Robin in Haiti @remaddox-blog - Tumblr Blog

Jwaye Nwel

Alo zanmi! I’m sad to say this is my last post closing my volunteer time in Haiti. In fact, I am now back in the states as my husband recovers from emergency neck surgery with a follow-on lumbar surgery in February. After that, he should be ready to rock and roll!

As chance would have it, I notified the CMMB staff on a Friday of my need to fly home for Dave’s surgery and on Monday, they announced the delay in the opening of the BJSH until spring of next year. This made the decision a little easier for me but I am missing the friends I made and so it is bittersweet.

I want to thank all of you for your support during this journey. I could not have done it without both your financial support and most importantly, your thoughts and prayers. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti, and people everywhere in the world for whom daily life is such a struggle.

The greatest lesson I learned from the Haitian people was that despite the challenges they face, they draw strength from their faith in a loving God. My wish for all of you this Christmas season is that this same strength in faith be a part of your lives today and always.

“For unto us a child is born, and He will be called Prince of Peace.”

Kits, Kits, Kits!

Last week, immediately following Hurricane Matthew’s exodus from Haiti, I blogged about our staff quickly assembling aid kits in the parking lot of our office building and then traveling to deliver them to Cotes-de-Fer.

Following our return from that successful adventure, I was assigned to lead the task of assembling 1,000 new aid kits, which would again travel immediately to families in 2-3 other communities. In fact, a truck left this Sunday morning for Jeremie, located in the far western region of Haiti and which was devastated by the eye of the storm.

Creating these kits began with transferring all the materials from the office to our new location; a wonderful unused home with plenty of space to work.

CMMB hired a work crew of 10 locals, without whom we would not have been successful. Once all the supplies were organized, we took inventory and placed an order for the critical food items needed; a long process in itself. Fortunately, the sacks of rice arrived fairly early on and so some of the team set to work bagging while others continued with hygiene packets.

The sacks

Rotating between bagging rice and setting/filling bags with all that we could, we awaited the arrival of the much-needed missing items. On day 3, about an hour before we were to load the truck with 1,000 kits, the supplies finally arrived and the team magically kicked into high gear; unloading two truckloads of supplies and quickly adding fish, spaghetti, oil, and hygiene packets to the kits. When it was too dark to see, all of the bags had been completed and about half were loaded onto the truck for delivery. This amazing crew returned at 5 the next morning to finish the job. I am proud of this success and happy to have had the opportunity to work closely with such a hard-working team. Bon travay!!

The Kits

The Crew

The “After-Matth”

Thank you ALL for your well wishes and prayers. The guesthouse in Port au Prince where I live was well protected and we incurred no damage or flooding. But as you know from the news, the eye of Hurricane Matthew passed directly over the southwestern region of Haiti, where many of the communities CMMB supports are located. Consequently, our staff has been working overtime to package and deliver relief kits filled with food items, hygienic supplies and water purification tablets, all to help ease the suffering and work to prevent water-borne illness such as cholera.

I hope the pictures you see here will tell the story of the work involved in packaging 2,000 kits and then transporting them to Cotes-de-Fer, our community at the site of the new hospital, AND which served as an emergency shelter for families that lost their homes to Matthew.

Please, if you can, donate to our Haiti communities worst hit, who are struggling now and in desperate need, by clicking here Help Haiti. You can see from these pictures that your financial support helps us to do the work on the ground so that together, NOU KAPAB! WE CAN!

Jeremie, one of our hardest hit communities, is home to many staff members’ families

Shipments of corn arrive at the CMMB office ready for packaging

2 1/2 coffee tins into each bag. Corn dust covered everyone!

Madame Louise of our kitchen staff, Brittany and I package the hygienic kits. We were much more efficient by Day 2!

Residents of St. Matthew’s Episcopal School for the Handicapped came to help pack rice!

A colorful sea of aide sacks!

The first truck we sent was looted after getting stuck crossing a flooded passageway.

Day 2, truck 2 gets stuck crossing the river into Cotes-de-Fer, where Matthew had destroyed the access bridge.

Though police were on hand to prevent a second looting, my friend and CMMB staffer, Lunis, rallied the community to help!

Waiting hours while the truck got freed for our turn to cross over.

By day’s end and with the sun beginning to set, families lined up at the site of the new hospital to receive their packs.

Storms are easier to weather with good friends.

It Takes a Village

We’ve all heard the expression “It takes a village” but for each of us, it may hold a different meaning. For me, when I was a younger mother stationed overseas with the military, it had a special meaning of support. We always lived off base as on base housing was generally reserved for single servicemen. Of course there is a big adjustment when you find yourself immersed in another culture and language you don’t understand. We American moms often formed tight bonds even though we may have been geographically separated by many miles. When we lived in Geilenkirchen, Germany, my nearest American and English-speaking neighbor was 30 minutes away. Play dates were a regular part of our week, not just for our children but also for the camaraderie and support it brought to us moms and wives whose husbands were frequently deployed. It takes a village meant we could count on each other for whatever we needed; whether it be help with babysitting, a home cooked meal, sharing information about the schools and medical care, traveling, shopping, or maybe just a shoulder to lean on when things got to be just too much going it alone.

Today, I learned a different meaning of It takes a village and wanted to share it with you. Last month, a new CMMB staff member joined our office here in Haiti. Her name is Hawa and she was born and raised in Chad, Africa. Her husband is from Zimbabwe and has worked here for 6 years with Episcopal Relief and Development in Haiti. Hawa knows well about separation from her husband as for the first 4 years her husband was here in Haiti for his job, she and her three young children remained behind in Chad. It was only two years ago that their family was finally reunited.

Hawa is very kind (and very tall) and I am struck by her generosity. Every day she passes around a bag of fruit she has purchased from the market and insists on sharing. Also, when we eat together, Hawa (and the Haitians as well) share their meals among the table; each person contributing something from what they have brought from home. When I later mentioned her kindness to my housemate, Brittany said that while I was gone, Hawa received her first paycheck and passed around money to all the co-workers. Okay, the open sharing of food is one thing, but the sharing of money, too? I had to ask Hawa about this custom and here is what she said; “In my country, we share everything because everything is a blessing meant to be shared. No one in my village goes without something to eat because we take care of each other. If a guest comes to your house, you must be ready to share your food. If your neighbor has nothing to eat, you share with your neighbor”. I know this attitude is a basic tenet of our Christian faith, but to see it in action without reservation is such a beautiful and humbling lesson.

Partnerships

I have come to realize that so much of the good work in Haiti is accomplished through a web of partnerships. NGO’s, private corporations, churches, and non-profits from around the world join together, bringing their particular expertise to strengthen the ability to aid those who call the poorest country in the western hemisphere their home.

The volunteers living in the CMMB guesthouse in Port-au-Prince are a perfect example of the philosophy that by working together and sharing our strengths, we CAN make the world a better place. While Brittany and I volunteer directly for CMMB, there are currently two other volunteers living in the guesthouse who work for a company called Medi, a leading manufacturer of medical aids located in Bayreuth, Germany. They are part of a special project called Medi for Help, a corporate social responsibility commitment made by Medi and supported in part by CMMB.

In February 2010, shortly after Haiti’s devastating earthquake, Hanger, an American Corporation born from the Civil War, announced the launch of the Haitian Amputee Coalition. This Coalition established a prosthetic and rehabilitation center on-site at the Hospital Albert Schweitzer (HAS), an undamaged local hospital with a high clinical reputation located 60 miles north of Port-au-Prince in Deschapelles. Medi volunteers are key players in fitting and casting Haitian amputees and to date, well over 1,200 Haitians have been provided with leg prostheses free of charge.

CMMB supports this critical work by providing room, board and transportation for the Medi volunteers, funding materials used in manufacturing such as plaster and metals, and also funds the salaries of on-site prosthetic and orthotic technicians, CMMB employees, who work in PAP at Centre Saint Vincent for handicapped children, a secondary location to the one in Deschapelles.

Ralph loads plaster to take to Deschapelles

Christian educates technicians on best practices

Alexis, CMMB employee from El Salvador, works daily to change the lives of kids

CMMB technician Cereste, fabricates metal braces for children’s knees

CMMB technician Emmannuel, measures children to ensure proper fit of orthotics

Aprann Angle~Learning English

English Students of the CMMB Haiti Staff (and the “moun blan”)

Shortly after arriving in Haiti, I placed a sign-up sheet in the cafeteria of the CMMB office in Port-au-Prince which read at the top “Eske w enterese nan leson angle?” I barely left the room when I could hear all the excitement and within an hour, 30 names were on the list. I couldn’t believe it. Three quarters of the staff had signed up to learn English!

The evolution of both French and Creole (Kreyol) as official languages of Haiti is interesting. All Haitians grow up speaking Creole but French was, until 1979, the language of accredited educational institutions and is spoken only by roughly 10 percent of the population. Learning to speak English offers a third tier and provides opportunities for promotion and opens doors to new jobs as within the hospitality, business, and socio-political sectors of the country.

When I asked the question of some of my students “Why do you want to learn English?” here were their replies:

Makensy Nei~”I want to talk with everybody. I wish to travel to the United States and I have to know how to speak English to talk with everybody.”

Vania Delva Chery~”I want to learn English because it is a pretty language and it is the language of business.”

Lourdanie Chery~”I want to learn English because I want to speak with everybody. It’s the commercial language, a higher level.”

Stephania Gagerie~”I want to speak English because English is money. In Haiti, when you speak English, there are greater opportunities for jobs and people see you as having more importance. You are a king or a queen.”

While I am thrilled and honored to be able to share with my CMMB colleagues, I am also very grateful for their patience in teaching this moun blan (white person) Kreyol. Thank you friends ~“Mesi zanmi!”

Haiti Week 4

CHAMPS En Action

This past week I had the honor of seeing first hand CMMB’s Children And Mothers Partnerships program in action in perhaps the most remote part of the world that I will ever see. CHAMPS

From our home base in Côtes-de-Fer (CDF), site of CMMB’s first CHAMPS program, we traveled high into the hills of the southeastern region of Haiti. Our goal was to visit 4 of the children whose progress CMMB is tracking and are among a group of particularly vulnerable due to their extreme poverty and inaccessibility to care.

The “roads” we navigated wove along the edges of the hills and are only accessible by jeep (or mule!) and only in the dry season. These pathways were carved with deep ruts and riddled with rocks and it was painfully obvious how they could quickly become rivers when the rains come.

Ms. Joanne, the nurse facilitating the CHAMPS program, has approximately 15 Health Agents who each have the responsibility of about 200 families that live scattered throughout the region. These amazing and dedicated agents reach these families on foot (or for some lucky ones by motorbike) and are their critical link to emergency healthcare and CMMB support.

Another aspect to the CHAMPS program is sustainability. There is for each participating mother, a 4 month training program that instructs on nutrition for her family and basic healthcare education, like the importance of hand-washing. Graduations are celebrated and mothers continue to gather together with their new support groups.

In addition to education, Mr. Lunis, CMMB’s agronomist, has begun a farm in CDF next to the new hospital. This farm produces fruits and vegetables that are shared by participating CHAMPS families. A large aspect of CMMB support is the acquisition of goats, many of which reside near the farm. Families are given a goat purchased by donors like you and me, and are responsible for their care and keeping. Any kids born to the parent goats must first be paid back to CMMB and then may be sold as a means of an income for the family. This also allows CMMB to continue their support of families making a goat the gift that keeps on giving! Did I mention goats are a popular food source for Haitians? I had grilled goat for lunch this past week; just love these new experiences! And yes, it was good!

I hope these pictures can give readers, and especially my sponsors, an idea of the importance of your support. I dedicate this blog post to all the wonderful people who helped get me here and ask you continue to pray for these beautiful families, for whom daily life is such a struggle. May God bless and keep you safe and HEALTHY!

Simeon Rosemanette and her mother

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost

Fanel Fausette, age 10, helps with the day’s harvest of plantains

Mr. Lunis explains the growth of the maringa tree, packed with nutrients

Fanel Fausette’s Family

Amazing Agents de Sante

May God Bless and Keep You

Haiti Week 3

Alo ak mèsi pou vizite mwen blog! My week began with a visit by some kind of intestinal bug but it was a short visit (thankfully!) and I was back to work on Tuesday. While preparing dinner last week, I learned that we need to rinse all of our greens in a very mild solution of bleach to quickly kill off any no-see-ums lurking on the leaves. I know this sounds crazy but is actually the safe route to take and of course, we again rinse the greens to make sure our dinner has no “brightened-whitened” after-taste.

One of my roles in the office involves assisting CMMB in their placement efforts of volunteers in Haiti. This week I was invited to be a part of a Skype interview with a Haitian physician who is willing to dedicate a year to CMMB’s efforts in improving the health of his fellow citizens. I also was given a project to help report on the progress of some children in Cotes-de-Fer (CDF) whose health CMMB is monitoring over a period of months. This is primarily why I am going to spend next week in CDF and I am really looking forward to meeting some local families (kids!) but while I am there, I’ll also begin plans for furnishing the new hospital guesthouse. What? Someone is asking me to shop?? Yes, I am most definitely up to the task!

This week, our young agronomist, who primarily resides in Cotes-de-Fer but spends a week of each month in the Port-au-Prince office, shared our office space and I enjoyed getting to know Lunis better. Hired by CMMB, Lunis’ job is to partner with the local citizens of CDF in teaching how to cultivate fruits, vegetables, and goats as a means of becoming self-sufficient. I understand his farm is quite impressive and I look forward to seeing it, especially since I am missing our garden in Colorado, which my husband Dave has turned into a beautiful produce section. I am also excited about Lunis’ passion to perfect his English and he will also help me with my Kreyol. It will be a good week for linguistics!

Speaking of English, about 20 staff members have signed up for classes which we will begin teaching during the lunch hour August 16 and run 4 days of the week. I am excited that they are excited and hope I do the job justice. While all Haitians grow up learning Kreyol, French may be a secondary language studied in school (for those fortunate to have attended) and learning English can be a key to new opportunities. For example, English is a prerequisite for working in many offices, hotels and restaurants. With English language skills, more doors are opened to a better future.

Yesterday was a great day as our weekend driver, James, drove Brittany and me to a beach about an hour outside PAP. The hotel/restaurant of Obama Beach sat above the water with tables and lounge chairs set up under the shade of the trees. In addition to the hotel on the property, there was a restaurant/bar, bathrooms, outdoor freshwater showers for rinsing, and private access to the pebbled beach 2 flights below. The water was clear and so salty that I felt like a cork just bobbing along. I could literally float almost sitting up; my hands and feet in the air. When we arrived at about 9:30 in the morning, we placed our lunch order of fish and conch. Then out went the fisherman in his boat to catch our order; now that’s fresh!!

Next week I will share with you news of my week in CDF. Until then, gen yon bon semen! Have a good week!

Our house in PAP

From our back porch after a rain and before sunset

View from above the beach

This is the fisherman that went out and caught our lunch!

Produce from the fields

Unloading the sugarcane

Haiti Week 2

Bonjou! The week seemed to go by quickly and it began with a trip on Monday when I traveled with my boss, Dr. Dianne, and her American friend, Dr. Katy Close, to Cotes-de-Fer, so that Dr. Dianne could show us both the Bishop Joseph Sullivan Hospital and check on its construction progress. While there, Dr. Close was able to visit the patients who had been quarantined with cholera from last week’s outbreak. Despite not having any way of checking/monitoring the patients’ blood levels, Dr. Close was impressed with the care they were receiving from the clinic nurse and we are very happy that there were no deaths from this outbreak.

Entering the village

Warning sign on the cholera clinic

I traded my moped for a mule but as long as it goes I’m okay!

I became more involved with the daily operation and am slowly getting to know the staff. I put out a signup sheet to begin teaching English lessons to staff members as many have expressed an interest in learning. Everyone in Haiti speaks Kreyol, which was adopted as an official language in 1987 but not all speak French and certainly most do not speak English; which can offer new opportunities. It was fun to see their enthusiasm and we’ll start with two levels; one for beginners and the second for those who already speak the language but want more practice with conversation. I am looking forward to that venture!

The biggest news to report is that this week we got A/C in our rooms in the guesthouse; a welcome blessing! One thing about PAP is that each day, and you never know when or for how long, the city power is shut down so of course the A/C gets shut off as well but regardless of this small inconvenience; having A/C is great!

This morning I am going to grocery shop for the house and spend the day at the Marriott where we houseguests have purchased a club membership. This is our little oasis and we all enjoy the opportunity to hang out at the pool and use their club gym. Tomorrow is my second lesson in Kreyol and I am looking forward to that. My teacher is very dedicated and works hard preparing lessons. I am also helping him with his Italian and that is equally fun.

Next weekend we are planning a getaway to a local resort as there is no beach within an hour of PAP. I am looking forward to getting out of the city and snorkeling!!

Have a great week!

Haiti Week 1

“Allo” from Haiti! I arrived here last Tuesday and had a good trip over (and down) and even somehow snagged a first class seat from Atlanta. It was kind of surreal flying into Haiti (under a full moon I might add) with champagne and sirloin tips for dinner.

Landing in Port-au-Prince

Coming through customs was a breeze, mostly because our 7pm arrival was considered “a late flight” and much of the airport staff had gone home. It was funny that the ONLY thing that got checked in my luggage was the 10-pound sack of chocolates I carried on my back; a request from my American housemate, Brittany, who had arrived in Haiti a month ahead of me.

This first week was a matter of being introduced to the 40 office staff and getting settled in. The Director, Dr. Dianne Jean-Francois, and two of the Project Managers took my roommate and me to a wonderful restaurant for a Welcome Dinner, where we enjoyed fresh Red Snapper, 5-Star rum, and live music. Here in Haiti, there are two grades of rum, 3 and 5-Star and it was served straight over ice. This was not quite what I was expecting when the rum was ordered but as they say; “When in Rome!”

Master Fish Griller

In our house there is a wonderful lady we call Madame Nicole, who is not only a housekeeper but also our cook. She is about my age (37??) and works very hard including washing all the linens and personal laundry outside in the courtyard, wringing everything by hand and hanging things on the line strung across. When I see her working so hard in this humidity, I think about how we give very little thought (or effort) to doing our wash in the states whereas for her, it consumes much of her day.

We also have drivers dedicated not only to chauffer the office staff, but also the volunteers living in the guesthouse. They are available from 8am-9pm and in fact, are coming this morning so that I can go to the supermarket; my first trip!

Traffic is very congested; a cacophony of cars, motorbikes, and vendors carrying large loads on top of their heads; the day’s goods to vend along the roadside. It is like being part of a dance, where everything is moving all of the time and there is a cordial understanding of when to lead and when to follow as everyone weaves their way through the dance floor of battered streets.

A Local Bus

Yesterday was a rather exciting day at the office, or not at the office as it turned out. In the morning, I tagged along with Brittany, my American housemate, to visit a local residence for handicapped children run by the Episcopal Church. Despite the sad circumstances of the children’s disabilities, which included, deafness, blindness, and missing limbs, I was struck by the loving attention provided by the women who cared for them. All the children were clean, neatly dressed and certainly happy to have Brittany return to visit. I hope to go again many times and learn their names and discover their personalities.

Smiles from Haiti

Upon our return, we discovered there has been an outbreak of cholera in Cotes-de-Fer, so Brittany and I were sent in search of medical supplies to be driven to the site as quickly as possible. Our shopping list included a blood pressure cuff, IV lines, and tablets for both purifying water supplies as well as rehydrating the sick. It felt good to be a part (albeit in a small way) of helping to get medical help to these people as quickly as possible.

To close the week, Brittany arranged a trip with a couple of officemates to go salsa dancing at Hotel Montana, which is a beautiful resort that sits on the mountaintop of Petion Ville overlooking Port-au-Prince. It was a fun evening as we watched the sunset and getting to know my coworkers better. The fact that one of them is a dance instructor made the evening even more fun!

Me, Steven, Brittany, and Valdir (our Salsa teacher)

While there is much to discover in the upcoming months, I appreciate the warm welcome of the Haitian people to their colorful country! Tomorrow, I begin my Haitian Kreyol lessons!

Orientation

Last week I flew to CMMB Headquarters in New York for a 2-Day orientation to CMMB. It was wonderful to meet the NYC staff, which works tirelessly to support the volunteers in the field around the globe. And what a great experience meeting this summer’s group of volunteers! My roommate during the orientation, Laura, is a labor and delivery nurse from Nebraska with a heart of gold and the courage of a lioness. She is soon off to South Sudan and I am so very glad I met this faith-filled young lady and while this may be her first mission trip, something tells me it won’t be her last.

CMMBe The Change ~ Some of the Summer 2016 Volunteer Team

I also met two young women with whom I’ll be working in Haiti. Naturally, we have become “Haiti’s Ladies” and fully intend on leaving our mark, ha! Brittany, a pharmacist, is already in Port-au-Prince and paving the way for us to follow and doing an excellent job of giving us the low-down on life in Port-au-Prince. Anne, who is a pediatric nurse, will be heading down to Haiti just after my departure in July. Everyone I met at the orientation, from staff to volunteers, was compassionate, strong, intelligent, faith-filled, hard working and committed to making the world a better place. I am proud to be a part of this amazing group!!

Haiti’s Ladies

The icing on the cake was getting the chance to spend a couple of days with our son, Forrest, who started working in NYC in January. While he wasn’t able to pick me up at the airport, he did inspire me to figure out the NYC transit system with his support which went something like, “Mom, you’re going to Haiti; you can figure out how to ride the subway.” Okay, point taken so I did. Yes, I was proud of myself for navigating and actually did pretty well. Of course, I was fearless in asking for help, which was every few stops, and contrary to what some people say, New Yorkers are friendly and helpful! My sister, Danette, and her husband, Peter, even made the long drive down from Boston to join us for an incredible lunch at Forrest’s roommate’s Italian restaurant called Lupa Osteria Romana, where she is one of the managers. Thank you, Francesca for an unforgettable afternoon of culinary delights! It was great to be back in NY with all of its culture, colors and excitement!

View of The Empire State Building

Me and our son, Forrest; current inhabitant of The Big Apple

Sisters of the 60′s on Bleeker Street

Bonjour! And thanks for visiting my blog about my upcoming adventure in Haiti! This journey began when I learned I could accept a postponed retirement from the VA. I LOVED my job there, working with the Veterans and all of my treasured volunteers, but felt it was time for a new challenge. Discovering I could retire opened a door for me to begin looking for volunteer opportunities and I knew I wanted to work with kids; my passion in life right behind my family and Italy:). When I came across the posting with CMMB, I showed it to Dave and he said “Wow, that’s you” and knowing I had his love and support, I began the application process.

For so many reasons, I feel a strong connection to the mission of CMMB. Our first child, Erica, was born while Dave and I were both serving with the USAF in Panama. She was the first of four emergency cesarean deliveries and I know that had it not been for the fact that I had access to the care I needed, I would not have survived her birth not to mention the three that followed! So yes, I feel strongly about the work CMMB is doing around the world to improve care for women and children and am so very proud to have a small role in their vision of “a world in which every human life is valued, and health and human dignity are shared by all”.

So here I am; headed to NYC for orientation next week and departure to Haiti mid-July. Things are happening quickly because the team is working to get everything in place for the fall opening of the Bishop Joseph Sullivan Hospital in Côtes-de-Fer, pictured above. I will be working to build a volunteer corps for the new hospital, coordinate medical mission trips, and whatever else I can do to help!

Please bookmark this blog site on your desktop as I will be posting a couple of times each week, with photos and videos and updates on how things are going. There is an expectation of raising money to help fund my work so if you can, please visit my Crowdrise page, where you will find links to CMMB and Charity Navigator. Please know that when you donate, you are helping to change lives for women and children in the poorest country in the western hemisphere. We do this together and I carry you in my heart! Thank you and God’s Blessings!

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