Wind Storm Damage in Haiti

This is a recent message that I got from Patrick. The challenges seem continual.

From Patrick:

"Last night we had a wind storm in Port-au-prince a lot of desaster specially at lesly orphanage i went this morning on tap tap to find out.


All the tin roof at the kitchen are fly over on the air.all the class room are flat all the tents are damage and also the yard is floated will lots of water. lesly told me he will put it on facebook.

love you mom."

Patrick

Lessons from Haiti: Peace

Recent Tweet: Lessons from Haiti: Peace comes by living according to your core beliefs. Sometimes it is an adventure discovering what your real beliefs are. Rebecca @FFCINhaiti

look at that smile!

we went to Mother Theresa's home for the sick and dying a couple days ago and held and loved babies who were so sick and tiny and wanting affection. i noticed after a while of holding them, they would show bits of their personality. my heartbreak was that i didn't have 80 arms to smile at them and hold them and give them all attention at the same time the whole day long.

We need them more...

Hi everyone!
We have had a great couple of days. Yesterday, we rented a tour bus and took almost 30 street kids to the Historic Park near Aristides' house. It was kind of interesting because they were all so serious. You all know how boistrous they are when we visit them. Well, they were all very quiet and serious. On the bus I was told that they all looked out the windows with very little emotion. During the tour, they all stayed in line and listened to the whole tour. Kids in the U.S. would never have behaved so nicely.

The park was very professional, clean and beautiful! It showed what the slaves went through and how they made sugar from the abundant sugar cane here in Haiti. It was quite fun learning about it.

Today, Sunday we all went to church and then headed back over to the Street Kids. Jimmy gave a Bible lesson to the kids and then we let them look at pictures of themselves. They played games and just had fun. As Americans or Canadians, we naturally assume that those in poorer countries need us. However, so many times we are humbled when we realize how much we have recieved from those that we think we are serving. I wonder whom needs whom more? I'm quickly gaining the opinion that we need them more.

To top the day off we had devotional and then we played the skittle game. The Skittle game is a wild game of teams trying to blow a Skittle off the opposite side of the table. It was a great day!

The Three Librarians

Hi everyone! Today was a great day. We started the day by organizing and delivering food to an orphanage that we don't get to very often. I haven't been there for quite awhile and was pleasantly surprised with the improvements. All the kids were all dressed up in school uniforms and were in school when we arrived.

We took pictures of all of the students and staff. The pictures will be used for their new library cards. Each child will be able to check out a book when our mobile learning center visits. We will stay for about 2 hours. During those two hours they can check out books. We are hoping to give a lesson tomorrow on how to take care of books.

I am so excited to start! I will be even more excited when we have our center opened and also when we have computers and the internet!

Then the team spent the afternoon finishing the cataloging the books, making the pockets in the cover and organizing the math worksheets.

The only downer of the day was when we ran over an old computer monitor and ruined our tire. I hated to have to sink $200 for a tire that wasn't old! Bummer.

Events of the week

We have had a rewarding and most fulfilling week in Haiti. This week we attended a graduation ceremony for five of the orphans at Lesly's orphanage. We have worked with young and old, from orphans to the elderly at the Home for the Dying. This week has also been special as we have had the opportunity to be a part of a new mission...working with street kids. One of the best memories we all share from this week is the faces of the street boys as they learned to play donated recorders and as also when they competed in a difficult math challenge.

The love we have shared and shown to others this week has been tremendous. Truly, this has been a blessed week!

My Welcome Back

My welcome back
I chuckle as I think of my first day back to Haiti. First, I really couldn't believe that I was moving back. I didn't anticipate that I would do this again, even for just a summer. But, as I was on the plane I found myself getting excited to get back and "get my hands dirty." Well, Haiti welcomed me back in all her glory. As I stepped out of the terminal into the blazing heat, I was greeted first by Jimmy. He was allowed to come past the guards to find me. We hugged and proceeded to make our way to the street. Once out of the gate, I saw Michelet and Bony. We were truly happy to see each other. To get to the street is no small feat. You have to shout at and swat all of the men that are trying to get a tip by putting their hands on your luggage cart. And then, there are large holes that you are trying to navigate you cart over and through. The temporary terminal area is directly next to the street and there is absolutely no room. Wall to wall
people and cars make it difficult to move.  I tried to suggest that instead of pushing the cart, it may easier for the 3 boys to each carry a bag to the truck. All looked at me with blank stares. It just is not done that way was the silent message. So, I trailed behind as they pushed the cart on the rocky dirt side and in between cars in the road. They pushed several hundred yards down the street to where the truck was parked. Tips were paid and greetings to Patrick were said. The luggage was loaded in the back of the truck. As I was preparing to get into the truck, Patrick explained to me that the Truck was broken down. The Alternator was falling out and loose. He showed me where a bolt had fallen out and all of the belts were loose. He said the mechanic was on the way. Well, I know what that means, so I said that I would get a tap-tap to the house. We were only able to get a Van tap-tap. (Which was always the worst!) I climbed in over the people and
sat on a small ledge with my back up against the driver staring at the van full of people.  I smiled and greeted those in front of me. Bony, Jimmy and I chatted as we caught up. My recurring thoughts were "I love this!" and "Welcome Home".

Thank you!

Dear Readers, Volunteers and Contributors,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your generous donations to our efforts in Haiti. It has been a hectic 3 months! During the months after the earthquake I have been busy with

1st: Responding to the immediate needs of the orphanages that we serve as well as homeless youth. Then, we completed a security wall for the Infants of Jesus orphanage, delivered much needed food and supplies and are employing several of the homeless youth that we know of.

2nd: We have paid for a years rent of a "Mission House", and are in the process of buying beds and furniture so that mission groups can have a safe and comfortable place to stay while serving the people of Haiti.

Now, after a short visit back here in the States, I am leaving for Haiti for the summer. My time there will be spent giving consistant support to several orphanages. I will assess their food and supply needs and the general conditions that they are living with. In addition, I will be setting up a teaching program for our volunteers to participate in. We will be concentrating on teaching English, health issues and gardening. I am also setting up a highschool program for the group of homeless boys that are now living and working with me.

I would like to invite each and every one of you to come visit us in Haiti! We would love to have you come and participate in our Haiti efforts! Check out our trip dates. I have found that once you make a decision and commit, God opens all kinds of doors for getting the funds and the time.

Once I am in Haiti, I am going to take a few minutes to write about my experiences right after the earthquake. I hope that my experiences will inspire each of you because let me tell you, the good in people is alive and well!

Thank you again!
Love,
Rebecca

The Security Wall is Finished!

 First, a BIG THANK YOU to the construction crew that worked so hard. You guys are so awesome!

 Here's the latest email update from Jack with some interesting details about the past week:

"Almost right up to the last moment when the U.S. workers and their local volunteers quit working at four o'clock on Saturday, we were never without the logistical nightmare of getting materials to the men so they would not be delayed in their progress. Somehow, however, we managed it with the help of many people and especially Leslie (the Director of the Orphanage) who would jump in at the last minute with some magic solution if we did not have one. Some glaring examples included the drama with the concrete blocks we purchased from one vendor in the city. He told up up front when we ordered and paid for 3000 blocks from him that they were not his best blocks and he even gave us a significant discount for the purchase. I was leery from the first about this matter but I had one of the masons with me who physically inspected the blocks and said they were good, so we went ahead with the purchase. When the first 1000 of them arrived most of them broke and were completely unsuitable for use. We had already received blocks from another vendor that were very high quality, so when I learned about the broken ones, I had to rush into action to attempt to stop the vendor from shipping the last of the bad blocks and get out money back so we could buy more from the second vendor. Well, you can imagine how that cut into our day, with your mom running around with the only vehicle we had and me scrambling to get her back so we could go to the first vendor to get our money back and order some more blocks from the other manufacturer. We managed it just as the crews were about to run out of blocks.

There were unnumbered other cases like that then we were about to run out of sand and another time when our cement was running low. Late yesterday (Saturday) when I thought we had everything covered, the men who were mixing the mortar for the blocks had been using Lemon Joy dish soap as a stabilizer for the mix (they had brought along a large container from the U.S.) when the man handling that operation announced to me that he needed some more and that nothing else but Lemon Joy in his opinion would do. So with a second car that your mom had rented so I could get around while she ran other errands, I took off down town for the needed dish soap. Three hours later after battling traffic and searching a variety of small and large grocery stores and convenience shops along with a few street vendors, I finally returned with a bottle of dish soap (not Lemon Joy), worried that it wouldn't be good enough quality, and the guy accepted it just as his supply was about to run out. It worked fine, he told me later--a new lesson for him that all dish soaps may be the same after all.

The workers continued to press on through the week with that one goal in mind of completing the wall before 4PM on Saturday, as that was the time the Director of the Orphanage announced that he wanted to start with a "Thank-you" celebration that would include all of us properly clean and dressed up. Late afternoon Friday, looking at that deadline, Matt Ray, the appointed leader of the U.S. work group announced that they were going to work until dark. They did that and by Saturday morning the project looked very positive for being complete by the four o'clock deadline. As the group wound up things at 4:30 on Saturday and passed out their give-away tools to the local workers, three sides of this massive eight foot high wall was completed and there remained what the workers claimed, was only two more hours work for the local masons to do to complete the last wall. I had only one course of blocks to lay in a section about 75 feet long. Those men really cranked those last few hours, and when we loaded into the two vehicles to get ready to return to the hotel so the men could clean up and return to the celebration, their spirits were higher than I had seen them all week.

I didn't do much real physical labor or help the men on their jobs, other than running for this or that to keep them supplied with goods, so I had a lot of time to observe the U.S. workers on the job and when they took their frequent water breaks. It was impressive alone watching them work, but more so was their interaction with the children. Not one of them would return to the water dispenser without picking up their favorite child and playing for a few moments before they went back to work. It was obvious they were loving every moment of these not so frequent breaks, and were especially slow getting into the vehicles when we returned to the hotel at night. These guys were magnificent giants as they held and loved these tiny children and played toss ball or succor with the older ones. I can say how admirable it was to watch these interactions, and to in some way be a part of the process. 

I'm sure it was good for the children too, as I heard some of the stories of their various demises, I was feeling that same compassion I believe the men were feeling as they loved and hugged these infants. I choked up myself on more than one occasion when I heard the stories of why some of these children were at the orphanage, and I am sure most of the workers felt the same at times. I was curious, for example, about one little 11 year old girl that especially bonded with me during the days I was there. So I got one of the boys who spoke English to ask her about her family. She it turned out was a new-comer to the orphanage, having been delivered there by an American who found her wandering alone in one of the Tent Cities. Both her parents had died in the quake and somehow she had gotten out or had been rescued unscathed from the rubble. I could hardly believe this story as I saw her smiling as she told her story, and the details were related to me. Her dimpled face and perfect bright teeth showed no signs of what she had gone through only a little over a month ago."

Progress on the wall and more exciting news!

Jack Williams sent this message today:

"The crew got the wall up to 7'4" today on the front 120 feet of the wall, and started more on the left side. More concrete came today, so the crew can continue tomorrow. The volunteers from the states (masons and general contractors) are a wonderful bunch of guys that are really pouring their hearts into this project.

Another part of the good news for the orphanage. This morning early, a group showed up from the Brazilian Embassy with a truck load of tents and mattresses for the children. There were about ten men with the two embassy people who were from the Brazilian Navy who spent most of the day putting up the tents (ten of them). They said they also brought a lot of food, but I didn't see what they brought.
We've had the normal logistical problems that you know well from all developing countries, but we've done marvelous considering."

Rebuilding Has Begun

It has been quite awhile since we posted an update. Let's see, where to start?? The security wall. Thanks to "Poppinga Pay it Forward Fund" (Brady and Brooke Poppinga) and Jeremy Johnson and a few other donors we raised enough to build the security wall around IOJ orphanage and rent a house to open up the "Poppinga Guest Home" for our volunteers going to Haiti, as well as other relief groups. Most of the hotels and guest houses in Port-au-Prince were destroyed in the earthquake so it has been a challenge for volunteers to find safe places to stay. We are happy that we will be able to assist others in their efforts as well as our own.

Rebecca went back to Haiti about a week ago with Jack Williams. Jack has a background in engineering and extensive experience overseeing construction projects in developing countries. They were able to successfully locate and arrange for all the building materials to be delivered to the orphanage in preparation for the construction crew. The crew of 12 volunteers from Utah (and one from Seattle) arrived to Haiti yesterday morning and have already made a lot of progress.

Rebecca also enlisted the help of the U.S. military. She went over to the base the other day and asked to speak to a "higher up" (I don't know the rankings in the military :) ) She told him about our project and asked if some of the men would be interested in assisting. To her surprise he was VERY interested and a group of 4 men, including the chaplain, went to the orphanage to check things out. Once they saw the conditions they were 100% on board. Today they showed up with 25 men and heavy machinery... isn't that awesome?!

One last thing. About a week ago a little newborn baby named Schneider was dropped off at the orphanage. His story of survival is remarkable. Schneider was born an hour after the earthquake. His mother was barried in the rubble and she gave birth to him while she was trapped. Tragically she did not survive, but the father was able to dig out this new little baby boy. The new daddy tried his best to take care of Schneider for several weeks, but just couldn't do it and so he brought him to IOJ orphanage. There are several other babies that have been dropped off recently.

Thank you all so much for your support!

Videos of Children and Orphanages

Rebuild Haiti's Orphanages from Ryan H on Vimeo.


HAITI from Ryan H on Vimeo.

Thank you so much to Amber Media (Ryan Haldeman and Johnny Hall) for putting these together.

In the weeks to come...

Rebecca will be heading back to Haiti around February 5 (by herself this time) to continue distributing needed food and supplies and to look for a house to rent for our volunteer groups going to Haiti.

Volunteers play such an important role in our success, both in Haiti and here in the U.S. We appreciate your help! Those of you interested in going to volunteer in Haiti, details (dates, cost, etc) will soon be emailed to all of you. Thanks for your patience.

We are still working on raising the $20,000 USD we will need to rebuild the security wall around Infants of Jesus Orphanage. As soon as we have the funds, we have a wonderful group of construction workers ready to go down to build.

Support disaster relief for the children of Haiti

While Rebecca was in Haiti she assisted at a medical clinic where she met James Schwartz, a trauma nurse. They became friends and after learning about FFCIN's mission to help Haiti's children (immediately and long-term) he wrote the following:

Here in Haiti the needs are endless, teams of doctors and nurses are treating patients. The UN, the US, and international programs are delivering food and water. Long term however the needs will continue and the issues will change.

As all the world knows almost every structure in Haiti as either collapsed or is unsafe. Rebuilding will be a long and difficult process both due to logistics as well as materials. Building supplies have already begun to skyrocket in price and equipment to move supplies is limited.

One of the most at risk populations in Haiti right now are the children, only the fittest survive, and grown men are not above stealing from children and mothers. The children need a safe place to receive the most basic of care... food, water, and a soft touch to comfort them and ease their pain as they deal with the trauma of one of the most horrific tragedies in human history.

Imagine surviving a deadly natural disaster only to learn your mother, father, brothers, sisters have not survived. They wander aimlessly looking for food water shelter... no one to care for them and make sure they are safe.

As we try to create areas of safety for the children, native orphanages are a critical piece to a child’s ability to heal physically and psychologically, without a roof over their heads, food and water, and a caring touch these children will either not survive or grow up into the future bandits or gangsters of Haiti.

With just the most basic of resources, not only can we heal the children of today but impact the children of Haiti for years to come. When these children have someone to set an example for them, care for them, and raise them to be good stewards of the community, they will not end up angry and full of hatred, only displaying the survival skills by tormenting the future generations of Haiti.

Please find the hope in your hearts, and the money in your wallets to help the children of Haiti become the future leaders of a resilient people. Won't you join us in leading the children to the Promised Land, rather than feeding them to the wolves of bandits and gangs on the street? Logistics and materials can be obtained and organized, but only people can mobilize to help a country.

Written by James Schwartz, R.N.
Emergency Medical Relief Team, PAP Haiti

Another News Article

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705361016/Deseret-News-in-Haiti-Haitian-street-boys-rely-on-help-nurse-from-St-George.html?pg=2

Deseret News Article about Infants of Jesus Orphanage

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705360782/Deseret-News-in-Haiti-Adoption-not-an-option-for-some-Haitian-orphans.html

Thank you Carl

Carl left today. He was such a HUGE help!Thanks Carl! Rebecca, Chad, Ryan and Kevin will most likely leave on Tuesday. We are happy to report that all of the orphans we work with are doing okay. Another orphanage we were asked to assist, but never made it to, is also fine. I spoke to the adoption coordinator for that orphanage yesterday and she said they were able to get all of the children that were close to adoption to the U.S. a few days ago.

Since the earthquake we (with the help of God and all of you) have been able to assist the orphanages with food and water. Today Rebecca arranged for a port-a-potty to be delivered to Infants of Jesus Orphanage (IOJ). Right now the children are going to the bathroom in a bucket and dumping it in a nearby field.

Our plans for rebuilding are already underway. Our first priority is to build a cinder block wall around the IOJ property. This is really important for the children's safety. Our plans also include rebuilding the orphanage in the coming months. The orphanage building, which was only 2 small bedrooms to begin with, is still standing however will have to be torn down due to extensive damage.

I'm sure Rebecca will have a lot more to tell when she returns in a few days. We'll continue to keep you all updated. Thank you so much for your support and generosity!

Delivering supplies to orphanages

ksl.com - Utahns working to save lives in Haiti

ksl.com - Utahns working to save lives in Haiti

Chad, Ryan, Kevin, the truck and the supplies made it Port-au-Prince!

They made it safely...phew! Here are emails Rebecca and Ryan Haldeman just sent:

"We are doing great. We got the guys from the border. They got lost and showed up late but it was all cool. We got back right as it was getting dark and we immediately got them busy at the makeshift hospital. They are spending the night helping with recovering patients. They are jumping right into it! I am so thankful to everyone that is helping. I wish that I could convey how important each role is. It truly does take a community"
-- Rebecca Maesato


"We took off early this morning for Haiti. Our navigation was not too great and it took us quite a while to reach the border. The truck stopped once but luckily it was the gas (the gauge doesn't work). We were able to refuel and were on our way. We finally met up with Rebecca, Carl, and Patrick on the DR side of the border. I gave them all hugs and gave Patrick a few. He lost his father in the quake and had to dig him out himself in order to avoid him being buried in a mass grave. He is my age, 26, and has gone through so much in his life. We were able to cross into Haiti without even showing our passports, they are allowing Haitians and Dominicans (and everyone for that matter) to travel both ways without any problem. I don't know how long it will last but it was nice. On the drive into Haiti towards Port Au Prince you could see the damage as it got worse and worse. I couldn't hold back my tears, especially with Patrick sitting right next to me and thinking about what he had gone through in the last few days.

We got to the house where we are staying just after sunset. It is owned by an American family and they have invited any volunteer workers who want to stay there to find a place and sleep wherever and eat whatever. There are lots of volunteer doctors here, most people (especially the Haitians) sleep outside or near the doors. I'll probably sleep on the floor in the room Carl is in or on the balcony, there are just too many people. We had a quick bite and then went to a nearby makeshift clinic only about 3 blocks away. It was dark and they needed patients moved from the beds to a nearby rest center. We carried cots with patients or some just in our arms and put them in pick up trucks to be moved. One man had his ring finger amputated, another girl about 17 years old had burns all down her back, we also learned that she had lost her mother, father, and sister in the quake. When we brought them to the rest center it was just a piece of land with sleeping pads and cots strewn about. We laid them anywhere we could and tried to make them comfortable. Most people are beyond personal space right now, going to the bathroom in front of strangers, being dressed and undressed in front of others, they just want help.

Tomorrow our tentative plan is to head to one of the orphanages we had visited with about 50 children. I have been wanting to see them since I left Haiti and cannot wait to hold them. Especially one little girl I bonded with named Deborah. We're also going to see the guest house in which we previously stayed which is now collapsed. We're also planning on going to the most destroyed part of Port Au Prince which neither Rebecca or Carl have even been to yet. Plans change so I expect these to change also. I am safe and so happy to be here and of some small service. There is still so much need here and I only hope the efforts overseas do not wane as news coverage and the shock does.

One of our goals is to secure a location for volunteer workers to come and stay at for future visits as there will be many. We are brainstorming our options right now. It may be anything from tents, to a house, we don't know what we're going to do yet.
Some doctors are arriving back now. They have been working around the clock. We may head to the clinic tonight and help with the 21 patients that they currently have."

--Ryan Haldeman (our camera guy)