Simplified summary of what I do: This is a project that has been on-going for six years (and this my 10th trip, thus the "version 10.0").
Currently, we have six students sponsored in Haiti, for whom their education is paid for by Chief Moses Middle School 8th grade students from Moses Lake, WA. Two of the sponsored students attend an elementary school in Kenscoff, and four of the sponsored students attend a secondary school in Fort Jacques. In Haiti, there are a total of 13 grades: 1st through 9th....then 4 years of high school (3e, secondare, rheto, and philo). You take a government test, and receive a diploma if you pass, after the 6th, 9th and philo grades. Briefly, the students and the grades they are finishing are:
Secondary School:
Anite: Philo, hopes to eventually attend a university, but thinks she may work as a secretary in the meantime
Claudette: Rheto, top student in her class, hopes to attend nursing school after finishing Philo
Bedeline: Secondare, still deciding what she wants to do
Wisline: 9th grade, wants to be a secretary
Primary School:
Illiomene, 4th grade, wants to be a cook
Michelet, 4th grade, wants to be a doctor
In recent years, we have also partnered with the primary school to help the school develops as a whole, rather than sponsor additional individual students. Last year, we funded the building of a new classroom in the school (their identified area of need), and with the help of that new classroom, the students the school has been able to educate more than doubled over the last year, from 13 students to 30.
Setting: Our work is done in the hills up above Port au Prince. If you were to drive through the crazy and busy city of Port au Prince, you would pass through the neighborhood of Delmas and then through Petionville (the back part of Port au Prince), and then would meet a road that heads up the mountains through Thomasin. About 2 hours from the airport (up a steep and winding road), in the mountains high above the city, you then hit a market area known as Fermathe. If you were to go straight past Fermathe for about another half hour you would reach Kenscoff (where the elementary school is), and if you were to take a left at Fermathe you would enter Fort Jacques (the secondary school is about 10 minutes up the road, and where we stay at Gardy's house is about another 40 minutes up the road). The mountains are very green, covered in small farm land, beautiful and
refreshing. There is a lots of sun, but also frequent quick downpours of rain (time of year depending). The culture is loud, aggressive (both physically and verbally), and full of life.
The Team: I bring different travel partners with me when I go, this time traveling with me was Nate Osborne. Nate is a 22 year old native of Moses Lake, with his Bachelors in Biochemistry, currently applying to medical school. Every time I travel to Haiti, I work with Gardy (my "right hand man"; acts as my guide, primary translator, very humbly hosts us is in his own home, and is my personal driver) and Jacob (who acts as second translator, and stands at the side of whoever my travel partner is). This time we also worked with Eddy, a second driver. So the five of us: Nate, Gardy, Jacob, Eddy, and I....went about the work.
The Happenings:
Friday:
We arrived at the airport to the normal chaos: pushing, shoving, lots of people. Gardy was waiting right where he always is, there to faithfully and quickly whisk us away from the hot, humid, and demanding scene of Port au Prince, to the refreshing mountains. Along the way, we stopped and picked up drinking water, party supplies for Anite's graduation party, and some Haitian currency from the ATM.
We set right to work, and on the way back to Gardy's home stopped for the first of the meetings at the secondary school, to discuss the progress of each of our 4 high school students. It was described that Anite was successfully completing Philo and would be graduating the following week (diploma pending the passing of her government test), Claudette is still a phenomenal student and the principal strongly recommends she be assisted in attending nursing school if at all possible as her future is "very bright", Bedeline has done a poor job in attendance and is struggling to succeed this year more than previous, and Wisline has come from struggling to truly pushing herself and doing very well in the classroom over the last year.
We then arrived to home base in Fort Jacques, settled in, and happily caught up with all the faces I have missed over the last year.
Saturday:
We went to Kenscoff to meet with the director of the Mountain School (primary school we work with), and heard about all the tremendous growth the school has seen over the last year. We also spoke about how our two students are doing. Michelet continues to do exceedingly well, and is applying himself daily. Unfortunately his father has fallen to alcoholism, but Michelet has repeatedly vocalized "I don't want to be like my father" and works hard despite living in a shack with minimal providings. Illiomene has been described as sweet and hardworking, but a little slower than average. Illiomene then joined the meeting, and stated that she wished to continue in school and eventually wants to be a cook. Together, the director and us discussed what would be best for the students' futures. We decided that Illiomene would benefit from completing two more years through 6th grade, and then attending professional school for 6 months with a focus on cooking (given her desires to be a cook; this is all, of course, done in strict accordance with the student preferences). For Michelet, who dreams of being a doctor, and is as bright and kind and they come despite some of the greatest adversity known to mankind, we have agreed that it would be best to support him through school as long as he desires, continues to apply himself, and it is financially/logistically feasible.
We also made a quick trip to the market to buy additional water safe for drinking, and a bag of rice, and on the way back to home base met up with Wisline (one of the secondary students), her husband Jimmy, and their three year old daughter Jisline (note the hilarious combination of Jimmy and Wisline, to form their daughter's name Jisline). We discussed different ideas for Wisline's future. As she is just completing the 9th grade and the corresponding government test associated with the 9th grade, we anticipate her receiving her 9th grade diploma. This makes a good stopping point if she were to not continue on in high school for another four years (through the end of Philo). We discussed different options, and with the thought that her making an income right now would be helpful in providing for Jisline (and not necessarily waiting another four years), the decision was made to pull her from her current school and investigate 1 year professional school programs. Wisline and Jimmy agreed to make the trip into the city together on Monday to investigate the options they could find, and that we would meet up again on Monday afternoon to discuss what they had learned and make a decision about future schooling.
Sunday:
Sunday morning we went to church up the hill, where interestingly, the sermon topic was Climate Change. We then returned home to prepare for Anite's graduation party. Nate and Gardy went to town to pick up some chicken and charcoal; and I stayed behind to help decorate with a few of Gardy's very kind friends. I helped the women prepare the meal, and after food prep was completed the women all helped Anite ready herself; when Anite finally climbed the stairs into the room where the party was held, she came dressed to the nines!! (I didn't realize a graduation party meant I should have packed a cocktail dress! Ha!) That evening Gardy's house was packed full of well wishers/friends there to celebrate Anite's success, and after some mingling and Konpa dancing, we all circled together to honor Anite and her journey. Gardy said a few things on Anite's behalf, I said a few things, and then Anite thanked everyone with focus on profusely thanking Gardy (who out of the kindness of his heart has allowed her to stay with him while she has attended school), myself (a sponsor and adopted mother of sorts), and the students of Chief Moses Middle School. The party then continued with a feast and more dancing! (Not long into the party, Nate and I decided we had done our share of partying, and snuck to the back room to read while the others danced the night away. Haha!)
Throughout the day (amidst party prep), I also made a point to speak with each of the remaining secondary students 1:1 about how things were going in school and in life in general, what areas needed continued work/additional dedication at school (referencing conversations with the principal), their desires for the future, and what would be best for my involvement in their life in the upcoming year. This included discussing the Bedeline her poor attendance, and the really difficult things she is going through in life right now, including daily fear for safety and difficulty with access to food (Claudette, Bedeline and I discussed ways to help Bedeline, and in the end decided to give her one more chance in school, with increased support).
Monday:
New backpacks and school shoes for all students, purchased before we left for Haiti. $100
Anite's graduation party food and decorations. $75
Claudette's tuition, fees (including graduation costs), new school uniform. $460
Bedelin's tuition, fees. $320
Wisline's professional school tuition, fees, books, uniform. $560
Used desktop computer for Wisline. $120
Transportation for Wisline to the professional school. $30
Michelet's tuition, books, new uniform. $200
New clothes, shoes for Michelet to be able to attend community events. $17
Illiomene's tuition, books, new uniform. $200
Medical checkup for Illiomene, prescribed medications. $30
Food to feed 40 students one meal of rice and beans for 4 months at Mountain School. $350
All costs of translators, in-country transportation, safe drinking water, food for Nate and I Totaled $530 US. These costs come directly out of Nate and my pockets (I do not wish for any of the student raised funds to go toward personal/administrative costs), and the funds that any supporters choose to give toward our costs.
Closing Thoughts:
There are so many things that go into making the work possible, and many thought processes that are not detailed here (and would take up far too much space), including consideration of community impact, racial/ethnic relations and expectations, work to not foster dependency, spiritual and emotional implications, and so much more. Please resist making assumptions or judgement based off a skin and bones report; there are deep, pain-staking and detailed thoughts I wrestle with year-round to try and optimize the health of the project, and make my involvement as ultimately beneficial to the students and communities involved, both in and Haiti and the United States. If you have further questions, please ask!
I am truly grateful for and humbled by the opportunity to act as a sort of bridge between students in Haiti and the United States. The hearts of the students in Moses Lake who give, are truly remarkable; every single time a coin or bill is placed into the donation bucket, it is a heart choosing to sacrifice something of their own in order that another child on the other side of the world might have a better future. Please take a moment to reflect on the purity and selflessness of this. These are students who are literally changing lives and the face of a community in another part of the world...because they are choosing to care, and recognize that they CAN do something. If these young people can selflessly open their hearts to individuals different from themselves, who they will never meet, and choose to actively love them; what is the rest of our excuse? This should deeply humble all of us.
It is truly a gift to be in the role of being able to deliver these gifts to Haiti, and in turn form deep and meaningful relationships with these students abroad. If you are a part of allowing this, truly, thank you.
And this trip is a wrap! If you have any questions, please reach out (and allow ample time for reply).
Blessings to you!
Analiesse
Currently, we have six students sponsored in Haiti, for whom their education is paid for by Chief Moses Middle School 8th grade students from Moses Lake, WA. Two of the sponsored students attend an elementary school in Kenscoff, and four of the sponsored students attend a secondary school in Fort Jacques. In Haiti, there are a total of 13 grades: 1st through 9th....then 4 years of high school (3e, secondare, rheto, and philo). You take a government test, and receive a diploma if you pass, after the 6th, 9th and philo grades. Briefly, the students and the grades they are finishing are:
Secondary School:
Anite: Philo, hopes to eventually attend a university, but thinks she may work as a secretary in the meantime
Claudette: Rheto, top student in her class, hopes to attend nursing school after finishing Philo
Bedeline: Secondare, still deciding what she wants to do
Wisline: 9th grade, wants to be a secretary
 |
| In order: Claudette, Wisline, Anite, Bedeline |
Illiomene, 4th grade, wants to be a cook
Michelet, 4th grade, wants to be a doctor
In recent years, we have also partnered with the primary school to help the school develops as a whole, rather than sponsor additional individual students. Last year, we funded the building of a new classroom in the school (their identified area of need), and with the help of that new classroom, the students the school has been able to educate more than doubled over the last year, from 13 students to 30.
Setting: Our work is done in the hills up above Port au Prince. If you were to drive through the crazy and busy city of Port au Prince, you would pass through the neighborhood of Delmas and then through Petionville (the back part of Port au Prince), and then would meet a road that heads up the mountains through Thomasin. About 2 hours from the airport (up a steep and winding road), in the mountains high above the city, you then hit a market area known as Fermathe. If you were to go straight past Fermathe for about another half hour you would reach Kenscoff (where the elementary school is), and if you were to take a left at Fermathe you would enter Fort Jacques (the secondary school is about 10 minutes up the road, and where we stay at Gardy's house is about another 40 minutes up the road). The mountains are very green, covered in small farm land, beautiful and
The Team: I bring different travel partners with me when I go, this time traveling with me was Nate Osborne. Nate is a 22 year old native of Moses Lake, with his Bachelors in Biochemistry, currently applying to medical school. Every time I travel to Haiti, I work with Gardy (my "right hand man"; acts as my guide, primary translator, very humbly hosts us is in his own home, and is my personal driver) and Jacob (who acts as second translator, and stands at the side of whoever my travel partner is). This time we also worked with Eddy, a second driver. So the five of us: Nate, Gardy, Jacob, Eddy, and I....went about the work.
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| Jacob, Nate, myself, and Gardy |
Friday:
We arrived at the airport to the normal chaos: pushing, shoving, lots of people. Gardy was waiting right where he always is, there to faithfully and quickly whisk us away from the hot, humid, and demanding scene of Port au Prince, to the refreshing mountains. Along the way, we stopped and picked up drinking water, party supplies for Anite's graduation party, and some Haitian currency from the ATM.
We set right to work, and on the way back to Gardy's home stopped for the first of the meetings at the secondary school, to discuss the progress of each of our 4 high school students. It was described that Anite was successfully completing Philo and would be graduating the following week (diploma pending the passing of her government test), Claudette is still a phenomenal student and the principal strongly recommends she be assisted in attending nursing school if at all possible as her future is "very bright", Bedeline has done a poor job in attendance and is struggling to succeed this year more than previous, and Wisline has come from struggling to truly pushing herself and doing very well in the classroom over the last year.
We then arrived to home base in Fort Jacques, settled in, and happily caught up with all the faces I have missed over the last year.
Saturday:
We went to Kenscoff to meet with the director of the Mountain School (primary school we work with), and heard about all the tremendous growth the school has seen over the last year. We also spoke about how our two students are doing. Michelet continues to do exceedingly well, and is applying himself daily. Unfortunately his father has fallen to alcoholism, but Michelet has repeatedly vocalized "I don't want to be like my father" and works hard despite living in a shack with minimal providings. Illiomene has been described as sweet and hardworking, but a little slower than average. Illiomene then joined the meeting, and stated that she wished to continue in school and eventually wants to be a cook. Together, the director and us discussed what would be best for the students' futures. We decided that Illiomene would benefit from completing two more years through 6th grade, and then attending professional school for 6 months with a focus on cooking (given her desires to be a cook; this is all, of course, done in strict accordance with the student preferences). For Michelet, who dreams of being a doctor, and is as bright and kind and they come despite some of the greatest adversity known to mankind, we have agreed that it would be best to support him through school as long as he desires, continues to apply himself, and it is financially/logistically feasible.
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| Illiomene |
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At Mountain School, with Illiomene, Gardy, Jacob, Miguel (teacher), and Sodrace (director)
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| Director Sodrace showing off the new classroom built with funds donated last year. |
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| Wisline, Jisline, and Jimmy |
Sunday morning we went to church up the hill, where interestingly, the sermon topic was Climate Change. We then returned home to prepare for Anite's graduation party. Nate and Gardy went to town to pick up some chicken and charcoal; and I stayed behind to help decorate with a few of Gardy's very kind friends. I helped the women prepare the meal, and after food prep was completed the women all helped Anite ready herself; when Anite finally climbed the stairs into the room where the party was held, she came dressed to the nines!! (I didn't realize a graduation party meant I should have packed a cocktail dress! Ha!) That evening Gardy's house was packed full of well wishers/friends there to celebrate Anite's success, and after some mingling and Konpa dancing, we all circled together to honor Anite and her journey. Gardy said a few things on Anite's behalf, I said a few things, and then Anite thanked everyone with focus on profusely thanking Gardy (who out of the kindness of his heart has allowed her to stay with him while she has attended school), myself (a sponsor and adopted mother of sorts), and the students of Chief Moses Middle School. The party then continued with a feast and more dancing! (Not long into the party, Nate and I decided we had done our share of partying, and snuck to the back room to read while the others danced the night away. Haha!)
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| Party Prep! |
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| Playing Uno at the party |
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| Anite looking Oh-So-Fancy, with a delicious feast, at her graduation party |
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| Celebrating Anite's graduation with party goers (including Nate, Jacob, myself and Gardy) |
Throughout the day (amidst party prep), I also made a point to speak with each of the remaining secondary students 1:1 about how things were going in school and in life in general, what areas needed continued work/additional dedication at school (referencing conversations with the principal), their desires for the future, and what would be best for my involvement in their life in the upcoming year. This included discussing the Bedeline her poor attendance, and the really difficult things she is going through in life right now, including daily fear for safety and difficulty with access to food (Claudette, Bedeline and I discussed ways to help Bedeline, and in the end decided to give her one more chance in school, with increased support).
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| Spending time with Claudette, discussing the school year and future. |
Gathering finances is always one of the most difficult aspects of work in Haiti. All purchases and payment of tuition have to be made in Haitian currency (Gourdes), large amounts of money can only be exchanged in Port au Prince (a relatively dangerous and time-consuming journey from Fort Jacques), and debit cards max out at withdrawals of $500 US equivalent per day. This time, after a little bit of trouble with different attempts, my husband wired me money via Western Union (a more expensive, but safer and simpler route than I have used previously). Monday morning was spent making the somewhat adventurous journey down into Petionville (the backside of Port au Prince) to locate a trustworthy Western Union, and then adventure back up the mountain.
We then headed back to the Mountain School (elementary school) to do further business, and paid for tuition for the two younger students for the upcoming year. In celebration of another successful school year for Illiomene, we then took her out to lunch in Fermathe, and spent a little more time getting to know her and her story. She is originally from Hinche (essentially, as deep and rural into the heart of Haiti's mountains as you can get), and one of 8 children (including 6 daughters). Her father passed away about 7 years ago, and unable to provide for them, her mother sent her older brother and her down from Hinche to Kencoff where they might have better access to jobs and food. When I initially met Illiomene 5 years ago, she was living in a closet with her brother, in the home of the Mountain School principal. Now, Illiomene's brother has a job down in the city, and Illiomene is now living in the back of her teacher's home. It has been 3 years since Illiomene has seen her family in Hinche now, and she longs to be able to see them again. In the meantime, she focuses on doing her best to become the first one in her family to read or write, and doing what it takes to become a cook. There is a special bond between Illiomene and I, evident at lunch, and through the language barrier there are a lot of mutual squeezes and shy smiles.
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| Lunch with Illiomene! |
After lunch, we sent Illiomene back to Kenscoff, and then met up with Wisline and Jimmy to discuss what they had learned about Professional school options. She found a 10 month program in Delmas (a neighborhood in Port au Prince) focusing on computer literacy (primarily with Microsoft Office Powerpoint, Word and Excel) that would prepare her for different secretarial work. Wisline and Jimmy both expressed a strong desire to pursue this option rather than continue for another four years at the current secondary school.
Tuesday:
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| Paying tuition at the secondary school. |
Tuesday, we first headed back to the secondary school to pay tuition for Claudette's and Bedeline's next school years, and discuss with the director that Wisline would not be returning for another school year (he expressed understanding and encouragement that this was likely the best choice for Wisline and her family). This is always one of the most intense parts of the trip, as negotiations (and trying to be sure that the process is as free of corruption as possible) can be rather intense. Fortunately, despite a little bit of skirmish and need for follow-up to ensure that receipts read properly, things were cleared up with out too much difficulty (in the past, this part of the trip has ended with aggression and great mutual frustration).
We then adventured with Wisline and Jimmy into Delmas to visit the professional school together, and enrolled Wisline into classes there.
On Tuesday evening, we were trying to touch base with Michelet, and made the decision he would travel to spend the evening with us in Fort Jacques. We were updated that he had reached Fermathe from Kenscoff, but then we didn't hear from him for hours. When night was beginning to fall and he couldn't be located by phone or contacts along the route, and he had had not shown up as expected, Gardy and I felt obligated to hop on the motorcycle and track him down to ensure safety. Travel in Haiti as a white person is always an interesting experience; travel on motorcycle through the nightlife as a white person is another thing (a little bit unnerving). We looked for him all along the route, and eventually made it all the way back to his house in Kenscoff where we found him. He had just returned after making the trip to Fort Jacques and had been unable to locate us. After a bunch of running around and sense of danger, all was well and we agreed to call it a night and catch up in the morning.
Wednesday:
We were flying out Wednesday, but still had business to complete. We traveled to Michelet's house to discuss with him desires for the upcoming school year (yes he desires to continue, yes he still wants to be a doctor, yes his father is an alcoholic but Michelet is coping, yes he is doing marvelously better than previous; Michelet pointed out that he had outgrown his previous shoes and was in need of new, and requested nicer clothes that might enable him to attend church and community events). We then met with the principal of Mountain School again to discuss ways to further the partnership with the school, and what the school needs are. We discussed ways to implement a feeding program for the students so that each student who attends school can receive at least one meal a day, and together we put a plan into place to see this through.
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| Michelet |
We then drove down into Port au Prince, and met up with a contact to purchase a used computer that will enable Wisline to practice/work at her home the computer skills she is working in professional school to acquire.
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| Nate and Jimmy checking out the computer |
And then we were off to the airport!!
We literally worked from arrival until the hour before we arrived at the airport. Whew! What a whirlwind. But the work was (mostly) completed!
Allocation of Funds:
Chief Moses Middle School raised $2450 US for student education.New backpacks and school shoes for all students, purchased before we left for Haiti. $100
Anite's graduation party food and decorations. $75
Claudette's tuition, fees (including graduation costs), new school uniform. $460
Bedelin's tuition, fees. $320
Wisline's professional school tuition, fees, books, uniform. $560
Used desktop computer for Wisline. $120
Transportation for Wisline to the professional school. $30
Michelet's tuition, books, new uniform. $200
New clothes, shoes for Michelet to be able to attend community events. $17
Illiomene's tuition, books, new uniform. $200
Medical checkup for Illiomene, prescribed medications. $30
Food to feed 40 students one meal of rice and beans for 4 months at Mountain School. $350
All costs of translators, in-country transportation, safe drinking water, food for Nate and I Totaled $530 US. These costs come directly out of Nate and my pockets (I do not wish for any of the student raised funds to go toward personal/administrative costs), and the funds that any supporters choose to give toward our costs.
Closing Thoughts:
There are so many things that go into making the work possible, and many thought processes that are not detailed here (and would take up far too much space), including consideration of community impact, racial/ethnic relations and expectations, work to not foster dependency, spiritual and emotional implications, and so much more. Please resist making assumptions or judgement based off a skin and bones report; there are deep, pain-staking and detailed thoughts I wrestle with year-round to try and optimize the health of the project, and make my involvement as ultimately beneficial to the students and communities involved, both in and Haiti and the United States. If you have further questions, please ask!
I am truly grateful for and humbled by the opportunity to act as a sort of bridge between students in Haiti and the United States. The hearts of the students in Moses Lake who give, are truly remarkable; every single time a coin or bill is placed into the donation bucket, it is a heart choosing to sacrifice something of their own in order that another child on the other side of the world might have a better future. Please take a moment to reflect on the purity and selflessness of this. These are students who are literally changing lives and the face of a community in another part of the world...because they are choosing to care, and recognize that they CAN do something. If these young people can selflessly open their hearts to individuals different from themselves, who they will never meet, and choose to actively love them; what is the rest of our excuse? This should deeply humble all of us.
It is truly a gift to be in the role of being able to deliver these gifts to Haiti, and in turn form deep and meaningful relationships with these students abroad. If you are a part of allowing this, truly, thank you.
And this trip is a wrap! If you have any questions, please reach out (and allow ample time for reply).
Blessings to you!
Analiesse
