T21:23:00.000-04:00

Dear Miss Cory -

I understand very well your sentiment concerning my efforts in helping rescue the street orphans of Haiti. I really appreciate your words, you really encouragee me in this work.

The kids need somebody to talk for them because they cannot talk for themselves. There are so many children but nobody see's them. All the children are looking for is: a) a safe place to sleep, a place where they can grow with a peaceful mind, where nobody will hurt them. b) they're looking for a piece of bread everyday so they can survive another day and c) they are bare footed and need a pair of shoes. They need someone to insure their future, to prepare their future, because they themselves cannot think about their future they cannot really think about that, they think about today only they cannot think about large things, they only think about where they are going to find some food for today, where they are going to find something to drink for today.

I myself was a street kid, I was in their situation. God has rescued me from the street , so now I want to fight for a better future for the street children and especially the most vulnerable ones.

And I know God will create a day where these children will shine in the world, in this I will raise the children's porverty, and ask for the justice. If Haiti himself cannot bring Justice to those that are suffering - barely surviving, we need back up, outside help, from everywhere in the world, to come to Haiti and set a better plan to improve the children situation in Haiti.

My name is Wilner. I am from Haiti. Thank you for all your help.
Love and God Bless You.

With Little Paul's help, Stacy and I would love to bring to Wilners's kids what we have brought to Kola.

Bringing Art To Kola

2010-08-18T11:05:00.032-04:00

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”.

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.

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

My Arrival

2010-08-17T09:48:00.024-04:00

Ralph signs his "exit" papers! It's a start.

My Haitian Home

Business as usual

Ely Lubin

Thousands of medical supplies sitting under a tent

A plie of medication abandon in a field

The second time you do something people think is crazy, the reaction you get is completely different from the first time, even if the first time proved positive. But I’m going to wager, any change of direction, any new venture would yield a similar response. Change is hard for everyone, even me.

Port-Au-Prince (PAP) is unchanged but the airport was much less chaotic. Hot, but less crowded, the carousel for the luggage was working and I was even able to find one of my bags all by myself. The other bag, I let someone else find. I didn’t want to start this trip out drenched from the heat. The airport is not air-conditioned, the roof is medal and it’s like an oven – it is sweltering. But my flight arrived early and Little Paul, Ralph and Christina were all there waiting for me. Little did I know Big Paul was actually out on the tarmac medi-vacing a 9 year old girl to a hospital in Boston. She was burned over 50% of her body; while sleeping in her tent, it caught fire, and a can of gasoline fell on her.

Over the past 4 months, The Paul’s have turned the garage they live in into a warehouse. It’s filled to the brim with medical supplies and canned food. Every day is a mixture of finding supplies, getting them where they are needed most, providing PAP with its ambulance service, providing medical aid and caring for a handful of orphanages. They are assisted by Junior and Forrest, 2 Haitians who are working their asses off for MMRC, Big and Little Paul’s NGO. What’s different about the work from my last visit is that the frenetic nature of everything has diminished. It’s understandable. Eventually, there is an acceptance that ‘things are worse, it’s the way it is and we’ll make the best of it.’ The streets are lined with people making food, selling garbage. Everything and anything becomes an opportunity to try and make a few pennies (gourdes). Even while they sit in a chair or on the ground of their makeshift stores, their hand goes out and they beg for money when you drive by. Kids and old weather-beaten, emaciated women come up to your window. As much as you would love to hand them money, it’s a mistake. Within seconds, a huge crowd surrounds your car and nothing good can come of it. I made that mistake once, I won’t do it again (not without an even bigger entourage). But sometimes I’ll hand out food or a drink through the window. They’re happy with that.

As soon as I got back to home base, I had Ralph sign his G-28 form. He was all smiles. He’s well on his way to getting back into the United States. I asked him if he will miss Haiti. He showed me the tiniest little space between his fingers, “maybe this much, he said, “but there is nothing here for me. I’ll never be anything if I can’t get out of here.” He meant it and he’s right. Where’s the opportunity if you can’t go to school and you’re not free to travel someplace where you can. Ralph is getting back to the U. S. I’m committed to that.

My Phone:

When I got off the plane my phone was working perfectly. Within an hour, I stopped getting email. I called Verizon and they got it going for me again. Then - nothing, no signal, nothing. I’m gonna be honest, my phone has become an appendage. I’m lost without it and that feeling is even more pronounced here in Haiti. I need to know I can talk to someone back home at anytime. How do you make a phone call to Verizon and tell them your phone’s not working if your phones not working? You borrow a Satellite phone, climb to the top of a tall building on a skimpy medal ladder and make the call. Satellite phones do not hold connections well, especially in the bad weather. Oh brother! Not to worry, Verizon got it going. They are the best. We have a very special relationship.

A New Kid on the Block:

We have a new kid with us, ten year old Ely Lubin. His mother and sister live in a small tent in a very bad, extraordinarily poor neighborhood called Cité Soleil. He was wondering around PAP when he ran into the The Paul’s. He asked if they could find an orphanage for him to live in but they decided, for now, he can live with them. He’s getting fed and he is even getting an education. One of the workers is helping him learn to read and do simple math problems. He helps out and we give him a little bit of money. When he gets his little bit of money, he brings it some home to his mom and sister and then he takes some to his friends who live on the streets and are starving. He is a very kind hearted child and he is very attentive to everyone around him. He is one of the thousands of beautiful Haitian children whose difficult lives were made so much more difficult by this earthquake. When you meet these kids, all you want to do is take them back home with you. I understand it’s not the solution to this vast problem, but the desire is there.

Most people know why I’m here this time. While Stacy and I are working on that specific problem, we are also doing all the other things that fill the days of a relief worker; helping the sick and injured and finding and delivering supplies to where they are needed most. We hit the jackpot today with supplies but I’m telling you, IT WAS HOT HOT HOT! Even I had to sit down. We also had a situation with a 20 year old boy who has some type of growth in his leg. It could be an infection (osteomyelitis), it could be a cyst (I know it’s not) or it could be an osteosarcoma (just between you and me – that’s what it is) A CT scan would probably tell us what’s going on but there are not too many scanners in Haiti and if you want a CT scan, it’s going to cost you $350.00 U.S. dollars and Haitians just don’t have that kind money. One of the medical directors thought if we could get a biopsy and prove he has an osteosarcoma, we could get him transferred to the states where there is sophisticated treatment and his leg could be spared. There’s no one in Haiti to do it right now so I suggested we have an orthopedist back home, talk someone through the procedure. It would not be the first time. I found someone who agreed to do it. We’ll see if it comes to that. More likely than not, he will have to have his leg amputated. Stacy is doing fund raising and having the necessary meetings with the people and organizations in Haiti that can make things happen.

Haiti is hotter, the air is dirtier, the people are hungrier and there are not nearly as many relief workers to help out. I met an ID (infectious disease) doctor last night. She runs a TB clinic. At this point, she is “the last man standing”. Young and very committed, she has no plans to leave. And unless you are sitting where I am right now: on my cot, in my tent, in the heat and humidity, with a rat running around, mosquito’s swarming everywhere and no suitable place to shower; you can’t imagine what a commitment it is. I’m only here a week this time and I’m glad.

Megan,"The last man standing".
Megan's TB clinic

Getting Ready

2010-08-14T07:05:00.015-04:00

What is thoroughly amazing, is how consistently difficult it is to work in Haiti, and I’m not even there yet! Not only are there physical road blocks (piles of rubble everywhere); there are the other kind of road blocks as well. Everybody wants to be in charge. Everybody has answers and very little gets done. “Be patient” is something you hear a lot. I wonder how patient any of us would be if we or someone we love, was suffering. I’m going to answer that with one of my mother’s most famous retorts, “We’ll see”. We'll see how patient I can be. I consider myself a very patient woman but there are certain things I have no patience for. I’ll clarify that statement within the next few weeks. In the mean time, I am getting ready to go.

Stacy and I have a few things planned for when we get to Haiti (anyone who has been to Haiti is already laughing hysterically). Never-the-less, I have 3 suitcases full of donated supplies and the first order of the day will be to get them distributed. I have clothing, art supplies (“thank you Mrs. Flamm”) and the tools of my trade. But the most important thing Stacy and I are bringing - our hearts. Both of us feel the same way: If we can make one child smile, if we can make the day better for just one child, it will all be worth it. It’s impossible to know how far-reaching one act of kindness can be but we believe it can move mountains.
One of our long term objectives will be figuring out how to provide shelter for the kids. Haitian orphanages are not enclosed. They are, most often, walled in, but the area is open, exposed to all the elements and nothing is covering the ground. Look at the photo above. That’s how it is. In that particular orphanage, Kola, an enclosure was built but it is simply a frame made of 4X4’s covered with a tarp. It is not weather proof and it is not animal-proof. In this country, the U.S. of A., we build better houses for our dogs and that is the honest to God truth. As the founder of The Haiti Hut says in his mission statement:

A man must have a home. The place that is safe, secure and nurturing for his family. In this environment he can start to reach for his untapped potential by removing the stresses created by surviving without shelter. From here all things become possible, dreams can come true and a dignified life contributes to society.

While there, I also want to be sure the wheels that are turning to get Ralph back to the United States (see My Mission to Haiti Blog, Day 5), stay in motion. I’m bringing down a G-28 form (Notice of Entry of Appearance) for him to sign. The very excellent and exciting news about this situation is that a prominent immigration law firm has taken on his case, pro bono. What a lucky break.

This trip to Haiti has its challenges but they are different from the first. When I went the first time I did not know, with any degree of certainty, that I would be met at the airport and I had no idea where I would be staying. I was taking a big chance. This time, I know someone will meet me and I know they are committed to my safety – a very big deal. I am also prepared for the airport chaos and I will not be dumbfounded by the sights and smells of Port-Au-Prince. In addition, I know I can live without: a shower (most people would argue that point), a bed, sleep, a suitable place to go to the bathroom, order, good food, electricity, clean running water and thousands of dollars worth of beauty products. What I can live with: mosquitoes, chain smokers, bad language, oppressive heat and humidity, filth, dirty clothes and endless frustration. It’s nice to know because until I went to Haiti I always thought of myself as 5 star, all the way, all the time. But low and behold, I can rough it.

The Return

2010-08-09T15:59:00.006-04:00

We will either find a way, or make one."
~ Hannibal ~ soldier, patriot and statesman.

In March, 2010 I left my beautiful apartment in New York and headed for Haiti. I’m a nurse, I have decades of experience and I was compelled to go down and help out. Despite some opposition to the idea (a few friends actually did an intervention), there was no stopping me. Soon after the earthquake on January 12th, I wanted to go. But life kept getting in the way and for one reason or another, I couldn't. On February 20th, I got an email from a friend asking if I could possibly get my hands on some antibiotics to overnight to a friend of hers that was leaving for Haiti in 48 hours. Anyone who knows me knows - I love a challenge. I was at work (I’m the nurse in my husband’s gastroenterology practice) when I got the email. I immediately started scouring our sample closet for antibiotics. Since the law changed last January and doctor’s offices are no longer allowed to be entertained by pharmaceutical reps, samples are hard to come by. We had one box of Amoxil (a brand name amoxicillin used to treat H. Pylori – a gastroenterology thing – Google it) with 2 tablets in it. Not a good start. I left work and went from doctor’s office to doctor’s office asking for samples, trying to put together a decent supply. After an hour, I had 12 doses; hardly worth the FedEx overnight charge. But after making some phone calls and turning myself into a pretzel and making a few people crazy, I was able to secure 5000 doses. I overnighted them along with some hand sanitizer and miraculously it all made its way to Port-Au-Prince (PAP). That opened the communication between me and another relief worker and the wheels were set in motion for my trip.

At this point you must be wondering why, with all the medications and supplies donated to Haiti, a relief worker would have to contact me for antibiotics. Certainly, the American Red Cross and countries all over the globe were sending supplies. And they were. There were tens of thousands of boxes of medical supplies sitting at the dock, hidden in warehouses and piled in the back of abandon hospitals. Nothing was being distributed and with the massive number of amputations and crush injuries, infection was rampant. The desperately needed antibiotics were nowhere to be found; a problem I discuss in my "Mission to Haiti" blog (click Truly Madly Deeply on the right and go to "April" in the Archives). But that fateful email connected me to the incredible, Jitterbug Pearce; a nurse and journalist who spent months in Haiti after the earthquake providing aid for thousands. Like all committed relief workers in Haiti; she was a force to be reckoned with. She was working at Centre Hospitalier du Sacré-Coeur (CDTI), one of the better private hospitals in Haiti. The hospital building was no longer sound but the parking lot had been set up with multiple M.A.S.H units. She assured me there would be plenty for me to do if I could get myself down there. I got my ticket, packed my bags and was ready to go when I read on her blog; CDTI was shutting down, effective, immediately. I decided I would go anyway and take my chances.

How could I have possibly known what I was getting myself into? Nothing and no one can prepare you for Haiti. It’s a lawless country. Even the airport is a nightmare. After deboarding the plane, you wait in an un-air-conditioned, glass enclosed walkway. Everyone is jammed together like sardines before you are herded into the passport check line. Fans roaring making a lame attempt to cool down a massive hanger filled with hundreds of sweaty bodies. But when I walked into the area where you are suppose to claim your baggage, I was speechless. Hundreds of people swarming around hundreds, if not thousands of suitcases piled to the ceiling on top of a broken conveyor belt. How was I supposed to get my bags? I had 2 suitcases filled with medical supplies and all my camping equipment. Ugh! I’m sure I stood there for 20 minutes with my jaw dropped to the floor. The Haitians don’t seem to mind the fight. Finally, I found someone who looked like he was an airport employee. I gave him a ten dollar bill and used my best hand gesturing (because no one in the airport speaks English) to describe my luggage. I showed him another 5 dollars, assuring him that it would be here, waiting when he brought back my bags. How did I know that was a good idea – instinct!

I documented my time in Haiti on my blog: Ihttp://cory-trulymadlydeeply.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html. If you’re interested, I believe it gives a good and accurate account of what it is like doing relief work there and what life is like for the Haitian people. It’s not pretty. Life for Haitians was difficult before the earthquake. It has become unbearable after it.

I knew when I returned home from Haiti four months ago, I would go back. There is something about the work there that is difficult to explain but it is well beyond rewarding. Every day presents itself with challenges you could never in a million years anticipate, yet you meet them. I was doing what I love to do more than anything in the world and doing it under the most challenging conditions imaginable. What could be better? My plan was to return in the Fall when the weather improves. Since I’ve been back home I have connected with another relief worker, Stacy, tall and beautiful, she spent three and a half months down there, pushing her way through the streets of PAP on a motorcycle. She distributed thousands of pounds of food, placed children that were wondering in the streets, built enclosures for classrooms and made connections with every relief organization down there. Together, we've decided to do some official fundraising. We are in the beginning stages of starting our own organization called Art Store 4 Haiti. The premise is simple and not at all original. Our focus will be on Haiti’s orphanages: Improve the living conditions and set them up with materials to produce some form of art; jewelry, canvas, photographs, something. Whatever is produced will be exhaustively merchandised and sold on the Web Site. All proceeds will go directly back to the orphanage to help supply food, shelter, health care, education and replenishing the materials to make a product. Our goal is to make the orphanages secure and self sustaining. It’s a work in progress and progress is being made (as s soon as the Web Site is up and running, I will provide a link). But the Fall trip has been unexpectedly and emergently moved up to this week and we will both be heading back.

On July 10th I received an email from Paul Sebring, the relief worker I worked with and co-founder of M.M.R.C., one of the small, highly effective NGO’s working in PAP. He informed me that children in an orphanage run by nuns are being abused. You can read the story on Paul’s blog (http://sebringphotography.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/abusive-nuns-abusing-65-girl-orphans-haiti-update-07132010/). I have firsthand knowledge that what is going on is far worse than what he reported. Despite all efforts to rectify this situation, nothing has been done. Paul, along with his partner, Paul Waggoner have exhausted every official and legitimate avenue. To date, the abuse continues. Both Stacy and I feel certain, one way or another, we can get it to stop. Doing nothing is simply not an option. So the organization of Art Store 4 Haiti will make its first official trip to Haiti. Like all work there, it’s never what you expect. Every day is a surprise. Every day you work hard to solve problems that seem insurmountable, but you solve them anyway. I know it all sounds crazy but the truth is, working in Haiti is very challenging and it’s not for everybody (to say the least). If you have been there and you can tolerate it - it is a very harsh environment; you feel an obligation to be there. I will keep you posted. Wish us luck, pray for all of Haiti’s children and pray for the rain to hold up. XOX

MISSION TO HAITI: UPDATE

2010-04-19T15:56:00.002-04:00

The top photo is Big and Little Paul loading the 17 year old with the skull fracture into the back of our Toyota pickup. Three days later he is resting comfortably with his mother at the University of Miami 'Hospital'. This is a nice story with a happy ending.