Pwoje Espwa - Hope in Haiti

Clinic

2012-01-24T19:44:00.000-05:00

Here's the entrance of our new clinic. On the left is the waiting area. To the right is the ramp for easy access. The structure is basically done so now we are focusing on the furnishings. This is really exciting!

Update on the kitchen-dining room

2012-01-24T19:24:00.000-05:00

The last roof panel was finally put in place today. It has been a long time coming. The crew is working full force now to get this job done. Way too many delays for my taste. We are looking forward to finishing it so the children can all eat together under one roof.

Dr. Dan Wood

2012-01-24T17:46:00.000-05:00

Dr. Dan is with us for the week. He comes from Maine and accompanied our Doctor Cynthia here for her first visit of the year. That's Biondy on the left who is helping with translation and doing a bang up job.

Virginie Charles

2012-01-16T15:06:00.000-05:00

I am sorry to inform you that Virginie, our peanut lady for many years, died earlier this morning. We will be honoring her life of faithful service tomorrow afternoon in Camp-Perrin. Her family appreciates the prayers and support at this difficult time.

Friends from Greenville, SC

2012-01-11T20:34:00.000-05:00

Dokte Pam

Wish the internet was working a tad better as I've got some terrific photos to share but, alas. Above is a photo of Doctor Pam who spent creative time with our kids. Pam is one of twelve great people from Greenville, SC who are here helping us with odd jobs, some painting, vehicle repair but, more importantly, spending quality time with the children and staff.

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-01T15:15:00.002-05:00

Michael, Sam and Julio

Westerline and Stanley

We celebrated the feast of Mary, Mother of God at church this morning. The kids arrived in their new clothes and broad smiles. It is your support that allows us to buy the children what they need. May God bless you in this new year with His grace.

2012

2012-01-01T08:12:00.000-05:00

The children, staff and I wish you all a happy, healthy and holy 2012. This past year was difficult on many levels so it was with some relief that I flipped the calendar's page to reveal a brand new year.
Thank you for your prayers and support over the past year. May God bless you and yours.

Christmas gifts

2011-12-25T13:11:00.000-05:00

This is the best part of the Christmas festivities. The kids were absolutely thrilled to receive little gifts. Wish you were here to see this!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T20:35:00.001-05:00

May the joy of Christmas born so long ago...

find a place in your hearts today and every day.

We thank you for your prayers and support over the past year and wish you His peace for 2012.

Congrats !

2011-12-24T20:22:00.001-05:00

Jimmy and Harold were the winners yesterday of the ESPWA NAN NOEL competition. This was the third edition of the contest and it continues to be a fantastic overview of the talent here.

Christmas gifts

2011-12-22T13:17:00.000-05:00

I received a phone call out of the blue from Father Fred Charpentier (middle photo). His friend, Brigitte Pierre, had some gifts to distribute to children and he directed her to us. It was going to be a very lean Christmas this year but no longer. All the little ones will be receiving a new present thanks to Brigitte and a South Florida organization named "Breakfast with Santa". Thank you very much and may God bless you for your thoughtfulness.

Exams

2011-12-17T12:49:00.000-05:00

The elementary school had exams this past week. It was stressful but all worth it. The kids are now on Christmas vacation. The teachers get to rest and the housemothers...not so much.

Photo is of the older pre-school class.

Security training

2011-12-17T12:33:00.000-05:00

Mr. Jean Lexima, front in dark t-shirt, held a training session with our security people this morning. In light of some recent events, we are looking to reinforce the security here. Mr. Lexima is a Haitian-American who has experience in these matters and we are grateful to him for his help. Today was the first session of many to come.

Springfield's finest

2011-12-10T15:16:00.000-05:00

From the top: Dokte Doug, Tim, Karen, Lori, Emily and Jill

Our friends from Springfield left us very early yesterday morning after a busy week of painting, cleaning, sorting and inventory work. Many kids have been asking for you which shows the positive impact you made while with us. May God bless you and keep you in His care.

Prison ministry

2011-12-04T15:24:00.000-05:00

The kind folks from Springfield brought lots of personal hygiene stuff for the prisoners in town which they delivered yesterday morning. Needless to say, the detainees were extremely grateful.

friends from Springfield

2011-12-04T15:14:00.000-05:00

mingling with the kids

getting a tour

A couple of shots of our visitors from Springfield, MO. They'll be with us for the week. The community of Schweitzer Methodist Church has been super supportive these last couple of years.

God bless 'em.

Bracelet man

2011-12-04T14:36:00.000-05:00

This is Jonas Jeanty. He makes a personalized bracelet for each of our visitors. If they want to order others for family or friends, Jonas will oblige for a small fee. Jonas is a graduate of Espwa and becoming a shrewd businessman.

Poor Internet

2011-11-29T14:45:00.000-05:00

Hi Fellow Bloggers-

This is Paige updating for Father Marc. He apologizes for his delay in posts. He currently has no internet at his house, making it impossible to update. We are working on fixing this problem. Please stay tuned.

Thanks!

New Mattresses

2011-11-29T10:48:00.001-05:00

Before coming to Pwoje Espwa, a majority of our resident children did not have a bed to lay their heads on at night. Many slept on the ground or a small mat, or covered themselves with a piece of fabric alongside a family member, but very few had a mattress to call their own.

Since coming to Espwa, all of the children have a bed to sleep in, though they are no longer in optimal condition. The mattresses are handmade and only a couple inches thick- more supportive than the ground, but not even close to ideal.

Below is a picture of a few mattresses stacked up on a bed. Some of the smaller children choose to share a bed so they can have more support by stacking their mattresses on top of one another. Some of the mats are torn and the foam is coming out, pictured below.

Unfortunately, we do not have the funding to provide all of our children with a new bed and mattress. Please keep our children in your prayers as you lay your head down on your bed to sleep tonight.

Visitors

2011-11-27T15:07:00.000-05:00

These are the fine folks who visited us this past week.

Top, left to right: Mike, Frank and Regina

Bottom: Janina, Francine and Stephanie

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T13:42:00.000-05:00

In the early years of my work down here we did not celebrate Thanksgiving Day. A few years ago, Linda and Peter Faford managed to get some turkeys down here and the Thanksgiving meal has since become traditional. We will soon be carving the turkeys and enjoying all the associated goodies.
It is most appropriate to thank you, our supporters and benefactors, on this special day. We wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving Day. God bless you all.

Special thanks to the current visitors who brought down all we needed for our feast. I'll get a photo of the group and post it later.

International Day of Children's Rights

2011-11-22T21:03:00.000-05:00

Sunday was the International Day of the Child with a focus on their rights. We had a special meal, a program that underlined their individual rights, an afternoon of dancing and singing. The kids had fun.

Having fun can be exhausting!

Team painting

2011-11-22T19:28:00.001-05:00

That's Mike Irr with a few of our guys painting the wall of the Guest House. Mike is part of a small group who is spending Thanksgiving with us. The other visitors were in another area so I'll try and capture them for a later post if the internet plays along.

Patience

2011-11-22T19:05:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to post these last three days but have not succeeded (obviously). We have signed up for a better/faster internet program with HughesNet but it is not working for me. Guest House seems to be doing all right so there's a problem with my connection. Sorry about this. Keep checking as the glitch may be fixed soon.

Marie Carmelle Gilet

2011-11-16T11:06:00.000-05:00

This is Marie Carmelle who suffers from sickle cell anemia to the extreme. She has been told that she needs her hip replaced and that can only be done in Port-au-Prince. Her family is dirt poor so she has turned to us for help. Our budget doesn't allow us to do this but maybe you or someone you know could help out Marie Carmelle. Maybe you belong to a group or club or school or church that would like to help?

Little Michelle

2011-11-16T10:45:00.000-05:00

This little girl accompanies her mother here every day. Her Mom sells hard candy, small packs of crackers and the like to anyone who passes by. If she's lucky she'll make enough money to buy some food for dinner for her small family. Michelle eats lunch with us whenever she's here.

Medical Mission

2011-11-16T10:21:00.000-05:00

We are blessed by the presence of a surgical team from Doctor Mike Blood's medical mission team from Indiana. The team is in town for the wedding of Merline and Vladimir, two Haitian doctors, who have been working with Dr. Blood for years now. The surgeon, Doctor Ike, and his assistants have been here working from dawn to dusk since Monday morning. The whole team is here today (about 40 people) so lots of folks will be seen. God bless these kind and dedicated people.

Close Out Evaluation

2011-11-16T10:08:00.000-05:00

The staff spent most of Monday and Tuesday participating in an evaluation of the AIDS Prevention Program that was sponsored by USAID and Cross International. Protocols and procedures were evaluated and lessons learned were underlined. This project is now over and we learned much in the process.

Building update

2011-11-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

The work on the kitchen-dining room roof is moving along as you can see from the above photos. We are really, really anxious to start using this building.

Storytelling

2011-11-15T20:36:00.001-05:00

Tim (drum) and Patty are from Wisconsin, are here for the week and were enacting an African folklore story with a group of our boys just outside our finance office this afternoon. Good to have you with us, Patty and Tim. See the fellow in back taking a photo? That's our old friend, Dokte Jerry, the pediatrician from Alaska who is with us for a month. He is such a gift to us.

Somersault

2011-11-06T15:49:00.000-04:00

What do you do when you have time on your hands and a huge pile of soft sawdust from the carpenter's shop just sitting there?

That's what I thought, too.

Reading time

2011-11-06T15:41:00.000-04:00

Our little Julio with his new friend, Anne

Our friends from Minnesota took time to sit with many of our children who showed them how well they read. This is great encouragement for the kids who will now work hard to show how much progress they can make.

Clinic well

2011-10-31T21:26:00.000-04:00

Here's the well digging team we hired for the clinic well. They use the old fashion method of doing it by hand, slowly turning the pipe that works its way down, inch by inch, to fresh water. Lucky for them and us that we have lots of clay and sand underground with very few rocks. Notice the young man helping his team by sitting on the pipe!

Matthew 25:36

2011-10-31T21:18:00.000-04:00

UN Representative Moussah (Burkino-Faso) and Nathalie checking out the food stuff for the special meal that the 500 detainees in our local prison enjoyed yesterday, the International Day of the Prisoner. Thanks to the support of Cross International and Catholic Relief Services, the prisoners were treated to rice, beans and chicken along with fresh juice.

The special day began with the liturgy which was followed by a music program. Photos are not allowed of the prisoners so that's all we've got to show you. I can tell you that the detainees were deeply appreciative.

Update- Jean Raymond

2011-10-28T13:55:00.000-04:00

This is the photo I posted a while back (in the spring) of Jean Raymond. So cruel were the other children in his area that Jean Raymond refused to go to school.

This photo was taken yesterday when Jean Raymond got back from school. He has new friends and is doing very well in school. He has no trouble pronouncing words anymore, can drink normally now and, most significantly, can smile.

Smile Train with Surgical Volunteers International are to be praised for their fantastic work.

Update- brothers

2011-10-27T11:57:00.001-04:00

Judeson

Getro

I've been asked a couple of times for an update on the three brothers who were in an accident back in early July. I am very happy to report that the three are doing amazingly well. The oldest, Jameson, had his mandible repaired and is fine now but with fewer teeth. He was absent when the photo was taken. Judeson (above) has pins in his leg but gets around pretty well. No soccer for the immediate future. Getro who suffered a fractured skull is on the mend and is attending school. Thanks to all who made donations to help them. The boys and their family are most grateful and ask God to bestow His blessings on you.

Update: kitchen and dining room

2011-10-26T21:05:00.000-04:00

Our crew had a steep learning curve on this part of the project. They are now in the groove and the roofing struts and panels are going up. The larger panels weigh in at 300 pounds so you know this is challenging. We are very relieved to see this progress.

Sisters

2011-10-26T20:57:00.000-04:00

Margaret and Christine

Christine was here this week not just to visit her sister, Margaret, but to work on our Master Plan. Christine visited us last summer and decided to make Pwoje Espwa her Master's Thesis subject. She has produced a masterful work that incorporates weather, climate, appropriate building technologies, children's social and psychological needs... What a terrific gift to the children of Espwa!

Rain.....Grrrrrr

2011-10-15T12:25:00.001-04:00

The rain started pouring down almost as soon as the crew gathered this morning to work on the roof. That's Ely sitting about twenty feet up trying to stay dry. Good thing he's thin.

Homecoming of sorts

2011-10-15T12:19:00.000-04:00

These young men are graduates of Espwa and now working for S2H. they've come back from projects in PaP to work on our kitchen/dining room roof. Good to see them and have them back.

Good news

2011-10-15T12:14:00.001-04:00

TiBoss (Jocelyn Nelson) and Stephen Runnels

Stephen Runnels of S2H is with us for the next two weeks to finally put a roof on the kitchen/dining room. We've been waiting for months but there was always a hindrance. We are very happy to have everyone and everything finally in place to get this done.

Still more rain

2011-10-12T15:14:00.000-04:00

From left: our Guest House, our small clinic and our storage containers

Entrance to the children's village

Rain still

2011-10-11T16:27:00.001-04:00

Field that we plowed under last week and were going to plant this week. Glad we didn't.

Incessant rain

2011-10-11T15:41:00.000-04:00

Not a clear shot but you get the idea of the situation in town this morning.

Downtown Les Cayes this morning

Flooding

2011-10-11T01:44:00.000-04:00

MaTante's house was an island today. Downtown Les Cayes was under water-- in some places three feet of it. Heard there was one death but that is not confirmed.

Rain

2011-10-10T03:14:00.000-04:00

On Friday Margaret asked about the rainy season here in Haiti. We told her it is usually at this time of year but so far we had been lucky. Well, Saturday and Sunday were the wettest days so far this season. It felt like hurricane weather yesterday with high winds and rain coming down in buckets.

That's a photo of the small dirt road in front of my dwelling-- under water-- making traveling a real challenge.

School's in session finally

2011-10-03T12:04:00.001-04:00

Primary school students gathered in the Quonset hut this morning for a prayer session to kick off the new school year.

A few of the girls dressed in old uniforms.

Mass exodus of secondary and primary students after the prayer.

Pre-school

2011-10-03T11:51:00.000-04:00

The kids are back from summer vacation and many are real happy about it.

A few were not and ended up in the crying room. About a dozen of them were here when I visited this morning. It'll take a few days before they get used to the idea but the patience of the teachers will win out in the end.

Rest in Peace

2011-10-02T20:03:00.000-04:00

Remember this post of TiJean a couple of months ago? Found out this week that TiJean died a couple of weeks ago. Seems he had a fever with a headache and lasted only about three hours after that. Bernatho's sister died the same way and we have heard of others, too. Autopsies are not done here so we will never know what transpired. When folks don't know what has happened they typically blame it on magical curses.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord. And may perpetual light shine on him forever.

Mathurin Oceant

2011-10-02T19:18:00.000-04:00

This is a photo of Mathurin's arm. He broke it in a motorcycle accident about two months ago. Mathurin went to the ER at the local hospital and the doctor there set his arm in plaster. As you can tell from the photo (I saw the new x-rays) the bone has set badly so he now has to have it broken and reset. Ouch! Mathurin is a graduate of ours who now works in our agriculture program. Can't wait for our clinic to be up and running!

Desperation

2011-10-02T18:46:00.000-04:00

The main road leading to our campus was blocked for three days this week. Trees were strategically placed to stop all traffic and young people were posted nearby to discourage anyone from trying to circumvent the obstacles. Several tires were offered up, like sacrifices, for the cause.

What was behind this? The young adults of Madame Combe, the nearest village to us, are frustrated and despondent because of high unemployment. They have been to school and done what they should have but they remain jobless. Imagine their frustration when they see dozens and dozens of Espwa employees pass their homes on their way to work every single day. This all came to a head this week and the young people decided to act and let their feelings be known.

Things have calmed down a bit but the fire is not out.

Your prayers are needed for all of us here to have wisdom, patience and understanding.

Welcome

2011-09-25T15:43:00.000-04:00

Join us in saying "hello and welcome" to Margaret, our new Guest House Manager, and three new boys. Will have more on them in the coming days. They were all greeted this morning after church service. Margaret comes to us from Detroit and has a background in hospitality. It is very good to have her here.

Trash to treasure

2011-09-24T13:52:00.000-04:00

Who needs ToysrUs? We have lots of scrap wood, metal and bottle caps. Combine those with a little ingenuity and you've got yourself a toy truck.

Frantzi Jean

2011-09-24T13:33:00.000-04:00

Frantzi Jean, brother of Joel Jean who works in our finance office, is a second year seminary student in Port-au-Prince. He has been doing training with our older boys. Some of the topics he has covered with them are: World religions and their characteristics, the Origin of the church in the Bible, the birth of Protestantism, the Reformation, the liturgy and it's origins in the Bible, the structure of the Mass.

Frantzi is heading back to the seminary this week but needs financial support. School tuition and books will cost 22,500 Gourdes ($563.00 US) for the year and living expenses will cost 38,500 Gourdes per semester (almost $1,000 US) and there are three semesters per year. Know anyone or a church community that would like to sponsor a seminarian?

Break

2011-09-24T13:06:00.000-04:00

A photo of the construction crew taking a break late this morning and a close-up of Kalou, the team mascot. Kalou is the son of one of our masons. His mother makes sure the team stays hydrated, runs errands and sometimes cooks.

Clinic

2011-09-24T12:52:00.000-04:00

Photo taken from the west. You're looking at the future infirmary section of the clinic.

Remember I told you that a previous photo of the consultation room tile did not do the tile work justice? Well, this makes up for it.

TiRok

2011-09-22T18:32:00.000-04:00

TiRok asks me everyday when Peter is coming back. I tell him that he'll be back a week after school starts. He'll ask me again tomorrow, I'm sure. If there's one thing TiRok is, it's persistent.

Aspirant

2011-09-22T18:24:00.000-04:00

This boy just turned thirteen. He's from Camp-Perrin and is one of eight children. His father was hurt in a work accident and can no longer provide for the family. I forget the boy's name but he came to us yesterday and begged us for a chance to live here, eat daily and attend school. The problem is he is one of fifty children who want to become part of the Espwa family. Wish we could help them all but our budget does not allow it. Keep him and his family in your prayers.

Precious

2011-09-22T18:11:00.001-04:00

The daughter of one of our cooks, Magdala, came by to visit this afternoon. Ain't she a cutie?

Clinic

2011-09-22T18:06:00.000-04:00

Southern exterior

Electrical conduit for the consultation rooms. A cement floor will be poured over this.

Healthy=Happy

2011-09-18T15:01:00.000-04:00

Eating healthy equals happy children.

Thanks to Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) for their donation of pre-packaged, fortified rice blend which allows the kids to have a hearty and healthy breakfast.

Prayers before breakfast

2011-09-18T14:39:00.000-04:00

A word of thanksgiving before we eat.

Breakfast

2011-09-18T14:33:00.000-04:00

It takes fourteen of these pots to make breakfast.

Leftovers

2011-09-17T14:08:00.001-04:00

These women and children come every day and wait to see if there's any food leftover for them. We always have extra but it's never enough. Thirty to fifty people come for every meal which means our children never get seconds.

Here are more photos of the neighbors who come in hopes of finding food:

Your generosity allows us to provide for these people. Thank you very much.

Shelo and Jimmy

2011-09-17T13:51:00.001-04:00

This is Chelo or Shelo or Shello (I've seen it spelled all three ways). He's always ready to lend a hand and is terrific with the younger children.

Jimmy is another outstanding young man. Still can't get over the change in him since his teeth were fixed. Now he smiles all the time.

Clinic

2011-09-17T13:35:00.000-04:00

Electrical work is being done these days on phase one. Stucco is being applied to the infirmary section (phase two) and I'm really liking the colors. Amazing how paint transforms a building. The above is the waiting area where there will be cement benches but no tattered, old magazines.

Yves

2011-09-17T13:26:00.001-04:00

Yves sends his regards to everyone. I've never met anyone who smiles as much as he does.

Espwa's second string

2011-09-17T13:11:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, one of our soccer teams played a team from town. Score was tied at 2 to 2.

Soccer balls

2011-09-11T18:57:00.000-04:00

Soccer balls have a short life here at Espwa so the boys have become adept at rebuilding them. String, tape, shredded medical gloves... are all used in this process.

Soccer match, what else?

2011-09-11T18:44:00.000-04:00

If the guys aren't playing soccer they're talking about it or watching it on television. Here's a group watching two European teams playing it out. The last thing on their minds was haircuts! See below.

Hair time

2011-09-11T18:38:00.000-04:00

Rosena and Sophia

Rebecca and Elizabeth

Michelange getting her hair done by Boniface

Sunday afternoon is a great time to try out new hairstyles or so say our girls.

Laundry

2011-09-11T18:19:00.000-04:00

Ernice

Daniel

Our little boys and girls have their laundry done by adults who are hired for that reason but the older ones have to do it themselves. Takes about three hours and then it's time to dry. Ironing comes next but one needs an iron for this-- not always possible.

Clinic tile

2011-09-09T19:49:00.000-04:00

This is the gentleman in charge of tiling the clinic. The photo does not do the job justice as the floors look fantastic.

A couple of his helpers working another consultation room.

Paint

2011-09-09T19:11:00.001-04:00

Martin has been with us for four years as an employee. He was a resident before that and is both a mason and a painter.

Michelet is a former restavek who has been with us a total of eleven years-- five as a resident and six as a mason/painter.

Frantz is our best painter and multi-tasker. He can lay blocks, mix cement, apply finishing mortar... The best thing about Frantz is his attitude. Wish we could clone him!

Clinic

2011-09-09T18:38:00.000-04:00

Inside the clinic courtyard

The door in the above photo is off its hinges because the floors are being tiled. Tiling of the first phase is now done. What do you think of the paint job? All medical facilities in Haiti are painted white with green trim. The trick is to keep the green at a minimum.

Vocational School Graduation

2011-09-04T21:49:00.000-04:00

The graduating class of our vocational school decided to honor Father Charlie who is no longer with us due to ill health.

A graduate, Miss Rose Marthe, Michelle, Mario (our Voc. School Director) and our Education Director Etienne Frantz.

Ronick, the top grad

A group shot of our graduates at church service this morning.

Dental Labor Weekend

2011-09-04T21:32:00.001-04:00

Doctor Chuck Tozzer, our dentist friend from California, is seen on the left in the top photo. He organized a dental mission this weekend and brought along seven other dentists and 15 folk to assist so that they could see and treat 275 people. Amazing!

Linda Faford is seen in a less than flattering photo on the bottom. Linda was instrumental is helping to make this mission trip a huge success. This was an astronomical logistical challenge but she proved that she was up to the task. Muchas gracias to Doctor Tozzer, to his team and to Linda for all their hard work.

The children's smiles are much brighter now after this weekend.

Ouch!

2011-09-04T21:18:00.000-04:00

One of the young dentists working on Jean Denis. The word "Ouch" comes to mind.

Miracle workers

2011-09-04T21:11:00.000-04:00

It doesn't show up very well but the top photo shows Pierre with some pretty bad front teeth. the bottom photo shows Pierre with Doctor Abbott and his assistant and the wonderful work they did to transform Pierre's smile.

Vendors

2011-08-22T21:01:00.000-04:00

This lady vendor heads home after spending the day hawking her wares. These vendors sell fresh fruit and vegetables, personal hygiene stuff, clothing or shoes. They spend the day walking all over and consider themselves lucky to make enough money to buy food for their families' evening meal. It's a tough life. One question: who is taking care of her children while she's out and about?

Titid

2011-08-22T20:49:00.000-04:00

This is Titid. He was extremely malnourished when he first came to us but is doing really well these days. Wish I could say the same for his older brother but, sadly, he has not bounced back from the protein deprivation.

Teens

2011-08-22T20:37:00.000-04:00

Charolin

Pierre-Michel

Fery (aka Trey)

Small projects

2011-08-22T20:22:00.000-04:00

Above is a human and vegetable waste composting system that has four submerged septic/holding tanks. This composting project is spearheaded by Terre des Hommes, a Swiss non-profit. Keep your fingers crossed that this works out as it will produce fantastic fertilizer. Terre des Hommes needed a place to try out their system and we had land so...

It was painted chocolate brown. How appropriate!

Here's a photo of the guard station placed right next to the children's village. We're waiting on the grilled metal doors and then it will just need paint.

TiJean

2011-08-22T19:59:00.000-04:00

TiJean is a neighborhood boy who usually eats with us every day but today he borrowed his uncle's horse and took his bounty home with him.

TS Irene

2011-08-22T14:23:00.000-04:00

They've just announced a tropical storm watch for Haiti. Tropical storm Irene is heading our way and promises much rain and wind, not good for this deforested country. Say a prayer that Haiti be spared more tragedy.

Primer for the pharmacy

2011-08-18T17:03:00.000-04:00

Mary painting the future pharmacy.

Brook, Jesmari, Bailey and Jaime

Clinic Update

2011-08-18T16:54:00.000-04:00

Primer coat of white, water-based paint plus doors (made by our boys) and windows installed on the first phase of our clinic. Looking good, non?

Food arrives

2011-08-18T16:42:00.000-04:00

A container of LifeLine food arrived in Cayes yesterday. Berthony, Renold, myself, a few security personnel and a bunch of older boys went there to meet the truck and to transfer the food into our old Mack truck. Once home we unloaded the contents into our warehouse.

A few, curious younger boys watched the unloading and were glad to hear that it was their favorite food.

Espwa staff team

2011-08-16T10:33:00.000-04:00

Apart from the children's sport's program, our staff plays other organizations. We played the Department of Human Services yesterday and won with a score of 3 to 0. Number 17 in the center is Berthony, our director, surrounded by electricians, agronomists, security personnel, mechanic, masons and one of our older boys, Jean-Robert who was the goalie for half the game.

Visitors from CA

2011-08-15T20:47:00.001-04:00

This is a photo of the current group of visitors. One of them asked me to make sure I posted that the group had safely arrived so that her family would not worry. Mission accomplished. Above are: Mary, Brooke and Bailey Brannon, Jaime Cueto, Jesmari Julian, Sean Goodman, Patricia Butler and Josh Butler-Peck, Teirney Lynch, Clara Kearney and Erika Hoopes. They were escorted down here by Dee Orlowski who is not in the photo. That's Mimi, the Guest House cat, on the bottom right.

Biondy

2011-08-12T12:59:00.000-04:00

I asked Biondy to take a few photos of some children in our care yesterday afternoon. His photos follow.

Free time

2011-08-12T12:55:00.000-04:00

Michael had surgery two weeks ago and is taking things slowly. Prognosis: excellent.

Wilfrid Cadet is an aspiring artist. Here he's putting the finishing touches on a painting of Pwoje Espwa. Nice work, Wilfrid.

Luinord is entertaining himself with a mini slingshot. Real slingshots are confiscated as they are way too dangerous.

Free time

2011-08-12T11:43:00.000-04:00

Blondy Jean-Claude, a future engineer or architect, caught putting up a small structure in front of his home in the children's village.

Weckson Constant is one of our artists. Here he is working on a new painting.

Susan and David

2011-08-10T18:46:00.000-04:00

Lemsa pampering Susan in the children's village

Casimir (left) with his new best friend

David and Susan Ely will be leaving us tomorrow after spending a week giving us a hand and looking at the possibility of moving down here and working full time with us. Susan is an administrator and David is a medic in the Army, an EMT in civilian life and a third year student for his BA in Nursing. His talent was put to the test last evening when Casimir was brought to the Quad with a soccer injury. David prepped him and saw him off to town for x-rays and a cast. Thanks very much, David.

Hope to see more of you!

Cebencio

2011-08-10T14:32:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who responded with info and suggestions. We'll get x-rays and more details about Cebencio's ability to manipulate his digits and go from there.

Cebencio Congo

2011-08-09T14:41:00.000-04:00

This is five year old Cebencio. His mother brought him here this morning to see what we could do for him. Look closely at the photos. Cebencio has two fused fingers on his right hand and three fused fingers on his left. His father is deceased and his mother does odd jobs for food. Cebencio has four brothers and sisters. I have no idea what all is involved to separate the fingers and our Haitian doctor was unable to shed any light on the subject. Your help is appreciated in finding out more about this condition, the operation and ways to get this done. Thanks very much.

Clinic Update

2011-08-06T12:31:00.000-04:00

southern side (showing gallery)

Entrance

Work is continuing on the clinic complex. Some windows and doors are already installed and it is looking very nice. Our doc and the nurses are really anxious to move in.

Metal Workshop

2011-08-06T12:23:00.001-04:00

The metal workshop for the professional school is complete. It's the building on the right and will be painted this coming week. The electricity will be turned on so our welders can start working there. Thanks to friends of the Oblates in western Canada for this terrific addition to our vocational school program.

Guard Station

2011-08-06T12:17:00.000-04:00

Here's the new guard station for the children's village. The large gate will be closed most of the time except for vehicle traffic and everyone will be going through the guard station. This will allow for better control of who comes in and goes out.

Home at last

2011-08-04T20:30:00.000-04:00

Arrived in PaP just four hours late and was met by Berthony, Jhony and Emmanuel. Headed straight for Les Cayes, slowed down by some occasional torrential rains and flooding, and made it here in just five hours. A large group of kids met me under the thatched gazebo and welcomed me back with a song and a skit. What a bunch!
It is GOOD to be home again.