Haitian Roots

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Newsletter, September 2010

Monday, September 6th, 2010

“Human history becomes more and more a race between education

and catastrophe.”  ~ H.G. Wells

IMPORTANT NOTE:

We have a new mailing address.  It is:

235 East, 5600 South

Ogden, UT 84405

Dear Supporters and Friends of Haitian Roots,

It is the beginning of September.  Most of you have probably sent your children back to school, have started back to school yourself, or have noticed that your neighborhoods are much more quiet during the daytime hours.  We hope that you have all had a good “back to school” season.

As a mother, I talk to my friends about our feelings about our kids returning to school—Will their teachers be good?  When is back-to-school night?  Did you hear about that sale on notebooks?  Is your son on the bus route?  How will my daughter do going to school all-day?  These are the questions that we discuss.  One question that we never ask is, “Will my child be able to go to school this year?”  Regrettably in Haiti, this is the question at the forefront of many, many parents minds right now.  We want to THANK YOU for helping the children of Haitian Roots to be able to receive an education and answering the prayers of their parents!

Thank you especially to those who have already re-sponsored your chosen children for this beginning school year.  If you have forgotten in the hustle and bustle that is always August, we would like this to be a gentle reminder.  J  You can re-sponsor your children on our website through Paypal, mail us a check, or, if you are in the Ogden area, we’ll be happy to even come personally pick up your check from you.  We’d like to also remind you that we do have an auto-withdraw program.  We can send you a simple form and have a small amount ($22 for one child) withdrawn from your bank account each month rather than having to come up with a lump sum each year.  We also recognize that many of you sponsor your children at a certain time each year, for example at Christmas.  That is just fine.  We thank you for anything that you are able to do!

What Is New?

We have blogged on our website somewhat about our trip in June.  We have just added many new photos from the parties so that you can see the children.  It was wondeful to see the kids just so happy to play and be able to escape the difficulty and nightmares that many of them have suffered since the earthquake.  It was so heartwarming to see them writing letters to or drawing pictures for their sponsors.

Chareyl Moyes said, “I LOVE the photo you took of me and Sarika, when I look at it, besides bringing tears to my eyes and thinking about that little girl that I love so much, I am reminded of why I am doing this, why I love Haiti and why I feel driven to continue to support Haiti and its beautiful children.  I hope the families will look at the photos of the children they sponsor and remember too!  Remember that these children are depending on them and love them for their generosity and kindness, I felt that so strongly as I sat with Marjorie and Gaelle translating the letters and looking at the adorable photos the children had drawn for their sponsors. Letter after letter  “thank you, I love you, God bless you” were their words. I watched the children writing these letters with little or no encouragement from others, just straight from the

heart and how beautifully put; “thank you, I love you, God bless you!”

UPDATE on Children’s Village Project

The cleaning of the land is nearly complete and excavation will soon begin, pending final funding for this portion of the project.  We are about $6,000 short of the $28,000 that Haitian Roots is responsible for.  Thank you all so much for what you have helped us to do so far.

We really enjoyed receiving small anecdotes about the work from Isson while he was in Haiti.  One night her wrote:

“I am pleased with the cleaning process, the workers are working very hard. They seem to be very motivated in getting it done  so then we can move to the second stage or phase of the project. Every day we have about 30 people who will come and stand at a distance with the  hope that someone would not make it to work that day and that they might be able to replace them. It has happened twice now where Figaro, Francesca’s dad, could not make it and we had to replace him for that day. One guy offered to work one week for free under condition we will hire the following week. Another smart guy offers to help the women to bring water to the field using his bike. I think that was very smart and since then we have used him from time to time. He is so fast with his bike, he would fill up a big water container in a lapse time. Now the women don’t have to run 2-3 miles to get water, he saves them time to cook and clean up. I share these stories with you because I think it is so cool. I failed to mention that Rochenelle (who was injured the first day of the project when he accidentally cut himself) was back to work on Monday, he is doing fine. We haven’t had any major incident since then. It is impossible to not have minor incidents, good thing we have a nurse in Yves Carm’s team who helps us out every day.”

Below is a photo of the land which came to us entitled “Almost Ready” for excavation.  We are all very excited and are so grateful for your support!

You Are Appreciated

We have shared this quote before, but would like to do so again.  H.G. Wells said, “Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.”  It often feels that we truly are in a race.  When we feel discouraged, we like to remember these words of Abraham Lincoln:  “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true.  I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have.”

We may not save every child in Haiti, but with the light that we have, which  shines brighter and brighter with each one of you, we can make a difference.  We ARE making a difference.  Thank you!

Sincerely,

The Haitian Roots Team

www.haitianroots.com

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A Very Special Event

Thursday, 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!!!

Monday, 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

Monday, 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”

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

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June Haiti Trip (as told by Kristin Egan)

Tuesday, 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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Max Laforet’s Autobiography

Tuesday, 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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New Team Members

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

We’d like to introduce you all to the newest members of our team!

Dr. Daniel and Kristin Egan are Utah natives. They fell in love with Haiti in 2004 during a visit to their future sons’ orphanage. The next year they were able to travel to Haiti to bring their twin boys home. Since that time they and their five children have felt very connected to the people of Haiti. They are excited to be a part of an organization that cares so deeply about Haiti and it’s children. They feel that educating the children of Haiti will help to bring hope to a country that has struggled for so long. They deeply believe that by reaching out to one you can influence the condition of all.  Dr. Egan will be our medical director.

Nancy Waterfall is another wonderful addition to our team. She has tons of experience with charitable organizations through out the world and has been supportive of Haitian Roots for quite some time.  We are so excited to have her with us.  We will post a bio soon.

Lastly, we are thrilled to introduce you to Max Laforet.  Haitian Roots members met Max for the first time in Haiti in 2006.  At that time he was working with another organization to help children in Haiti with what he feels most strongly about–education!  He became a good friend to us and we’re grateful to have him on our team.  Max came to Utah to further his education in 2007.  He met and married Lina in 2009.  He is currently attending Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.   To learn more about Max, please read the post entitled “Max’s Autobiography”, which he wrote while still living in Haiti.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!!

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Haitian Roots T-Shirts!!!

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Time to get your limited edition, super cool Haitian Roots T-Shirts!  We really hope you like them.

For the adult-size tees, we are asking for a $15 donation plus $2 to cover shipping.  They come in two colors and designs.  The Blue comes in sizes XS, S, M, L, and XL.  This is a light weight, really nice, “slub” knit tee.  This tee is great for men or for women who prefer the crew neck or a less form-fitting shirt.  The gray v-neck comes in sizes S, M, L, XL, and XXL.  These tees are pretty long but on the small side, so if you prefer a less form-fitting shirt, consider ordering a size larger than what you normally wear.

We also have children’s tees hot off the press.  We ask for a $10 donation plus $2 shipping for the children’s sizes.  We’ll get some photos up asap.

Ready to have your own?  Simply go to our donations page and fill out the form.  Choose to give a “general donation”.   Be sure to let us know the colors and sizes you want.  You can then choose to pay using PayPal.  You can also just send us a check with your order.  Checks should always be written to Haitian Roots.

Thanks so much for your support!

SPECIAL THANKS to:

Bert Compton for his graphic designs which he donated.

Sources Screen Printing and Shirt Batter for the discounts on the shirts.

Shannon Cox’s beautiful nieces and nephews for modeling the t-shirts out in the cold

and for her talented sister, Amy Shaw, for her mad photography skills.

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A thank you FOR us and FROM us

Friday, March 26th, 2010

On Wednesday, March 24, 2010 Haitian Roots was honored at a Salt Lake Community Service Leaders Luncheon hosted by  Elder Steven E. Snow of the Presidency of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Also recognized at the luncheon were:

United Methodist Committee on Relief

CHOICE Humanitarian

RaFIKis – Friends in Kenya

XanGo Goodness Foundation

Quelessebougou – Utah Alliance

Healing Hands for Haiti International Foundation

The luncheon was very humbling for us on many counts.  First, we were humbled to be honored by a religious organization who provides such massive amounts of humanitarian aid through out the world.  Second, we were humbled to be surrounded by other organizations who work in different places all over the world and to feel of their goodness.  Third, we were humbled because the thanks really does not go to those of us who were at the luncheon as much as it goes to YOU—OUR SUPPORTERS.  Without YOU, Haitian Roots would be nothing but a lovely idea.

So, as Elder Snow thanked us for our kindness and generosity in serving our fellowman through out the world, we would like to pass that thanks on to you for all of your support and all that you are doing to help make a difference in the lives of children and their families in Haiti.

Thank you.

The Haitian Roots Team

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