HFHF News

Breaking the "cycle" of poverty - one mile at a time.

2012-02-27T20:10:00.013-08:00

In just a week and a half, Craig Blasingame and Sue Steven will go for a little spin – literally. On March 9, the pair will embark on the adventure of a lifetime, cycling across America – from coast to coast – all to support Haiti. Not only is their tour de 'Merica an incredible way to see the country, but they're using the ride as a platform to raise funds for Hope for Haiti Foundation. We caught up with them before they channel their inner Lance to learn more about their trip, their connection with HFHF and how they hope to use the bike ride to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of Haitians.

How did you find out about Hope for Haiti Foundation and what has your involvement been with the organization?

Sue worked at the same company as Jean Elade Eloi (HFHF founder), and they became friends. Jean invited Sue to join him on a medical mission, and Sue’s husband Craig didn’t want to miss the opportunity, so he joined as well. We went on the trip in January 2007, and Craig made the first GPS survey of water sources near Zorange. After spending time in Haiti and seeing how little people had to eat, upon our return we were inspired to join Weight Watchers and be less gluttonous ourselves. We each lost 40 pounds and have kept it off.

So you decided you wanted to get more involved with HFHF. What gave you the idea to bike across America as a way to give back?

The goal to ride across America on our bikes was Sue’s dream. She had bicycled to work for 30 years and always wanted to do a longer trip. Our friends asked us if we were riding for a charity, and the idea to use it as a way to raise funds for Hope for Haiti Foundation came out of that. We selected HFHF because it is a charity whose mission is aligned with our own values: Christian-based, education-centered, self-supporting infrastructure and most importantly, efficient use of donated resources.

Tell us a little bit about your trip. What route are you going to take and how many days do you plan to be riding? What kind of support system do you have?

Our trip is approximately 3100 miles long from San Diego, California to San Augustine Florida. It will take 9 weeks, 44 days of riding, averaging 63 miles a day. We are in a group of 27 riders and 12 support staff. The staff set up our tents each night and cook for us, so we only have to concentrate on the ride. Given that the average age of the rider is 62 years old, that is enough!

What kind of preparation and training goes into a trip like this?

The main preparation for our trip is training to ride about six to eight hours a day. For us, we ride at least one hour a day on our bicycles to make it routine, take spin classes three days a week for our aerobic and muscle strengthening, and then take at least one or two long rides a week for developing stamina. We have been testing new equipment, gear, and clothing for a variety of weather too.

What are you most nervous about and what are you most excited about?

We are excited about being close to nature and seeing the sights of the southern U.S. along the way. We are most nervous about any injuries that might interfere with our ability to finish the mileage each day… and also lightning in the middle of Texas!

How much do you hope to raise for HFHF?

We have not set specific goals since we don’t want to limit our thinking. However we are excited about getting the message out to our own network and the people we meet along the way. Wouldn’t it be nice if people would give at least a penny a mile?

How can people support your trip and HFHF?

They can support the trip by following us on our website adventure and post encouraging comments. Our website already has some of our training rides and photos posted and will be updated weekly once the trip starts on March 9^th.

What would you say to someone who wants to help HFHF (or any other cause for that matter) but isn't sure what to do?

Don’t let your worries of not achieving your goal (like finishing the ride!) stand in the way of helping others. The need in Haiti is so great that whatever way you can help will be needed and appreciated.

3100 miles? Ain't no thing! Be sure to keep up with Craig and Sue's ride by checking in on their website here: http://www.spotadventures.com/trip/view/?trip_id=291320! You can also support their ride and HFHF by donating online and mentioning the C2C bike trip in the comment section, or if you get inspired, plan an adventure of your own! Our biggest thanks to Craig and Sue for partnering with HFHF and we wish them the best.

Last Day - January Medical Trip

2012-02-06T06:54:00.000-08:00

Today was our last day of clinic. We have seen many people we can help and a few that we cannot. We all find that incredible difficult to deal with, and we have to remember where we are and what can and cannot be done. Elade always says that "healthcare" and "Haiti" don't belong in the same sentence. The limited options available cannot be called healthcare. Yesterday, it was a young man that was incredibly ill and we were not sure what was wrong or which course to take. Today, it was an elderly gentleman who had a stroke and had been carried 2 1/2 hours by his family to the clinic. That is Haiti.

Nights have been interesting as we have been serenaded by a choir of barking dogs, braying donkeys and crowing roosters. As a result, I learned to say "shut up" in creole, but I forgot how by the time the choir started again. The snoring could not hold a candle to it.

Tomorrow we leave here to travel the bumpy ride to Gandou. Somehow I think bumpy is an understatement. We will see the beginnings of the new clinic there before traveling on to Bainet where we will spend the night. Saturday will be an incredibly long day as we travel from Bainet to Port au Prince before boarding the flights home.

We all look forward to seeing our families again and bid a fond farewell to Haiti.

- Susan

Zorange's First Endoscopy

2012-02-02T10:06:00.000-08:00

Hi all HFHF friends,

Today started much the same, though we were all noticing it was already Wednesday. Time does fly by when you are involved and enjoying working with these wonderful people.

Duane's first patient of the day was a perfect endoscopy candidate, having difficulty swallowing with food sticking on the way down as well as upper abdominal pain. The patient agreed without any hesitation. His daughter was brought in and she also agreed. She looked about 8 months pregnant but very healthy and beautiful. Our patient had not eaten or drank before coming to the clinic this morning, so we immediately started getting ready. Karina and Shirley were called in to start getting the patient prepped. Karina started the IV and got the patient positioned on the table with Nasson explaining everything to him in a calm and professional manner. I got the equipment and scope ready and working. Gerry and John were excited for us as they had been asking all their patients "the questions" for GI symptoms, in fact they have one for us tomorrow. Duane and I were ready to go so Shirley started the propofol and down went the scope. The patient had an ulcer and a stricture which was balloon dilated.

Yea! Zoranges first endoscopy procedure performed successfully and safely by Duane with Shirley doing a great job of sedation with Karina's assist and with me assisting Duane. It was great team work! We hope to do many more. Starting a little primitive but will improve as time goes by.

Rita and young Sherly are assisting Deborah nonstop with ultrasounds on every pregnant mom, and Susan checks out every child that comes through.

Elade is everywhere and is always encouraging and positive. He translates, confirms, plays soccer, smiles, cares, and tells us to EAT!

After clinic young Sherly and Deborah did some more teaching, then 5 of the team headed for the river. They had a little excitement when they had some company, one who carried a rather large machete. But all was well and no harm done.

With only one more day of clinic we are all feeling our time here growing short. We are growing together in camaraderie and friendship.

Tonight watching the stars and moon in the beautiful sky thinking of family left at home but so grateful to be part of something that is changing such a tiny part of the world in such a momentous way. I'm thankful that we can pool our resources and talents, no matter how small we think they are, and pass on our blessings to the people of Haiti.

- Suzy

Reflections from Day 3 - Jan. Medical Trip

2012-02-01T06:14:00.000-08:00

We are on day three of our trip.

It has been a time to make new friends and to reacquaint with old ones. It has been wonderful to renew my relationship with Myrlande and Lusca, two of the Haitian nurses. I am always humbled by their competence and dedication in their care for patients here. It is truly my honor to be able to help them in their mission to improve the health of their community.

Lusca, Magaly, and Pierrelyse - part of our Haitian medical team

We have seen so many pregnant women these past two days as word has spread that we have an ultrasound machine.....that works. Everyone has been so happy to see their baby swimming around, sometimes giving a little wave on the screen. Of course they all want to know the sex of the baby too, so we try for that as well. It has been a relief that only 2 of the pregnant women we have seen were unwell, yet discouraging in our limited ability to help them. It is, in a sense, the microcosm of what has been accomplished here and what still needs to be done.

Each afternoon we have had the opportunity to do some teaching with the Haitian nurses once the clinic work is done. Thus far, Duane, Suzy, and Karina spoke about GI issues, I spoke about abnormal cycling in women, and Susan spoke about breast feeding and childhood malnutrition. The conversation is always lively and the interchange is educational for all of us.

Most of us have finished every day with a walk down to the river for a bath. We are always accompanied by children who join the procession along the way. By the time we get to our bathing spot we have quite an audience for the spectacle of the "Blancs" soaping up. On our way up we all get tapped to carry the children's water canisters up the hill and spend a lovely walk laughing and joking with them along the way.

Z'orange is, as ever, a place of contemplation and reflection. My time here always helps me to regain perspective on my crazy life in New York. I always feel a renewed sense of purpose as I help, in my own small way, to make the lives of women here just a little bit better; I look forward to continuing in my participation in this wonderful project in the years to come.

All the best from Haiti.

-Deborah

Medical Trip - Day 2 "What Am I Doing Here?"

2012-01-31T12:49:00.000-08:00

Hi from Zorange! I'm embarrassed to follow Karina. She is a great writer! Today is the second day of my second trip to Haiti. Things have changed from a year ago. Somewhere in Haiti is a mountain of water bottles that used to fill the ditches of Port-au-Prince (PAP). The streets in PAP are much cleaner than before. The trip to Zorange was just as challenging as a year ago. At least this time the flat tire was on the truck (carrying the luggage) and not the Land Cruiser (carrying the people). We arrived "home" bruised, tired and dirty.

Sunday was restful. A time to unpack, settle in and plan the week. We attended a church service at the school. It was lovely and our Dr. G is now an official Godfather to a precious baby named Jenny.

Today was our first clinic day. Once again, it started with that feeling of "what am I doing here? How can I really help?" As we start seeing patients, I start to relax and realize once again God placed us all here for a reason. We all have different strengths and talents and a responsibility to share them with our neighbors. It is a privilege to be part of this team. Three patients traveled from PAP to see our cardiologist Dr. G. He was able to see diagnose a postpartum cardiomyopathy with the help of John a great sonographer. He was able to start her on medication. Amazing!! Dr. Webb and Suzy treated GI patients. Dr. Deborah was able to see many women in the women's clinic with the help of Rita and Sherly. Susan was our resident pediatrician. Karina and I put our two brains together and worked as internists. Hard to believe a CRNA and RN could diagnose a case of typhoid with the help of the lab. So glad I had the typhoid vaccine. Of course we can't forget our cheerleader Elade translating everything. This afternoon was spent in a training session for our great Haitian clinicians. Thanks to Dr. Webb, Suzy, Karina and Dr. Deborah for doing such a great job training on GI and women's health.

It is really hard to describe the feeling I have sitting on the porch of the dormitory in the cool breeze having little Nancy braid my hair. I love Zorange and God willing I will be back again wondering once again "what do I have to offer?"

Nancy & Chanika playing with the team on the dorm porch.

- Shirley

Back in Zorange - January Medical Team

2012-01-30T06:20:00.000-08:00

I've come with a team of all veterans but one. Can we even call the newbie a rookie? She was born in Haiti. Still, she utters something about questioning the sanity of the return visitors as Elade traverses the bumpy, bumpy mountains. The trip that challenges our backs, our eyes, our constitutions, our hearts, and yes, even our sanity.

At long last, Elade says "we're home". And we are. And we exhale. The new dorm is huge...a palace with two toilets! The history of Haiti toileting has been abysmal. Until you've tried to go with cockroaches and tarantulas, you really can't understand or appreciate the magnitude of a toilet. The dorm also has plenty of room for all of us, and a dry place to sleep. We arrive happily exhausted, and I proceed to sleep twelve hours.

Our team, like all teams, come from different walks of life. I feel like everyone on my team was placed at this place and time by God, and I can't wait to find out why. All of us have college degrees any American would be proud of, but the only thing we all seem to boast about is the number of times we've all made the trip. We have three doctors, a CRNA, a mental health worker, a sonographer, and four nurses. Ten people with big dreams. To put it mildly, we're awesome.

My first trek to Haiti was in 2007. I came from a place of nurturing. Haiti, I decided, was my baby. I wanted to cradle each Haitian in my arms, shush her and tell her everything was going to be ok and that I'll love her forever. It's 2012. By my perspective from when I found her, Haiti has reached its toddler years. She is walking, forward even. She is struggling to find a new identity not as victim, but survivor. She is growing every day, but still needs guidance. Most changes can be measured in drops, not waterfalls. But enough drops will change the flow of a river. This is proven in Zorange. And alas, Haiti is not a baby or a toddler. It is a country of individual humans. A husband sneaking a kiss from his bride. A baby sister pulling her older sister's hair and waiting excitedly for a reaction. It is sweat wiped off a brow after a hard day's work. A baby fighting to fall asleep in her mother's arms.

I am so very proud to be a part of watching these brothers and sisters and mothers receive a higher quality of life through medicine, education, and finding a walk with God. If my team and I can help one person in one way this week, the psychotic trek here will be all worth it, and we know we will have put in ten more drops.

-Karina

Six Teachers Heading to Zorange for the First Time

2011-12-22T08:59:00.000-08:00

Six teachers heading to Zorange for the first time. For three of them, this would be their first trip ever to Haiti. Although there was a good plan in place, I had a major concern: I was not going to be there with them at the airport. This team of teachers would arrive in Haiti four hours before I do. It would be unfair to have them wait. They would have to be picked up by Wilner and Aurele. The good news came on Saturday morning around noon when I received a text from my brother saying that the “pick-up” was done smoothly. This meant that the two groups of people (who had never met before) correctly identified each other at the chaotic Toussaint Louverture airport in Port au Prince. We overcame the first major hurdle.

I arrived on Saturday evening. Sunday morning, we loaded up, prayed and headed for the mountains. There was a very calm and peaceful spirit along the way.THE TEAM

Rae Greer
Married, 3^rd year Teacher, Social Studies- Cedar Hill Collegiate High School.
Primary assignment: Explore for future involvement.
Secondary assignment/presentations: Bloom’s Taxonomy, Collaborative Learning through Literacy groups.
Lauren Hurd
First year Teacher, Biology, Desoto Independent School District
Primary assignment: Explore for future involvement
Secondary assignment/presentation: Chunk and Chew / Productive/Effective homework
Merilee
Married, 10+ years, 3^rd grade Teacher. Duncanville Indepedendent School District.
Primary assignment: Explore for future involvement
Secondary assignment/presentation: 5E lesson plans
Mike Taylor
Married, Counselor, Teacher- Waxahachie Independent School District
Primary assignment: Explore for future involvement.
Secondary assignment/ presentation: Making Science Projects Simple
Coach Joe
Married, Math Teacher- Desoto Independent School District
Primary assignment: Explore for future involvement
Secondary assignments: set up intercom system, coordinator, floater, group leader

As soon as we left the good paved road of the Jacmel mountains to the dirt road leading to Trouin, the ladies asked for a pit stop. I pulled over. Fifteen minutes later, as the three of us men stared at the majestic mountains, the ladies returned giggling like school girls. “Ladies, I love you all more now than I did an hour ago,” I said to them. I knew then that was a special bunch. But there was one oddity: Lauren is wearing boots, cowboys boots to Zorange. It was fitting, daring, and comical. Cowboys boots and nature, perfect match; “wear something comfortable”, did she not get the memo?

Several meetings prior to the trip, I believe, really prepared them for what was coming and they were full of excitement. Along the way, the laughter and fellowship never stopped. At times, I felt sorry for hitting some bumps but it’s not like they were not warned. The mountains, their excitement, and the love in their hearts were just the right cushion for the bumpy road. So we continued. Bumps, rocks, bumps, rocks, rivers. So they hang for dear life and laughed all the way to Zorange. I did wonder if their energy would last but they were still smiling when they entered Zorange. From Bainet to Zorange, I am thinking, “If anything, these guys would agree that we are genuine in our effort,”. All the way to Zorange, I was able to show them where I picked Elenie; where she met her friend; where she crossed the river; where they put on their shoes and went up the mountains… just like they saw on the documentary.

We arrived in Zorange at our expected time. After settling down, I took the team to the school and the preparation began. The team took 12 suitcases of school supplies to Zorange. One particular box was of interest to me. Lauren is still in boots. A few loose ends were tied up; teacher bags made, final plans discussed and aligned. Still no signs of retreat from this group. Everybody had their game-face on. I can’t quite feel Rae. I think she’s concerned about presenting tomorrow. It may be a combination of excitement and an unknown audience. Rae makes me feel at ease although I fell short on some of my assignments (copies, translating etc…). She reassured me that we could pull it off. Mike finds a new home. Being raised in the country, he appreciates space, country manners. Zorange is his kind of Haiti. During this preparation period, Mike makes a suggestion that will change the way we do things in Zorange for a long time. Merilee is also full of excitement. I think she’s anxious to see the children. Still in her boots, Lauren is enjoying the moment. She has always wanted to visit Haiti. But she looks tired. Coach Joe suggests we take a break for diner. Coach Joe does not have a presentation. He is the overall leader. He would moderate the workshop, designate the breaks, fill-in, keep us on schedule, keep us charged up etc… I’d simply make sure he has as much info as possible.

Sunday night: The preparations continued until the sky was filled with plenty of bright stars. Lauren was selected to accompany me to the radio station. She and I greeted the listening audience and launched a final invitation to all principals in the region.

The sleeping arrangements were not the Hilton but this team was prepared. I promised them good, clean water and flushable toilets. Nasson and Wilner had taken care of both of these things for me.

We were ready. In the morning, Mike and Lauren were to stay at our school for classroom observation as the rest of the team visits the neighboring schools. I would accompany the second team.

Monday morning, we started with our farthest school (College Etzer Villaire de Tony). The team enjoyed visiting Etzer Villaire school. Each classroom they visit received a bag of supply from them. At the end of each visits the team layed hands and prayed with the Principal.

Monday morning (around 11:30), ‘more people are calling, wanting to attend the workshop, what do we do?” These were the questions I was having to answer. On one hand, I wanted to stick to the protocol, but on the other hand, we were there for them. “let them come, I’ll just have to take my spanking from Vierge later because we prepared food for the 90 who signed up.” I answered.

Monday afternoon, about 115 teachers and 14 principals were seated in our small cafeteria. Rae was at bat and she delivered on Bloom’s taxonomy. We didn’t have enough supplies for the craft section but it worked out okay. Teachers were engaged and excited. The presenters interjected at will, supporting, backing up the concepts being shared.

Lunch. Vierge is right on time. Having the food ready on time was a high priority task and she delivered. Normally everybody would get a plate of food, find a comfortable spot and eat. Not today. Mike had asked if it was okay to serve the teachers. “I’ll make it happen for you, Mike.” I answered. So the room was quickly turned into a cafeteria. Everyone seated while the visiting team served the local teachers. What a sight! What an idea! This is how we will serve food during these workshops from now on.

It was professional, smooth, right, enjoyable, rewarding, unfathomable from the local teachers view.

After lunch, Merilee presented on 5E lesson plans. Like Rae, she also hit it out of the park. Throughout the workshop, we maintained their interests with our consistent raffle drawings, giving them chances to win items. The team made two special bags for two principals who need some immediate help (Seth Etienne, Gusto Brugnol). They were pleased to receive them. We finished the afternoon exhausted but on a high note.

After day one, we critiqued the work and made some changes for tomorrow. There were several reasons why Day 2 would be special. First, it will highlight / acknowledge / validate the hard work of one our local teachers. Our long term goal has always been to produce solid leaders from the region. Language Arts teacher, Ferne Pierre would be is our first step. Secondly, basic, hands-on science concepts will be presented to our teachers.

Unlike day 1, day 2 would a full day. It would begin at 8 am. But it will not be sufficient unless we modify our approach. “There’s wisdom in the counsel of many” (somewhere in proverbs). So the idea came that we should spilt the group. We would have simultaneous workshops running. Teachers would be divided into 3 small groups. What another great idea! Let it be so. Literacy groups in room 2, science projects in cafeteria, Language arts strategies in computer lab.

Tuesday morning, Coach Joe and Merilee handled the logistics and the day began. “Wow, this is actually working great,’ I thought to myself. The small groups made possible that one-on-one approach. We made sure everyone’s suggestions or input was acknowledged. We modified the pace as needed. From here forward, courses will be offered in a menu style approach. Participants will choose which classes they want to take. This will be the new way of doing workshops in Zorange.

Once we got over the initial hurdles in the morning, things moved very smoothly and Coach Joe and Merilee kept us on track and moving.

Lunch was ready promptly at noon. Once again, the team went to work. The teachers sat and the team humbly served them.

Day 2 ended with a Q&A session and the passing out of certificates. The comments from the participants came like a flood, expressing their gratitude toward the effort. They could not understand why we showed so much care and love for them. Our own principal, Tony Semerzier, reached in his social studies repertoire and pulled out examples of the vast separations between blacks and whites. He could not understand why he was being served. Another stood up and stated that it is like we were paying them to teach them. Hearing these comments, I began thinking about what someone once shared with me. I do not recall if it is was my brother or a young Baptist missionary from North Carolina named Scott Bass in 2004. It is a quote from St Francis of Azizi that reads : “Love them until they ask why”.

So ends the workshop. How much of the info did the teachers really retain? How much will this workshop impact their teaching? Was it really worth it? Only time will tell. Alfred Noncent, a school principal from Doko who attended the workshop, decided to have a 3^rd day of workshop on his campus where they sat and considered how they would incorporate the knowledge they gained from the workshop. This is all that we could ever ask for.

As predicted, this was one of the best workshop ever held in Zorange.

FYI- our school now has an intercom system that reduces loss of instruction time in the morning. Students now enter class immediately in the morning and announcements are to be made using the intercom which has a speaker in each classroom Everything is set, we’re waiting on a component. Please help me express my gratitude to Coach Joe, Lauren Hurd, Kenny Lowman and Midlothian First Baptist Church family.

What’s next? I will send a plan by Christmas detailing the plan for Spring Break and Summer. Meanwhile, please share your thoughts and comments to this wonderful group of people from Texas.

P.S. to my defense of any incoherent thought or typos, I am still under a lot of medications.

By the way, Lauren left Zorange with her boots on. And a new nickname. She’s baptized ‘Toujou Grangou” meaning ‘always hungry’.

- Louis

Another Julie, Ashley, and Marjorie Update

2011-12-16T06:53:00.000-08:00

We are all glad to report that we have observed, and hopefully retained, a cooking lesson from Vierge. We now know how to season and deep fry fish, how to make sos pwa, and deliciously sticky and buttery rice. We have yet to see how our individual attempts will turn out.

We spent Sunday in Bainet, visiting the site of the future teaching hospital. The land looks great and there is a beautiful view of the ocean! We also visited the hospital in Bainet which will be renovated and run by a collaboration of organizations. We tried to visit the makeshift cholera hospital, but the staff had run out to pick up a patient. The good news is, they have no other patients, so there is definite progress! Before dinner we took a stroll out to visit Tata, who took us on a nice walk around the town. Little did we know we'd end up in jail! Don't worry, we were there only as visitors; we ran into a nice policeman who offered to take us on a tour of the police station.

Early Monday morning we packed up and headed back to Zorange to finish up our surveys. We had a decent turnout at Bel Hotesse, but the road getting there was very tedious and it took us an HOUR and a half. Today, we finished completely! The turnout at Daniel was wonderful, we even had to turn people away because we ran out of survey forms. Now that we're done collecting surveys, we'll continue to go over the data so far and start getting a picture of the health situation in the area. Otherwise, Ashley and I are hoping to get ourselves some sweet braided hairstyles. Marjorie is of course, as always, already looking good.

We'll try and write before we leave for the States, but if not, we'll post pictures of our adventures when we get home!

Bonne nuit,

Julie, Ashley, and Marjorie

End Of The Week Update

2011-12-10T10:58:00.000-08:00

Sak passe?!

Well, we've made it to the end of our first week. Looking back, it has gone by faster than anticipated. But, time flies when you're having fun :)
In addition to the surveys we completed at the beginning of the week we were able to have an informational session with the nurses, a Q&A type of session. Julie does research on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's so those were two of the topics covered. We reviewed the surveys yesterday and have about 200 surveys completed. By next week I am sure we will make our goal of 400. I am excited to get back to the states and continue to work with Marjorie and Julie to assess our information in greater depth.

Although we've been working, we've definitely found time to spend some time to soak up the full experience of Haiti. Yesterday, we took our clothes to the river and washed them...I'm not that great at it but it made for a good laugh :) We also took a trip to the market where Julie and I bought some awesome hats. They're like your own personal umbrella, which is nice for this beautiful, sunny, HOT, weather. This weekend Vierge is teaching us how to cook...that will make for a blog in itself! We'll let you know how that goes...

-Ashley

Some down time...

2011-12-07T08:21:00.000-08:00

Bonjour!
We finally were able to get the internet up and running. We got to Zorange Sunday afternoon and after settling in had our first meeting with Myrlande, Wilner and Nasson. Over the course of our two weeks we are hoping to interview about 400 people for our health assessment for the upcoming clinic in Gandou. So far, we have had a great turnout. Monday we went to the market in Belamy where the people were very willing to give us their time in answering our questions, and we got the same reaction in Gorie. It was very exciting to see their enthusiasm for the new clinic and all that they are willing to do to make it happen.

Today and tomorrow we are able to relax! So far, we've eaten a great breakfast, had the best (and strongest) coffee you could ever imagine, and were given a tour of the school and clinic. It looks amazing! The school colors are so vibrant and lively and as I sit here in the computer lab I'm serenaded by the kids singing their school anthem :) The clinic staff are so proud of all that they have accomplished and gave us a full tour of all their hard work.

Tomorrow, Nasson is taking us to the market! I know this will be an awesome experience and Julie and I are hoping to buy some cool stuff. So, while we are working hard, we are finding some time to soak up the beauty of Zorange. We wish you all could be here with us!!

Au revoir,
Ashley, Julie, and Marjorie :)

Finally in Zorange!

2011-12-05T16:40:00.000-08:00

Hello all you blog followers. Marjorie, Julie and myself made it to Zorange Saturday afternoon and we were able to relax a bit after the long, bumpy, drive in. We started our work week today in Belamy where we conducted surveys with the people in that community to gain a better understanding of the health needs in that area. The people gathered in the market place and stood in line. We had a great turn out and obtained a lot of useful information. The people were very cooperative and grateful that we had come to them to hear their voice and we were welcomed with open arms.While we have been working hard there has been plenty of time to lounge around, learn Kreyol, and of course, eat Vierge's amazing food!We hope to update again soon and that you could see beautiful Zorange with us! :)

Bon nwit!Ashley, Julie, and Marjorie

Reflections from Gandou

2011-11-23T14:59:00.000-08:00

The trip was intense. Intensely joyful, intensely hard, intensely challenging, intensely rewarding.

We went to the same village that I went to last year but the people who live there have done so much work that I hardly recognized it. It was a joy to say I didn’t know my way around this tiny village that I love. The school that was half built before the earthquake was now rebuilt and functioning and they have power. Last year every time I wanted to do a EKG in the clinic, all construction had to stop because we only had 1 generator. Now they have solar power that runs the clinic and school. They even have intermittent internet access. The day I received a email from Zorange I sat at my desk and cried. It is difficult to describe how remote this village is.

This year we brought a mobile clinic to Gandou. This village is cut off in the rainy season when the river is too treacherous to cross. The ride in is an hour from Zorange up steep mountain trails. Some of the hardest 4 wheeling I have ever seen and you know how I like to ride my ATV! We saw many people with incredibly high blood pressure. (its hereditary there, not due to lifestyle obesity and smoking is almost non existent in Haiti) One lady we saw was 50 yrs old and had already had a stroke at home, no medical care, and was having mini strokes currently. How her husband will continue to care for her is a mystery and miracle.

We have a midwife Kim traveling with us. She saw many pregnant women who have not received prenatal care. 3 of them were in a critical condition, preeclampsia. Kim was able to treat them there and likely saved the lives of the moms and babies. Thank goodness that we will have a clinic there in the near future. We saw many, many people that day. We were not able to see all of them.

Back at the clinic in Zorange I saw a woman that had the worst case of shingles I had EVER seen. These are incredibly painful. She came wrapped in a towel because she could not stand to put a shirt on. In the US she would have been hospitalized. I gave her what I had: Tylenol. She never complained. By the coconut grape vine (amazing Haitian hard work/connections) medicine would be brought to her the following day from Port au Prince 5 hours away. She tested positive for HIV. Yes, we have limited lab capabilities. I referred her to the nearest HIV clinic but the only transportation is walk or motorcycle ride. It is unlikely that she will be able to get there and the clinic that I referred her to needs a lot of improvement. She will likely die. Those are the sad stories.

The joyful stories have to do with the Haitian people that are running this mission. What a joy to be with people who work hard and care about their work. With so little, they do so much. As before they welcomed us into their homes and their lives. For this I am incredibly grateful. Every night there was a prayer service and they would sing in strong beautiful voices in the mountains these voice travel straight up! We had so much fun playing games and sharing music.

- Marlene Rickert

Seeing Haiti for the first time

2011-11-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

There are 3 of us on this trip experience Haiti for the first time and we wanted to share some of our thoughts. Port-au-Prince was hot, congested, and taking in the sights was overwhelming. The truck we took from the airport, lovingly known as "The Beast" brought us safely to Jacmel through the amazing mountains which are lush and green with palms trees scattered throughout the countryside. It was a relief to be at our first stop. The hotel there was beautiful and the sights breath-taking. None of were expecting the next leg of the trip and what that entailed. We knew we were going to cross the river, we didn't know it actually meant IN THE RIVER. We crossed 14 times and the Jeep got stuck twice. We made it though and each of us is stronger for it :) Meeting the people of Zorange was like seeing old family again. They were so welcoming with big smiles, kisses and hugs. Relief set in again. Arriving on the second day at the mobile clinic in Gandou brought several hundred people and a little bit of anxiety to us. How would we see all these people? How would we know who to see first? What if they needed further medical care? The anxiety was quickly washed away by our fearless leader and the others who supply such amazing leadership to this group. We did it. We saw the patients and left with our hearts filled with love for these amazing people that do and give so much with so little.

Finally we are able to post

2011-11-16T12:40:00.000-08:00

The week has been flying by. We had a great day of clinic in Zorange on Monday. Dr. Kim trained Nurse Magdoline on how to conduct eye exams. Pamela and Kim S. saw several pregnant women with Nurse Luska using the portable ultrasound machine. The permanent ultrasound machine arrived safely, but the probes are missing, making training next to impossible! Ultrasound tech Pamela will have to come to Zorange again. Sara saw a lot of kids, and everyone was grateful to have a pediatric NP on the trip. After clinic, Marlene did a classroom training with the nurses on removing objects from the ears, with one of the translators serving as the patient. The nurses had lots of questions on all subject matters, mostly having to do with difficult cases that they don't have the ability to treat in Zorange. What should be done for these people? Marlene was great at giving them tips for first aid and stabilizing the patients to send them on the long journey to Bainet, Jacmel or beyond.

Yesterday and today (Tuesday and Wednesday) we headed to Gandou and set up a mobile clinic at the future site of HFHF's second clinic. The distance is only 5 miles from Zorange, but it is an hour trip over very rough turrain. As we got bumped and bruised as we were tossed about in the car, we could not imagine how sick patients manage to make their way to the Zorange clinic. We saw about 65 patients the first day, and had to send some people home to come back today. This morning when we arrived, there were hundreds of patients waiting to be seen. It was difficult to know that we could not see them all. The need for a clinic in the area is clear.

We saw so many people with high blood pressure...really high! This included many pregnant women with blood pressure so high they were in danger of have a seizure. We worked with the resources we had and Kim Sniffen even made a consult call to the US. We saw a woman whose husband said she was fine 5 months ago except that she had high blood pressure - well 5 months ago she "fell out" and has not been able to understand words or speak other than saying "oui' - but not purposefully. She had left side weakness and her pressure was still 170/110. We treated her but it was sad to tell her husband that we could not fix the damage that had been done. She was only 50.

Meanwhile in Zorange, Nurse Luska had several pregnant women and eye patients who arrived while we were in Gandou, and told them to come back tomorrow. So we will have another full day of clinic in Zorange tomorrow. We will also train with the nurses after clinic on seizures, bacteriology, and pediatric treatment questions.

The team is great, and everyone is up for one adventure after the next. Whether we are pushing vehicles through the river, riding like a cowboy in the back of a jeep, learning line dances, playing Yuker, dodging tarantulas, or wrestling with the difficulty of seeing severely ill patients, everyone has remained in high spirits and is enjoying themselves. The nursing team in Haiti continues to do an amazing job. It's hard to believe we just have one more full day here in beautiful Zorange before we make our way back to Port-au-Prince.

The dorm is amazing!!!

Hopefully some of the other girls will post next...they are off rapelling cliffs or something...GO GIRL POWER. First mobile clinic to Gandou - ALL GIRLS!!!

See ya,
Lydia and Kim S

Day 1

2011-11-13T05:56:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! We arrived safely in Jacmel last night and will be heading up the mountain via the riverbed this morning. Getting a late start due to car trouble, but we are making great use of this time. Mirlande, the clinic director, met us here and we are going over many things with her. The web is such an awesome way to share information with the Haitian nurses. Thanks to all of you who made Internet in Zorange a reality! I can feel Gods Presence covering all of us this morning! The new travelers are anxious to get to Zorange and the rest of us old timers can't wait to get to our "home" in Haiti!! I am sure we will have some wonderful adventures to share in the next few days!

Kim Sniffen

Give Us Some Credit

2011-10-23T09:18:00.001-07:00

We don't mean to "take all the credit" here, but we're pretty excited about our recent partnership with Visa, which now makes it easy to support HFHF with your everyday purchases! With the new Hope for Haiti Foundation Visa Platinum Rewards Card, you can show your support of HFHF's mission every time you shop. It couldn't be easier to give back, just by doing the things you already do everyday!

When you apply for and use your new Hope for Haiti Foundation card, the bank will donate $50 and a percentage of all your future purchases on the card to HFHF. Plus, you'll get all the benefits of a Visa Platinum Rewards card, such as bonus points for airline tickets, merchandise and a low introductory APR on purchases.

There is no annual fee, and you can pick from five different card designs. With gorgeous photos like these, it's easy to picture yourself somewhere warm and happy just by looking in your wallet!

You can learn more and apply for the card here: http://www.cardpartner.com/affinity/app/hfhf. Thanks for your continued support!

Rock your world!

2011-10-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

Despite the serious work Hope for Haiti Foundation does, really, we ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time...or at least that will be the case this Friday at our inaugural "Rock Your World! Tune in. Turn up. Reach out." benefit concert!

Band of Brothers, a party band covering songs from the 70s & 80s, will rock & roll all night at the The Pour House in downtown Raleigh on October 7. In addition to great music & dancing, we'll have drinks, a silent auction, door prizes and raffles, with Gino Anacleto from CW 22 there as our trusty emcee all night long.

Doors open at 7 p.m., with music starting around 8 and lasting until midnight. Tickets are $7 in advance/$10 at the door, and VIP tickets, which include a private bar, full buffet & special table seating, are available for $100. Tickets can be purchased online at http://rockyourworldraleigh.com/. This is a 21+ event.

All proceeds go to HFHF's work in rural Haiti, and you won't want to miss this great event!This is the first year that we've put on a benefit concert, but we hope to have the opportunity to make Rock Your World! an event that Triangle music fans can look forward to for years to come.

So if you Wanna Dance With Somebody, grab two tickets (to paradise) and come on out! Hey, we know it's only rock & roll, but we like it.

(Speaking of our fearless emcee, check out Gino & Hope for Haiti Foundation's TV debut in this TV spot about the concert!)

Hope in Haiti

2011-09-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

This past week, a an allstar team from from Hope Community Church, one of HFHF's first and largest partners, has been down in Haiti helping out & surveying the work that HCC has played such a crucial role in making a reality. Karl Moraski, Hope's worship leader, has been faithfully blogging from the computer lab & we highly recommend tuning in for updates from the field!

Some highlights include:

An inside look at the Gandou community, home of our next medical clinic
A tour of the freshly painted school (& updates on some of the cool new technology coming out of Zorange)
And a potential Bob Segar "NightMoves" reference? (plus, a definite Bon Jovi shoutout)

And as an added bonus because we love ya, an amazing photographer, Josh Hancock, has been snapping pictures all trip! If these don't get you packing your bags & Pricelining flights to Port au Prince, we don't know what will!

Enjoy the updates, try not to drool & have your people call our people when you're ready to river suit up & join us!

Take our hand & we'll make it, we swear,

The HFHF Team

P.S. Fun fact: Karl is also in Band of Brothers, who will be rockin it out at the Rock Your World concert next weekend -- more to come on that soon!

Denise returns to Haiti with a healthy heart!

2011-08-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Two months ago, we told you the story of Denise, a young Haitian woman in rural Zorange, Haiti, whose life was at risk due to a heart valve condition. The situation was grim. Without heart surgery, Denise's life would be cut drastically short.

Denise with her parents, HFHF founder Elade, and Dr. G. at the

HFHF clinic in Zorange, Haiti. 2009.

Today, thanks to Hope for Haiti Foundation's supporters, volunteer medical professionals, Rochester General Hospital, and a partnering non-profit Intervol, Denise's story is now a success story with a happy ending!

Denise prepares for surgery at Rochester General Hospital.

photo courtesy of RGH.

Denise receives heart surgery. photo courtesy of RGH.

Denise receives a check-up after surgery and passes with flying colors.

photo courtesy of RGH.

Denise (center), her brother Denis, HFHF's former medical director,

Gerta, Dr. G from Rochester General, and members of Intervol.

Read all about this happy ending: Haitian heart patient Denise Imbry to return home happy, healthy.

After successful heart surgery, Denise and her brother Denis enjoy

a ride on "The Maid of the Mist" to see their first waterfall before

returning to Haiti.

Thank you for being part of the success! We know there are many others like Denise who are in need of life-saving surgery who do not have access to such care. Will you join with us as we work toward saving more lives by providing surgical capabilities in Bainet, Haiti? Find out how.

Additional News About Denise:

Video: YNN News - Humanitarian Effort Helps Haitian Woman

Video: 13WHAM - A Life Saving Journey from Haiti to Rochester

Article: Democrat & Chronicle - Haitian woman travels here for heart surgery

Article: Democrat & Chronicle - Haitian woman doing well after heart surgery

Article: Democrat & Chronicle - Recovery going well for Haitian heart patient Denise Imbry

Intern up(date)! - John

2011-07-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

Bringing in the closer! John's update:

WOW! Everything is going great! This trip has already changed me in ways I had not even anticipated. The ride in from the airport was, as warned, very emotional. One of the first things I saw was the sea of tents of relocated families; it was truly shocking. It was hard to believe that so many families have been living like that. Once we got out of the city and onto the mountain roads, all the conversations in the car stopped. Peter, Emily and I stared speechlessly out the window overlooking the beautiful mountain ranges. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. We had quite the trip to Zorange--two road blocks and an episode of shark bone getting stuck in the mud. It was all very exciting nonetheless. We have all been adjusting very well here. I would say we are all used to the lack of AC and the river baths (which have turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the day). Working in the clinic has been an amazing experience. Miss Lusca is so funny! She is very keen on making sure we all understand what is going on and taking us along with her to watch everything she does.

Everyone here is very friendly. We have gladly adjusted to the slower pace. Who wouldn't like sitting and reading in a hammock over looking the Zorange mountains for hours on end?! It's incredible. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity and I am getting the feeling this will not be my only trip to Haiti.

-John

Intern Up(date)! - Peter

2011-07-10T11:07:00.000-07:00

Part 2 of our updates from the HFHF interns spending the summer in Zorange. Peter's thoughts:

Zorange is an awesome place and I felt welcomed from the get go. Pierre, Nasson, Miss Luska, Pastor, and all the kids running around are an absolute blast and have made everything so much fun. The dorm, school and clinic feel out of place in this picturesque mountain scenery full of poverty, but we are truly blessed to be a part of it.

The clinic has been eye-opening for sure. It's obviously very different from U.S. clinics, and though it was a bit shocking at first how rudimentary it all is, after spending some time and hearing more about how people live, it amazes me how much they've been able to do out of nothing. Miss Luska has this contagious smile and laugh that keeps everyone's spirits up 24/7, and working with her has been great experience. She has shown us all how to put in IVs, take blood samples, run vitals, etc.

Daily life has been good as well. I really don't have any complaints. River baths are probably the most refreshing shower I've ever had, and the walk down the hill is always fun because a bunch of little kids always trail us and end up playing with us in the river. We've all been reading a lot in our down time (I'm almost done with all the books I brought; we're going to have to swap books amongst each other soon), playing frisbee, lounging in the hammock John brought, playing with Nancy and Chanika and some of the older guys, goofing off with Pierre, and of course napping here and there.

I know the next few weeks will fly by, but I'm going to do my best to savor each moment.

- Peter

Intern Up(date)! - Emily

2011-07-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

The dog days of summer are officially here, and as they start turning up the heat and humidity here in the Southeast, we have no doubt that summer is even fuller swing for our interns and friends in the Southeast department of Haiti. It's been more than a month since we dropped our three brave adventurers off in Zorange, but don't worry, concerned parents of America -- we did not leave them stranded in Haiti with nothing but a blog post in their honor. Lydia, our Executive Director, has been checking in, and with the internet now all set up in the school in Zorange, they've been able to update us when they can. We thought we'd share some of their experiences and impressions of Zorange, with a post from each intern over the next few days. Here is some news from Emily:

We are all adjusting well. River baths are a lot more fun that I would have thought and the food is exceptional! The clinic is amazing and we are all enjoying our time there. Miss Luska is a great teacher. She always opens up the opportunity for us to share in her examinations and have a hand in it when possible. As healthcare hopefuls, we are getting to see a way of medicine up close and personal that we would never get to see anywhere else, and its a blessing to be a part of it. We are learning so much!

Last Monday we taught Computers and Photography to the older students at the school. We felt a little lost at first but once the students came in they were extremely receptive for us, and Nasson translated as we went along, making the experience a lot of fun. We are doing the same thing tomorrow and adding in and English lesson. The guys and I agree that this is a truly eye opening experience.

Haiti in reality is unlike any book, any story, or any description that I've come across. We went to Bainet and Jacmel for two nights last week, and the ocean scenery was breathtaking. What's also breathtaking are the buildings that are reduced to rubble from the earthquake. It seems a true testament to God that all the people here proceed with life as though the destruction isn't around them. I think my favorite activity thus far is COCONUT EATING! We've taken a few ventures to different houses to binge on their coconut, and each one that is chopped open is fun to watch...and delicious!

- Emily

Rochester General, Hope for Haiti Foundation partner to provide life-saving surgery

2011-07-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

From L to R: Jean Eloi, HFHF Founder; Denise Embry's parents; Denise; Dr. Gerry Gacioch

It takes a village to raise a child, but what does it take to save that child’s life when they have a heart defect? Dedication.

It was on HFHF’s medical trip in January 2009 that we first met Denise. In a community where retrieving drinking water requires a one-mile uphill trek, her shortness of breath was of great concern. Denise was having to stop at least 6 times between the river and her house. Seventeen at the time, Denise received a cardiogram from Dr. Gerry Gacioch, HFHF’s volunteer cardiologist, using a battery powered EKG machine. Dr. G diagnosed Denise with severe mitral stenosis, a heart valve condition that, unless repaired, can be fatal. It is believed that the condition was caused by Rheumatic Fever she battled as a child. The mitral stenosis has caused the leaflets on her mitral valve to fuse together, preventing the flow of blood from the atrium to the ventricle. Any type of strain, such as running, or childbirth, could be too much for Denise's heart.

With no surgical capabilities available in Bainet, and with no financial means to afford the costly surgery, Denise's future looked bleak. But for a handful of Hope for Haiti Foundation volunteers, this was not the end of the story. The team rallied to find another way to save Denise’s life. Dr. G, head of cardiology at Rochester General Hospital in New York, presented Denise's case to his colleagues, and Rochester General Health System agreed to do the surgery at no charge, in collaboration with a local non-profit partner, Intervol. Then began the arduous process of completing all the necessary paperwork to bring Denise to the U.S. Over 10 months, the team waded through hiccup after hiccup, not the least of which was having to provide a street address for a woman who lives miles from any named street. Yet, the determination of each volunteer was not waived. Neither was the dedication of HFHF's Haitian medical staff, who closely monitored Denise's case with regular check-ups at HFHF's rural clinic in Zorange.

Now 20, Denise has completed the first leg of her journey. She arrived in Rochester yesterday, and is scheduled for bypass surgery on Thursday, July 7 at 5:00 am. All indications suggest her heart valve can be "repaired" as opposed to "replaced." This means that the valve can last as long as 20 years, rather than having to be replaced again in seven years time. After the surgery, she will be able to walk and breathe normally without difficulty.

Please keep Denise, her family, and the doctors in your prayers. She will stay in the US until July 22, when she will fly back to Haiti with a healthy heart. Pray for Denise’s family, who are undoubtedly experiencing a whirlwind of worry, anxiety, anticipation, and hope as their child travels to a foreign land. Also pray that Denise will transition well into the challenges of American food, hospitals, media attention, and a culture that speaks a different language.
It is only through the dedication of volunteers and supporters like you that this work is happening. And we are blown away by your dedication to make impossible things, like Denise's surgery, happen.

We are honored to work with outstanding people like Dr. G and Denise. Your courage and humility inspire us. Dr. G, thank you for being a part of HFHF, and facilitating this surgery. Many people in Rochester, NY have committed money, food, and housing -- we are grateful; Denise is grateful. HFHF -- and opportunities like this -- exist only because people like you choose to commit to this cause. Thank you.

How do you say "intern" in Creole?

2011-06-28T17:26:00.000-07:00

Not only do we have great interns rockin' it at the HFHF mothership in Raleigh, but we also have three lucky interns spending their summer on a beautiful Caribbean island in the sun (or at least that's how we like to describe it in our recruiting materials. ;)). John, Peter and Emily are spending the summer down in Haiti and will be assisting with our medical projects in Zorange and the surrounding areas; we have no doubt their expertise will be invaluable to strengthening HFHF's work in this area. We know they're going to have the adventure of a lifetime, as they brave a summer full of river showers, constant sweat, sleeping in cots and extreme farmer tans, where Chaco tan lines are how you earn your stripes (literally). But we also know that despite the warnings about "don't fall in love at the Haitian shore" ;), they're going to come back with amazing memories, awesome relationships and with that bug that keeps people going back to Haiti over and over. Take a few minutes to get to know our brave jetsetters!

Name: John French

Internship Focus: Medical

University and status: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, rising senior

Major: Biology

In His Own Words: I have been interested in pursuing a career in medicine since I first started college three years ago. As a volunteer in the hospital, I was invigorated by interacting with the medical staff and serving the needs of the patients. Various classes sparked my interest in international medicine. Several months ago I started looking for an opportunity to travel abroad and gain experience with international medicine. I came across HFHF's website and I was very impressed with what they were doing in Haiti, and I became eager to get in on the action! I am really looking forward to working with the Haitian medical team, conducting health-based research, and getting to know the local community. I am excited to have the opportunity to take part in this life changing experience and support the vision of HFHF!

Name: Peter Helvie

Focus: Medical

University/Status: graduated from UNC, class of 2011

Major: Biology, Italian

In His Own Words: I heard about HFHF through my friend John French and immediately jumped at the opportunity to make the trip to Zorange and work at the medical clinic. I am pursuing a career in medicine, so there was a natural interest on my part to work in a medical clinic under such extreme conditions (compared to what I'm used to in Chapel Hill). After learning more about HFHF, I became even more interested and excited to get involved. One of my favorite parts about HFHF's work and one of the things that most excites me is that everything is run by Haitians. It is wonderful to see a country in dire need of help taking steps towards bettering their situation from the inside. In a country with medical technology and expertise so far behind the United States, it is very encouraging to hear about a Haitian program which utilizes the medical knowledge of more fortunate and prosperous countries to create a clinic based on modern medicine. I am very excited to do my little part this summer, and I'm just as excited to learn about the incredible people I will meet and what they are doing to improve their situation.

Name: Emily Richey

Internship Focus: Medical

University/Status: graduated from East Carolina University

Major: Sports Medicine and Health Education

In Her Own Words: I'm a North Carolina Teaching Fellow but towards the end of my undergraduate career I knew that my calling was medicine; my true passion in life is healthcare. My plan was to immediately attack grad school and blow up with success, but I felt an unexplainable tug telling me it wasn't going to work out that way. It immediately became clear to me that my ‘perfect’ plans were peanuts compared to the amazing opportunities that God has for me. I had a friend do some medical work in Africa, and his testimony immediately made me fall in love with the idea of international medicine. I feel a strong calling to the exchange of information between countries when it comes to health care. The same friend recommended the AWESOME book "Mountains Beyond Mountains", and after reading it, my heart was completely captured by the selfless lifestyle of the Paul Farmer. It seemed like divine intervention when a girlfriend told me about her interest with the HFHF medical trips soon after I completed the book and recommended that I look into them for some experience before applying to P.A. school later this summer. Lots of prayers and chats with God have instilled a truly exuberant attitude about this summer!

Intern Up!

2011-06-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

Now that HFHF has a full-time executive director and we are like sooo legit, we figured we might as well get ourselves some interns! After all, there was no way we were going to make Lydia tackle Elade's wonderful, big, crazy ideas all by herself. ;)We are very thankful to have two lovely ladies, Margaret Farley and Ashley Matkins (you might remember Ashley from our last guest post about her trip to Haiti) joining us at the HFHF HQ in Raleigh, as our development and public health interns. It seemed a little unfair to keep them all to ourselves, so we wanted to give you a chance to get to know them a little. We also have some Haitian-bound interns who will be spending the summer down in our little slice of Caribbean heaven -- more on them coming soon! We're already thankful to these ladies for their hard work and can't wait to see the impact they have on HFHF and Haiti over the rest of the summer.

Name: Margaret Farley
Internship Focus: Development
University and status: North Carolina State, rising junior
Major: Economics, with a minor in French
In Her Own Words: I have always been interested in helping out countries with struggling economies and pursuing opportunities to enhance the welfare of the individuals in third world countries. I have had the opportunity to study abroad in Guadeloupe as well volunteer in the community. The ability to meet the individuals of communities with basic needs we take for granted everyday has made me more committed to improving the lives of others in third world countries. I am very excited to join a new organization with such a great cause and amazing opportunities! While the experience I have had has been more business related, I have always had a passion for French that initially sparked my interested in joining an organization focused on the needs of the Haitian people. I have already been able to see that Haiti has a rich culture and hope one day I will be able to witness it firsthand!

Name: Ashley Matkins
Internship Focus: Public Health
University and status: University of North Carolina-Greensboro, rising senior
Major: Public Health, health studies concentration
In Her Own Words: I am very interested in international health and would love to be able to work overseas when I am finished with school. I have a passion for helping others and have been blessed to be able to travel to Africa and, most recently, Haiti. I have always had a genuine interest in the health and general well-being of others, and I love building relationships with people. I have worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant for the last three years, and I have loved caring for every patient I have come in contact with. While I have enjoyed being a part of the healing process for patients, I have grown more and more interested in the prevention of disease and how to aid in interventions that will better equip a community to succeed. I love the vision of the HFHF, and being able to see that vision implemented first hand was an amazing experience. I am truly looking forward to watching the hope of everyone involved with HFHF grow as more goals are accomplished.

The First of Many

2011-05-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

If it seems like all of our blogs recently have been about luring new people to Haiti....well, you're onto us! It's all a part of our secret plan to get everyone we know to come out and drink the coconut milk. ;) Ashley, one of the interns rockin it at the HFHF HQ in Raleigh this summer, got to jump right into her internship with a trip to Zorange! She joined the team that traveled to Haiti last week and was nice enough to share her first impressions with us. We're really excited to have Ashley on board and will give you a chance to get to know all our lovely interns soon!

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I have never been more humbled, awe-struck, relaxed or as happy as I was in Haiti. While it is good to be back home with family, I can honestly say I would go back to Zorange today. It was absolutely amazing to see the passion and hope in every single person I met in Zorange. I am so thankful to be a part of a team that works together to continue building on the hope that everyone has in making Haiti the country it can be.

While there were many meaningful meetings and focus groups during this trip, there was also plenty of relaxation time to just sit back and enjoy a piece of paradise with friends. This was my first trip to Haiti and I have to say that I was blown away. I have never been surrounded by so many coconuts and mangos in my life! One of the best memories that I have and will cherish is from my visit to their church service. During the service, the pastor said this: “God will bless us for our hard work. We are not strangers, we are at home”. I was flooded with emotions when he said this because I felt at home. I felt so welcomed and blessed to be a part of this moment where God was so present and obviously working through the people of Zorange.

I am so excited to continue my journey with the HFHF as we are able to see the vision of the organization and of the Haitians grow, and to see their goals be accomplished. I’ve heard that when you go to Haiti, you’ll want to go back….it’s definitely true.

GUEST POST: John and Allen's Excellent Haitian Adventure

2011-04-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

John Brown, HFHF's Operations Director, recently returned from a trip to Haiti, where he was able to partner with Allen Rainey of Sonlight Power to help get HFHF's solar power system up and running again. In addition to being a rockstar for HFHF, John Brown is also a B-list celebrity in Haiti (sorry, John, but I think Wyclef wins this one ;)). If any white person walks down the streets of Bainet, they will be called John Brown. Not kidding.

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Well, it’s good to be back. Kind of. Sometimes you’re ready to go home and sometimes you don’t want to -- this was one of the “don’t want to” times.

We were on a roll. I took Allen Rainey, Executive Director and Founder of Sonlight Power, to Zorange to help us get our solar electric system up and running again. I connected with Allen by way of the Internet as I was doing some research on solar systems and came across his site, www.sonlightpower.org. To make a long story short, I asked him if he would be interested in going to Haiti with me to help us. He did not hesitate to say "yes." From the time I met Allen in Miami to catch a flight to Port-au-Prince, until the time we parted in Miami to catch our respective flights home, I was blessed and inspired. His organization's motto is “Using Solar to share God’s love." It was quite evident that Allen desires to use the gifts God has blessed him with to share the Good news.

After traveling most of the day, we arrived in Bigot about an hour after dark. We settled in and got some rest. The next day was spent getting our system up and running. We had little Johnny and Jude assisting us. We moved the solar equipment from where it originally was, which was in the same room as the generator, to a small room a short distance away to separate the battery bank and the generator. After the solar array wires and the generator wire were run, the charge controllers and inverter were mounted and wired up. With a few adjustments and modifications to different things, we were making electricity. Allen really knows his stuff.

The next day Allen gave a class on maintenance and operations of the solar system to some of the key personnel who would be responsible for its operation. He did a great job with the translation assistance from Nasson and Jude. When that was done we ran some cable for the IT team that will be coming in a few weeks to install some wireless modems and then packed up and headed to Bainet to spend the night.

I never get tired of sleeping to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach there. I was also surprised to find out that we have two mango trees on our property there. I think everyone has been keeping that a secret. Oh well. I took advantage of the discovery and can honestly say I have never had a mango that was sweeter or juicier than the ones we ate there. Olivier was there with us and I think he ate ten of them in one sitting. I have to admit I ate entirely too much the whole trip. I have no willpower when it comes to watching my portions when Vierge is cooking. I can’t wait to go back.

Back in the Saddle

2011-04-06T19:27:00.000-07:00

Anyone know how to say “Yeehaw!” in Creole?

We don't either, but you can bet we're dusting off our cowboy boots for Rodeo for Hope, a fun event hosted by Barry Driver and Capital Chrysler Jeep Dodge and benefitting HFHF! Back in the saddle for the second year in a row, Rodeo for Hope is a weekend-long extreme bull riding extravaganza for a cause, with a portion of the proceeds going directly to support HFHF's work in Haiti.

The rodeo, held Friday, April 15 and Saturday April 16, is in conjunction with Wicked Bull, one of the most up to date and versatile extreme rodeo and western-themed event production companies on the east coast. The Wicked Bull team is made up of talent that includes nationally recognized bull riders, top freestyle bull fighters, award winning livestock, and charismatic announcers, so it promises to be a good time!

Not only are we thankful to Barry for his continued support of HFHF and excited about the taste of the wild, wild west that Raleigh will get, but we also think this is a prime opportunity to scout out some new recruits for HFHF trips to Zorange! If these modern-day John Waynes can handle a raging bull, they just might stand a chance at hangin on during that bumpy and exciting ride across the wide open Haitian range of mountains, rivers and always-interesting terrain. After all, our Haiti trip motto IS “this isn't our first rodeo” ;)

The rodeo starts at 8 p.m. each night, and tickets are $10 (children under 6 get in free, so it's a great deal for some family fun). In addition to benefitting HFHF, Rodeo for Hope benefits House of Hope, a nondenominational center for troubled girls. For more info about the event, visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=122506624490732#!/event.php?eid=122506624490732

So round em up and bring all your friends out to support HFHF. And in case you still had doubts about whether or not to drag out the old Stetson, check out this video of all the fun had at last year's rodeo.

You don't wanna miss out, partner!

GUEST BLOGGER: Nanga Kaye, Reflections on Haiti

2011-03-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

Five months have passed since I last set foot on the Haitian soil. Yet my mind drifts back on occasion to what remained of the mangled city of Port-au-Prince after the earthquake. I can still see clear as the day the menacing cracks on standing buildings and pavements. I cannot help but think of the tent-cities and their cortège of portable toilets, the bladders discharging water to the queues of the thirsty and yes, the faces of so many milling about in the fields of grief and desperation. Now and then ,in the safety of my refuge, the distant sights of the narrow valleys, the misty mountains and the steep trails that welcomed me those many weeks ago return to inspire me.

I had traveled to Haiti in the company of a dozen of volunteers working for Hope for Haiti Foundation in the hopes that we might observe, learn, and assist in whatever way we could. On the morning of September 19 2010, first-timers and returnees alike, we bonded and soared through the air bound for Haiti. It wasn’t long after takeoff from Miami that the expanse of the blue-green ocean waters faded into chains of mountains then rows of trees and buildings. Once off the plane and out into the open, we were greeted by a warm and thick tropical air made heavier by the chaos and noise of baggage carriers. We were quickly ushered into vans, fed, and led out of Port-au-Prince after a good bath of smoke and dust generated by traffic jams. After snaking our way up and down rugged terrains and crossing countless rivers, darkness finally swallowed us into Zorange, a region perched on the heights somewhere on the southeastern corner of Haiti.

At dawn we awoke to crowing roosters and barking dogs. Slowly as the sun rose, the mist lifted revealing the handy work of time on creation. No need to waste time when one has a date with an innocent land of ageless beauty. For several days, I walked the land, shook hands with people, and lingered under shades of small family farms savoring delicious coffee and fresh coconut milk. While I had filled my heart with majestic sights to last me ages, I found myself ill-equipped to offer much in a way of great insights to help the farmers of Zorange. It was rather they who had much to teach me about the unsung art and science of taming lands showered with rocks, wrestling the run-off of precious top-soils called by the valleys below and still holding on to the faith in the harvests to come. They said little. Indeed they didn’t need to. My reading of rows of pigeon-peas standing tall against the slopes, strong palm trees that gave hands to the vines of yams, breadfruits that adopted and were nursing taro roots under their wings was proof enough of their toil and sacrifice.

In the end, Haiti humbled me. What I saw was a country beating the odds, a people determined to embrace hope and climb their way to a life of dignity. I will always treasure the gift brought to me by the courage of silent mules guided by brave women and of the grace of hands that work the sides of hills and mountains to feed the bright-eyed children who play and dream.

-------------------------

Nanga Kaye (right) is the agriculture director for Integrated Community Development International (ICDI), a faith-based nonprofit organization working in the Central African Republic and other countries. He traveled to Haiti with Hope for Haiti Foundation in September 2010, where he helped evaluate agricultural practices in rural Haiti and find ways to improve farming efficiency. Originally from Chad, Africa, Nanga technically lives in Cary, North Carolina - when he’s not living life at 30,000 feet, jetting back and forth across the globe for his work with ICDI.

Awesome!!

2011-02-26T10:56:00.000-08:00

In our latest update from the founder, Elade talks about how much progress has been made in Zorange in the last 10 years, how the place that was once barren is now a thriving community. Danielle Lazzaro, one of our awesome volunteers, experienced the same feelings of amazement at the progress that has been made in Haiti, even in just the last year since she was there last. Danielle traveled to Haiti on our January trip, and has shared some of her reflections, looking back on the the trip the week after returning home:

I am not even sure where to begin when talking about this past trip to Haiti. For me it was another amazing experience to add to my list of Haiti adventures. We arrived in Port-Au-Prince on the morning of January 30th. To my surprise everything was organized and the airport was calm and quiet, totally different from the crowed and chaotic terminal we navigated back in March right after the earthquake. We managed to collect our bags and waited for our fearless leader to pick us up.

It was hot, and sunny and it felt so good! We piled into the truck and headed out. Driving through Port-Au-Prince felt different this time. To my surprise a lot of the rubble had been removed and clean up crews were hard at work. Construction projects were underway and life seemed as though it was back to normal, well as normal as life there can get! But for me driving through the city did not affect me as much as it had the first time I came. This time there were no tear but smiles at the progress that seemed to be happening all around us.

Elade surprised us with a overnight stop at Laumando hotel... in Jacmel. What a wonderful surprise. The hotel had closed down after the Earthquake but it was back up and running. For the new travelers it was a complete shock, Deborah, Shirley and Maria couldn't believe that a place could exist like that in Haiti. We all enjoyed a hot shower, a great meal, and quickly become close friends.

We packed up early the next morning and headed home to Zorange! After 8 coconuts, two bottles of Creme da Cacao and a flat tire, we arrived at the top of the mountain. It felt so good to be there! Rita and I cried of course, Dr. G was all smiles and the newbies were anxious to see what the next four days had in store.

As we got out of the car and headed into Zorange, there it was - the dorm! It was beautiful. Two bathrooms, a large living room, four bedrooms and a porch! I couldn't believe my eyes! All I could think was how far we had come! It wasn't long ago when we were setting up the tents and making group trips to the outhouse! There was running water, real toilets and even ELECTRICITY! I was speechless. Elade took all of us up to the school right away for another surprise, The building had been completed. The school was finished! I was blown away by all of the amazing progress that has been made.

We all worked hard, and enjoyed every minute we spent in Zorange with each other and with our old friends. The nurses at the clinic impressed us all. Everything that Elade has wished for had come true. We spent our evenings making plans for the new clinic and hospital, sipping cold Prestige and playing boardgames with the kids from the area.

All of a sudden it was Friday morning, we headed to Bainet. It was great, though we didn't really have to say goodbye yet because they all came with us! Vierge, Olivie, Gerta, Jude, Marcel, Nasson, TaTa and the rest of the group came along for the ride and night in Bainet. We enjoyed our last night in Haiti altogether and slept on the roof of our dorm under the stars.

AWESOME!

News from Zorange!

2011-02-01T11:55:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!
This is our first update from Zorange. We arrived Sunday afternoon. Made our way to Jacmel and stayed at Lamoundou hotel. We enjoyed the view, hot shower, prestige and good conversation. Monday we set out in the early morning, our journey was "interesting"! But we made safe and sound despite the flat!
Our first night was very emotional, to our delight we were escorted into the new dorm complete with marble tiled floor and WORKING toilet, and running water! Elade also brought us to see the construction at the school.... but to our surprise the school has been completed. The kids are enjoying a beautiful court yard and computer lab. For the members of the team who have traveled here before, it is sight to behold. We are along way from where we started. No tents or outhouses anymore. They even have WiFi! UNBELIEVABLE!

Now a few word from our new team members:
Today, Tuesday was our first day at the clinic. In Haiti I am a pediatrican (with Danielle's assistance) Dr. Deborah and Dr. Gerry are great to work with. We saw quite a few patients.

Hello everyone, this is Maria. I organize the volunteers for all the Duke football and basketball games, and it's nice to be in Haiti to see what all of your hard work is for. Truly amazing things have happened here - a beautiful school with kids who look happy and healthy; a great medical clinic where everyone works hard to take care of their neighbors from all over (many walk several hours to get here). And it is not stopping there. Today, Elade took me to see the site of the next clinic and school. It's about 5 miles away from Zoronge, on the side of a mountain, with amazing views. The location will help people to get to medical care much sooner than having to walk either to Zoronge or to Bainet. So please help us keep up this amazing progress - join us when we raise money at a Duke game, or come down to this beautiful country and lend a hand!

Stay tuned here for more news from Zoronge!

Q&A with the Executive Director

2011-01-26T15:53:00.000-08:00

As most of you know by now, in 2011, HFHF welcomed Lydia Dant on board as our first U.S. full-time employee and our Executive Director extraordinaire. Lydia has been at it for about a month and already has great ideas for how to help HFHF grow and expand our work in Haiti. We wanted to give you all a chance to get to know Lydia as she takes on this big, awesome new role! We hope you enjoy hearing more about Lydia's heart for Haiti, her vision for the organization and some tips for what to buy on iTunes this week :)

How did you first find out about/get involved with Hope for Haiti Foundation?

I was introduced to HFHF in 2008 through a colleague in graduate school, Mahsa Abassi. She was a medical student who had taken a medical trip with HFHF. She was so passionate about Haiti and talked so highly of the trip and the organization that I had to get involved. Mahsa and I filled our internship requirement for school by designing and implementing a health assessment survey for the Bainet area. We spent one month traveling to each district, working with the community leaders and interviewing Haitians about their health care needs and the current health system in the area. We discovered that access to healthcare was extremely limited and that people were desperate for emergency care, especially for pregnant women. This instigated HFHF’s plan to collaborate with Bainet’s MOH (Ministry of Health) to open an emergency medical facility, as well as provide focused maternity care and introduce community health workers.

When I returned from Haiti, I kept working on the projects, and have basically never stopped. It was evident from day one of our trip that something special was happening through this organization – it was real people making a difference. At that time, the organization was entirely volunteer and supported entirely by individual donations. Most importantly, the relationship with the Haitian community was genuine and full of trust. There was an attitude of collaboration. Because of this alone, they had accomplished more tangible results than many other international non-profits that I was familiar with.

What made you decide to apply for the Executive Director position? What was your reaction when you found out you would be HFHF's new Executive Director?

I studied international public health because I wanted to dissolve the drastic inequality and injustice that I saw in the world. Naively, I also thought that the challenges of the developing world would be easier to solve – providing clean water seemed easier than trying to figure out the stock market. Of course, I’ve since learned that behind every basic problem is an extremely complex web of social, political, historical, behavioral and environmental factors. But my desire for justice never wavered.

Working full time for HFHF has been a dream of mine since my first trip in 2008. I was constantly scheming up ways to earn an income with as few hours as possible so that I could devote more time to working with HFHF. I’m sure you’ve heard the question “What would you do if you didn’t need to get paid?” For me, this job is it. I know that most of HFHF’s dedicated volunteers feel the same way – which is why they give up their nights and weekends to do this work. For these reasons, I feel extremely fortunate to have been chosen for this position. It took several weeks for the realization to sink in. I still have to remind myself daily “This is my JOB.” I am extremely honored and grateful.

As you take on the challenge of being HFHF's first U.S. paid staff member, what are you most excited about? What are you most nervous about?

I am most excited about getting the word out about HFHF. We’ve been operating “under the radar” so to speak. I know there are many people who are looking for tangible ways to get involved in helping Haiti, but aren’t sure where to start. HFHF offers an opportunity to not just give out of obligation or to appease your conscious, but to really get involved. Jean Eloi, HFHF’s founder, says it best when he says you become a “victim of Haiti’s passion.” Once you see what is happening in these small communities that we collaborate with, it is hard NOT to get involved.

I am most nervous about the enormous responsibility that I feel to lead while being a servant. HFHF’s vision is to help Haitians help themselves – to provide an environment that grows a generation of Haitians that can lead Haiti into a brighter future. We hope for a day when organizations like HFHF will not need to exist, because Haiti does not need our help. For this to happen, we must approach our work in a way that does not inhibit the future growth of Haitians or Haiti. This is an immense challenge, and something that I am constantly considering.

What are your goals for your first year in the position? In what specific ways do you hope to see the foundation grow?

We have only just begun 2011, and yet I am already looking toward December and thinking twelve months is not long enough to accomplish everything that we would like. One important goal for us this year is partnerships. Haiti is said to have the most NGOs per capita than any other country. I don’t know if that is factual information, but it certainly represents a truth. Because of a long and complex history, many NGOs in Haiti are working toward the same goals right next to each other, without any knowledge of it. Although collaboration brings a new and complex set of challenges, I believe it is necessary to foster a community approach to solving problems. There is an African proverb that says “If you want to go fast, travel alone. If you want to go far, travel together.”

That being said, HFHF has accomplished a tremendous amount in a short time. When HFHF began its work in Zorange 10 years ago, there was no education available, no medical care and very little work. Today, there is a thriving clinic that sees over 50 patients a day, a primary school, secondary school, and high school, radio station, soccer league, and much more. Each of these programs has supplied jobs for the area as well. Our work in Zorange is nearly complete to the point where we can expand to another village and strengthen their community. It may take another 10 years – or more – but we are ready.

Explain your vision for Haiti and why the work of organizations like HFHF are important.

My vision is that of the Haitian people – to see their country restored. I would like to see the children in Haiti today grow up with the opportunity to get an education without being hindered by money, disease or corruption. I would like to see them reach their full potential, and not be held back by malnutrition or lack of access to clean water. I would like to see parents have the opportunity to work and provide for their families. I would like others to look at Haiti and see its beauty, rather than its struggles.

The work that HFHF does is important for two reasons. It is important, first, because Haitians themselves do it. The community is in charge of the work, making decisions about what they want and how it should happen. Our staff in Haiti is 100 percent Haitian; Haitians changing Haiti. The second reason that HFHF’s work is important is because it is about collaboration. Whenever we take a trip to Haiti, the exchange of information is mutual. American physicians are teaching Haitians about cardiology. Haitian nurses are teaching U.S. medical students about tropical diseases. It seems like an overused metaphor, but the best way to describe it is as a family. This is important because by actually seeing and understanding other people’s lives, all of us – Haitians and Americans – can begin to shift our perspectives and underlying assumptions about the world, moving toward greater unity.

What would you say to someone considering taking a trip to Haiti with HFHF?

Great! Be prepared to have your life changed. I would absolutely recommend it. And, I would also say, unless you love cockroaches, make sure you always go to the bathroom before dark.

In all seriousness, the trips can be extremely challenging, but they are the best way to understand what this work is about. And, most of those who go to Haiti once go again and again and again.

You've been to Haiti several times. What's your favorite thing about being in Haiti?

The area where we work, Zorange Bainet, is absolutely beautiful. It is an entirely different world from Port au Prince. While everyone is working extremely hard from sunrise until well after sunset, there is a peacefulness that can be felt all around. This is not to say that grief, tragedy, struggle, frustration and difficulty do not exist. But above it all, there is a sense of true peace. It shows up in long conversations after the sun goes down, in a group of children playing in the river or even in the elderly lady yelling at me in Creole not to go down the hill because I will certainly fall and hurt myself (which she is totally right about). Without your cell phone buzzing, e-mail to check or news to catch up on, you can really feel it. I guess what I am really describing is true community. To me it is a glimpse of what eternity will feel like.

Anyone who's been to Haiti with HFHF knows it's a long, bumpy ride to Zorange! If you were to take a playlist for the car ride, what would the first five songs on it be?

1. New Day, Robbie Seay Band

2. One Love, U2

3. Beautiful, Christina Aguilera

4. 500 Miles, The Proclaimers

5. You’re Just too good to be true, Lauryn Hill (this would be playing as we drove into Zorange and were greeted by all of our smiling Haitian friends!)

To someone visiting Haiti for the first time, it can be overwhelming to see so many ways that people are suffering. It seems hard to know where to start. If you could fix one thing in Haiti first, what would it be?

There are so many things that I would like to see improved in Haiti. It is difficult if not impossible to single out a particular issue, as so many of the problems are interconnected. However, if I had to single out one thing, I would focus on corruption. Corruption not only causes many problems, but also exacerbates problems that already exist. So, that seems like a good place to start.

Resilience in the Rubble: One Year Later

2011-01-11T19:54:00.000-08:00

I don't remember where I was at 4:53 on January 12, 2010, but there are 9 million people in a small Caribbean nation who will never forget. As I likely rinsed out my coffee mug and filed away e-mails, preparing to leave work for the afternoon, Haiti was being devastated as a 7.0 earthquake ravaged the nation's overcrowded capital and the surrounding areas. In just 30 seconds, a nation was changed forever.

I do remember the day that followed the earthquake, as the reports poured in and we began to realize the scope of the event. “More than half of Port au Prince destroyed” the headlines read, pictures of the collapsed presidential palace reminding us that earthquakes don't discriminate. As the death toll rose, we struggled to comprehend what was happening. It was so much bigger than anything we'd experienced, so widespread that it almost didn't seem real, so hard to translate to our real lives. What would it look like if half the buildings in Raleigh were suddenly turned into piles of rubble? What would it look like if 300,000 people suddenly died, their bodies being left in the street, pushed into mass graves, while families were simply left wondering? What would happen if 1 million people were suddenly homeless – where would they go? As we worried about our friends in Haiti and were heartbroken by the pain on the faces of strangers plastering CNN, we also struggled to understand why; despite the fact that we've experienced enough to accept that the world is broken, we all like to think it has limits, a certain fairness to its blows. We like to think it distributes pain evenly, or has a sense of decency, to know when enough is enough. A disaster like this was unthinkable anywhere; in Haiti, it just seemed unnecessarily cruel.

Haiti already faced so many challenges before the earthquake – extreme poverty, poor sanitation and public health, lack of infrastructure, lack of access to education. How could what little they had be totally destroyed? Not only did our hearts break for the severe pain of the tragedy itself – imagine losing your home, your city, your family, everything you know and love – but we began to realize that this would have enormous long-term structural and economic effects on a nation already struggling to keep stride with the rest of the world.

And one year later, Haiti still struggles to recover. While some progress has been made, sadly some places look very much the same, despite the amount of aid that poured in following the event. One million people still remain homeless, especially in the capital of Port au Prince, where sprawling tent cities fill city parks and even the medians of highways. Conditions continue to worsen as sanitation becomes more difficult, gang and sexual violence increases and a rare cholera outbreak threatens the public health of these overcrowded areas. Haiti very much still needs our help.

Thankfully, at Hope for Haiti Foundation, we've seen great progress in the areas where we work. We've been able to help more than 3,000 families get back on their feet, rebuilding more than 400 homes and providing cement to repair 22 schools and three churches. Construction teams continue to work daily to fully repair our school, and we've been able to operate the clinic and hold classes in the portion that remained standing, finishing the school year on time and even building a computer lab! We're so thankful for our supporters who came together to make this possible, and we're thankful that we were able to get on the ground quickly and make a tangible difference, especially as we saw so many organizations that faced red tape or serious logistical difficulties. We now must focus on continuing with our mission, projects and goals and not let the devastating event distract us from the vision we have for Zorange and the surrounding communities.

But, one year later, as we remember the Haitian earthquake, more than focusing on what HFHF has accomplished, we want to honor the strength and resilience of the Haitian people. Not only do they live with strength through often unspeakable conditions in their daily lives, they also have not lost their joy, love or determination, despite having their homes, lives and families completely torn apart in just an instant. We are daily impressed by our friends there who carry on, who work in the hot sun to repair their lives and who grit their teeth and move forward – pursuing an education, investing in their communities, finding ways improve to conditions for themselves and their children. Not only do they refuse to give up through daily challenges and after countless natural disasters, but they dare to dream for something better. While they have every right to be punch drunk, they keep getting back up - with a smile on their face, love for each other and extreme generosity for outsiders. It's this spirit that convinces us that Haiti is not a hopeless nation and that keeps us doing what we're doing. The resilience we see in the eyes of the Haitian people and their desire for a better life tells us that, if given the right tools, they will change their nation for the better. That's why we continue to strive to empower and equip our friends there with education, medical care and spiritual and community developments, so they have the opportunity to make a better future for themselves and for Haiti. Where the world might see poverty, social issues, corrupt government and now piles of rubble, we see potential.

[his sign says "You learn how to walk by falling." Photo credit: Jeremy Cowart, Voices of Haiti]

There is no doubt that the earthquake has changed Haiti forever. That level of widespread devastation takes time to recover from and the psychological effects remain, as some people still fear future earthquakes or more buildings collapsing. 4:53 p.m. one year ago today will always be a defining moment in Haiti's history – but we have hope that it will eventually come to define the nation's turning point and strength, not its pain and tragedy. We hope to look back on January 12, and without forgetting those whose lives were lost, remember it as the day that the world started paying attention to Haiti and that the nation was finally given the resources it needs to develop. We pray that as Haiti rebuilds, it rebuilds stronger than before.

Please join us in remembering the victims of the earthquake, celebrating the strength and hope in Haiti and dreaming about what Haiti can be someday. If you're in the Raleigh area, you can join us on Sunday, January 16 at the Oxford Gastropub as we host an event in honor of the one year anniversary of the earthquake. The event, which will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. will feature live music and a silent auction, and all proceeds, including 10 percent of the Oxford's food sales, will go directly to HFHF. We hope you can make it!

Denim and Drinks

2011-01-10T12:27:00.000-08:00

Have you seen that YouTube video of the little girl named Jessica? The girl of "I can do anything good, I like my cousins, I like my school" fame? After this weekend's festivities in downtown Raleigh, I feel a little like jumping on my sink and telling myself how much I love my city, my job, my family and my friends.

My boss, the one and only Mr. G Patel, has challenged our company (Eschelon Hospitality) to raise $50,000 for Hope for Haiti Foundation in 2011. G actually traveled with me to Haiti in May of 2010, shortly after the earthquake, to help with various projects in Zorange. I seriously have the best boss ever! I mean, how many people can say that their employer not only cuts them paychecks but also supports the causes that you love like crazy?

This weekend was Eschelon's first event in an effort to reach that big $50k goal. It was hosted at our brand new boutique & bar, Dapper Style House, on First Friday in downtown Raleigh. There is also this amazing local company, S2 Jeans, that creates designer denim that also benefits HFHF. One of the things I love about my job and this city is how things all start to come together - a denim company that loves HFHF, a clothing store that loves HFHF and a boss that wants to raise money for HFHF- it all adds up to a big WIN for Hope for Haiti Foundation!

On Friday night, S2 Jeans had a trunk show, where customers could try on and purchase their crazy-comfortable and durable women's denim. First Friday is all about art in downtown Raleigh, and the ladies from S2 Jeans crafted some of the most gorgeous cupcakes for our guests. Dapper's bar was open, there were yummy snacks from The Oxford, and the crowds started to pour in - my cousins, my brothers, HFHF's founder, my uncles, my aunts, my friends, my Yelp friends, my co-workers... random new people off the street... it was great! (Note: this is the point in the evening where I probably started sounding like little Jessica. In effort to NOT scare off the crowd, I did not jump on the bar and start spouting my love for the party-goers).

Then the best part of the evening commenced: the improv art contest! I've never seen anything like this. There were four artists, four easels and tons of paint supplies (all courtesy of Jerry's Artarama). Every ten minutes, the artists would switch easels. For inspiration, Dapper's manager Betzi Hekman prompted the crowd to answer random questions. "What one word comes to mind when you think of Haiti?" ... "Sweaty!" ... "What celebrity would you want to be stranded on an island with?" ... "Johnny Depp" and so on. Guests placed bids on the artwork during the process and then there was a live auction (hosted by yours truly) at the end of the contest.

The amazing improv artists' work raised more than $575 for Hope for Haiti! We love fun, outside-the-box fundraising events like this one and I can't wait to see what else we can come up with for the rest of 2011!

Hope you enjoy some of the photos from the event below - and hope to see you at our next event!

- Tara, HFHF marketing team

[Designer Denim and cute T's from S2 Jeans]

[Delicious (and beautiful) cupcake treats from S2 Jeans]

[The beginning of the Live Artist Improv]

[Round 1, Finished works of art]

[Tandem painting, Round 2]

Our New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011! We hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years! Here at Hope for Haiti Foundation, we're not wasting any time! The marketing team, Elade, Ti Piti and Lydia and Brian, who are finally official NC residents (RAISE UP!), met bright & early this morning to discuss our marketing and fundraising plan for this year. Not only did we enjoy having a mini September-Haiti-trip reunion (though bagels and Folgers just can't compete with the bread and coffee we all bonded over in Haiti), but we're excited about all the big changes that 2011 brings. After all, today was our first meeting with our new executive director and in our new office, where we're still trying to get the interwebs up and working - which means that our friends in Haiti actually have better internet than we do (they're so spoiled...;))

As we start off the year, we're really excited about finding more ways to raise awareness, more ways to connect with y'all and more ways to help you look cool while helping Haiti ;) (one word: awesome bumper stickers. we hope.). We did some SWOTing (file under "Threats": my Haitian coffee supply is running dangerously low), brainstorming and dreaming, a little bit of tweeting and a lot of drawing on big white boards (we're the marketing team - what else did you expect?).

While there are a lot of cool ideas up there on that white board, one of the most exciting things that we nailed down were our top 5 goals for what we'd like to accomplish on the ground in Haiti this year. Our New Year's resolutions, if you will (and you will). And FYI: none of them involve losing weight. Have you TASTED Vierge's pate?

[We realize most of you probably haven't, but we're adding "how to fit Vierge in our suitcases" to our next meeting agenda - or you could just come with us on a trip!]

Top 5 Things We'd Like to See Happen In Haiti This Year

1. Trade School

Number one on our agenda is to open a trade school in Zorange, to help teach people in the community practical skills that would allow them to seek gainful employment. The school will start out teaching tailoring and design and expand to other skills. Building this school would essentially complete our work in Zorange (other than the daily maintenance and operations of our projects there) and allow us to begin implementing similar models in other communities in Bainet. With the trade school, we would have a fully functioning primary and secondary school, a trade school, a full-time clinic and a church in the community...and the ability to follow @hopeforhaiti on Twitter from the computer lab. Why would you ever leave?

2. Clinic in Gandou

We would like to open a clinic, modeled after our Zorange clinic, in Gandou, another community in the Southeast department of Haiti, west of Zorange. This would allow us to bring access to medical care to people who can't reach our clinic in Zorange.

3. Feed the Children

We'd like to start a school lunch program for the kids at our school in Zorange. Because we don't currently offer lunch, we are only able to keep the kids in school for about four hours a day (many of them walk two hours each way to get to school, so that's already an eight hour period of time where they might not have access to food). Not only would adding a lunch program provide the obvious benefits of making sure that kids in poor communities receive at least one solid, nutritious meal a day, but it would help us improve the quality of our education and increase our teachers' employment status to full-time employees. It only costs about $1/day to feed a child, but with one of the biggest schools in the area with 500 kids in attendance, it's a big project!

4. Keep the Lights On

Now that we have solar panels and electricity in Zorange, we can mean this literally! But really, we're talking more generally about maintaining our day-to-day operations and making sure all of our staff in Haiti are paid consistently and on time. It only costs about $16,000/month to keep more than 60 people employed, but it is a big chunk of our resources, and something we want to make sure we are always able to sustain.

5. Best Buy [or something like it]

Whenever we decide to start a new project in Haiti, the first question we ask ourselves is "is it sustainable?". We don't want to introduce something to the community that we or they cannot maintain (one of the reasons we don't have a lunch program yet - we're not going to start it until we are sure we can continue it). Now that we have electronics in Zorange with the building of the computer lab and other electrical technology, we need a place nearby where they can get new equipment, parts or tech support. We'd like to open an electronics store in Bainet. Our version of "Best Buy: Haiti"...even if it resembles "The Shack" at first ;)

[a re-branding effort from RadioShack that we'll never understand]

Of course, these aren't the only things we'll be working towards this year. We're always looking for partners and ways to fund and grow our current educational, medical, spiritual and community initiatives (oh, and we still want to build that hospital), but we're excited to have focus and some tangible goals, with numbers attached, to work towards. Stay tuned for ways you can help - and how you can score your own official Hope for Haiti swag ;)

[not exactly what we're going for with our bumper stickers, but you get the idea!]

Baby, it's cold outside? Stay warm with a new pair of jeans!

2010-12-16T14:40:00.000-08:00

Hi wonderful Hope for Haiti Foundation supporters,

First of all, we apologize for the lack of blog posts the last few weeks. We're making an early New Years resolution to never let it happen again!

Speaking of the holidays, if you're hunting for a gift for that hard-to-buy for person on your list (and who isn't?), consider a pair of S2 Jeans. Not only do they help Haiti, but you can't go wrong with a trusty pair of blue jeans! They're as American as trampling fellow storegoers to get your hands on the latest toy (parents, what it is this year? Because it was all about some Tickle Me Elmo growing up!), using cookies to entice strange, fat, bearded men into your chimney (which would be entirely creepy any other night of the year) and overquoting Elf for the whole month of December (hey, Francisco IS fun to say! ;)). Truth be told, the jeans don't hit the market until the spring, but we still think it's the perfect addition to a Christmas list. Anyone else think it's time to bring the IOU back? (And while you wait, you can check out this article I'm currently loving comparing classic American jeans and classic American cars - http://bit.ly/hTjh9f. I might have a super nerdy addiction to things like American Pickers.)

We know we're a little biased, but we're not the only ones who think S2 jeans are great. They were also featured in the December issue of Carolina Parent! In case you've forgotten, S2 jeans is a new enterprise started by David Jackson, designed with the purpose of giving back to Haiti through donating a portion of the sales. You can read more about it here. We're really excited to see the new brand getting such great local coverage, and we're sure they'll get even more great recognition when the product officially hits markets.

So, this year, avoid the lines & stock up on some great new jeans. After all, you don't want to be a cottonheaded ninnymuggins (ok, ok, we're sorry!).

(P.S. If you'd like a PDF copy of the article, leave us a comment with your e-mail address, and we'll pass it along!)

HFHF Hires an Executive Director

2010-11-23T16:53:00.000-08:00

We just sent out our end-of-the-year Update from the Founder, and despite the extreme challenges in Haiti this year, including a cholera outbreak, a hurricane and, of course, the earthquake, we recognize that we've really been blessed this year. It's been our most successful year to date, the progress we've made in Haiti is unprecedented and the list of what we've accomplished is far too long to share here. When we have a chance to step back and look at what all has been done, we are even more amazed at what has been accomplished with no full-time U.S. staff.

For the last 10 years, thanks to Elade's vision and dedication and consistently committed volunteers, we are truly making a difference in Zorange and the surrounding areas. When you go to Haiti and see the tangible results of HFHF - a real bricks-and-morter school building, successful educated young people, a fully-stocked pharmacy, a tech-saavy computer lab - it really is hard to believe that it was all done without a penny ending up in the pocket of someone here in the United States (we do have about 60 full-time paid Haitian staff). If there's any question about the fact that average people can make a difference no matter where you are in life, HFHF is proof. (inspired yet? want to join us? let us know!). And the fact that none of us is paid is something we're kind of proud of - it means that the money generously donated goes straight to Haiti. It means more medical supplies, more grades added to the school, more jobs for Team Haiti (who are a huge part of the reason HFHF has been able to accomplish what we have!).

But with our entire U.S. staff, including our founder, working for the man full-time (call us selfish, but we like to eat), there are definitely limits to our ability to grow as an organization. There is so much we would love to do, so many big dreams we have, but we've got pretty full plates and can only make so many of those dreams a reality (I'm sure we've all given up sleep for this, and showering would be the next to go. Nobody wants that.).

That's why we're so excited to announce that we have just hired an Executive Director, our first full-time paid staff member in the United States! We have come to a place as an organization where not only is this possible, but it's necessary. With an Executive Director on board, we can focus on building high-level partnerships in the community and with corporations, securing grants and various other activities that really make or break whether a nonprofit remains a small grassroots organization or can grow in terms of recognition and financial strength. We are in a position to support an Executive Director's salary for several years, with the expectation that this person will grow HFHF enough to support the position and then some in the future.

We've spent the last few months accepting resumes and interviewing candidates, and are excited to finally be able to announce the creation of this position and the awesome person who will be filling it. So, ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to introduce to you...

(if you just got "Senorita" by Justin Timberlake in your head, we are kindred spirits)

Lydia Dant! You may remember Lydia from her guest blog post last month or from some of our posts about our September Haiti trip and clean water initiatives. Lydia has a master's in public health from Boston University and has been working at ECHO, Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization, in Ft. Myers, Florida with her husband, Brian, for the last year. Lydia was instrumental in developing HFHF's medical projects, including the Community Health Workers program. She first got connected to HFHF as part of a research project for her master's degree, when she traveled through the nine sections of Bainet, surveying community members about their greatest medical needs. She's been very committed to HFHF ever since and recently was instrumental in securing water filters for the community in Zorange. We're confident that her public health experience and love for Haiti will be an asset in this role and that she'll do great things for HFHF! Lydia and Brian, are apartment hunting and will be moving up to North Carolina in time for her January 1 start date. We really look forward to having them here with us and to see the way the foundation will grow.

As we grow, our vision is to replicate the model we have created in Zorange and carry it out in key locations throughout the Sud-Est Department of Jacmel - while keeping our same commitment to equipping Haitians to change their country and make a difference in their communities, rather than just providing hand outs. We can't wait to see what happens next and look forward to an even stronger second decade. We'll be doing a more in-depth post with Lydia in January, but for now, please welcome her on board!

Gettin' Schooled in Haiti

2010-11-11T08:29:00.000-08:00

No, we're not just talking about what would happen if I tried to play soccer against Haitian kids half my age and size. The 2010-2011 school year in Haiti started October 4, and while getting the HFHF school building back into pre-earthquake shape still requires continuous construction (kind of like life at UNC, the University of Never-ending Construction), class is back in session! We thought this would be a great opportunity to explain a little more about the state of education in Haiti and the HFHF school – plus, we’ve got a very exciting announcement at the end of this blog!

“School’s out forever…”

It's every kid's dream, the anthem of each summer and the subject of those clever Alice Cooper Staples commercials. But, unfortunately, it’s also the reality for many children in Haiti when they reach the end of their primary school education.

In Haiti, even before the earthquake, the enrollment rate for primary school was 67 percent, with less than 30 percent of elementary school students reaching 6th grade. In other words, out of every 100 children, fewer than 20 receive an education above an elementary school level, if they receive that at all. The rural population – like the people of Zorange - is underrepresented in the school system, making those statistics even more dramatic.

[Haitian school children]

Rural education

Enter the Hope for Haiti Foundation school. Founded as an elementary school in 2000, with the primary school opening in 2006, not only does it provide access to both primary and secondary education for children who might not otherwise receive it, but it offers LOCAL education. Before, if a child did have an opportunity to continue their education, they would have to move to the city. Now, they can stay home with their families and use their knowledge and education to build strong rural communities. We have added a grade each year since we have started the school, hoping that in the near future, a student will be able to attend the HFHF school for their entire education.

Marie Lucia Pierre understands the need for educational opportunities in the mountains and countryside of Haiti. Growing up in Zorange, where she now works, she faced the hard choice of moving away from home or dropping out school.

“When I finished sixth grade, I had to move to Port au Prince,” she said, when asked about how HFHF has changed the community in Zorange. “Today, I wouldn’t have to move to continue my education.”

"I hope that as [HFHF's work] continues, we will have an awesome community," she added.

[Marie, in the future cafeteria of the school]

Marie is the portrait of the way access to education can not only change a life, but change communities in rural Haiti. One of the major issues during the Duvalier dictatorship was a "brain drain", where many of the educated professionals in Haiti either fled the country or moved to the city to try to find opportunities. Providing education to children in the mountains and countryside of Haiti strengthens those areas as educated people stay and give back to their villages. Marie's schooling equipped her to go work for organizations like Compassion International, before being recruited by Elade to come support the HFHF school and afterschool programs.

Doin' it, doin' it, doin' it well

As one of the only schools offering higher level education in the region, we recognize our responsibility to create a strong program that focuses not just on academics, but on building character and creating opportunities for fun and personal growth.

Louis Adam, the head of education for HFHF, described his vision for students at HFHF’s school:
“A few years ago, we created the portrait of a graduate of our school. We determined the skills and knowledge beyond the academics that a graduate from our school should possess. With athletics, the library, the computer lab, the enriched curriculum, and the character counts program, I am happy to say that we are on our way in producing well-rounded, productive young Haitians from Zorange.”

Marie is one of the people who is instrumental in making sure students at our school get more than just reading, writing and arithmetic. As a leader of LIJAS, the academic and sports league, and the afterschool programs, Marie is responsible for overseeing the children’s club that meets on the weekends, the sports leagues and cultural activities, all of which create opportunities for students to grow into responsible, well-rounded adults – and have fun!

“We know it will help them grow, and the cultural aspect of the work helps them have fun,” she said.

We’ve got some academic rockstars at our school, too! Recent exam results reveal that we are doing well at the primary level. For three years straight, we have reached 90 percent passing rate, a rate much higher than the national average.

[Nancine, one of the little cuties benefiting from educational opportunities in Zorange]

Drum roll, please

Remember that announcement we promised? Well, one of the most exciting parts of the new school year is that, for the first time, those 9th graders from last year got to stick around for one more year. That's right - Hope for Haiti Foundation now offers 10th grade. Not only is this incredibly significant for this year's class of 10th graders who were able to continue their education, but it brings the HFHF school into Tier 3 education, a monumental step for rural education. Haiti’s educational system is based on the French system and is divided into three tiers: Pre-K to 6th grade, 7th to 9th grade and 10th grade to terminale. Essentially, our school is now a high school, in addition to an elementary and secondary school. Now, the Hope for Haiti Foundation school is the only one in the area, other than the school in the city of Bainet, that offers classes in the third tier of education. We’re so excited, we could do a High School Musical jump!

We plan to continue our trend of adding a new grade each year, and we can't wait to graduate a class of students who were able to start and finish school at the HFHF school, in their hometown.

Tomas Update

2010-11-09T17:50:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone - we're sorry for the delayed update on Hurricane Tomas. This is one of those cases where no news is good news - or at least the best possible news all things considered. The effects of the storm were pretty typical for Bainet, Zorange and the rural areas we work. Bainet and the rivers around Zorange are flooded, and people are generally staying home until the water recedes. The communities face some hard days ahead, as the storm destroyed most of the crops. It's the norm when major storms come through, but it's still not easy to struggle with securing food and possible hunger in the meantime. However, we are grateful that the storm didn't turn out to be more serious, as so many people are still recovering from the earthquake.

From what we can tell by following the news and social media, it seems that other parts of Haiti fared as best as possible too. The greatest threat in the next few weeks will be the spread of cholera, as feared before the storm. There have been some confirmed cases in Port au Prince, and if the disease has a chance to get a hold in such a crowded city, the results could be disastrous. Please keep Haiti in your prayers as they try to hold off the disease.

Bracing for Tomas

2010-11-04T09:15:00.000-07:00

We’ve been watching the Weather Channel with the meteorological dedication of Greg Fishel today – and it’s not because of the rainy morning here in Raleigh. As Tomas menacingly looms off the coast of

Haiti

, we’re bracing ourselves as we watch the effects of this storm – and only wish we could help the people of

Haiti

do more to prepare.

[tents in Port au Prince, not designed to withstand a storm like Tomas]

We’ve gotten reports saying that there are currently strong winds and rain in Zorange and in Port au Prince. School is closed throughout the country, the Port au Prince airport is closing this afternoon and the worst of Tomas is scheduled to hit Haiti late tonight into early Friday morning. The storm has fortunately weakened over this week, but projections say it could reach Category 1 hurricane status before passing over Haiti. Aid workers are scrambling to get people into emergency shelters, but very few exist – even the ones that the Clinton Foundation has built only house 80 people at a time. The government order to evacuate tent cities seems laughable to those living there; there’s no where to go. And people who have clung to their humble but familiar spots of land for nearly a year now are naturally reluctant to leave that behind. There’s nothing easy about this; there are a lot of very vulnerable people trapped in the path of a major storm.

In earthquake-ravaged Port au Prince, the obvious threat is to the 1.3 million people still crammed into tents throughout the crowded city. They have no basement to hide in, no place to ride out the storm. The tent cities are so vulnerable that when a strong storm system (not a hurricane or anything of the sort – just a strong storm) passed over Port au Prince on September 25, five people died from poles and trees falling on the camps. Flash floods are also a huge risk in the crowded city, once again, made more damaging by the lack of shelter. Haiti is extremely mountainous, and almost completely deforested, which means there’s very little to stop runoff into the lower-lying areas.

[Port au Prince from the air - you can see how it kind of sits in a bowl of mountains]

To make matters worse, Haiti is currently experiencing a rare cholera outbreak that has killed 442 people and infected almost 7,000 others. Because cholera is a waterborne illness, the flooding can cause it to spread quickly. Also, evacuees can bring the disease to areas not previously affected, and damaged infrastructure makes it harder for medical workers to get in with treatment and information about how to prevent the disease. Experts predict that the disease could spread aggressively on the heels of Tomas.

Not to be trite, but it truly is the perfect storm of potentially disastrous effects.

The world’s eyes will be on Port au Prince over the next few days, and rightfully so, but since Hope for Haiti Foundation primarily works in the countryside of Haiti, we wanted to share a little bit about the impact that hurricanes and other storms have where we work. While the storm can still cause significant damage and threaten people’s lives, the implications for rural Haiti are often most dramatic after the storm clears.

Economy

Bainet, the largest city in the area, with 100,000 people, temporarily shuts down. People of this city will not be able to transport their goods to Port-au-Prince, and no goods can come into the city because the buses and the trucks do not operate. The cascading effect is the lack of flour, rice and other goods that come from Port-au-Prince to be sold to the people in the country side. Anyone who does have stock of critical goods hikes their prices up because they can – you can’t escape supply & demand anywhere! Basically, people in rural Haiti can’t sell goods and make money after a hurricane, and they also lose their supply of critical goods from the city.

Medical Care

Medical care will be inaccessible in the event of a hurricane. Because of the flood risk, people will not walk or cross rivers to get to the clinic, even if they need medical treatment. Even on normal rainy days in Haiti, people are afraid they won’t be able to cross the river, or if they get across, that they won’t be able to get back.

School

Most schools will close. Luckily, the HFHF school is aware of which students must cross rivers to get to school. The group is the minority, and we offer excused absences to teachers and students who can’t get to school in the event of a flood. Hopefully we’ll be able to operate fairly normally after the storm.

Food Security

Interestingly, the day after the hurricane, there is plenty of food. Fruit trees shed their fruit in the high winds and rain, and coconuts and other fruits are all over the ground. Unfortunately, once off the tree, this fruit can only last a few days. Without any way to preserve it, the majority of the food supply runs out in a just a few days, and there isn’t any more fruit on the trees to pick. Animals, like goats, pigs and chickens, are often lost, scared off by the winds or washed off by the rain. Hunger can set in quickly after a major storm.

Environment

To a country that’s already struggling with deforestation and erosion, the environmental impact of a storm is huge. Trees are uprooted, often ending up in the ocean.

Elade, our founder, recounts riding out several of these storms while growing up in Haiti:

“I've experienced a few of these hurricanes and it is not fun. I remember my home was covered with grass, not tin. It was leaking and one time we were afraid that the house would collapse. I remember thinking of escape routes to take my cousins, away from tall trees, and hide in open fields just to get away from the danger. Now the homes are a little sturdier than before, and perhaps most of them will survive and not collapse, but the fear remains. Life as we know it in the countryside comes to a stop until the sky clears up."

[the house where Elade grew up, now with a sturdier tin roof ]

We're continuing to track the storm and will provide updates as we have them. Please keep everyone in Haiti in your prayers.

In conclusion...

2010-10-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

We all made it home safely. No broken bones or strange diseases. I'm left with a sense of awe...I feel so inspired. My day to day problems are no longer significant.

Every day people come from miles and miles around to line up at this clinic in the hope for life saving medical care. One woman in her 70's started walking at 2am, in the pitch dark, in order to arrive at the clinic the next morning. She crossed the winding river 30 times before she reached the clinic. Sometimes they are too sick and they cannot make the long journey to and from the clinic. One young woman stubbed her toe in the river and could not get to the clinic for 16 days because she lived with two elderly woman. A neighbor finally brought her in but by the time she got there her big toe was literally gone - eaten away by gangrene. Her toe was rotted down to the bone and the infection had spread up her foot. This happens every single day in zorange. The nurses handle wound care, obstetical care, gastro-intestinal diseases, eye, skin, bones...everything. Before the clinic was established the people relied on witch doctors (many still do) or home remedies that often make the problem worse.

The children walk from miles away, every day to attend the school that Elade built. The school has educational standards and teaches the children valuable skills so they can thrive as adults. In this rural part of Haiti, I'm pretty sure there was nothing even close to this before Elade built it all.

Elade feels that the people of Haiti have let down the masses. He feels the educated people of Haiti have a responsibility to help their country. He is not leaving it in the hands of the government, or the hands of the wealthy countries because that isn't going to happen. He is embracing it and doing it himself by empowering his people.

One last observation - the Haitians are happy people. They love each other, take care of each other, smile, laugh, pray and are grateful for every day. All this, despite their circumstances.

My new goal is to find a replacement part for an old ultrasound machine, or hopefully find someone to donate a new ultrasound machine so I can start planning my next trip to the beautiful country of Haiti :)

Pamela

Coconut telegraph

2010-10-29T14:56:00.001-07:00

Any Jimmy Buffett fan has heard of the coconut telegraph, but we got to witness it!

Remember how we lost the tire when it fell off the dump truck between Jacmel & Bainet? Well, our leaders made a phone call or two, and word travels fast on the coconut telegraph - on Tuesday morning, the tire appeared! As the song says, "you can hear it on the coconut telegraph, by now everybody knows. You can hear it on the coconut telegraph just who comes & goes."

- A note from the Parrothead eye doc

A Recap from the Eye Doc

2010-10-29T14:41:00.001-07:00

This trip has been great. We didn't see as many patients as in previous trips, but the ones we saw truly needed eye care. It was fabulous to see patients who haven't been able to see in years smile when they put on their glasses! I saw retinal and corneal pathology that I've never seen before, so I must revisit my pathology books when I get home. It is so hard to tell those patients there is nothing we can do when they look at us with such hope. On a positive note, we were able to help most of the people we saw. We treated glaucoma, infections & tons of dry eye. To sum it up, this was the most effective eye clinic we've done & I can't wait to do it again.

- Kim

Gabby in bainet

2010-10-29T13:42:00.001-07:00

We just got to the ocean... It's beautiful here ....

Friday

2010-10-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

Today is our last day at the clinic. This place is amazing! Elade has built a school, which houses the medical clinic and this is just the beginning. He has a huge initiative to reach out to other rural areas for medical care and education. The school will soon be teaching trades including sewing, woodworking and computers. The Foundation has helped so many people already, but it's just a drop in the bucket.

Ok, I have a patient waiting... Will try to write more later

- Pamela

Wednesday

2010-10-27T15:43:00.001-07:00

Hi, It's Cean. Today we had many patients at the clinic. Something must be in the water because there are a lot of pregnant ones...we did not drink the water.

Ignorance can be bliss - you don't want to know what the meat is. You don't want to see the cliff you're driving on. And you don't really want to know what's climbing up the wall or what crawled on you in the night and bit you. There are lots of changes this year including a flushing (sometimes) toilet and water out of the spigot in the shower (sometimes). The clinic is an eye-opener, in which the nurses that work here amaze me. They do a fantastic job in a location you would never think they would be able to do that in.

The bath in the river is still refreshing especially with the fun jeep ride there and back. I'll write more tomorrow.

[the river]

[the bath]

Tuesday

2010-10-26T10:43:00.001-07:00

Last night it rained very hard for what seemed like all night. I was worried the roof was going to fly off! We also wondered if the river would be too high to return. In addition, we felt an earthquake tremor.

The patients were all lined up at the clinic this morning when we arrived. Some of them walk for hours and without shoes. Since I can't do ultrasounds, I've been doing physical exams on pregnant women. One 16 year old was having her 8th baby.

Kim is seeing many patients with eye problems who are excited they can see with their new glasses. The people are so grateful for the care they're getting. We're taking a short lunch break now. And the goat I saw grazing in the field the other day is no longer there... ...pretty sure we had it for dinner.

-Pamela

2010-10-26T10:35:00.001-07:00

Today we were scheduled to train the four nurses that run the clinic on the ultrasound machines and the slit lamp. Well, Kim has been training the vision part all day, but I haven't been able to do anything since the ultrasound machine is broken. It looks like it got damaged in shipping. I'll try to find a replacement part when I get back.

One of the best parts of this trip is meeting all these passionate, determined people that help out the HFHF team. Kim, Cean, Liz and Gabby are all so kind and helpful. Elade, the founder, envisioned all this - the school, the clinic and much more only 9 years ago.

There is so much poverty in this country. I wish I had the opportunity to visit Haiti before the earthquake, although from what I understand it's not much different. The people still lived in shacks and tents, just not as many.

This all is being sent from my phone - and the internet is sketchy here...so bear with me with short blogs. Here are a few pictures from the journey here:

We got to our dorm at 8:30 Sunday night - it was quite an adventure. We four-wheeled up muddy mountains and drove through rivers to get to Zorange. I'm very excited to go to the clinic and start meeting the people. This picture is the new dorm HFHF built.

Before the adventure. Here's Liz, Cean and Kim getting ready to depart. We're all excited to start our new journey. A few minor bag technicalities, but we're good to go!

This is the clinic/ school.

-Pamela

A Case of the Hiccups

2010-10-25T17:44:00.001-07:00

It wouldn't be a Haiti trip without a few hiccups along the way - and we had several! Hiccup Number 1 occurred when we arrived in Port au Prince without one of our bags of supplies. No worries, mon -- the bag will arrive on the 3:00 flight and will get to us by noon tomorrow!

We made our way towards the mountains, and somewhere between Jacmel & Bainet, we had a flat tire. No worries, mon - our Haitian friends driving the dump truck with our supplies took charge. With the speed of a NASCAR pit crew (well almost), they changed the tire and off we went! Made it through hiccup Number 2!

Hiccup Number 3 occurred when we reached Bainet to get the tire fixed, only to discover the tire had fallen off the dump truck! The first option was for us to all pile in the dump truck for the river ride. The section option was to hope for the best & continue in the Land Cruiser. We took Option 2. The river was higher than I've seen it -- sometimes it was above the dump truck tires. The Land Cruiser was a mule of a vehicle & we made it -- even with the spare tire. Our original ETA had been 6:30 but we arrived at the top of the mountain at 8:15 -- right on "Haitian time". We're safe & happy to be here!

Your Haitian eye doc,
Kim

2010-10-24T15:27:00.001-07:00

We got to Port au Prince safely, but one of our checked bags didn't make it. It's the bag with all of our ultrasound equipment in it! So we'll have to improvise tomorrow... maybe use hair gel.

Haiti is beautiful, but it is very, very sad here. We drove past miles of tents and shacks that the people live in. A lot of the buildings are crumbled.

We've been riding all day on bumpy, mostly unpaved roads, and we just got a flat tire. Elade says we're in "the donkey parking lot " - the HFHF folks will know what that is.

Oh, and our first meal that was graciously provided to us was rice n beans, beet salad and goat meat. Yum!

Will keep you all posted :)

-Pamela

Back in the Saddle: October Trip To Zorange

2010-10-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

Hope for Haiti Foundation’s October trip is en route to Haiti & ready for the rodeo! The team left RDU bright and early this morning, and they should be landing in Port au Prince any minute. We might be just a little jealous as we think about them feasting on Vierge’s carry-out specialty – beet and potato salad – our favorite! (One day, Tara and I are for reals going to start The Gourmet Goat, our Haitian foodie blog side project. It's going to be legen…dary).

While we don’t have any “floggers” on this team (yes, apparently that’s the official term for a “foodie blogger”, as opposed to someone who beats, whips and/or flogs people - luckily, we don’t have any of those on the team either!), we do have four amazing ladies who are going to be providing you updates from Haiti this week! This October trip has a medical focus, and much of the team’s time will be spent training the nurses at the clinic to use some of our new gadgets like ultrasound machines and fancy microscopes...ya know, the little things those medical people like to keep around.

We've got veterans and newbies on this trip, and each of our bloggers has a unique perspective to offer based on their specialty area and past experience in Haiti. So while they spend the day making their way to Zorange, we'd like to introduce you to your lovely tour guides for this week.

Kim Bowers

An optometrist who will be leading the trip, Kim has been involved with HFHF for many years and has been traveling to Haiti since 2007. She “brought sight to Zorange” and fits people there with glasses for near and far sightedness as well as other eye problems. This trip she is training our nurses in Zorange how to use a slit microscope that will allow them to save eyesight by seeing and removing sand, wood or metal that gets in people’s eyes and causes damage.

A great story about her first trip to Haiti: she was fitting an older gentleman with a pair of glasses for distance. She had him go out of the room with the glasses on and look around. When he got out there, he said “The mountains are so beautiful!” He wasn’t the only one with tears in his eyes!

Cean Grinnell

Our resident detective, FedEx expert, master packer and all-around rockstar, Cean keeps the HFHF supply line open! As the our supplies director, she handles obtaining, organizing and packing supplies to be sent to Haiti with trips and in containers; it’s a huge job! She also has a knack for finding places in Haiti for us to buy needed items. If you remember anything about the logistics of getting, well, anything in Haiti, you’ll understand how awesome she is for the stuff she’s able to get her hands on.

This will be Cean’s third trip to Haiti, though she’s been volunteering for much longer. She usually helps Kim out in the eye clinic when in Haiti, and helps Elizabeth out all the time here in the States. In Elizabeth’s words: “I love her. She’s my buddy.”. We all love her, too.

Liz Holland

A nurse who has been traveling to Haiti since 2002, she does everything! Originally, she started out seeing patients with GI problems and eventually added eye patients to her repertoire, treating infections and conditions like dry eyes (Ben Stein shoutout!). Now, she sees just about anyone, treating a variety of illness and providing amazing support to our full-time clinic staff. What a great asset to the team!

Pamela Schiavone

An ultrasound technician at WakeMed hospital in Cary, N.C., Pamela is one of the most recent volunteers to drink the HFHF Kool-Aid. After hearing Kim Sniffin give a presentation about Hope for Haiti Foundation at WakeMed this spring, Pamela signed up to go on a trip the same day! She was right on time, too! Remember that cool ultrasound machine that was donated to the clinic back in May? Well, Pamela will spend the week training the nurses how to use the machine so they can detect and provide care for pregnancy, GI issues and other medical needs. A first-timer to Haiti, we’re really excited to read about the trip from her perspective.

Please pray for smooth travels for the team as they make their way to Zorange. Of course, we don’t mean LITERALLY smooth travel (we might be optimists, but we ain’t crazy); that’s practically an oxymoron on those Haitian roads and we’re already pushing our miracle quota. But we are praying for a safe trip, maybe with a little less river drama this time around. Check back this week for regular updates from the ground in Haiti!

Yeehaw!

New Jeans Brand Giving Back to HFHF; Featured at NYC Holiday Lookbook Event

2010-10-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

David Jackson is giving a whole new meaning to “good jeans”.

After traveling to Zorange with Hope for Haiti Foundation in March, the Elon Univeristy professor and entrepreneur launched a new brand of women’s jeans – S2 Jeans – as a way to help victims of the January earthquake and rebuild infrastructure in Haiti. Moved by what he saw in Zorange, especially the damaged school, clinic and future hospital buildings, David knew he had to do something. Because textiles represent a major export for Haiti, the idea for the premium jeans brand was born. He immediately began the production process to create a comfy, stylish pant, made even better by the fact that 3 percent of the profits will be donated back to HFHF!

After months of picking out buttons, rivets and stitching, trying on samples and perfecting the fit, S2 jeans was ready to debut its altruistic apparel. On October 5, S2 jeans was featured at the Holiday Lookbook in New York City, a biannual media-only event designed to give invited media outlets an exclusive glimpse at select brands and products for inclusion in holiday gift guides. Jackson and his team traveled to the Big Apple to show off their latest denim fashion, and their presence at the show gave them the chance to interact with editors from top news, fashion and women’s interest publications, such as the AP, Lucky and Elle. Jill Martin, a fashion and entertainment reporter who has contributed to The Today Show, Extra, Access Hollywood and other top entertainment shows, hosted the event.

[the S2 booth at the Holiday Lookbook]

S2 Jeans’ attendance at the event has already paid off! A reporter from The Examiner featured the brand in a recap article, and a video summary of the Holiday Lookbook shows Jill Martin stopping by the S2 booth to check out the jeans.

Jackson has met with many buyers, investors and retailers to work on developing relationships and getting the jeans in stores. Soon S2 jeans will be available to buy, with the line starting out with a sulfur top indigo jean with classic lines, washed for comfort. Keep checking their website for purchasing info and getcha some!

Many thanks to David for his big heart and incredible initiative. We look forward to the official launch of S2 jeans and partnering with the team. Just more proof that looking good and doing good can fit like…well, your favorite pair of jeans.

LINKS:
S2 Jeans
The Holiday Lookbook
Examiner Article
Video featuring Jill Martin and S2 Jeans

GUEST BLOGGER: Lydia Dant talks about the new Community Health Workers program

2010-10-19T06:01:00.000-07:00

We think it's time for you to read other people. While we know you love us, your faithful bloggers, things are getting a little too comfortable, and it's time to spice things up. That's why we bring you: the guest blogger (after all, distance makes the heart grow fonder, right?). In all seriousness, one thing we aim to do on this blog is to bring in other writers who can provide a different viewpoint, unique insights, expertise on a certain project area or a fuller picture of our work in Haiti. Whether it's someone who has been impacted by HFHF's projects in Haiti, a trip member or a core volunteer who focuses on specific programs, we're going to regularly bring in guest bloggers to offer a new voice to our communications. Our first guest post comes from Lydia Dant, who you've read about before from our September trip news. She shares about our recently-launched Community Health Workers program and what it means for the Bainet area.

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You have a headache, or arthritis, or the flu. You have an upset stomach, and you’re not sure if its something you should be concerned about. You think you might be pregnant, or you know you are. You have high blood pressure, or diabetes, or cataracts. Your son fell and has a large wound on his leg.

What do you do?

If you live in Zorange, Haiti, you only have 2 options: 1) do nothing 2) take a long & expensive journey to visit a health clinic.

Until recently, in fact, the second option did not exist. Thanks to generous donations and a dedicated Haitian medical staff, Zorange now has a medical clinic that sees about 50 patients a day – providing basic medicines, lab work, wound care, women’s health services, vaccinations, and maternity care. It is hard to appreciate the impact of this clinic when you live in the states, where a 10 minute car ride will bring you past at least a dozen places where you can buy Advil. Imagine if all of those drug stores vanished? Welcome to Zorange, pre-HFHF clinic.

[people waiting in line to be seen at the Zorange clinic]

While the clinic provides hundreds with necessary medical care, there are hundreds more who don’t know about the clinic, or can’t travel to the clinic. Some are too sick. [When is the last time you had the flu and thought “I know what I’d like to do right now. I’d like to take a 4 hour hike in 100 degree weather over 4 mountains with no water, food, or shoes.”] Even if you are up for the trek, the river is too high to cross at certain times of year, making it impossible to reach the clinic. Others have to stay home because they are the sole caregiver for their family. And, while the clinic will never turn down a patient for lack of funds, spending the day traveling to a clinic is an expense of lost wages.

These are just some of the reasons why it was necessary to create a third option to meet people’s health needs: Community Health Workers. CHWs are a critical part of HFHF’s medical program. HFHF currently has two community health workers in each of the 9 sections of Bainet. Many of these sections have no medical care whatsoever. The CHWs are trained to take blood pressures, temperatures, educate the community about sanitation and vaccinations, and also refer people to the HFHF clinic when they recognize a serious illness. The CHWs are also trained in basic prenatal care and to recognize complications in pregnancy and respond to these complications where appropriate. These CHWs are the eyes, ears, and, often times, hands of medical care in these communities where previously, health problems have never been addressed.

The CHWs are also helping HFHF to gather baseline data for each community. With this information, our medical staff will have a better sense of the scope of medical issues in the communities, and will be more equipped to meet people’s needs. Because they live in the communities, the CHWs can catch things like malnutrition early on before it becomes life threatening. They can educate families on the importance of hand washing, how to prevent dehydration from diarrheal disease, or the signs and symptoms of malaria. Communication & education is a big part of what CHWs can do in a community. Without WebMD or ‘The Learning Channel,’ CHWs are the primary source of medical information and knowledge. These CHWs are the lifeline for each of these communities.

[Myrlan, who oversees the community health workers, in the Zorange pharmacy]

So, that cut that your son got on his leg can now be bandaged without a day-trip to the clinic, decreasing the risk of infection. You can receive some pain relief from that headache without investing an entire day to do so. Your fears can be relieved when the CHW takes your blood pressure and lets you know that everything is fine, or that you are responding well to the blood pressure medication the clinic gave you last month.

The impact of these CHWs is immeasurable (well, almost. We do believe in monitoring & evaluation for effective programming!) But to a sick or suffering patient, these dedicated workers are an answer to prayer. And, would you believe that all of this happens for only $70 per month? For a mere $840 a year, a community health worker is provided with a living wage and a stable income to support their family. In return, they provide a community with health, support, peace of mind, and hope. For $70 a month. For those of you who struggle with numbers, the cost-benefit ratio here is about a gazillion to one.

As we finish the first year of our CHW project, and look ahead to year two, we are more excited than ever at the impact it is having. Thanks for letting us share it with you.

XXX

Lydia Dant first traveled to Haiti in 2008 to conduct a research project for her master's in public health degree. She and Mahsa (see video below) traveled through the nine sections of Bainet, surveying community members about their greatest medical needs. Like most unsuspecting first-time travelers to Zorange, she was hooked and has been involved with Hope for Haiti Foundation ever since. With her background in public health, Lydia works with several of HFHF's medical projects, with a focus on maternal and child health and the Community Health Workers program. Lydia is originally from the Boston area, and now lives in Ft. Myers, Florida, where she and her husband, Brian, work at ECHO.

Check out this video to hear Matt, Mahsa and Laura explain more about the Community Health Workers program.

Move over, Brita

2010-10-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

It looks like Sawyer's got the corner on the water filter market - at least in Zorange.

Remember two weeks ago when we told you about the Sawyer water filters that Brian and Lydia were able to bring to Zorange on our September trip? Here's a rapid-fire recap, intro-to-Glee style, for those of you who don't: This simple filtration system was developed by Sawyer to provide developing countries with a low-maintenance, fast, cost-efficient way to purify water, and they were included in relief kits that ECHO put together after the January 12 earthquake. ECHO, which stands for Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization, is based in Florida, and though they now work all over the world, they actually began their mission of "equipping people with resources and skills to reduce hunger and improve the lives of the poor" in Haiti. Brian & Lydia currently work at ECHO and were able to get their hands on a few filters to be used in the school and clinic. For the people in Zorange, whose only source of water is the dirty river accessible by a long, steep climb, these filters were life-changing. While they still have to walk to get water, that water is now safe for them to drink, which will greatly reduce waterborne illnesses like cholera. (And that's what you missed on our blog).

Following the trip, Brian and Lydia had an opportunity to give a presentation at ECHO, focusing on the water filters and their impact in the community. Well, thanks to their mad presentation skills and ECHO’s generosity, Hope for Haiti Foundation is receiving 60 more water filters to distribute throughout the community in Zorange! The donated filters have a total value of $3000 and will provide clean water to households throughout the Bigot habitation and greater Zorange area. These bad boys are en route to North Carolina right now, and we are so excited. (We’re talking SNL-Surprise-Party-Sue-excited here.)

We can’t express our gratitude to ECHO enough. Providing clean water to 60 families anywhere would make a huge difference in the lives of hundreds of people, but because of the close community in Haiti, we really believe these will have a have a widespread impact. Now kids won't just have clean water at school, but at home too; people who are already sick won't have their immune systems further compromised by drinking contaminated water and healthy adults will have a much better shot at staying healthy. As we get ready to send our October trip to Haiti in two weeks, we're sure we'll be stuffing checked luggage full of filters, and after the community has used these filters for a consistent amount of time, we are going to work with our medical team on the ground in Haiti to try to track the decrease in diarrheal disease and other waterborne illness . Thanks again to ECHO for making this possible!

Sonie's Water Filter
To see a video of one of Zorange's residents with her new water filter, click here!

In Their Voice: Medical Care in Haiti

2010-10-06T16:29:00.001-07:00

If you've spent any time around those of us involved with Hope for Haiti Foundation, you've probably heard us say, well, a lot of things. Raving about the Haitian coffee. Excessive use of the word "awesome." And if you're in Haiti with us, probably a lot of "pa komprann" (which means, "I don't understand" in Creole :)). But one thing you definitely will have heard us talk about is the enormous need for accessible medical care in Haiti.

It's hard for us here to imagine life without doctors - not to mention specialized doctors, pharmacies on every corner (and in every Target! Hello, new shoes with each prescription filled!) and cutting edge surgical centers. But for many in rural Haiti, it can take 6 to 12 hours - and a lot of money - just to get to somewhere that can administer medical care, which is often subpar or completely insufficient. And keep in mind that this is not your average 6-to-12-hour trip. The lucky ones with vehicles face a long journey of bumpy, unpaved roads and potential obstacles like swelled rivers (not only is the lack of medical care an issue in and of itself, but the lack of infrastructure complicates everything), but for many, this journey is done on foot, over mountains. Women in labor. People bleeding to death. People with high fevers, headache, diarrhea from infectious disease. WALKING to the doctor. Not only does that sound completely miserable (let's be honest, last month, I had a simple ear infection and still subjected myself to five hours of "Real Housewives of New Jersey" before I could drag myself off the couch to drive to the doctor. I'm. so. embarrassed.), but it makes emergency response essentially nonexistent. People die senseless deaths everyday from things that we don't even consider life-threatening here - all because a simple lack of access.

Much of the knowledge we have about the current medical situation in the Bainet city section of Haiti (remember, Bainet is a region in the Sud Est department of Haiti - it's divided into nine sections, one of which is Zorange) is thanks to a health survey that Lydia and Mahsa did in May 2008 as a research project for their Masters in Public Health degree (not only are we cute, but we're smart!).
The facts that we learned from these interviews have proved invaluable and guided much of our approach to our medical projects, but it's the stories that stick in our hearts. As we begin focusing on fundraising for some major medical initiatives, we wanted to share some of the quotes from the interviews with y'all, because, while you've probably heard us talk about a lot of stuff, we think it's always more powerful when told in their voices. These truly paint the picture of the medical situation in Haiti and the challenge people face regarding their health.

“I was walking home my water broke. I went to Petit - Goâve and then after that to the General Hospital and it was closed. I had a friend who took me to a hospital in Caw Foo. It was raining and when I got there the doctor said if you have money you will survive, if you have no money you will not survive. I gave the money, and they bought medicine and gave me an IV. He told me the baby won’t survive and when the baby was born they hit the baby but the baby didn’t cry. The baby was born abnormal. The baby died 5 days after delivery.” (Female, Section 6)

“If someone has complications during labor, we have to create a stretcher to carry that person for 6-7 hours to Bainet by hand. They do not always make it and die on the way.” (Section 4)

“We go to Fonds des Blancs if more serious, but it takes all day to walk (12 hours). We do not go to Jacmel, Bainet because they have nothing there.” (Section 9a)

“When our wives give birth we carry them on our shoulders to give birth and they die. When we arrive at Bainet we have to then go to Jacmel.” (Male, Section 5)

“Sometimes we went so far and when we arrived we did not have medicine for our troubles and it is bad because we used our money and did not receive anything.” (Male, Section 8)

“If you have a serious illness, you will most likely die before you get to the hospital, because the road is bad.” (Section 9a)

“We hear that help is coming but we do not receive the help because where we live is the last corner and what the government gives does not arrive here.” (Male, Section 5)

We also have some awesome quotes about how much the clinic in Zorange is helping, and we're really excited about some of our recent initiatives like the community health workers program, but we can't seem to shake the knowledge that there's still so much more to be done. One thing that came out through the focus groups was the fact that in the entire Bainet city, there isn't a hospital that can perform a surgery. That's why we're so serious about building this hospital - it will give more than 500,000 people access to medical care that simply doesn't exist for them now. We have the buildings and we have a really exciting plan that our amazing architects put together, and we're about to get serious about fundraising to make this thing happen (game faces on!). Because, while we hate to make it about money, hospitals ain't cheap, and we need to raise at least $1 million to make the beginning phases of the plan a reality (cue the early-90s Barenaked Ladies hit "If I Had a Million Dollars". Or if we really want to dream, fast forward 15 years to "Billionaire". *sigh* Inflation.). Check back soon for some more details about the hospital (including snazzy 4-D imaging of the plans!) & details on how you can help...we're excited for you all to dream with us :)

-Your Favorite Marketing & PR Team

P.S. If you want to learn more about the medical scene in Haiti, we highly recommend reading Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, about Paul Farmer's work in Haiti. Paul Farmer is one of the founders of Partners in Health, probably one of the most effective charities working in Haiti right now, and one of the great champions for medical care in developing countries. His work is centralized in the Centre Department but the book does a great job describing the medical challenges the country faces. And while you're at it, why not put on Arcade Fire's latest, The Suburbs? They're strong supporters of PIH, and that CD has been on repeat for weeks. Happy reading & listening!

'I am Saved!' - Clean Water Comes to Zorange!

2010-09-30T18:53:00.000-07:00

I'll always remember the realization I had a few weeks into my first "real" job, standing at the iconic water cooler, filling my 'Stuff White People Like'-worthy, reusable, BPA-free water bottle with crisp, cold, ultra-filtered water. Right behind me was a sink & faucet, with perfectly good water, that I refused to drink from. There, in a 3-foot radius, I had not one, but two, sources of unlimited clean water, and I was being so picky as to only drink from the cooler because of a preference in temperature - when much of the world doesn't have access to a single source of clean water.

For almost all of the developing world, lack of clean drinking water is one of the most pressing health and social issues people face. Women spend thousands of hours collecting water, waterborne diseases kill more than 1.4 million children each year and in some developing countries, 80 percent of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation. Zorange, Haiti, where Hope for Haiti Foundation works, is no exception. The main water source for the community is the river that cuts through the mountainous region (remember the river we got stuck in?). This is the same river they bathe in, walk in, drive in, tend their livestock in. Though they try to find side springs to avoid collecting water directly from the fast-moving, muddy main current, this water still isn't potable. The cost for this water? Miles of walking up steep hills with buckets of water and enormous health risks. The choice? There isn't one.

The health implications are obvious; waterborne diseases like cholera and dysentary can plague communities where they would otherwise be avoidable. The social implications, less blatant, are equally devastating. In communities facing water scarcity, women's time and resources are focused on obtaining water, sometimes walking hours each day to bring back small amounts of water for their families - water that will still make them sick. Sometimes children even drop out of school to help with gathering water. In communities where wells have been drilled, not only does public health immediately and immensely improve, but education, family structure and sometimes even economies strengthen, as women can focus on developing trades, skills and business. Providing clean water is one of the most effective ways to drastically change a community in an instant.

That's why one of the most exciting and powerful moments on our trip to Haiti last week was when Brian and Lydia presented the community with a water filter system that would allow them to purify water before drinking it, with no fancy contraptions and in just a few minutes. The filter, created by Sawyer and provided in conjunction with ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization, where Brian interns), can purify up to 500 gallons of water a day, has a lifetime warranty and can be used just by attaching it to a bucket and running water through it before drinking. Several filters were donated to Zorange through ECHO's earthquake relief efforts, and Brian and Lydia trained community leaders on how to use the filter. The filters will be used for the school so the children have safe water to drink and in select homes in Zorange.

[Community members learning how to use their water filters]

The community reaction to the systems was incredible; they were so excited! “The idea of water for us is a mystery," said Obed, the head of our host family. "It’s true that we have water, but it is far to get to, and when we do get it, no one thinks about how to get it clean. Most of the time, when our kids get sick, the doctor tells them the reason they’re sick is what they’re drinking.” Sonie Adam, another community leader who was trained on how to use the system, yelled that she was "saved" after seeing the system at work. We can't imagine what it would be like to be forced to drink water that you knew was making you sick and the feeling of having that problem solved in an instant. Witnessing this moment impacted everyone on our team; the cool thing is that we know it impacted the community in Zorange even more.

[Olivier getting clean water for the first time]

Ultimately, we hope to build a well in Zorange as a wide-reaching, easily-accessible, long-term solution to the water crisis, but the weather, location and cost makes it quite the task. In the meantime, we are thrilled to have the answer in the Sawyer filters! We can't imagine how many deaths, illnesses, missed days of school and economic setbacks these will prevent. Brian and Lydia are continuing to work with ECHO and Sawyer to try to secure filters for the whole community, and we're really excited about the future of this project. It can pretty much all be summed up in what Sonie said when we talked to her after giving her a filter: “Because of this project, we will have a different life. When you come back, you will see our faces healthy.” It doesn't get more beautiful than that!

[Sonie, so excited about her water filter]

Special thanks to ECHO and Sawyer for their generosity. You can learn more about the Sawyer product here: http://www.sawyerpointonefilters.com/

Coming Home (when everything is the same but you)

2010-09-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

I've always loved going more than I've loved coming home. I thrive off of new experiences, get bored with routine and dream of far off places. Part of me has always wanted to be a flight attendant, and I didn't think that George Clooney's character in Up in the Air was really that bad of a guy. But I will say that after our epic and ridiculous time trying to get back to Raleigh (I don't know if we mentioned that we got stranded in Miami overnight and had our flight delayed again the next day), I have never wanted to come home so badly. I typically walk through the airport staring at the destination above each gate and thinking of the planes I'd much rather get on than the one heading home, but yesterday, the only place I wanted to go was to RDU. And in many ways, it has been nice to be back. I spent Friday night dreaming of hair straighteners and air conditioning, of opening my closet instead of a plastic bag to pick out my outfit, and I've spent the last few days running, spending time with friends & sleeping - some of the things I missed the most in Haiti. It's funny, because I've gone on plenty of trips before where I've camped, lived out of a backpack and not showered for days, but I've never felt the same relief of coming home with those as I do now. Something about being in a country so different from home, about knowing that I didn't have resources at my fingertips, has made coming home so comforting.

But, coming home has also been much harder and different than I expected. Aside from the common challenges of trying to describe an amazing trip to curious friends in just a few words, the let down of getting back to normal life after an adventure and missing the beautiful places and people I met, I have thought about Haiti almost constantly since landing in Raleigh. I have never had to process a place and an experience so much, never struggled so much to comprehend things that I can't really get my mind around. I had been warned that it takes time to decompress from a trip like this, that Haiti is somewhere you come back to over and over, but I guess I was naive to it all. I've been to other countries before, and I was only gone for a week this time. I wasn't expecting to be left with so many thoughts, so many things that I struggle to make sense of and so many questions about politics, dynamics, causes and effects and the best way to move forward. There are so many things - good & bad - that I'm trying to translate, to find their equivalent for in my own life, with very little luck. And there are so many amazing and meaningful personal experiences and people I've fallen in love with that I miss.

The thing that has surprised me most, besides the way I still struggle to process it all, has been my feelings as I have processed it. I knew that I would come out of this week changed, and I knew that I would see and experience a lot of shocking, difficult and beautiful things that would ultimately shape my perspective and worldview. Honestly, I expected to come back with the temporary feeling of guilt about my nice things and comfortable life, write an extra donation check instead of buying a new dress and get back to normal life. But for some reason, Haiti hasn't left me feeling guilty, but it has left me feeling very unsettled. I don't feel like I need to change how I'm living, but it bothers me at little times throughout the day - driving down the road, drinking a cup of coffee - that I can't do more to change how the people there are living. It bothers me that right now someone is sick and having to walk over mountains to get to a doctor, that a kid is drinking water that will make him sick. It bothers me that with one shower, my life was quickly brought back to normal while what I left was their normal. It bothers me that with a plane ticket and a U.S. passport (a birthright, really), I can literally be lifted above it all, taken to 30,000 feet where life is equal - we're all just specks on a globe - and dropped back into my life here, exactly as I left it, while they can't escape from the struggles they face everyday. I think I'm realizing that the way Haiti has affected me has much less to do with personal conviction and much more to do with what I believe about justice and my role in it at a deep level. I think this upsets me so much because it's not how the world was designed to be, because it bothers God too.

The temptation is to try to adjust, to just want to get back to normal, knowing that if I just let myself get back into my routine, it will eventually all feel right again, like waiting for a drug to wear off. But there's also part of me that wants to cling to this feeling because I know it's really the opposite of a drug wearing off, and that my normal life is the numb part and that this real. There's part of me that doesn't want to get back to normal, because injustice should always bother me. Because I should always be aware that there's no "me" and "them", but merely a difference in where we were born, which has come with a huge difference in opportunity. Because I should always realize that with awareness comes responsibility to not live selfishly, to do whatever I can, no matter how small.

I'm honestly not sure what to do about it all. There's that immediate desire to do anything - donate clothes, food, whatever - just to alleviate the feeling of helplessness, but I realize that that's not the ultimate answer. While it's not an easy answer for someone growing up in an instant gratification society, I know that the fight is much bigger and the road is much longer than a quick fix. That it takes time and a diversity of skills and building on top of previous work and providing resources that equip people to change their own nation rather than just providing a bandaid. I really believe that Hope for Haiti Foundation does just that, and I'm so proud to be involved. While the spoiled part of me wants instant results, ultimately, I'd rather see long-term and sustainable change that's community-owned and empowering. I absolutely believe that Haiti isn't a hopeless nation; I've seen the strength, passion, pride, intelligence and drive of the people there, and I know that in the long run, they don't really need me. All we can do is provide the jumping point - the school, the antibiotic, the access to information through the internet - and remove obstacles that allow them to live fully in that potential. It's humbling, and motivating to continue the work. If you'd ever like to be more involved with HFHF, give us a shout - we always love meeting more "victims of Haiti's passion" and promise there's a fit for your skills. You'll fall in love and you'll be bothered, but it's worth it. After all, waking up is always hard - but necessary - to do.

-Kristen P.

This is not our first rodeo or Murphy's law strikes again (or, what had happened was...)

2010-09-24T19:17:00.001-07:00

We promise we've had a really great trip. Promise. But that doesn't mean it hasn't had it's share of adventure (we use the word adventure because we're so good at positive spin) . Right now we're writing to you from 30,000 feet en route to Miami, praying we make our connection to Raleigh. See what had happened was...after a crazy early morning drive from Bainet (details to come..this is a "it rains, it pours story"), we arrived at the airport safe and sweaty, boarded the plane and settled in, dreaming of flushing toilets, cell service and fried food during our 5 hour layover in Miami. Hold up. Turns out a valve on the plane needs tightening. Valve tightening leads to the discovery of a hydrolic leak in the landing gear. We all get off the plane. Miracles happen (the part needed to fix the plane is actually in Haiti...things never happen that easily here). We get back on the plane. We're now sitting here waiting to refuel (the truck is here, but you know, they can't fuel with lightning in the area, which clearly there is). The clock keeps ticking away as we watch our connection window get tighter and tighter.

Let's back the truck up real quick so you understand our mental state at this point. Yesterday, on our way to Bainet, we smell burning rubber after tackling a big hill in the Nissan (remember that this is the other car...as in not the one that got stuck in the river earlier in the week) and pull over to find out it's the clutch. The solution? Pile us all and our luggage into the Toyota like sardines-there were 11 of us flying (literally,on that bumpy road) to Bainet...Jessica even rode seated backwards on the front console. A few hours later, Marcel comes rolling down the streets of Bainet in the Toyota, tugging the Nissan and Elade behind him. Notice we say 'tug' and not 'tow'. There is no calling AAA, no professional truck to hitch the Nissan up to. No siree bob, we're talking a long piece of fabric tied between the two vehicles. Going up the mountain was no sweat, but you could see the tension on Elade's face when he tried to describe going down the mountain with no control of his vehicle, separated from the car in front of him by only a piece of fabric. But because it's not our first rodeo, both vehicles made it safe and sound! We couldn't fix the car in town and the verdict was that we'd all be riding in the Toyota on the 5 hour drive to PAP in the morning. Elade not-so-secretly rejoiced in the fact that we're finally "riding around like Haitians". We started doping on ibuprofen and did laugh about the fact that it was the stuck-in-the-river Toyota that came through for us in the end. So, on this trip we've managed to kill two cars and an airplane. As Elade points out though, there's really been no drama. God's given us a lot of patience and we've all had good spirits. Elade keeps saying: "And Kristen is STILL smiling!". God bless those newbies and their cheerful spirit :)

And that's the thing- even with all the craziness and hard moments, we've loved being here. We have a great team (and we somehow still like each other) and we've seen a lot, laughed a lot, experienced a lot of take-your-breath-away moments and learned a lot. One lesson has been that we have no right to complain. The crazy moments are small, and funny really, in light of the challenges Haitians face everyday. We hope we can approach these small challenges with the same joy that they have for the big ones. And if we can continue to do anything to help equip them to change their nation, we'll keep coming back. We'll stand up for and with them- every time.

Last night, Elade drove a few of us to a piece of land we recently purchased down the road from our future hospital. This plot is huge and stretches all the way from the road to the water. This is the place we go and dream. We're not sure exactly what this place will be used for 10-20 years down the road, but it will be something big- a teaching hospital, an industrial center, a community center, a multiuse complex (Tara and Kristen say a resort). Elade wants to bring a team of architects down, crack open some coconuts and just talk about the possibilities- a coconut summit, if you will. Last night we stood there as the sun set over the Caribbean Sea, our friend Franki (the godfather of Bainet) sliced open some fresh oranges and we had our first unofficial coconut summit, going around the circle and each talking about what we hope to see there. It was awesome to take the time to see the potential- not just to be excited about what was accomplished this week or even our plans for next year, but to dream about the future. After all, "hope" is an important part of our name :)

So we say orevwa, or see you later, not adieu (goodbye) to Haiti. Haiti is one of those places you go and then you come back. Whether it was our first or 30th trip, we all fell in love with a part of Haiti and can't wait to go back (though we'll all be glad if we ever make it home!)...and we'd love to have you join us some time!

Keep checking the blog! We're excited to have launched it this week and will regularly update y'all with details about projects from this trip and future projects.

XOXO,
Kristen & Tara

Someone here is stinky... And I'm pretty sure it's me

2010-09-23T09:43:00.001-07:00

We got to spend some quality time yesterday with the people of Zorange - one thing we love about these smaller trips. Tara and Kristen pretended to be international journalists for the day (hello, dream job!) and interviewed many of the employees of and people impacted by HFHF. We videoed each interview and plan on including a story in each email update (which we promise we'll send out more often- hopefully at least once a month. Brace your inboxes and hold us to it!) We won't tell you too much yet - don't want to spoil it - but there were stories that made us smile and might have made us cry a little (ok, I'll call myself out-this is Kristen and I'm a softie). Needless to say, we are pumped to share these videos with you! While we "went down to the river bathe" (so refreshing and much needed. We were stinky!), some of the guys joined in a game of futbol,Haiti's pastime. They played "a team from across town", which means across the river and over the mountain! The competition continued after dinner with some intense games of dominoes...played a lot like our Spades. Meanwhile Elizabeth entertained girls from ages 6 to 19 with fun iPhone games. It was so cute to see a group of laughing kids at her feet, and we all loved getting to build relationships with our friends in Haiti.

The internet drama continues, and this blog post is brought to you by the iPhone (and the letter O). The Internet company still isn't giving us our full allowance of bandwidth, and we've figured out that using our phones uses much less space (want to blog from Haiti ? There's an app for that). The IT team has done a great job working in less than ideal conditions and has everything squared away, but Team Haiti is still going to have to travel to Port au Prince to give the company a little talking to, since the lack of service as interfered with some of the needs of the foundation. Some other seriously cool stuff was accomplished yesterday... so cool that we want to dedicate a whole blog post when we get home (hint-clean water!).

We are about to eat lunch (Vierge is making Pate again, our favorite... Like a meat and cheese pastry), and then we are heading to Bainet to stay tonight. Bainet is a city about 10 miles from Zorange (an hour drive) and staying there puts us a little closer to Port au Prince for our flight out Friday. (quick Haiti geography lesson- Haiti is divided into departments or states and we work in the Sud Est, or southeast, department. Departments are divided into cities and those cities into sections...kind of like our counties and cities. Bainet is a city with 9 sections and Zorange is one of those sections. Bainet, where we're staying tonight, is a section of Bainet city - think Durham in Durham county). It's also the site of our future hospital and dorm. Y'all, we want to build this hospital so bad!! Seeing those buildings and their potential makes us so excited to revisit our fundraising efforts and get this hospital operational. We're looking forward to hanging out with the team, processing this week, celebrating what's been accomplished...and maybe going for a little swim in the Caribbean Sea :) We all love it here and are sad to leave but are so thankful for what we've been able to do and excited about some projects put into motion that will grow and have huge future impact. We'll be getting up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to drive to PAP and fly home. We'll get back late but hope to post a quick blog update letting you know we're safe and sound.

Much love,
Kristen & Tara

Don't Stop Til You Get Enough

2010-09-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

The rain clouds rolled out last night, and we woke up this morning to a beautiful sunny day - perfect for a hike through the mountains of Haiti. Elade, Brian and Nanga (our agricultural gurus) – and Kristen and Lydia, the two tag alongs – started the morning with a 3 mile tour (sing to tune of Gilligan’s Island) of farms and land plots in the Bigot/Zorange area . The agricultural team has spent this week surveying the area and meeting with local growers to find out about what they grow and their practices. Haiti has the ability to grow a huge variety of crops and the farmers here are employing a lot of great agricultural practices, even without access to agronomic education. Brian and Nanga hope to help increase crop diversity, create buffer zones and find crops that can be harvested in the off season to increase food security. We’re looking to set up a test farm to demonstrate how new methods of farming can really work here in Haiti. It was great to get out, see more of the other habitations and beautiful countryside and get some exercise… though we’re pretty sure we ate more than we hiked, as we were treated to a coconut feast at a friend’s house along the trail. Nothing beats the fruit fresh off the tree in Haiti!

Yesterday was another productive day in Zorange, despite a constant drizzle all day. Undaunted, some of our brave strong men donned rain jackets and climbed up on the slippery roof to keep installing wiring . We are still having bandwith issues, and the IT team has done a great job installing language and antivirus software while dealing with the internet provider and trying to get them to correct our limit. Oh, and did we mention there’s a new Wifi hotspot in town? The awesome IT team also got internet down in our dorm, and it even reaches down to Obed’s, our host family’s, house. Pretty soon we’ll be surfing the internet while feasting on amazing Haitian bread, coffee & pastries. (Thought you’d get away with a post without a food mention? Our Italian, food-lovin upbringing won’t allow it! We’re thinking about starting a side Haitian foodie blog.)

[ making covers for the laptops ]

Now, we’re going to let you in on the tough life we have here on the media team. Apparently, in addition to plenty of bottled water and coconut milk, our teammates have been drinking their share of the Haterade. They censor themselves while “the bloggers” are around. Any time we make a positive comment, it’s dubbed as “spin”. We have even been called “the party team” (hey, girls just wanna have fun!). So when we heard that school storage room needed organization, we attacked it with something to prove! “Needing organization” turned to be an understatement – the room looked like an episode of Hoarders! Towers of books were piled in the corners; crayons, toys, games, flash cards, tape and glue were piled in bins with no rhyme or reason; and we had enough pencils for Tom Hanks to send Meg Ryan dozens of bouquets of pencils, ala You’ve Got Mail. Little did we know that we’d find enough historical artifacts in those piles to make the American Pickers proud. We’re talking phone books and the University of Maryland class directory from 1994, late-80s school supply catalogs galore, and instruction manuals for 1960s computer equipment! In case we weren’t already surprised by some of the well-meaning but not-so-useful donations we’d received, we stumbled across the collection of French romance novels (none of us speak French, but covers complete with Fabio look alikes are universal!). We’re proud to report that after a full day of manual labor, we’ve got everything sorted, organized, boxed up and labeled – and upped our cred with the team. If TLC calls, you know where to find us.

[ Before: Tara & Kristen, a little overwhelmed by the messy room ]

[ After: Lydia with the nicely organized books! ]

Even after a hard day’s work, we still had to stay true our reputation by throwing a little part-ay (we can’t let down our fans, now can we?). As the team and a few of our Haitian friends gathered to watch the sunset on the porch of the dorm, we busted out a little Michael Jackson (“P.Y.T….I want to loooove you…”) and our best dance moves (though Nanga showed us all up when we played “Beat It”). After dinner, the party continued with a movie night on the inside wall of the dorm. Tim figured out how to hook his computer and the projector up to the power source down there, and we had a good turnout of adorable Haitian kids for our first movie premiere in Zorange. Ashley, our school director in Haiti, told us that the kids kept saying “Those people are so cute!” after seeing the dolled up celebrities. Unfortunately the movie got cut a little short when the power went out – turns out the cloudy day didn’t charge the solar panels enough to support a day’s worth of blogging and movie-watching.

[ it isn't a party without the Cupid Shuffle! ]

“Are you not entertained?” Well, we hope you are because we’re running out of stories. Good thing we can use the excuse of “poor internet connection” as to why we haven’t posted more :) Seriously though, we never know when the interwebs is going to cooperate with us, so we’ll try to post 1-2 more times before we return home on Friday. Peace out homies!
- The Party Team!

TIN ROOF! Rusted.

2010-09-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

It is Tuesday morning and we just had the most awesome rainstorm. Shoutout to my mom: you would be so jealous!! We're staying in a building with a tin roof and it rained all night- the most beautiful sound. There was even a tremor last night during the rain storm. No worries though, we're all safe and so are the buildings.

Yesterday we werent able to post as many photos or blog updates as hoped because we ran into a snafu with the internet provider. They capped our bandwith at a very low level. But again, no worries, because if you know Elade, you know he's already rallied the troops to talk to the provider and fix the issue.

The various teams made amazing progress yesterday. The IT team had the computer lab up and fully functioning...before lunch (now where did we put our hammocks? ;)). We've got nine shiny Dells and a copier ready to use. They even installed software like Microsoft Office, language software and Mavis Beacon (I see you, 8th grade keyboarding teacher!). The construction on the school is coming together nicely (the building was very damaged in the earthquake), and we spent yesterday afternoon dreaming of the finishing building, painted (votes on color?) and connected to the world wide web. The PowerSecure guys, our resident workaholics, certainly earned their keep. Up and at it before their morning Haitian coffee/rocket fuel, they completely fixed the generator, which was damaged when a roof fell on it during the earthquake. It's now running even better than before and powering our copier in the computer lab. And just to prove they weren't slacking on the job, they even installed electrical outlets in the lab. We can now power up our Dells whenever we want! We also had two team members do an agricultural survey of the area.

[ the computer lab, almost finished ]

Three of our team members leave today to get back to work in the States. We hope the rain doesn't cause even more adventurous crossings than Sunday night. Your faithful media team will keep you updated as the trip goes on and our bandwith allows!

-Tara & Kristen

First Impressions

2010-09-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

It was 15 months ago that a small island in the Caribbean captured my attention. I knew nothing about Haiti when, through a seemingly coincidental series of events, I met Jean Elade Eloi, founder of Hope for Haiti Foundation, at a soccer game in Cary, N.C.. Within 10 minutes of meeting, he had recruited me to do volunteer PR work for Hope for Haiti, warning me that I’d quickly become ‘a victim of Haiti’s passion.’ I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but it took only a few meetings to know I was in deep. A year of work later, I can say being involved with HFHF has been one of the most meaningful parts of my life.

Eight months ago, Haiti captured the attention of the world. When a 7.0 earthquake struck just outside of Port au Prince in the afternoon hours of January 12, others like me, who had never known much about Hait,i became suddenly aware and engaged. We all realized that Haiti would never be the same, and in a much smaller way, that earthquake changed everything for us at HFHF. On the ground, our efforts turned towards construction and earthquake relief, and we began sending regular trips to Haiti. From a marketing perspective, we were thrust into the spotlight in a way we hadn't been before. The media paid attention to us, downtown restaurants hosted benefits, our Twitter followers skyrocketed (clearly the true sign of progress) and friends who only knew I volunteered with an organization in Haiti were much more interested. Suddenly, we went from being a grassroots organization to being in the center of a huge international issue. It's been quite a journey.

One journey I didn't expect to be on a year ago was the one I took yesterday – fighting my way through customs, flying down mountain “roads” (we’re talking Ford Tough commercial-worthy terrain), getting the car stuck in a river (more than once) and mainly, just being in Haiti! I didn't think I would be able to make it here so soon, and after working with Haiti from a distance, I wish I could describe my first impressions of actually seeing this beautiful country. In just a day, there have been moments that have broken my heart (seeing people literally living in the medians in PAP) and given me chills (standing on the porch of our future hospital buildings and knowing what they'll be someday). Getting out of the city and climbing into the Haitian countryside, I searched for words to describe the green rolling mountains, folded on top of each other like an accordion, the sun breaking through the clouds and lighting them on fire, the Caribbean Sea sprawling in the distance. As I anticipate the impossible "How was it?!" question from everyone when I get home, I realize I have no way to talk about the things I’ve seen without sounding cliche. The warm, friendly people, the beautiful countryside contrasting with poverty, joy in the middle of suffering. It’s all been said before, but it all is true.

More than describing this with words, I wish I could tell you their stories. This place looks so different from our comfortable homes in America, but the people are just like us. They love life, love each other, laugh at the same things and want the same things. It hurts them just as much to watch their childhood homes destroyed by an earthquake as it would us, and they have just as much potential to change the world and their nation with education and the right tools as we do. With every town we passed, I wanted to stop the car, grab my camera and just learn the story behind every beautiful face here. While I know language barriers and access make it impossible, I want to somehow find a way to make it real to everyone at home, so you can really appreciate WHO Haiti is, not just the issues and the headlines on CNN.

And the story is constantly changing - for good. Cool stuff is happening in Haiti, y’all; Zorange has some amazing things going on, from a full time clinic to a school with a computer lab and internet (I mean, we’re blogging from here! Seriously?). There is so much hope, potential, strength, skills and brain-power here, and I'm so excited to see where this town and this nation is 10 years from now. That's the story we can tell you, and that's what the media team hopes to do through this trip. Stay tuned!
-Kristen P., PR Hope for Haiti Foundation

“It’s Not That Deep”

2010-09-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

An amazing group of media, IT professionals, agriculture scholars and the talented guys from PowerSecure met at the airport Sunday morning at 5am to depart for Haiti. The day couldnt have started off any better- check-in was a breeze, we found out the Mura fundraiser raised $600+ in funds and the Duke football game sales raised $1700 for HFHF. We landed safely in Port au Prince around 10am and only had a few hiccups to get thru customs.

And since you may have caught on that I love my food... I’m going to go ahead and tell you about the meal I’ve been dreaming about since my last trip in May. Vierge always prepares lunch trays for the groups arriving at the airport (see photo). This is seriously some of the best rice and beans I’ve had in my life; I dont even like beets but the beet/potato salad is killer, and the goat is definitely bangarang. Nothing can compare to Vierge’s cooking!

[ mmmm... delicious ]

The drive from Port au Prince to Zorange is probably only 70 miles, but it can be a ~6 hour journey. We have several ‘first timers’ on this trip and we were teasing them that this was shaping up to be one of the easiest car trips to date. Since the earthquake, so many roads have been paved and smoothed out. The cars were running smoothly- we even had air conditioning and fabric seats! Honestly, I was truly worried we were spoiling the newbies rotten. The weather was even beyond dreamy. The air was cool and crisp because several storms had rolled through.

[pictured: Tara & Kristen en route to Zorange ]

Consequence of awesome weather due to storms: swollen rivers. Car #2, driven by John Brown, got STUCK in the river! The team came together, unloaded the car, walked across and pushed the stuck vehicle out of the river. Every time we would cross over the river, Elade would say “oh, car #2 can make it- ITS NOT THAT DEEP.” We’ll let John Brown tell you whether those spots in the river were ‘that deep’ or not. :) Ten hours later and MANY more river crossings, we arrived safely in Zorange and crashed in the brand new dorm building (thanks G for laying that solid foundation!).

[ stuck in the river, unloading the car ]

More updates coming soon- we’re excited for Monday to start and work on the generator, computer lab and media projects. Kristen from our media team will be blogging as well, telling you all about her experiences as a first time traveler!

- Tara Z.

Packed & Ready To Go!

2010-09-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

Hope for Haiti Foundation has a group traveling to Zorange tomorrow! This trip is all about the media & IT teams. We've been able to get some sporadic internet service up in the mountains of Zorange, so we're hoping to be able to update the blog while we're traveling. The teams will be taking photos, shooting video interviews and setting up a computer lab this next week. Be sure to check the blog throughout the week for our daily updates!

The team is meeting at the RDU airport at 5am tomorrow to start the trek to Haiti. Good thing I'm all packed up with the essentials already, because I'm working at Mura @ North Hills tonight for a HFHF fundraiser event (click here to read more about the event).

- Tara Z. (Marketing Team, HFHF)

Bag is packed with the 'essentials': I have my beef jerky, cliff bars, flashlights, two cameras, tripod... what else could a girl need!? :)