Dorise sent this report to NH yesterday. Sadly, we have just learned that her mother succumbed to a stroke on Saturday evening. Dorise is preparing to leave Haiti to be with her family in France. We will relay more information as it arrives and, while keeping Dorise and her family in our hearts, will keep our hopes and wishes for the school on Ile-a-Vache high.
Mardi March 18
A big big work day at the site of the school. More digging by hand, moving rocks and dirt in buckets. The women who are the carriers of those heavy buckets talk, sing and argue all at the same time. Mostly everybody is hungry, me included. Sometimes the work seems chaotic and I am not sure anyone knows the complete plan other than to flatten the hill on the work site.
In the evening I have women and children come to visit and to read and do crafts. We only have candlelight. So many young women can’t read and the word is out, so what started as private tutoring is filling a room every night. Often there is some kind of singing going on outside at midnight as I send everybody home. But nobody except me seems to be tired and the full moon is coming on.
Everybody, at all times knows of my whereabouts and can track me down. This morning very early I went to do some laundry at the well. It is a mile hike through the bushes along a maze of little trails. I zig-zagged my way up there and got lost, going beyond the water. A little boy, Jonathan, followed me to call me back. He stayed while I did the washing and then lead me straight back avoiding all the twists and turns. While the clothes were drying two girls from the neighborhood came to do some crafts with wool. Then it was back to the school to work.
The Easter celebration is coming up and there is mounting excitement. The island is turning upside down.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Photos from Ile-a-Vache
Five pictures of the school project posted in an email for EDEM.
Cut and paste address into your web browser.
http://networkhaiti.com/ecoleduvillage/schoolbuild/
Cut and paste address into your web browser.
http://networkhaiti.com/ecoleduvillage/schoolbuild/
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Bon Anniversaire Doko
Dorise has sent a few brief journal entries this week. The rest of her journal is on its way to Canada with a traveler returning home from Haiti. When it arrives in New Hampshire, the home guard will try to report out on Doko's blog. jt
Samedi, 15 Mars, En Mer
We are off in one of those astonishing fishing boats to go to Les Cayes. Nicholas is right that these boat passages can be a little hair graying. The boat is just a big hull with lots of old fish buckets thrown all over the place. The women next to me are sick and my stomach is not feeling well because of it, but now we are coming into the port without incident. We will take care of various errands.
Vendredi, 14 Mars, Ile-a-Vache.
Went to Caille Coq to meet with Marie Michelle’s mom. Marie Michelle is the girl who became a friend when we arrived on Ile-a-Vache. Then off to Madame Bernard’s to hold little Sophia, the 1 kg baby, and then another walk with Dada. She is so happy to walk and I feel it is a matter of days until she can hold up on her own. Nicolas works with the school people on the land and finished a door for William our neighbor. We need to buy the hinges in order to hang the door. Things are good even though I have vegetable dreams and wake up hungry. Thinking of baking bread this week as a neighbor has an oven. I just have to go and buy some wood for her. We will do beans and cake at the same time. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Nicolas says he could eat some of those extra eggs the chickens in Acworth are laying.
Jeudi, 13 Mars
A day at the orphanage. Walked almost a mile with Dada, a lovely little girl. She cannot walk without support but she is very good and quick at getting around. I feel with a little time everyday she might get more strength in the legs. You only need to support her on one side, but all this leaves me aching at the end of the day, as I do a lot of lifting and bending. Walking together she got to explore places she has never been in the surrounding area. In the evening 10 children came to the house to do some coloring. It was very special as there was one 12-year-old girl in the group who warned everybody, 'if we start fighting about the crayons she, (meaning me,) will kick us out.' It worked beautifully. I still had to tell them at midnight that I needed to go to bed.
Samedi, 15 Mars, En Mer
We are off in one of those astonishing fishing boats to go to Les Cayes. Nicholas is right that these boat passages can be a little hair graying. The boat is just a big hull with lots of old fish buckets thrown all over the place. The women next to me are sick and my stomach is not feeling well because of it, but now we are coming into the port without incident. We will take care of various errands.
Vendredi, 14 Mars, Ile-a-Vache.
Went to Caille Coq to meet with Marie Michelle’s mom. Marie Michelle is the girl who became a friend when we arrived on Ile-a-Vache. Then off to Madame Bernard’s to hold little Sophia, the 1 kg baby, and then another walk with Dada. She is so happy to walk and I feel it is a matter of days until she can hold up on her own. Nicolas works with the school people on the land and finished a door for William our neighbor. We need to buy the hinges in order to hang the door. Things are good even though I have vegetable dreams and wake up hungry. Thinking of baking bread this week as a neighbor has an oven. I just have to go and buy some wood for her. We will do beans and cake at the same time. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Nicolas says he could eat some of those extra eggs the chickens in Acworth are laying.
Jeudi, 13 Mars
A day at the orphanage. Walked almost a mile with Dada, a lovely little girl. She cannot walk without support but she is very good and quick at getting around. I feel with a little time everyday she might get more strength in the legs. You only need to support her on one side, but all this leaves me aching at the end of the day, as I do a lot of lifting and bending. Walking together she got to explore places she has never been in the surrounding area. In the evening 10 children came to the house to do some coloring. It was very special as there was one 12-year-old girl in the group who warned everybody, 'if we start fighting about the crayons she, (meaning me,) will kick us out.' It worked beautifully. I still had to tell them at midnight that I needed to go to bed.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Work has begun: An update from Ile-a-Vache
Here is a note Dorise sent to East Acworth this week. She asked I put it on the blog. Computer time on the island is limited. Her companion, Nicholas, reports that on the first day about fifty women and men showed up with shovels and picks, buckets and baskets. He said they worked very hard. Dorise reports the pace has since been adjusted to meet local conditions. She sends her best to everyone.
Mardi, March 11
Finally we are underway with our project. Dug some more around the work site at the new school today. We were only three working as whenever I ask about the next work day, it turns out a community meeting has to be held first. I say, why not have the meeting right at the site from 7-10 in the morning? That way some can work, as we have too few tools, taking turns digging while the others are meeting. "Whoever can come, great." But that is a novelty, so we definitely have to have a meeting. In the afternoon I have been working with the children at the orphanage. Today I walked nearly a mile with Dada, a lovely girl who is paralyzed on one side. For the lack of a walker she is limited to crawling. She is very good at this, but I feel with training every day her muscles could get stronger in the legs. With support on one side she can get along well. When she sees me she can't wait to walk as I am the only one giving her that time these days. And there are many others that want help with walking: too few aides and too little time. It is heart-wrenching to leave at the end of the day.
Mardi, March 11
Finally we are underway with our project. Dug some more around the work site at the new school today. We were only three working as whenever I ask about the next work day, it turns out a community meeting has to be held first. I say, why not have the meeting right at the site from 7-10 in the morning? That way some can work, as we have too few tools, taking turns digging while the others are meeting. "Whoever can come, great." But that is a novelty, so we definitely have to have a meeting. In the afternoon I have been working with the children at the orphanage. Today I walked nearly a mile with Dada, a lovely girl who is paralyzed on one side. For the lack of a walker she is limited to crawling. She is very good at this, but I feel with training every day her muscles could get stronger in the legs. With support on one side she can get along well. When she sees me she can't wait to walk as I am the only one giving her that time these days. And there are many others that want help with walking: too few aides and too little time. It is heart-wrenching to leave at the end of the day.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Monday, March 10
A quick word. We are beginning our fourth week in Haiti tomorrow. It has been hot.
It is vacation, the week before Easter. Last week all the school children had 'composition,' which is an exam. Now they are on a break. During the vacation I am taking a small group of students each day to do arts and crafts and decorate the school.
A crowd of children came today and I had to be strict. I counted 10 and told the rest to come back tomorrow. By the time I gave out paper to do drawing I had 15, not much room around the tables or enough coloring pens. A lot of mayhem. This was a group of 9-12 year olds. I asked them to write their names and ages on their drawings and was shocked that I could not read any of them, other then Loggan's.
They cannot write or spell at all and when I asked their ages, none of them knew how old they were. I mentioned it later to a teacher from another school. He said it was because they have just started school, as many of them are orphans. We made some kites, origami, and did some drawings. I was exhausted after 2 hours. Everybody needed my attention 100%, all pulling, pushing and talking at the same time.
More later, Doko
A quick word. We are beginning our fourth week in Haiti tomorrow. It has been hot.
It is vacation, the week before Easter. Last week all the school children had 'composition,' which is an exam. Now they are on a break. During the vacation I am taking a small group of students each day to do arts and crafts and decorate the school.
A crowd of children came today and I had to be strict. I counted 10 and told the rest to come back tomorrow. By the time I gave out paper to do drawing I had 15, not much room around the tables or enough coloring pens. A lot of mayhem. This was a group of 9-12 year olds. I asked them to write their names and ages on their drawings and was shocked that I could not read any of them, other then Loggan's.
They cannot write or spell at all and when I asked their ages, none of them knew how old they were. I mentioned it later to a teacher from another school. He said it was because they have just started school, as many of them are orphans. We made some kites, origami, and did some drawings. I was exhausted after 2 hours. Everybody needed my attention 100%, all pulling, pushing and talking at the same time.
More later, Doko
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
It has been a week almost that we are in Haiti.
February 26, 2008
The first 2 days we stayed in Port-au-Prince and helped Doctor Ed to run a clinique that he does for free out of a little school in their library room. He sees a minimum of 50 people, from 9 to 5. I have no idea how he can do as much without us there, as he usually does the clinic by himself. All 3 of us were very busy: me taking names, pulses and bood pressure and writing down what is ailing them. Then they see the doctor just a foot away from me behind a curtain where he patiently listens and talks to them. Never have I seen a doctor that passes so much time with one patient. From there they see Nicolas who is counting out pills or liquids for the prescription.
Doctor Ed even sent a few people to the local clinique where they will be able to have free cataract operations. Ed has a special fund just for that. All day we were very busy and made an efficient team. All fifty people were here at 7 oclock sharp, when the school opens to wait patiently their turn. Nobody left at lunch time. Nobody complained or cried. There were many, many babies with a parent and they were amazingly quiet.
The next day we went to buy more medicines wholesale. They come in big 5 gallon plastic bags and you have to count or weigh every one of them, which we did once we got home. Saturday a team of 8 doctors and nurses were flying in from New Hamphire to do clinics in the City du Soleil.
Nicholas and I are heading next to Les Cayes to meet Sauny, the director of the school on Ile-a -Vache, where we will be working from. Computer trouble, time to stop.
Doko .
The first 2 days we stayed in Port-au-Prince and helped Doctor Ed to run a clinique that he does for free out of a little school in their library room. He sees a minimum of 50 people, from 9 to 5. I have no idea how he can do as much without us there, as he usually does the clinic by himself. All 3 of us were very busy: me taking names, pulses and bood pressure and writing down what is ailing them. Then they see the doctor just a foot away from me behind a curtain where he patiently listens and talks to them. Never have I seen a doctor that passes so much time with one patient. From there they see Nicolas who is counting out pills or liquids for the prescription.
Doctor Ed even sent a few people to the local clinique where they will be able to have free cataract operations. Ed has a special fund just for that. All day we were very busy and made an efficient team. All fifty people were here at 7 oclock sharp, when the school opens to wait patiently their turn. Nobody left at lunch time. Nobody complained or cried. There were many, many babies with a parent and they were amazingly quiet.
The next day we went to buy more medicines wholesale. They come in big 5 gallon plastic bags and you have to count or weigh every one of them, which we did once we got home. Saturday a team of 8 doctors and nurses were flying in from New Hamphire to do clinics in the City du Soleil.
Nicholas and I are heading next to Les Cayes to meet Sauny, the director of the school on Ile-a -Vache, where we will be working from. Computer trouble, time to stop.
Doko .
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