Another blog!!

P.S. Those of you who are interested in Sarah's accounts of various stories from around Olive Tree Projects over the years, be sure to take a look at http://www.olivetreeprojects.com/blog/

Also, as you'll see in the blog if you keep reading and eventually get to the start of 2012, here's one option if you're interested in contributing something to this incredible place:

Below is a link to OTP’s wishlist for 2012. It’s an easy, tangible way to help OTP in the coming year. Of course, they still appreciate cash donations, monthly or otherwise!

http://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/PQQERVOSG9HR/ref=cm_wl_rlist_go_o

GED Prep?? and musings on education in Haiti

One of the things I've been doing is working with Patrick on his written english and GED prep. Turns out I know a lot of answers to grammar questions but don't always know the actual rules or reasons... so it's been interesting (and sometimes frustrating) trying to figure out the best ways to explain things to Patrick. The poor guy is very studious and loves to learn, but he's got me, struggling to know how to best teach him basic grammar concepts and prepare him for the GED. Ha. We've been Googling around for practice questions and things, and we've found some stuff, but I have yet to come across an actual full practice test. The time limit is clearly going to be an issue, unless Patrick can get a lot of practice in first and get a little more confident... I really hope my muddling-through will help him! We've spent quite a few hours on this in the last few days or so, and he's always pumped to do more work, read books, etc. So if any of you know anything about preparing for or taking the GED, especially when english isn't your first language, let me know!! Also, apparently the GED varies somewhat state to state, and Patrick is taking it in Georgia, but we've only found some "GED practice questions" that say nothing about what state(s) they might be relevant to. 

There really doesn't seem to be much in place to help people like Patrick succeed... Some of the questions on the GED aren't so much about english, but about knowing those little symbolic things that only American kids would grow up knowing. (For example, there was an old political cartoon that centered around Uncle Sam... without an explanation or a little background, Patrick didn't stand a chance of answering the questions about what the cartoon meant, and Sarah hardly even knew what to make of it!)

It's been interesting hearing Sarah talk about education here in Haiti. It's extremely common for people to be 5 to 10 years behind where they should be in school; for example, Danaelle and Dada (15 years old and 6 years old) are both in 1st grade. It happens because people miss years or parts of years, or don't do well because they have little to no support system, or they switch schools and for whatever reason aren't considered to be at the same level... Very little seems to be standardized, as far as education goes. Also, at the end of this school year, Danaelle did ok (she got about 75%) and Dada just squeaked by (about 65%), but Sarah said that Dada doesn't even know how to read, while Danaelle does. The grading isn't even standardized between students in the same class. 

On that note, another of Sarah's future projects would be to get a group of teenage girls together and have a youth group of sorts (they'd all be a support group of peers and friends for each other, and then do activities together). Sarah (or OTP) would purchase unfinished houses around town (there are a ton of them) and then teach all the teens how to fix up the houses. They'd make some money, and then learn a ton of skills that have to do with building houses/furniture, painting, etc. It's not unheard of that the single, simple skill of knowing how to paint a wall one color is a man's single marketable skill; if these girls could learn so many skills, not only would they be able to do a lot more than your average person, but it would also empower them as young women! Cool, interesting ideas. Something as basic as this could provide more education that a lot of people normally get.

Voodoo and Other Spiritual Tales

I asked Sarah about voodoo today, both to hear more about what it actually is and to get her opinion on it. She and some of her friends here have experienced some things or seen some things that make them think that there may be something to it, but it's also important to distinguish between what might be real and what definitely isn't real. While there may have been some experiences that imply a spiritual world, or at least tell Sarah that we shouldn't discredit voodoo completely, apparently there are also plenty of times when simple real-life stuff gets passed off as voodoo. For example, whenever someone goes to the hospital and is sick with something the doctors have never seen before, or is sick with something they know they won't be able to treat (given their skills or the tools/drugs available), doctors will often tell them or their loved ones that it's not a medical problem. The next place you go if you're sick but it's "not a medical problem" is the voodoo priest. 

A voodoo priest has many duties, including healing and other positive things, but he can also supposedly cast evil spells on people, or even cause people to suffer and/or die. When the hoped-for outcome actually comes to pass, whether it was healing your disease or killing your enemy, it means you did a good job of pleasing the spirits... and sometimes, the way you do that, is by making sacrifices. Apparently, if your request is big enough, or difficult enough, or important enough, you might even sacrifice your own child. Sarah didn't know how common or widespread that kind of extreme action is, but... it could happen. I don't know how many Haitians still practice voodoo, but I'm under the (uninformed) impression that it's still a very large percent of the population. Oh, and another interesting tidbit is that the voodoo word for demon or evil spirit sounds almost identical to the Hmong word for demon or evil spirit. Pretty bizarre (honestly, it's probably a coincidence) because the Hmong people come from Laos, Thailand, China... while Haitians originally came from Africa. Go figure?

On the subject of religion, one of the somewhat strange cultural things for me has been that almost every white person I've met is Christian! I know a lot of people come down here on religious missions, but even the people who are down here for aquaponics, midwifery, and orphanages all seem to be "good, God-fearing people." It's a little odd for me just because I've always been used to having friend groups that are a total mix of Christians, Jews, atheists, etc. (The list goes on!) It's not a problem for me, especially because no one has asked if I'm Christian or made sure that I pray or anything like that. I don't feel like I stick out too much, and I have no trouble hanging out with any and all of these people, but it's a new experience for me that at any point, everyone around me might start discussing with each other how they pray to God. There have been a few comments made about how other religions are actually worshiping demons and evil devils (when they think they're worshiping other good gods), but other than the less tolerant people like that, it's been fine. There's a weekly "church on the beach" that all the ex-pats go to, and the long-timers have a weekly bible study, too. I don't want to generalize, but so far I *think* that every white person here from America or Canada is a Christian. Go figure! 

The OTHER interesting thing involving spiritual "stuff" that I've been hearing about lately is Marita's story. She told me a lot about the journey that eventually brought her to Haiti and has kept her here doing projects... She talked about a 5-week trance when her spirit was apparently in Haiti before she was physically here, and she said she feels this enormous, evil energy vortex all in and around Haiti that, once released and sent away, will allow peace and unity to save the world (apparently Haiti holds the key). There was also talk of reincarnation, and past lives as either a slave or slave owner, and... I was starting to lose track. But it was very interesting to listen to her life story, and now that she's here, she has a ton of energy to start lots of projects that sound like they'll really benefit Haitians. She's very excited about what she's doing, which makes her fun to talk to!

Alternative Fuels! and other projects

Sarah, Marita, and I went to see a man about alternative fuels this morning! His name is Joe, so his business is called Kay Joe (Joe's House). He uses coconut shells to make charcoal, rather than just burning wood or cutting down trees to make "regular" charcoal - two very common practices in Haiti that are contributing to the HUGE problem of deforestation in this country. This charcoal is easy enough to make that it's either about the same price as wood charcoal or maybe cheaper (I wasn't quite clear on that point), but it burns for three times as long! This could not only be a tree/environment-saver, here in Haiti, but could also be a huge money-saver for many Haitians! Sarah and (especially) Marita are playing with the idea of making this into a project where communities of about 20 families could get set up with a coconut charcoal press, and then share the use of it. (One press, worked by 4 people, makes about 800 pieces a day, which would be enough for 20 families. They would share costs and collectively save a lot of money on charcoal.) It's hard for a business like Kay Joe to keep up with the demand - they're already falling behind demand - so if lots of smaller communities could get involved, it has the potential to make a big difference!

It was really fun to go see this place they have set up. They also make small clay pots that hold the charcoal as you burn it, so you can just set a pot or pan on top of the open clay pot as if it was any old stove. Haitian kitchens are outdoor in the yard, so this is completely compatible with what Haitians are used to. We got to see the charcoal, the press, the big pile of coconut shells they've collected... and a bucket of mold that is somehow involved in the making of these charcoal briquettes. Kay Joe also has a tree nursery, so we saw all the tiny little trees waiting to be sold and planted. In order to encourage tourism and help make ends meet, there are a few buildings on the property (it's a very cute little complex) that have rooms for travelers to stay in, right along a really beautiful bit of coastline. It seems like a great set-up! Joe is quite a character, too. :)

Since Marita came, she's been telling us all about her projects and inspiration and personal journey. It's fun to listen to her and Sarah because they're full of ideas and plans and energy to start new things here in Haiti. Marita is really into sustainability, earth ships (a building style that uses a lot of trash as material, is built in a shape to be more resistant to natural disasters, and saves/recycles water very efficiently), composting, and other cool save-the-world type projects (like the coconut charcoal). Sarah has the maternity center, of course, helps takes care of babies and kids when needed, teaches about many health issues including contraception and safe sex, and now is suddenly starting to help plan a potential orphanage for kids with HIV (regular orphanages aren't allowed to take HIV-positive kids; apparently they have to keep them separate, so HIV kids often don't have a place to go).

It's been really interesting hearing all their views on issues down here. Sarah actually has a problem with a lot of orphanages around Haiti because they are often full of a few orphans (who might have an aunt and uncle who could potentially care for them) and a lot of kids whose parents just think they'll have a better chance in the world if they put them in an orphanage that's run by white people. The resources being spent on this type of orphanage might be put to much better use if they were used to help educate people and prevent unwanted pregnancies. Sarah said that, while almost all of their clients in the clinic are warm, loving parents, easily less than half of the pregnancies were unplanned. She has a few stories of mothers not wanting to take their babies home with them (or even flat-out refusing to acknowledge that the baby was theirs), simply because they  resources and hope.

There are so many (I repeat, SO MANY!!!) different avenues that can be taken, or need to be taken, when it comes to finding ways to help Haiti. It's a really incredible place, full of a lot of great people and a lot of potential, but there are so many missing links that it's hard to know where to start when choosing a project, or focus, or target population, or issue, or even just location... In fact, it's almost a relief to me that I went into this experience knowing that it would be more of a learning experience, or a beginning, and less of a make-as-much-of-a-difference-as-possible situation. Of course I want to help, but (as Marita, Sarah, Paul Farmer, and many others have said) you really need a deep understanding of Haiti's history and character before you can really know how to help. It seems like I'll be here just long enough to learn a ton and start to get to know Haiti...

One of Many Stories

I got to participate in a pretty intense conversation the other day. Sarah has a visitor, Marita, staying with us for about a week right now. She's half Canadian and half Haitian, and has spent about 12 months total in Haiti over the last couple of years. She sounds pretty fluent in Creole, which was partly what allowed for this conversation to come about. A teenage girl who occasionally comes by Sarah's place was hanging out there with just me and Marita (this is Marita's first night joining our little community). Marita shared some info and light stories about her parents and where they live, and suddenly this teenage girl started to open up about all the horrors she's suffered in her life. It seems like she saw a chance for some long-needed, open sharing, and maybe it was made easier by the fact that she doesn't really know Marita or myself. She spoke in Creole, of which I could only catch bits or "jists," but Marita generously translated as this girl told her story. Let's call her Sally, just for the sake of simplicity and anonymity. 

Sally's mother and her uncle died when she was 10 years old, both killed by their brother. (It came out later that Sally's other uncle used voodoo magic to kill his siblings, so I'm not sure exactly what that means. He's not an axe murderer, though, if that's what you were thinking.) I don't remember how her father died, but it sounded like he was already out of the picture long before that. Apparently, this evil uncle of Sally's is obsessed with getting ahead in the world, and full of greed, so when Sally's generous mother kept giving things to those in need and helping others, he felt that she needed to be eliminated...

Sally then moved in with her cousin in Port Au Prince, who was about 30 years old and married with 4 young kids. She lived with them for a couple years, and was violently violated and raped by her older cousin when she was 12 or 13. It wasn't clear to me whether this was happening during much of the time that she was there, or just right before she left. The raping left her pregnant with her cousin's/rapist's baby (at 12 or 13 years old), so she fled and returned to Jacmel where her sister lives. At some point, thank goodness, she found Sarah (or Sarah found her), and started to get some care for the pregnancy. Her sister seemed to have decided for her (although she was quietly compliant) that the baby would be given up for adoption, but it eventually became clear to Sarah that Sally wanted to keep her baby. Olive Tree Projects collectively made a plan with her that would help her take care of this baby, generously offering time and resources. When the time came to deliver, the baby was born but its skull was too soft and wasn't fully formed - it was essentially already a vegetable by the time it was born. They were unable to save the baby, other than keeping its heart beating and lungs breathing long enough for Sally to hold it for a few minutes. 

You think enough awful, traumatizing things have happened to Sally yet? (I struggled to hold back angry and sorrowful tears as I heard this long tale unfold.) Well... she said that she has been violated a few more times, and a couple of men have tried to rape her. From how she told the story, it's clear that she (rather necessarily) has been growing up into what will be a very smart, strong woman, after going through everything she has suffered and survived. It sounds like the one thing that makes her the most sad, that hurts her the most, and to which she links the start of this unending awfulness, is when her mother pass away. She said that sometimes, she just feels so angry and hurt that she wants to end it all, or walk into the street and stop looking at the cars... This comment concerned me, and I let Sarah know just in case, but from everything else she said and how she said it, it sounds more like she's going to somehow come out of this stronger and smarter than many women. I have a lot of hope for this girl, and I wish with all my heart that she can begin to love and value herself again. She was showing us photos from a few years ago, before she was raped, and said that she used to be so pretty. Now, she said, she's fat and ugly. But she just doesn't yet see that she's a lovely, beautiful, strong, intelligent, talented, young woman!

I'm so glad she is involved with Sarah and the people of OTP, because it seems to give her a safe space that she might not otherwise have. Her sister doesn't seem to invested in helping her out much, and her uncle has done nothing for her (other than take her on a tour of his HUGE house without offering her a place to stay when she needed one). I doubt Sally would want to spend much time with the man she believes killed her mother, anyway. 

After we heard this long, winding, twisted tale, Marita and I thanked Sally for sharing with us and tried to lift her spirit up. I think she'll be ok, but it really hurts me to know that these kinds of stories are anything but rare, both in Haiti and throughout the world.