Starthrower Foundation Archived Updates :: Period from December 2005 to April 2006
(For current updates, go to Current Updates media)
April 20-30, 2006 Cap-Haitien
Hello Everyone!
In all April we have had hydro for a total of three hours and 45 minutes. Our camera has died a peaceful death. We have tried 3 new batteries -- each one takes 2 pictures then shuts down. I guess we go digital. Unfortunately will not have pictures of our Remembrance Service tomorrow. Perhaps it will be more effective without the presence of a camera.
Cindy in Penn. is mailing the carpenter plane for Djohn. Two if the three boxes she sent arrived and we tracked them down. Our taxi bill is outrageous but we have some shoes, vitamins, Tshirts and tinned food items. It is amazing to watch how the staff become energized when boxes arrive. They take it as a sign that someone cares about Haiti.
School has resumed after Easter Break (Konje Pak) so we are swamped with new 'Starfish' looking for support. At the beginning of the term anyone who has not paid all fees is put out (Yo mete li deyo). They are trying to salvage their year but we nave no money. We have added 28 to the waiting list. If possible, we will take them on in September after our current crop is settled and paid for.
Report cards are being distributed this week and we are seeing positive results from the tutoring that has been ongoing. Of course the young people are feeling better about themselves and Abel is feeling encouraged about his work.
I found an Internet cafe by chance when making a home visit to one of our kids. Abel and I are going to visit as many kids as possible and take photos. We have many without water and toilets, and need numbers in order to further assist. We have so many problems that I need to see for myself. In addition to no food or water or toilets, rats and mosquitoes are problematic.
Bos Plombye (plumber) came Monday and installed a new drain valve on our reservoir, leaving a masonry hole the size of an 18 wheeler, so Bos Mason arrived yesterday to repair both the hole and a leak which ran the circumference of the reservoir. Once the cement dries, we need a good rain to fill the tank and we are ready to wash.
Monday is the Fet de Travay (celebration of work/Labour Day) so only Abel and Degrand will work -- their choice -- and we will make home visits to those who live in Fo sen Michel (Fort Saint Michael).
Thursday we travelled to BelAir with Rose Claudelle (26/01/90 - grade 8AF, second year high school) to see her home. It's 2 rooms, about 5ft.x5ft each. There's a single bed in each room, an outdoor cooking area, an outdoor toilet that cannot be used as it is full. Water must be purchased for 2 gourdes a pail. There are 18 people living in the house, will be 19 when her sister Noseline returns from Port-au-Prince. She is also one of ours but became very ill in October and was taken in by an aunt.
Because of the rat problem, we are buying screening (til) in large quantities and trying to cover window openings. As the walls on the huts are often curved, it is impossible to make a frame. We found a carpenter who will make a small fence (barye) and cover it with til for the front door opening. We are trying this at Dieugrand's house. If it deters the rats we will have more made.
Julia fell on Saturday and landed on a nail which embedded itself in her derriere. The nail is apparently about 3 inches long. Her brother Jack arrived at work on Monday telling me she could not sleep well and had a fever. I sent Abel and Jack on bicycles to his house with money for a taxi and the clinic. It's the only option as she is unable to walk. She is on antibiotics but the nail has not been removed as the clinic does not have a doctor.
[a few days later] Julia's wound swelled (li te enfle) and burst (pete), expelling the nail and she is beginning to heal.
I have often wondered about the psychological dimension of the poverty these young people are experiencing. In the last month 3 of them have come to me thinking there was something wrong because they couldn't stop crying. One said, "I have a problem. I'm remembering my mother and I just cry because she left me. What will happen if you leave too?"
The grief is profound and so deep. I am grateful that it is being expressed. There are no answers and no assurances. We can only be present and listen.
Abel, Carmene and I are putting our heads together to create a 'reflection service' for our kids who have had parents and/or siblings die. The grief is so deep in most of them (and unexpressed) that I thought the time was right. We are planning on Sunday May 7th at 2 p.m.
I leave you with Martin Luther King: 'I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have 3 meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centred people have torn down, other centred people will build up.'
May the world d be filled with audacious people.
Beni-w (blessings),
Sharon
[Note: Sharon will return to Canada on May 14 for a few weeks.]
Good Friday 2006 Cap-Haitien
Hello again,
Lakay Fondasyon is closed for Good Friday, so I took a taxi to the Roi Christophe to see if I could use a computer. I am unable to continue using the Brothers' internet as they have so little hydro, they need to use the computer themselves when possible. I am searching for other locations. The best answer is our own computer with 'inverter' (I'm not sure what that is) and internet.
I am writing again because yesterday, one of our neighbors dropped dead in front of our house as everyone was leaving for the day. [The girl who died] looked to be about 14 or 15 years old. Two of the men playing dominoes in the street knew her and carried her to her home. She was so thin. This nightmare needs to see the light of day.
Yesterday, Peterson J. was diagnosed with a heart problem, rheumatism and malaria. The hospital is still on strike but the little clinic we discovered is staffed by a Cuban doctor, and seems to be an answer [to our medical needs] for the time being.
A heavy rain and strong winds on Tuesday and again on Thursday brought down most of our mangoes, so our summer crop will be sparse. Also the rain means the kids are sleeping in mud and sewage, so the sick list grows.
Boss Fleuridor, plumber, came yesterday to survey the damage to our rain water reservoir. He will be back Monday to attempt repairs.
Djohn D., carpenter's apprentice, is in need of a 'rabot' (carpenter's plane). If anyone can help with tools, used or new, it would really help.
Marline V.has an ear infection and the list goes on.
Blessings, Alapwochen,
Sharon
April 12, 2006 Cap-Haitien
Hello Everyone!
First of all, for those who have been asking about our financial needs ::
* House $400 US per month ($4,800 US/year)
* Food distribution $1200 US per month ($14,400 US/year)
* Per youth (school, apprenticeship, medical, dental, housing etc.) $1000 US
(150 youth @ $1,000 US = $150,000 US/year)
I am squeaking by with $500 US per student/year and $400 per month for food distribution. If we could provide enough for one meal every day, we would cut down on the amount needed for medical support.
The *good* news this week is that the owner of the house is very pleased with the improvements we have made and has invited us to stay on *without* a rent increase. [Note: The 'improvements' were minor, and necessary to make the house habitable.]
Gas has reached $70 Haitian/gallon (about $10 US/gallon) if you can find it. Several strikes and much frustration.
The hospital is still on strike, so I am sending folks to small clinics. However, like the hospital, they are understaffed and overextended. Many people are sick as a result of recent rains: Jean Ricot is being tested for malaria; Rosenie for TB, Esmann for intestinal infection; and Volcy has a fungal infection on his face.
Alex needs a tetanus shot. He stepped on a nail and it went through his shoe, and his foot is infected. We'll try again tomorrow to get a number at the clinic.
Jetho (apprentice with Boss Paul for masonry in Sen Rafayel) is ill. Sr. Jeanette could not diagnose, so she sent him to Dr. Anne., who also could not diagnose, so she sent him to the hospital in Milot.
Dens Excellent came in today to say his 10-year-old sister, Djeniflor, died earlier that morning. He needs money for burial and suitable clothes. Our money is gone. She is the 2nd sibling to die in that family in less than a year -- Benji, age 3, died last summer.
Djohn Dejoie was in this morning, too, from Sen Rafayel, in need of food and another bed. His was stolen in December. Although he only slept on it for 3 months, he finds that he has pain everywhere again from sleeping on the ground. Unable to help him right now.
Abel greeted 115 people at our 'portail' during the last 2 weeks of March. We have added another 20 names to our waiting list. When finances turn around, we will hopefully become proactive instead of always being reactive.
A work group from Rayjon [Canadian charity] came in last week. They were painting for Sr. Rosemary [Sisters of St. Joseph] and all of them came to lunch on Saturday. I have asked them to send a photo for the web site.
Blessings, Kenbe,
Sharon
[Note from Karen: I will be away for the next three weeks, so updates to the Starthrower web site may be sporadic. Please continue to email inquiries, and I will reply as soon as I can.]
March 29, 2006 Cap-Haitien
Hello Everyone!
Here is my update, with an urgent plea for donations.
We were able to purchase propane on Saturday, and so are able to cook daily again. Also, I have had success with a combination of peanut butter (mamba) and protein powder in restoring energy, but the protein powder is now gone. Any help from anyone would be appreciated.
Hospital Justinien is on strike again as the doctors have not been paid.
The boxes arrived from Pennsylvania last week. The jeans and t-shirts fairly flew out the door as everyone is writing exams and schools are going on field trips. The new clothes are just wonderful, and the kids were all so excited, I took a picture with the last of my film. Eleven students asked for field trip money (We sponsor 150 students in total), and it was only a few dollars each. For the girls, it was the first time they had worn long pants. The field trips are to various sites, like to
Labadie to climb the mountain and see the historic ruins, to
the Citadelle, and to Kenscott, a small city also with ruins. There are lots of ruins in Haiti. This is the first time our kids have been able to go on the trips.
Cindy in the U.S.(who arrangesd the t-shirts and jeans, etc.) is preparing more supplies and they should arrive mid April. Now we need a container to ship donated goods still waiting in Canada. Can anyone help with this?
In preparing the birthday lists (an idea borrowed from Ron and Diana, a couple from the States who run an orphanage in Petit Anse), I realized that I have miscounted and we currently have 150 students on our lists. Ron and Diana take all the children in their orphanage to swim at a local hotel pool once a month to celebrate birthdays. Our birthday party will be on a smaller scale -- cake and pop on the last Saturday of every month.
Many do not know their actual birthday. Dieugrand's mom died when he was 10, his dad when he was 12. He raised his sister, Christamene. When the opportunity arose for him to go to school, he had no birth certificate. Sister Cecilia talked with women in the village who had known his family, discerned an approximate date and presented that information to the local magistrate for an 'acte de naissance' (birth certificate).
TJ was left as a newborn in a garbage dump. The people who took him in gave him a name and a birth date.
We have sponsored Guilene Mesadieu for 8 years. She is blind from birth, and attends a special school in Port-au-Prince. She has asked that we try to find a
manual braille typewriter and a portable tape recorder.
I have never put out a special request for funds but the reality is that without an infusion of new money over the next 2 months, Lakay Fondasyon will close at the end of June 2006. Two years ago, I was given a generous, anonymous donation to "keep me safe" in Haiti. I chose to put it into creating a place where many others, too, could feel safe. That money is gone and the lease on Lakay Fondasyon ends in June.
Last year, I sold my house and car and used that money to sponsor the program. Some wonderful people in England, Canada and the United States are working very hard to support us. However, six people cannot shoulder the burden of this work. It requires many more.
Our web master tells me that we get more than 1200 web site 'hits' each month. If you are reading this, why are you reading this? What is your interest in Starthrower Foundation and in Haiti, and what is your response? Do you think this [situation in Haiti] is sad? Or do you recognize the injustice and want to help? If so, what are you doing about it? Please help keep our doors open and give these young people 'possibilite'.
Blessings, Namaste
Sharon
(For fundraising ideas, see
Starthrowers)
March 20, 2006 Cap-Haitien, Haiti
Hello Everyone!
It's been busy since I returned a few weeks ago. Here's what's been happening.
Laura's visit [student, London, Canada] came and went in the blink of an eye. Our parcels from Cindy [Starthrower US] are now in Cap-Haitien -- I got the email today -- so I will send Jack to pick them up when I get back home.
Marcellus comes to study every day. On Friday, I gave him the running shoes he had asked for last time, as well as one of the French 'mot cache' books from Yvette in Montreal. Then he told me that it was his birthday, so I checked the records, and he just turned 18. That gave me an idea: I will start a Birthday Club here and acknowledge birthdays by the month. I will post the list on the gallery for all to see, along with pictures. These young people have no one to say 'Happy Birthday' to them, as most are orphans. Abel is compiling the list.
Blessings to
Sue Simeon for the money for two of the boys for clothes and food. Thanks too, to all who donated towards vitamins. We are distributing them very rapidly. About a dozen new people come knocking on the portail daily, asking for help with school or apprenticeship. I cannot compile list for future use as there are no addresses here or phone numbers where we can contact them.
Prices continue to rise and some inferior products are creeping in, making things difficult. Like the beans we bought for distribution before I left: They are too hard and take 4-6 hours to cook. Nobody has that much charbo (charcoal), which is $100 Haitian [$15 US] a sak. Hopefully, the new batch will prove more user friendly.
We had a problem at customs upon arrival this time. Haitian official charged me $300 Haitian/$43 US to bring in 36 backpacks. Half were in Laura's luggage but I got dinged because of the "quantity". We need a container for shipments, and someone who can navigate it through customs.
There's been no hydro for the week so we are using ice like crazy. Rosenie A.'s brother, Yvon, brought a gift on onions this morning. We bailed him out of prison in St. Raphael after he was jailed for not being able to pay for their father's funeral.
At one of the schools in St. Raphael, 0-Bon Berger, there are not enough benches or desks for the kids. When one of our students demanded a place to sit, the director called in the police and had him hauled up before a magistrate. We have 25 kids in that school. I will withdraw them next year and find a school which can accommodate all.
I am still looking for someone to cook up in St. Raphael, as most who come down the mountain seeking help are without food in addition to needing school fees. The average age in Haiti is 16. That means that about 4 to 4.5 million are under age 16, and many are heads of families due to parental deaths. This is SO big. One at a time.
Blessings
Kenbe
Sharon
March 13, 2006 Toronto, Canada
Hello, Everyone!
Sharon is on her way back to Cap-Haitien, in the company of Laura, a London, Ontario high school student making her first trip to Haiti.
Unfortunately, Sharon's time in Canada this past month was not as productive as usual, as she was being treated for a bacterial infection contracted in Haiti. Such infections are a fact of life, despite every precaution. We all wish her a full, and hopefully speedy, recovery. [If you are traveling to Haiti, see the
CDC Shigella Information Page for details.]
As soon as she is able, Sharon will send updates via email. I will be posting the pictures she brought back with her as soon as I receive them.
Thanks to all who supported Laura's fundraising Bowling for Haiti to help finance her trip. While Sharon continues to recuperate, Laura will be a great help at Lakay Fondasyon for the two weeks she will be there.
And thanks, too, to all who are supporting Francilien, the U.K. marathoner, who is dedicating two
Marathon fundraisers to Starthrower Foundation.
Karen
February 9, 2006 Cap-Haitien
Hello, Everyone!
Good news! Jack's wife had a baby girl on Monday morning, their second. She has travelled by bus up the mountain with the baby to recuperate with family. Jack came in a few hours after the birth to gather branches from all of our trees as well as a chunk of bark from each. The leaves were used to create a soup for madam to bathe in, and tea was made from the bark. Both tea and soup are to aid postpartum healing.
Ylene Fidele, Volcy Nelson and Odelin Excellent are being treated for malaria.
Djohn Dejois arrived from Sen Rafayel this morning at about 7 a.m. He was ill, but had been to see Soeur Ginette (she has reopened the little clinic). We are sponsoring his apprenticeship as a carpenter. Yesterday while he was at work, thieves broke into his little house, [His mom died last year, his dad is very ill and is with relatives, he has 4 younger sisters). The thieves took everything, including the bed he had purchased from his earnings at Lakay Fondasyon last summer. The money has all been spent by now, so the family has no financial support. I gave him my New Balance runners, and a pair of jeans and a few Tshirts, as well as a large sac diri, pwa and lwil [food].
Lycee Boukman closed last week. The teachers went on strike as they have not been paid since the coup almost 2 years ago. We have 4 students in that school. Some of the other students, mostly seniors, went on a tear, and destroyed every classroom, making it difficult for the school to reopen. Their year is lost. All other schools have been closed as of today and will reopen Feb.13th. We are closing Monday and Tuesday to keep staff safe -- no public transport is allowed. No vehicles are allowed, either, as there were some drive-by shootings at polling stations during the last 2 elections. The kids can get to me on foot for food and repose.
[A donor in the U.S.] is arranging monthly drops of donated school supplies to begin when I return in March.
Kenbe, Sharon
[Note: Sharon is in Canada until March 11/06 then returning to Cap-Haitien. Thanks to several kind and generous donors -- from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada -- Sharon will be able to purchase some of the needed supplies to take back with her.]
January 25, 2006 Cap-Haitien
Hello Everyone,
First hydro in 10 days this morning. I tried sending email for 2 hours last week, only to have the [computer crash] each time, and it was not possible to save any of it. I went over to the Azile yesterday and asked Brother Benedict if I could come once a week to use his computer. He thought I could, as we purchased their textbooks for them last summer. (Of course, they need hydro too, but they are located in a different kartye). He also said I may charge my cell phone there. Hallelujah.
Re the offers of help: Anything coming in from Labadie would be WONDERFUL. Also, I can go to Bel Air as it is not far from the house. We currently need 24 scientific calculators (scientific ONLY), multivitamins, backpacks and pencil cases. (Thanks to the donors who have come forward to help with the vitamins and back packs. We always need those.) We always need shoes, socks, Tshirts and jeans, too, but customs charges more than they are worth to release them from cargo. School supplies, they allow me.
Our most pressing need is money for food and supplies. Every week, we are distributing one 110-lb. sack plus one 50-lb. demi-sack of rice and 3 gallons of oil, plus the bags to package each student's portion which allows them enough for 2-3 days. As well, we have to pay for the taxi to transport it all home from the market. Total cost $100US per week. It is better than their only eating once a week or so. With more funds, we could provide a meal a day. People need to know HOW HUNGRY everyone is here, and [that's] why we distribute food sacks weekly. Mme Carmene made mamba (peanut butter) yesterday, so everyone gets a bottle. We also need empty containers with lids for mamba and oil. Currently, we are using anything we can find and sterilize.
It would be great if someone made a one-time donation of $5000 US earmarked JUST for a used vehicle. Then we could get to Labadie and Bel Air. The vehicle is about staying alive, not just for transporting goods. [There was] a murder Friday morning -- a young woman [who was] getting on a taptap. Someone behind her cut her throat and took her purse. If she uses a taptap, she isn't wealthy. Then on Saturday morning, the taptap I was on nearly hit the body of another robbery and murder victim -- a money changer -- that was still lying in the middle of Rue L. It's becoming increasingly difficult to exchange currency. The money changer we used to use was robbed and shot last summer. Then last night, there was another gun fight near our kartye.
I paid for the funeral [see previous update] out of the rent money for March. I did this to keep Williamson, the older brother, out of prison. In Haiti, unpaid debts have a grace period of a week or two, then jail. The prison in Sen Rafayel is one of the worst for human rights abuses, according to a UN inspector with whom I spoke at Christmas.
Tutoring is happening on a daily basis here. Jocelyne PRINTED her name in the pay book for the first time last week. I took a picture of the event, then cried. She just beamed. Abel is a natural teacher, and it's a blessing to have him here.
School did reopen on Monday. Christemene and Dieugrand have malaria. Jack broke his toe working in the garden. Esmann came to ask if we could help him make a new uniform (he sings in the church choir). He worked during the holidays for money to purchase material, then had the uniform made, but now the cockroaches (ravets) have eaten much of it.
Yesterday, Rene Preval (former president and current presidential candidate) came to town. Amazing display of music and chanting and dancing. I heard it all, but of course I did not leave the house. None of our staff attended, either, as the threat of violence is palpable. The main street was closed. We are unable to purchase paint to freshen up bedrooms as shopkeepers are staying closed for fear of robberies.
I am coming home Feb. 11 for 4 weeks. I have retreats scheduled, as well as speaking engagements in London and Windsor. When I come back in March, Laura, a 2nd year Grade 12 student, is coming with me [while she is on March Break]. Mme Carmene cheered when I told her we might have a visitor in March. She only gets to cook once a week for me as I eat little.
Blessings, Kenbe,
Sharon
January 12, 2006 Cap-Haitien
Bonne annee, everyone!
Abel (the student we sponsored for auto ecole) started working full time here at Lakay Fondasyon last week. He is looking after visitor intake at the security gate (portail), record keeping, tutoring, food purchase, packaging and distribution.
This means that Starthrower Foundation is now able to continue distributing weekly food packages even when I am in Canada. And, when we purchase our truck, we will have Abel as a chauffeur. He is a great help, since I am a blan (foreigner), I am at greater risk of harm when I use public transport. Abel is also tutoring Jocelyn, our laundress (lesivye), who is learning to read and write. In the process, we discovered that we have an incorrect last name for her, but do not know how to spell the correct one, as she has no birth, baptismal or marriage certificates.
Starthrower also covered the burial costs for Joseph's family and added the names of all his siblings to our list of those eligible for medical help at the clinic in Sen Rafayel. Unfortunately, the clinic closed this week so our 80 or so kids in the village are without medical care.
Mme Joseph continues to cook for the students in Sen Rafayel (St. Raphael), although it is not possible to provide her with food sacks due to often violent civil unrest and we cannot offer any security. Elorge and Deles came down the mountain from Sen Rafayel last week for supplies. The high price of gas has raised the price of a return bus fare. It is now $40 Haitian (about $5 USD) for a round trip. Three years ago, it cost $5 Haitian (less than $1USD). [The average daily wage in Haiti is $2USD.]
The country was closed Monday for a general strike (grev), and because of the increasing violence leading up to the nnational elections (now due to be held on February 7, the original inauguration date), the schools have remained closed for an extra week. They might reopen next Monday, January 16.
Plumber (Bos Plombye) came on Tuesday and changed our bathroom tap. We now have running cold water as opposed to dripping cold water. No, that's not true -- the tap still drips as well.
We have 50 people on the list for weekly food sacks. We also provide a sandwich, some fruit and a drink for everyone who comes to the house. We also need more multivitamins. Everyone is taking them faithfully, and I think it will make a difference. We are making peanut butter (mamba) this week. We try to give to each person a jar to supplement the rice and beans.
My time at the internet cafe is almost up. Good to have the opportunity to touch base.
Kenbe, Sharon
