July 3, 2011 Comments Off
Poverty: (n) – deficiency of necessary or desirable ingredients, qualities. Scantiness; insufficiency.
Amy Todd, the 410 Bridge staff member that has traveled with us and served alongside of us here in Haiti, made an great observation last night as we shared our stories with one another about the day. I’ve asked her if I can share it here.
In the morning, we went back up the mountain and joined with a group of children and adults about half way up. Some of them we had seen in Chadirack, and some were new. As we began to gather, the sound of drums and singing poured out of the small concrete block church on the hillside. Inside, women, children, and a few of the local men were singing praises and dancing with pure joy. While most would see the obvious material and economic poverty that deprives this community of clean water, and while this issue is probably the most significant factor in the many diseases that affect the people here, and while the lack of medical attention makes simple conditions like diarrhea and infections potentially deadly, the people of Chadirack are rich in family, community, and many other things. They are deftly skilled farmers. They have an abundance of natural beauty. Smiles abound. So are they the face of poverty?
In the afternoon, we came down the hill and visited an orphanage about 30 minutes south of Le Xaragua where we stayed in Montrouis. The 78 children in this orphanage are cared for by Dr. Francisco Noel and his beautiful wife. She considers herself a “mother” to these 78 children, all of whom receive full medical attention, 3 meals a day, 2 snacks, and their own beds. Their clothes are meticulously washed by a staff of women who also help care for them, educate them, and see that their physical needs are taken care of. Here, however, as we walked through the double doors in the outside wall that secure these young ones from the harsh realities outside of it, we ran face to face, or rather hand to hand, into a mob of young faces that just wanted to be held. One of our team members literally had three different children fall asleep in her lap at three different times over the two hours that we were there. These children were faced with a different challenge. Dr. Noel and his wife have met every need they can physically, yet much love as a person can give doesn’t make up for the lack of a true mother or father whose lap you can crawl up into and simply fall asleep, one on one. Are they the face of poverty?
Some of the children we met today lacked basic provisions. Some lacked a mother or father. We, as Americans, have become impoverished as a nation in the understanding of how critical some of these things like family, love and community really are. Today, as we awoke, many of us realized that as some of the richest people in the world, we could also be the most impoverished. How about yourself?
July 1, 2011 Comments Off
Today’s return ride up the mountain seemed much smoother than yesterday’s. Perhaps it was just one degree more familiar. Perhaps it was the eagerness to get back to those we had left 18 hours before, and pick up where we had left off. Regardless, this time, as we came around the last few bends, many of us began to see familiar faces of the children and adults that we had met the prior day. Most were in and around their houses that were just a few turns down the hill from the coffee nursery. Some were on the road already on their way up to meet us. It was a great feeling to see the community already beginning to assemble.
When we arrived at what we’ve come to know as the “center” of Chadirac, where the coffee trees are being grown, a couple of us realized that the bumpy ride had caused a “nature call” of sorts, and as a result, we got to be the first on our team to experience the community pit latrine. Allow me to say it was a PLEASANT suprise. It was incredibly clean, concrete, and had seemed to have no smell at all. That may seem trivial to share, but believe me, when you are over an hour up a mountain and that is the only toilet, it matters! Those who built it did their job well.
Our job for the day was to clear the space for what will eventually be the community coffee wash station. This central location will allow all the families in the community to work together to process their coffee beans and prepare them for the drying process, after which they will be packaged and shipped to Land of a Thousand Hills in Atlanta. This meant that multiple banana trees would be cut down, their stumps removed from the ground, and all of the material used to create a retaining wall on the downhill side of the hill. Then we would pull the uphill dirt down against it to begin to fill in and create a more level area. Dirty work? no doubt. Tiring? YES. fun? ABSOLUTELY. We all hit the ground with picks, hoes, and rakes and it seemed like community members just started appearing from everywhere. We worked solidly for 2 hours, and the hillside slowly began to transform.
Changing up the afternoon, we jumped back in the 4x’s and headed up the hill to the twice a week market day at Gwayavye. As we wandered through the crowded marketplace on the top of a hill, the smells and sounds of the local vendors seemed to consume your senses. It was an area awash with color, laughter, food, families, and excitement. Then we headed over a few hillsides to the nursery where the second set of coffee plants is being grown. As a treat, we took a hike up what looked like a goat trail to the top of a hill that provided us with an amazing view of Haiti’s surrounding countryside. While the climb seemed straight up, the view at the top was worth it.
Upon our return down the hill to town, we ran our usual pre-dinner routine of cleaning up, then enjoyed our dinner of rice, pototoes, and a conch, fish, and shrimp combination that was delicious. Post dinner, we began to share our stories for the day, and please believe me when I say that if you know any of the members of this team, you will want to ask them to share their experience with you when they return. These evening debrief times have become a valuable piece of the trip, and something we all, I believe, look forward to every night. Until tomorrow, adieu.
to see pictures of day 4, visit the Chadirac and Gwayavye set on Flickr
Poverty: (n) – deficiency of necessary or desirable ingredients, qualities. Scantiness; insufficiency.
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