Children from anywhere.

These are children in the room at IMN school getting ready to do a traditional dance.  They look happy and upbeat and are smiling and could be children anywhere.  Except they are here in Darbonne.  They will leave these walls and walk down streets strewn with litter and debris, fallen rock and cinder block, dust everywhere.  The homes they go to are unknown to me, some may have walls with cracks or holes, some may have nothing but thin sheets pulled between two posts.  None have running water, few have electricity, toys and games would be hard to come by.  I see their smiles, I feel their joy, I cannot understand the pain that lies in their eyes.  I want to help each of them, but do not know how. 

I share what I can about what I saw but I continue to struggle with the images myself.  My students today asked questions about Haiti and I shared with them for about 20 minutes, but in that time I could not express the true impact of what I had seen.  Nor the impact of not knowing how I can help them...

More on Haiti

So as I am sitting here, I am thinking of all the things I saw and didn't see but are there.  On Sunday we drove through the outskirts of Port Au Prince.  This is where they displaced some people in tents on the mountainside.  Just below these tents is vacant land, littered with garbage and rubble.  But what you don't see are the mass graves that are there, not only those who died in the Earthquake, but those from governments long past.  There is some talk of building housing here, but who would ever do so?  The Haitian people many times spend more on burying their dead than they do on their own homes.  How would they ever live on the bodies of others...

Hello From Haiti

Ok, so Dick posts on the other blog, but I figured I could post my impressions here.  I am not sure where to begin or how to explain what you see here.  When we first arrived at the airport all seems normal other than you are bussed to a large metal "garage" for immigration and customs as well as baggage claim.  There are hundreds of people in there and baggage comes fairly quickly.  Then once you proceed outside there is a large tent and hundreds of people wanting to help you with your items, for a fee. It is utter chaos and actually could have been quite frightening.  John Engle met us there and we proceeded through the crowds to his vehicle.

The streets are a mess of people, trash, rubble, animals, carts, fires, and so much more.  There are large holes, cracks, and more that you must drive around or through.  Many roads are unpaved and appear to be little more than a walking path that someone drove over.  There are small carts with food and goods for sale everywhere and amidst in all what looks like a million tents in areas that used to be parks and fields.  Those who are "lucky" have a tarp or tents, the unlucky try to string up any fabric they have found between wood poles.  There are lines of port a potties here and there and I did see one man with a bucket, cleaning them out. 

The children are seen waiting in line for water from one source or another, playing in a pile of rubbish, sitting on the side of the road or in it, hard to tell the difference.  They walk miles carrying water or anything else that the family needs.  Some have shoes and clothing, some do not.  Many people are trying to earn a living, through these streetside sales, offering some sort of service, or gathering coal, metal, wood or other items.

Each day I amazed at the horrific sights I have seen, the rubble is everywhere and it is obvious it was not there before.  I feel sad and powerless.  What can we do to help so very many who are suffering?  The sand and wind and dirt that blows through the air is a horrible reminder of the conditions here.  Your skin is almost coated in it, thrown from the still fresh debris.

The school IMN we visited in Darbonne is a simple structure with 3 rooms each divided in half for each class.  The children where all dressed up and had prepared a program for us.  They were adorable and grateful and so well behaved.  Yet what you did not see was the conditions they went home to.  The fact that water was only available from 4-6PM I believe they said, so we must be done in time for them to go wait in line at the only water source at that time.

Many have cleared rubble and some have been able to begin rebuilding in some form.  The director of the school has a small home (one room) with plywood and a tin roof.  He and his wife were so very wonderful, they welcomed us into their home, served us rice and beans and chicken.  They had been preparing the meal for 3-4 hours.  I felt so disheartened by what was around them and the conditions that is hard to accept food when you know they have so little.

I am not sure what more to tell you about right now, perhaps when I am back in the states I will be able to reflect more, for now, there is just a huge overwhelming sadness that there is so very little I can do for these people.  I am also so very grateful for being born where I was and yet that seems so very selfish...

Heading to Haiti...

So in just over 24 hours, I will be beginning the trip to Haiti.  Honestly, I have been so busy I haven't even really had time to reflect on what it means.  I am unsure of the impact what I see will have, but I know it will be life changing.  Just like the first time I visited New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck, the devastation was so immense and the site of the rubble was so deflating.  The thought that NOLA would never resurface did enter my mind.  Yet I was compelled to take action, probably the first time in my life that I really took initiative to make a difference on behalf of others.  Whenever I head back to NOLA I see the changes and the power that individual people have mustered up to make those changes happen and I am forever humbled by their courage and motivation to make lives for themselves and others, out of what literally was a pile of rubble.

So I head to Haiti, I am grateful to my partner for the opportunities he has provided not only me, but many many others with to make a difference.  I am inspired by the people I have met along this path, through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, RHINO, Global Hope, and now Kids for Good and Haiti Partners.  Each person in each organization has been compelled to act to better the lives of others.  I wonder what my piece in this is and how I am making a difference in the world. 

As a teacher I am trying each day to guide my students toward a greater understanding of the world around them.  I try to be a positive role model and let them know what I do to volunteer and give back to not only my local community, but now those around the world.  So, as I head to Haiti, I am looking forward to seeing what the students, teachers, and citizens are inspired by, what obstacles they are finding the strength to overcome, and hopefully in some way how I can help them reach their goals.

We will be recording portions of our visit and will try to post it from Haiti.  If I have time, I will try to blog and reflect on what I see while there.  The videos, or links at least will be posted at http://www.schoolscountcorp.blogspot.com/

Thanks to Flip Video...

I just wanted to mention before I blog about heading to Haiti, that thanks to some wonderful co-workers and a tech savy student, I was able to apply for a grant from Flip Video.  Through the Flipshare program, I was able to purchase a Flip Video Camera to take to Haiti to record what is being accomplished at IMN school.  Then Flipshare donated, free of charge, an additional camera to be left with IMN in Haiti so they can record the good works they do and share them via the internet.  Check out our video at http://www.schoolscountcorp.blogspot.com/ and watch in the upcoming days as we post from Haiti.