Haitian Roots

A Very Special Event

August 19th, 2010

The media has put a lot of effort immediately after the 7.3 earthquake that  rocked Haiti on 12 January 2010. But, if you were to take a quiz today, would you say that you know Haiti? Would you say that you know how the country has come about? What are the links between Haiti, France and the United States? What do you know about Haiti’s culture? Should people be afraid of Voodoo or not? What are the potentials for “responsible” investments in Haiti? You certainly have other questions about Haiti that need to be answered, and experiences with Haiti to be shared. Haitian Roots and Deux Mains, Haiti invite you to

PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE FOLLOWING SPECIAL EVENT:

Haiti:

Learning from the past, building for the future

Lecture by Carter Charles

Haitian-born, M.A in North American Studies, PhD candidate and temporary lecturer at the University Michel de Montaigne – Bordeaux 3 (France).

In conjunction with

The University of Utah

School of Architecture

Presenting architectural designs for the

“Children’s Village” school to be built in Haiti.

Wednesday, Aug. 25^th

6:30-8:00

Salt Lake City Library Auditorium

210 E. 400. S.

The library’s underground parking facility can be accessed by turning mid-block from eastbound 400 South. Parking in this facility is free for the first half-hour, then $1.50 per half-hour after that.

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First Stage of Children’s Village Project Officially Underway!!!

July 26th, 2010

HR President Isson Joseph arrived in Haiti again on July 13th to begin on the first step of our project, which is to clean and excavate the land.  The land itself is beautiful and the surveyor told us many good things about it.  Water will be easy to get to through wells but the land is not swampy.  The soil is very fertile and we should have no problem growing about anything we’d like on it, so we are excited for the agricultural aspects of the project.  He told us it is just a very “prime piece of land”.  However, right now it is covered with huge thorn bushes and not much else.

It is imperative that we clean and secure the land (with a wall) as soon as possible to avoid any possibility of having the Haitian government seize our property.  Right now the govt is trying to relocate many of the displaced people who are living in dangerous and overcrowded tent cities in Port au Prince to other more rural areas.  We are working hard to make sure that our land stays safe and in our possession!

The project of cleaning the land is no easy undertaking.  Isson, Harry Mardy (who will direct the orphanage run by Bel Haiti in the village), and our coordinators have worked very hard to organize and begin the project.  We have hired 45 Haitians to help complete the project.  The majority of these workers are parents of our Haitian Roots children.  They are so grateful to have a job, even if it is a very difficult one!  Their first payday was last Friday (they are paid weekly) and Isson said that they were very happy and proud to receive their envelopes of money that they had worked so hard for.  The unemployment rate in Haiti before the earthquake was 80% and is much higher now, so our workers are grateful for the job and we are grateful for them!  Some of them just stay out on the land under a tent at night to save money from taking tap-taps back and forth to home.  The heat is extreme and the rain continues to fall nearly every night, but they are working hard and we are so appreciative!

We have raised the funds necessary to start this project but are only about 2/3 of the way towards the estimated cost of $42,000 for the project.  Please consider donating to help us complete this stage of the project!  THANK YOU!

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Architect Team in Haiti

July 26th, 2010

We had a lot of things to accomplish on our June volunteer trip. One of the great things that we were able to do was have 9 members of the architect team join us to learn about Haiti, the culture, the people, and the land so that they can design the best scho

ol and village as possible for us. Six students from the University of Utah, two professors, and a member of Common Studio were able to visit Haiti with us. They were so wonderful! We could not have been more impressed with them. One student, Chris Clemmons shared a

few of his thoughts about the experience:

> What were your initial impressions of Haiti?

I could not believe the infrastructure, the way of life, everything we saw on the way from the airport. That initial drive set the tone for

the entire trip, giving a good feel for the everyday lives of the majority of Haitians.

> What was your favorite part of the trip?
Of course visiting the children was the most fun and exciting aspect of the trip. However, every time we went “outside the walls”, I became very intrigued by what we saw. It was very important for us to see an array of people, landscape and living situations to truly understand the

conditions in Haiti.

> In what ways did going to Haiti change your feelings towards the project?

It has made it much more difficult in a sense; much more of a real project. My mind bounces around thinking about: existing structures, innovative possibilities, what kids really want/need, how to utilize our design to influence the area in an extremely positive way, not just good enough.

> What things were most valuable for you as an architect? For you personally?
Seeing materials, their implementation and life cycle. Living conditions and obtaining a foundation to trace their origins and solutions.

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Haitian Roots’ Chareyl Moyes “Haiti 6 Months Later”

July 13th, 2010

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June Haiti Trip (as told by Kristin Egan)

July 6th, 2010

Wednesday, 6/2/10

It is 9:00 and I finally have time to send off an email. What an amazing day. We left Miami early this morning having had about 2 hours of sleep and arrived in Port au Prince around 8:00am. Obviously, the first thing we noticed was the heat. Ben called it heavy heat. That is certainly accurate. Ben also said he has never sweated so much in his life. Welcome to Haiti! Fortunately all of our bags arrived with us and fortunately there was someone there to pick us up. A guy named “Big” who’s description fits his name. He had a “posse” that helped us battle our way through all the guys outside trying to grab our bags. We piled in 3 vehicles and Made our way on to the crazy, crowded Haitian roads.

Haitians drive like maniacs. Not like the stateside maniacs you all know and hate. I’m talking high speeds, stop and go traffic, inches between vehicles and going every direction on the same road. Not to mention thousands of people walking in and out of the traffic, motorcycles with 4 passengers and potholes you could loose a small child in. Traveling a distance of 15 miles can take hours. It did. Not to mention we got lost and couldn’t find our lodging for several sweltering hours. We did get to see a good deal of people and some pretty dumpy areas of Haiti. People watching in Haiti is insanely interesting. I don’t know how to explain it. Beautiful children carrying their wares on their heads, industrious men and women who walk the streets, vendors who set up shop on little tables, old tires, hubcaps, buckets, tiny shops. There is a hustle and bustle on the streets of Haiti. I saw a man who was welding a under a truck. He finished, the guy paid him and drove off. On to the next car. So many businesses, so many people. It’s amazing!

The guest house where we are staying is wonderful. Fully walled in with a security guy with a shotgun at the gate. On the grounds is also an orphanage and a school. They have 15 special needs kids along with a hundred and something more. The special kids sit out under a big mango tree during the day. Some are in wheel chairs some in little cribs. They have two children who are hydrocephalic and all sorts of other special kids. Ben had a sweet moment with a little guy who might be autistic. Ben had him smiling and giggling.

The other children are educated on site or sent into town to go to school. They have little outdoor schools. The children also raise and care for rabbits, whose poop is fed to the tilapia in their tilapia farm, whose old, dirty water is used to fertilize the garden, which feeds everyone. Pretty cool. All in all it is a pretty nice place. They feed us 2 meals a day, we stay in dorm style rooms and have a bathroom. So what if the mosquitos are bad and we have no warm water. Right? Right.

After settling in we went on another wild ride through Haiti. This time we were heading to Matt & Gabe’s old orphanage. We went through some pretty tough areas. Signs of the quake are everywhere. Tents all over, crumbling buildings, trash and debris.  (There was trash all over before the quake). It is amazing how many people are displaced.

The orphanage was great. We hugged, played with, tickled all the kids we could. It was fun to reconnect with people we knew at the orphanage. A bunch of then ladies remembered Matt and Gabe. I showed them pictures of them on my Iphone. The were amazed. As always there are children that tug at your heart strings. For me it was Eristine. I tried and tried to get a a smile out of her. She really wanted to be snuggled but I couldn’t get her to interact. She was very small. I thought she was maybe 1 but found out she was 2. Poor little thing. Those kids need attention and love. I’m so grateful my boys weren’t in there any longer than a couple months. I’m learning that Ben is a kid magnet. The kids loved him. One little boy named Evens cried every time he put him down. You can’t imagine how hard it is to put down a child that is clinging to you and walk away. Especially when you know that most likely no one else will pick them up. It’s heartbreaking. I was really proud of Ben. He was great with the kids. He wasn’t phased by saturated pants, snotty noses or anything. He just dished out as much attention and as he could.

When we left the orphanage it was a downpour. The roads were covered with water, hiding pot holes and making travel even crazier. All the drainage rivers and canals were rushing down full of brown water and trash. I guess the Haitians let the rains clean their streets for them. People were wrapped in plastic, under umbrellas and donning a lot of colorful shower caps, hats, buckets etc. The rain didn’t stop them from their business. I’m sure they are used to it. It rains every afternoon/ evening.

The rest of the evening consisted of dinner, (lasagna), bath, and bed. All in all it was an amazing day. I feel really fortunate to be able to experience Haiti with Ben. He fits right in with all the adults. Other than being tired, I think he is having a life changing experience, and it is only day one. We are excited for the next few days and what they may hold for us.

Thursday, 6/3/10

(Some of our Haitian Roots orphaned children came to the Guest House to spend some time and to have some therapy with our wonderful psychologist who came, Kayla)

The girls were so fun. We painted fingernails, played jumprope, looked at photos on my phone, tried to learn Chinese jump rope. (I don’t know why I used to think that was fun.)They got a real kick out of my very bad creole. They were extremely patient with me. Fortunately, we have some great guys with us that are able to translate. We spent time at the little playground. I am certain they have never been on a swing before. They absolutely loved it. It took me awhile to help them to know what to do on a teeter totter as well. Crazy. They loved having their photo taken and then looking at it. (Every kid on this compound loves that). They especially loved taking photos. All in all it was a delightful and promising day.

Davidson was amazing. We gave him a soccer ball and he kicked it around ALL day. He loved Ben! I was so grateful to have Ben there. He was so cute with the kids. Soccer, cars, rides on rolling chairs, bubbles, more soccer, swinging, teeter-totter. We did it all with that little guy. Ben could really get him giggling. It was pure joy.

A few other things…. There is a huge mango tree on the lawn. Today I noticed that many of the lower growing mangos have names written on them. Evidently they are reserved. I thought that was a great idea. Mangos here are so much better than any mango I have ever had. I’d write my name on one too if I would be around when they ripen.

There are two little girls ages 9 and 10 who are putting around here with walkers. They both have external fixators in their femurs. They are amazing. There are many children here without limbs. Some of them have prosthetics. Most don’t. They are smiling and happy.  They are mastering their crutches and walkers. I am continually amazed by the Haitian people and their resilience.

Ben played some serious soccer with about 25 boys of all ages. He was in his element. Most boys played with no shoes. Though I did notice some split a pair of shoes and each played with one. Ben said a few fights almost broke out. He played until just past dark. I am continually grateful  that I felt compelled to bring him. I know this is becoming a life changing experience for him. I am constantly being told how wonderful he is. I am really proud of him.

Tonight we went to the nightly devotional. It was a unique experience. As you walk in, you are bombarded by children who sit down with you on wood benches. The rest involves a lot of praying, out loud and silently and lots of loud singing. They sing some really, really long songs. Even the little ones know all the words. They really got into it by closing their eyes, swaying, waving their hands etc. Especially the teens. Afterwards I asked what they were singing about. They were songs of hope and thanks to God. Afterwards they all come around shaking hands and saying “God Bless You”. I couldn’t help but send a prayer up during this service for these children who have no possessions, no family but lots of faith and hope. God bless these amazing children.

I am in love with the Haitian people. I wish I could live here all the time. In Haiti you feel so useful, so needed. Little things you do can make a huge difference. A smile, a touch. Yes, we love them. We help them but they do more for us. They make us smile. They make us feel. They make us grateful. They make us understand that  the “things” of the world don’t matter. It’s the people, our relationships and serving other that brings us the joy we seek.

As I said before, today has been pure joy. I thank Haiti and it’s wonderful people for that.

Friday, 6/4/10

Today I met two more of our Haitian Roots orphaned children. Samuel (13) and Esterline (7). They came to the guest house to receive a little therapy and have some fun. We did all the usual things with them. They loved to jump rope play soccer and color. The swings were a new experience for them as well.

We learned that Samuel’s mother sent him to the market alone on the day of the quake. He was outside the market on the street when it hit. He said he just stayed still. Afterwards he went home. He said no one was there. I’m not sure where his mom was killed. His dad survived the quake but died of his injuries a few days later. How frightening. He is living with an aunt who has 9 children of her own. Her husband was shot 5 years ago. She is raising the children alone. I don’t know how she does it. One sister is living with another aunt. Really tough.

I was able to find a home for two solar generators that were donated by Goal0. Nisthone received one. He is the artist that creates the bracelets for Haitian Roots to sell for fundraising. He has a small family and will make good use of the generator. The other we gave to Harry Mardy, who is the bishop of the Petionville ward and one of the Haitian Roots coordinators. He is going to give it to a needy family. Thank you Goal0 for your generous donation!

We held a Haitian Roots party today for one of the three groups of children. It went off without a hitch. Shannon and Chareyl had things so well organized and it helped that our volunteer group is so terrific. The kids had a lot of fun. They had their photos taken, had a hot meal, wrote notes or drew pictures for their sponsors, had their fingernails painted, jump roped, played soccer and played games with a big parachute. I was one of the fingernail painters. Jennifer and I sat under the huge mango tree painting flowers on their fingernails while using a lot of sign language. ( creole is not easy for me) It was a blast and they loved it. I feel so lucky to be involved with such a wonderful organization that allows me to interact with these wonderful people. They received a book bag full of school supplies, a doll for the girls and soccer balls or a toy for the boys. They were thrilled.

Later, we surprised the orphans during their movie night with some of those glow in the dark bracelets–the kind you bend and they crack and light up. They were delighted. Especially some of the special needs kids. Their eyes just lit up when they saw them.

Tonight a little Girl was brought to the orphanage for the first time. Probably about 4 years old. She has needed medical care since the quake and has been cared for by a  medical ngo. Her brother is a little guy who is around 10. He has been spending a lot of time with our group. He has only been here a few days as he was in the hospital as well. He is one of my favorite children here. They were reunited tonight for the first time since the quake. They just stared at each other. (I wonder if they were in shock) then  tears trickled down the brothers face.

Ben continues to be the soccer buddy to all. The orphan boys are always coming to get him to play. He is loving it.

Our volunteer group is fabulous. Interesting, fun, dedicated, delightful people. I think they are finding a love for Haiti and having experiences that they will not be able to forget. We all are.

Saturday, 6/5/10

What an eventful day! Holy cow! Today we went to the Petionville chapel to hold the Haitian Roots parties for the last two groups. One party at 10:00am and one at 1:30. All the Haitian Roots children write a letter or draw a picture for their sponsors, get their photo taken, have a good meal, do various activities and get a school bag full of stuff and a ball or doll. ( I think I may have written that before…oh well). The kids and I did all these things together.  They loved their balls and dolls. Thank you to all of you wonderful folks who donated the balls!!!!!

During the next party we met up with Dan’s friend Omelus. He was one of his volunteer Haitian translators during his trip right after the quake. We are sponsoring him in school. He brought his brother Kervens who is 12. Kervens is being sponsored by my sister. He was one of the femur fracture patients Dan helped transfer to get help post quake. He is walking ok and says his leg doesn’t hurt but he limps a bit. It was fun to meet them both. They are living in a tent with their mother. Life is hard for them.

Over all the Haitian roots parties were a huge success. The kids were so cute. They really enjoyed everything that was lovingly planned for them. When Ben enjoyed playing basketball with some of the teens. He had a great experience once again. On the way back to our guesthouse he said he didn’t want to leave Haiti. I’d say this mission is a success. When we arrive at the guesthouse I heard “Ben, Ben!” The orphans were ready to play soccer again.

Today on the streets of Haiti I saw a man in a wheel chair, parked next to a tree with his head leaning against it. He looked so forlorn. I have seen many amputees. Some in wheelchairs, some on crutches. Some kids are just hopping around. I guess it is just a reminder that Haiti and it’s people are still trying to heal.

The living conditions for some here are unbelievable. It is amazing what they use to build and reinforce their homes. They have none of the simple comforts we enjoy. Many have never enjoyed a hot bath, or even even running water.  Families living in teeny tiny little structures or tents. I feel so fortunate. I will send some photos to illustrate this.

Tomorrow I get to go to church in Haiti for the first time. I’m excited for this new experience.

Sunday, 6/6/10

Our last day in Haiti…at least for awhile. We are sad to leave.

Today we went to church at the Petionville ward. It was a unique experience. About a half hour into it the power went out. (it does every day) That was a major bummer. It was so hot! It was really a neat experience to be with the Haitian members. They are so strong. Their scriptures are well marked and well used. They don’t take the gospel for granted. It is a gift. Unfortunately because the power was out the microphone didn’t work. We couldn’t hear much in fast meeting but there was a really nice spirit there. I loved hearing “Because I Have Been Given Much” sung by the members in creole. I shared a hymn book with a cute little old man. I butchered the creole lyrics but he didn’t seem to care.

Afterwards our group walked a few blocks to the Hotel Kinam for lunch. It is right across the street from a tent city. It felt strange and uncomfortable to me to be eating a nice meal just feet away from people who have so little to eat. However, we enjoyed the Haitian fare and the delightful company. Afterwards we went to a street market where I was able to get a couple of paintings. Evidently I am bad at negotiating. My friend Shannon stepped in and helped me get a much better deal.

We took a different route back to our lodging. They drove us through some harder hit areas of the city. It is hard to process what we saw. Major devastation. One building standing and the next one reduced to rubble. I didn’t really see anyone clearing away rubble on this trip. I did see efforts to repair buildings by reinforcing and patching.

We stopped by a family home of one of our Haitian friends. I found it very eye opening to see inside one of the many structures we have driven by this trip. Very humble. Remember this is an average Haitian home. One of our Haitian Roots orphans is living there right now. It is unbelievable.

When we arrived back at the compound I saw my little street vendor friend waiting for me. (I had asked him if he could get me a plantain smasher called a pez.) He was so kind. He wouldn’t let me pay for it. He said I was his favorite customer. I thought that was pretty nice.

I spent some time over at the orphanage tonight pushing little ones on swings.  As I pushed them I wondered about what would become of them. Will they ever be kissed and tucked into bed? Will they find someone to  comfort them when they are upset and scared? Will they find someone to love them?They are so hungry for attention and love. I wish I could bring them all home. My heart breaks for them. Every child deserves love. Unfortunately, there are so many here who don’t get any. I can’t bear it and I can’t do anything about it.

We attended the orphan devotional again tonight. While we were there Ben hooked up with all of his soccer buddies and we took some photos. The boys there have really taken a liking to him. On the way back to our rooms, Ben thanked me for bringing him to Haiti. He said it has been a wonderful experience for him. I agree. It has been  really special to experience it together.

During the past week our group has accomplished much. The University of Utah Students are ready to go to work. They have all fallen in love with Haiti and are excited and passionate about our school building project. We couldn’t have done anything without Nate and David who are our fabulous translators. They were godsends. Kayla our psychologist helped so many of our HR kids. Our Haitian Roots teams pulled off three great parties, distributed aid and assisted the architect students accomplish their goals. We all enjoyed each other. It was a great trip. I feel very lucky to have been a part of it.

We leave tomorrow morning. Thanks for your interest in Haiti and our trip. The emails are finished. Yahoo! I hope they have given you a little peek into Haiti. If you would like more than a peek, I have a million photos of Haiti and it’s wonderful people!

Love,

Kristin

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Debris Design Competition

May 11th, 2010

Debris Design Competition: Turning Waste to Walls in Haiti

Submission deadline: May 15, 2010 – all submissions must be digital and are due by 12:00 pm MST

Eligibility: Individuals and teams in all fields of study and practice; international participants are welcome.

Website: www.commonstudio.org/debrisdesign.aspx

Debris Design is a design competition focused on removing materials from the waste stream in post-earthquake Haiti and using design ingenuity to alter them for new daily-life uses.  The goal is to develop uses for these materials that respond to basic, life-sustaining needs, both immediate and long-term. The competition is open to anyone interested in finding creative responses to the problems of waste and appropriate construction in Haiti.  Registration for individuals and teams is available through the competition website.

Winning entries will receive cash awards and will be included in a public exhibition.  In addition, authors of selected entries will have the opportunity to serve as design consultants to students at the University of Utah School of Architecture to further develop the ideas within the design of a school in Haiti for the Haitian Roots education non-profit organization.

Debris Design is scheduled as a three day event with the kick-off informational meeting at 5:00 pm on Thursday, May 13, 2010, at the Bailey Gallery of the University of Utah College of Architecture + Planning.  The evening event will include information about available materials, an explanation of the current situation in Haiti, and a discussion of Haitian culture and lifestyle.  Design submissions are due at 12:00 pm on May 15 in electronic format (pdf files).  The competition will culminate with the awards ceremony and Hip Hop for Haiti celebration at 6:00 pm on Saturday, May 15, at the Utah Arts Alliance, 2191 South 300 West in Salt Lake City.  Details are available on the website.

The Debris Design Competition will act as a catalyst and collection point for innovative ideas benefiting underdeveloped areas affected by natural disasters.  Professionals and students are invited to reconsider current notions of emergency response and transform debris and other materials that typically become part of the waste stream into innovative materials and structures.

Participants can design with a range of materials from broken concrete and tangled rebar to natural fibers and discarded packaging.  Solutions may be related to building construction, energy production or storage, water collection, food production, public health, or sanitation.  Proposals will be judged on innovation, relevance, constructability, and sustainability.

Debris Design is hosted by the non-profit organization COMMONstudio with the support of the University of Utah College of Architecture + Planning.

About COMMONstudio

COMMONstudio is a non-profit organization which seeks to provide design services, education and advocacy about the built environment to underserved populations and existing nonprofits. Through the power of professional design, we build safer, more sustainable and highly innovative environments that become assets to their communities and enduring symbols of the collective ability to envision a better future.

Tags: Partners
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Partnership and June Haiti Trip Announcement

May 5th, 2010

Shortly after the earthquake, Shannon Cox received a phone call from Dijana Alickovic from Common Studio (www.commonstudio.org).  Dijana said that her volunteer organization of architects was wondering if Haitian Roots could use their help in any way.  It just so happened that we were in the process of acquiring our land and coming up with our children’s village project.  The timing couldn’t have been better.  Common Studio also works with the University of Utah’s College of Architecture and other professional architects in the community to give humanitarian aid.  The U of U and Common Studio became so excited about the project that they decided to hold a design competition and also devote an entire summer semester studio class to the project.  Haitian Roots and our partner organization for the village project have met various times with Common Studio, the dean and professors from the U of U already and are thrilled about what can be accomplished.  This team will completely design the school, orphanage and volunteer headquarters for us!

On June 1, a few members of the Haitian Roots team as well as Dijana Alickovic, Prescott Muir and Mimi Locher (professors from the U of U) and several architect graduate students will be going to Haiti to see the land and to meet with engineers and architects in Haiti to learn as much as possible about how to make this project amazing.

Many of you have expressed a desire to accompany us on volunteer trips as soon as we began running them again after the quake.  We are sorry that we cannot take more of you on this trip.  We already have a very large group and transportation and safety are still a big issue.  However, with the announcement of our children’s village project, we hope you all realize that we will be needing many volunteers and will have many future trips to Haiti where you can join us to help make a difference in the lives of Haiti’s children.

Thank you!

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Fundraisers

May 5th, 2010

We have had some really wonderful fundraisers done for us the past several months.  We hope we have adequately thanked all of those involved! We are so extremely grateful.  This post is certainly not meant to exclude anybody who has done great fundraising for us. We hope this post expresses gratitude and gives ideas to others of projects they might like to do at their business or school to help Haiti!  *

Since the quake, we have had many, many schools through out Northern Utah join us for a project Nancy Waterfall headed up called “Hope for Haiti: Dig Deep Week”.  Highschools, Junior Highs, and Elementaries alike did different things at their school to inspire students, faculty, and parents to “dig deep” and donate.  There have been thousands and thousands of dollars donated which we have been able to use for disaster relief.

Along these lines, an individual family came forward and decided to go to their school to do a project.  It was inspired by a little boy named Israel (Izzy) Russell.  Izzy was adopted from Haiti and is seven years old.  When he heard about the earthquake, he was very upset.  The morning after the quake, Izzy’s mom, Jamie, found a mason jar on the counter with the word “HAITI” written on it.  The jar held all of Izzy’s money.  He told his parents he was going to fill his jar to help buy things for those suffering in Haiti.  A few days later, he came to Jamie and said, “Mom, I think I’m going to need some help filling my jar.”  And help she did.

As a family, the Russells organized with their elementary school (Shadow Valley Elementary School in Ogden, Utah) to hold an assembly, a Saturday morning pancake breakfast, and to have a huge jar at the school to raise money.  The Russells and their extended friends and family reached out to their entire community with flyers, going door to door, and to local businesses.  Max Laforet gave a wonderful speech to the children during an assembly.  The pancake breakfast was a much bigger hit than any of us dreamed, and the continued fundraising through out the week helped as well.  The “Help Izzy Fill his Jar”  project raised over $7,000 for Haitian Roots!

Another wonderful fundraiser was done in Sacramento California by the Quick Quack Car Wash.  We were amazed at the generosity of this business as they donated an entire day of business to us.  They held a “free day” on March 23rd.  Anybody could get their car washed for free and they were then given a flyer and encouraged to donate to Haitian Roots in lieu of payment for the wash.  The event was very successful and they, too, raised thousands of dollars to help ease the suffering caused by the earthquake.  We are so grateful!

Lastly, we’d really like to thank the Utah Chamber Artists for their support at their last two concerts.  We were able to set up tables to help educate and the audience was encouraged to give generously.  An entire page of their program was donated to Haitian Roots.  We raised a good deal of money, as well as made some great connections in the Salt Lake Community.

There have been many other fundraisers and private donations as you all have poured forth your generosity and compassion.  We sincerely thank you!

*If you have photos or information about a successful fundraiser you held or participated in, we would love to share that on our blog, too.  Please email info to shannon@haitianroots.com

Posted in Earthquake, Fundraisers | 1 Comment »

Big News!

May 5th, 2010

Haitian Roots has been waiting for awhile now to be able to confirm and share some amazing news.  The big news is that we recently acquired 3 hectares of land in Croix des Bouquets (about an hour outside of Port au Prince)!   Thanks to our wonderful president, Isson, we were able to get this beautiful land partially donated and partially purchased at a tiny fraction of the price of other land in the area.  We are partnering with another organization based in Utah to create what we are calling right now “The New Day Children’s Village”.  Haitian

Roots will build a school which will eventually educate up to 500 children at a time (although we will start with a smaller number of children).  The other organization (whom we will introduce soon) will be building an orphanage.  We will partner together to help house and educate children as well as many other projects on the land.  With this amount of land (almost 8 acres) we will be able to have agricultural projects, volunteer headquarters, a small medical clinic, and many other projects for the children as well as the community.  We are so excited about this project and look forward to your support.  Be on the look out for more updates!  Also, please pass along this information to any you think might be interested in getting involved.  We will need some major fundraising for this project.  We have no problem changing the name of our village or our school to have it reflect the name of a company or donor interested in sponsoring this project!

With this great news, we would like you to also keep in mind that we will still keep our sponsorship program intact for now.  We will continue to sponsor the children in our program so that they can attend school this coming fall.  We are still looking for additional sponsors and hope to have your continued support as these beautiful children struggle to have some kind of normalcy in their lives.

Thank you

!

Tags: Children's Village Project
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Max Laforet’s Autobiography

May 4th, 2010

This was written by Max Laforet in 2006 while he still was living in Haiti. The purpose of this was to try to get support to further his education in the US.  We thought you might enjoy learning a little more about him from his own words.

My name is Max LAFORET, My birth certificate mentions that I was born in Petion-Ville ([Gros Morne]), Haiti in March 19, 1977 but I wasn’t, I was born in Port-au-Prince (Turgeau), Haiti in March 19, 1977. My family is composed of four people, Mireille, Florence and Noë ETIENNE. I also have four half brothers, an adoptive brother and four half sisters, this is such a big family. I am still single and live with my older sister Mireille ETIENNE. I am the only one in my family who is a LDS now. I am orphan of both of my parents; they recently died during the 2006-year. I am done with high school four years ago but had never able to attend college because my mother or I couldn’t afford to pay for costs. I have been working as an educator and a helper as a volunteer since 1997 without the benefit of formal training in education.

Max’s life story

I was born in Port-au-Prince (Turgeau), Haiti in a neighborhood called Blokoss, but now cite Canada where I am still living. I was soon going to be abandoned by my father (Ricard Etienne) when I was two months old. He didn’t want to recognize me as his son and has decided not to give me a birth certificate. My mother used to work as a maid in Petion-Ville, (about 6-8 miles away) she used to leave the house very early in the morning to come back late in the evening. Since she didn’t have time and couldn’t afford to pay the cost to make my birth certificate in Port-au-Prince, she pretended living in Petion-Ville, Gros Morne where she made my birth certificate that’s why it mentions in my birth certificate that I was born in Petion-Ville but not in Port-au-Prince.

A few years after my birth, I was going to be very ill because I wasn’t well nourished. I was sick of malnutrition and kwashiorkor. My body hasn’t developed I was very skinny. I was so sick that all of the villagers thought that I would die; they gave me a nickname called ’’Salopri’’ which means ’’good-for-nothing’’. I wasn’t died thanks to GOD, Jesus has saved my life.

As for my education, my mother couldn’t afford to pay for my school tuitions; I was seven years old and still didn’t go school. In that time, she earns 30.00 Gds per month, that salary was far to be able to meet her needs. She met some good Catholic Canadian Missionaries friends who wanted to pay for my tuitions. I started first grade of primary school at 12 years old in 1988.  I was doing very well at school; I was always the first student in my class. After the departure of the missionaries, it would be my turn to pay for my school tuitions. I was in 5^th grade when I started to teach other pupils to be able to pay for my education. I was proud to be able to work to pay for my school tuitions. In August 1995 I met a very generous man namely Jim David LOVELAND (a man from Utah) in a Tennis Court where I worked for 4.00 U$ per month as a ball boy. That man has learned about my way of living and  my life reality has touched his heart and has decided to pay for my school tuitions and gave lodging to me in his apartment. My life has completely changed since the day I lived with Mr. Loveland. He was going to worry about all of my needs. I attended a good High school (Saint-John) and he has also paid an in English school for me (Haitian-American Institute) where I started to learn English in October 1995. I went from a miserable way of living to a happy life after meeting Jim. I was no longer worried for food, clothes and education.

A few months later, we would move to live in a place called Juvernat, about 4 miles away. Jim got me in contact with some of his friends in Utah, among them a nice woman called Mary Stephen Cluff (LDS Member) and a very friendly girl in her early fourteens called Heather Flanders (also LDS Member) in 1996.

After the departure of Mr. Jim David LOVEAND in May 1997, I returned in my Village where

I saw the miserable children suffering for food, clothes and education just like me when I was a boy. I thought of myself when I was facing the same situation than these children and my heart was very painful to see them go though this miserable situation. I restarted the teaching program to be able to continue to pay for my education. I included the children in my teaching curriculum and made a special class for them for free in the afternoon. Heather and I became very good friends and I used to talk to her about my teaching program and my dreams for the children. This wonderful girl has started to love Haiti and the children as well.

In June 1999, I and my friends and my previous primary teacher have gathered together and have decided to create a formal Organization to struggle in favor of the needy children. We created the Organization and named it OBED (Organization of Charity for the Impoverished Children). Heather has made some contacts in Utah and has introduced OBED to FHI (Future Hope International), a non-profit group in 2000 who would soon start to cooperate with OBED to sponsor sixty-five children down here in 2001.

I am currently working as a volunteer (Coordinator) for HR (Haitian Roots), a non-profit Organization located in Utah that is working hard to provide education to as many as possible of needy children in Haiti. I believe that they are doing a wonderful job and want to cooperate with them. OBED hopes to build its own schools and orphanages in the future where we expect to welcome as many as possible of children with the cooperation of our partners. I have been working as a volunteer as an early English teacher in one of the schools that OBED is supporting for ten months, this school (Ecole Immaculée Conception Lagrotte) is where I attended primary school and I am feeling proud and happy to teach in this school.

I started to work for A Child’s Hope Foundation in December 2004 as an interpreter, English, Creole teacher and as a preschool assistant in their crèche in Lamardelle where Heather introduced me to a wonderful couple (With whom I was going work), Mr. and Mrs. Rue and Mary Nielson. They are both excellent teachers and I had a great work time experience with them in the preschool, English School and in the landscaping with some other volunteers for six months. Mary has convinced me that I was born to be a teacher and thought that it is a gift to be able to assist her in the preschool. I am now making a living with no job I have been jobless for about eleven months now.

I was able to save some money to start going to a formal training school, but I had to use it for the funerals of both of my parents. I am now totally depending on friends and my older sister that I am living with, unfortunately she is also workless. I daily wake up early in the morning to go teaching for two hours, come back home to spend about two hours reading some good books then go to my ward to do spiritual activities and late in the afternoon I come back to the Immaculee Conception school where we, OBED staff always do some school activities with the children that we are supporting three times per week.

I dream to attend college in BYU where I hope to obtain a degree in an education program afterward I can come back in my native Haiti to continue helping in the education field while working for a better education system down here. I believe that it will be a wonderful opportunity for me and for the children if I get a degree in education at BYU, this will allow me to better help the children, contribute making the necessary changes in the education system here and to establish a modern education curriculum in Haiti. I plan to keep working with non-profit Organizations that are working in the education, start new partnerships with the private, public schools and the Ministry of National Education in Haiti. I will want to continue working with all of these institutions to gain more experiences because my biggest dream is to become the MINISTRY of the National education someday.

I expect to receive the support of all of you who believe that EDUCATION is key to development and can change the live of the Haitian Children and who think that they have the right to have a better tomorrow. Thank you for taking your time to read this short biography. I hope that your contribution will greatly contribute to the well being of the Haitian children.

Max LAFORET

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