Coronavirus Changes

May 11^th, 2020,

Bob and I have been staying in, I have followed the “stay at home” very strictly. Some aspects of the quarantine have reminded me of our time living in Haiti. Only seeing family on the computer, spending so much time with Bob, no shopping. I feel like our Haiti experience prepared us in some ways for these unbelievable times.

The Corona-19 virus came into Haiti about a month ago. As of today, they report 182 cases with 15 deaths. Haiti does not have testing in place but they have closed their borders. There are 10,347 cases, with 388 deaths reported in the Dominican Republic. Haitians that were working in the D.R. are returning to Haiti, some of them are carrying the virus with them. Because the border is closed, they are swimming through a river to get back. The U.S. just deported over 60 Haitians and several of them had the virus. Even though Haiti is not reporting very many cases, we feel sure the virus is spreading through their country.

Last week I spent the week talking and emailing with the Raising Haiti organization, The Parish Twinning Program, and all the wonderful people we work with in Haiti. Raising Haiti has developed a training program written in Creole to teach about the virus, social distancing, and handwashing. The area of Gros Morn will be part of the pilot program for this training. 

The training begins with a Doctor through a phone call speaks with a community leader and nine other people. The attending will receive the material in a written form.  The phone call is 30 minutes of training, and 30 minutes of questions and answers. I spent a lot of time setting this up last week, but I am so glad I could be a part of helping set this training up.

The Haiti project also just funded a project in the new parish buying a 500-gallon water tank, gutters, and supplies to build a stand, for a school in the new parish. The community came together and contributed the rock s  and labor needed to build the stand for the water container. This area is very dry and water is hard to come by. They did not have access to water for proper handwashing. The project was finished right in time to collect water during the rainy season.

Even though the schools are closed we are attempting to feed the children; of course, there are problems. Social distancing is not a part of Haitian culture in any way. I am glad that there will be training so people can understand, so they can practice more distancing. We are very happy that the children are being fed, even though the schools are closed because of the virus.

There are two more students I would like to share with you. They are also brother and sister, Remonia and Emanuel. Their mother works for us in the house. We call her Madame Friznell, she takes good care of us when we are in Haiti.

Remonia would come to help with laundry on Saturday mornings, I have never seen anyone get whites any whiter. She has become a friend to me, coming over in the morning anytime there was an event in the village to do my hair. She was the only person that could braid my hair for me when it was long. This girl has a smile that lights up the world. She has asked for our help to continue her education at a University studying nursing. I know she will make a wonderful nurse with her intelligence, and compassion for others.

Before we sponsor a young person in secondary education we require them to write a short essay answering the question, \”What problems do I want to solve? In my life and family, my community, my country, and my planet?\”  This is the essay that she wrote when she applied for help with her schooling cost:

The problem that I yearn to resolve in my community is malnutrition. Many children are dying & are not being cared for because there is not a clinic in the community where they can save the lives of children. 

My studies will enable me to understand the symptoms & identify which illness children have. That will mean that my community will receive care at the level I am able to give. I promise that when I finish my studies, I will return to my community so that I can give what service I am able, & for the community to be served as they should be. 

Emanuel Is a very talented young man. He can play any instrument he picks up, he seems to be very good with electronics, and entrepreneurship. For several years many people would ask us to get a satellite disc and tv so they could watch the big soccer games. So Manno and Louinell figured out how to get a TV and pay for a satellite dish. They borrowed our generator, paying for the gas themselves, and had the soccer games, charging admission to cover their costs. Manno is very soft-spoken, very earnest in his focus, always ready to give a helping hand. When Mano first requested money to attend a school in the construction trades, I felt that he is an intellectual, not really cut out for manual labor. But his response was that he would like to learn building techniques that would not come down in an earthquake, or be blown away in a hurricane. This is the essay that he wrote when he applied for help with his schooling cost:

¨When earthquakes happen here, it is really bad for people, because their houses are not built well. I want to learn to build solid houses so that people can live with dignity. Another important thing for people to live with dignity is a latrine. If I learn to plumb, I can help people install quality toilets, even way out in Gasin, because I really think that people deserve this in their homes. There is a project in Boukan Richard right now that is teaching us why toilets are so important, so now more people are interested in having latrines & plumbing in their homes.¨ 

I am proud to say I have known these two young people for many years and they and others like them, are the hope for Haiti.