Today is my birthday and I give the Lord thanks for letting me serve Him here in Haiti. Thank you to all who have helped support the work of Coram Deo here in Haiti. I look forward to serving Him here another year in whatever challenges that are put before me.
This video is for "Georgina Bushette" who is the anonymous author of some hate mail. May the Lord touch your heart.
Please follow the link to:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzK4iXV_5Vk&feature=related
Blessings,
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Friday, May 29, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
photos - kenscoff clinic - part 1
When we got to the clinic site it was foggy and cloudy.
There were a lot of people waiting for our arrival.
Everything was unpacked and set up before the clinic opened. It was a challenging hike up to the clinic site!
The team came with lots of medicine. This was a real blessing!
Pastor Pierre helped to control access to the building.photos - kenscoff clinic - part 2
These women all live in the area of the "olld church" and traveled for 2 days to get to the clinic. They slept overnight at the site of the newer church which is half way between the old church and the clinic site.
This is the registration station where patients entrance information was obtained.
One of the haitian doctors is getting ready to examine this patient in the consultation room.
In total there were 3 doctors at the clinic. The next table was shared by 2 doctors. The doctors worked quickly to process the patients.
After seeing the doctor the patient went to the pharmacy room.photos - kenscoff clinic - part 3
Some members of Pastor Pierre's church helped in carrying supplies up and down the mountain. This man was helping with security.
Pastor Odvin works with the mission team from Kentucky. He took a spill in the mud coming down the mountain. Pray his sprained wrist heals quickly.
Some of the team members prayed with each patient as they waited to register.
This woman is very active in Pastor Pierre's church. She helped to carry things up and down the mountain as well.
She also gave some of the people peanut butter sandwiches.photos - kenscoff clinic - part 4
While people were waiting outside to get into the clinic building Lukner handed out evangelical bible tracts that were written in creole.
The children were entertained with balloons.
Both adults and children enjoyed the bubble blowing!
This vendor was prepared for the rainy day. He set up his stand on the muddy road.
Here are some of the people who participated in the clinicphotos - kenscoff clinic - part 5
This boy lives below the building where the clinic was held.
This is Pastor Pierre's son. He is mentally handicapped and has epilepsy. It was in search of medical care for his son that I first met Pastor Pierre. Since then he has been involved with Coram Deo.
After one of the rain showers this man came by riding his horse. He has a sore leg and has been using crutches when he is walking.
These are some more people from the community.
This is a back yard view from one of the windows in the building where the clinic was held.photos - kenscoff clinic - part 6
This little girl lives near the clinic site.
It was cooler up on the mountain and comfortable.
These 2 boys were some of the children who were treated at the clinic.
There were some babies there too. This mother had her baby wrapped up nice and warm.
These were some of the curious bystanders.haiti update - may 24, 2009
“For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.” Psalm 72:12
Hi! This week was a busy one with the medical program. We held our first medical clinic in the mountains of Kenscoff on Saturday! Pastor Pierre has a couple of churches that are far in the mountains. Because of the distance we are not able to bring a large group of people and supplies to their area. These people do not have access to medical care and the only solution that we could come up with was to set up a clinic and have them come to us. Pastor Pierre visited the outlying areas ahead of time to invite people to the clinic. Some made the journey over 2 days. Pastor Pierre is responsible for 2 churches. The first one we know of as the far church and the other one as the new church, which is closer to the Kenscoff area. The people from the community of the far church traveled on Friday and slept overnight at the new church location. Pastor Pierre slept there overnight with them and at 5:00am he started the journey with around 50 people from the new church site to the clinic site. The trip for the medical team to the clinic site was also a challenge. It was a rainy week in Haiti with a storm system hanging around. I was praying that we wouldn’t have bad weather for the clinic. Saturday morning there was a blue sky in Port-au-Prince and this encouraged everyone. The medical team members all come from the Kentucky area. There were also Haitian doctors, translators and helpers as well. The team loaded the supplies onto the school bus and we started heading up the mountain. The school bus went ahead up the mountain road and had trouble a couple of times overheating. We drove in Kimosabee and he had no problem going up the mountain road. We waited at the Baptist Mission in Fermathe for the school bus to catch up with us and when we heard that the bus overheated again I sent Lukner to check up on things and told Pastor Pierre to wait by the road and call me on the cell phone when he saw the school bus. I figured there was just enough time to run inside the restaurant there and enjoy a strawberry sundae. I don’t get the chance to enjoy that treat here in Port-au-Prince and it sure tasted good!
Pastor Pierre beeped me just as I finished the last spoonful and I ran back to the pickup truck. We then made it as far as the bus and Kimosabee could go. All the boxes of medical supplies, tables and chairs were unloaded and everybody started to carry the stuff. It was about a 1 km hike uphill and was very challenging but everyone was enthusiastic and determined to make it up to the clinic site. When people needed to catch their breath they stopped and when they had their wind back continued on the upward journey. Pastor Pierre had people from his church come down to help with the carrying of the supplies. We reached the site and everything was unpacked and the tables and chairs were set up for the different stations – patient registration, consultation, and pharmacy. We opened with prayer and everyone got to work. As each patient was registered a couple of the team members prayed over the person before he/she went on to the consultation area. Lukner handed out evangelism tracts to people who were waiting outside. A few of the team members were young people and they played soccer with some children from the community. The team also had balloons and bubble blowing activities for the children. Unfortunately though it was cloudy and foggy where the clinic site was and the rains started at around 11:00am. There was a tarp that provided some shelter for people waiting to get inside the clinic. We had rain showers for the rest of the day. The team worked hard and saw 215 patients. The team provided medications as well and this was a real blessing for the people. The goal was to be finished the clinic and heading back down the mountain by 3:00pm and we were able to meet this goal. Because of the rains the way back down was very slick and it was a challenge to keep your footing. At least it wasn’t raining though for the descent. A couple of people wiped out and took a spill but at least they landed in the mud and not in the piles of animal droppings that were along the way. Pastor Odvin was one of the people who wiped out. Pray that his sprained wrist heals quickly. Some of the women did not have the proper footwear for the journey and had trouble with the hike. One of the young people had flip-flop sandals and her feet were very sore. One of the team members carried her for the last part of the descent. I felt bad that I didn’t remind everyone in the beginning to make sure that they had the proper footwear. The people of the mountains were very thankful that visitors were willing to come up and help them and I hope that we can do this again another time. The people appreciated their determination and efforts at bringing the medical supplies and clinic up to them. I don’t think that the medical team will forget their journey up and down the mountains of Kenscoff! We give the Lord thanks for visitors willing to accept challenges in serving the Lord here in Haiti. When I got back home I bribed the children with money to clean my muddy hiking boots for me.
Rainy season officially starts in June but 11 people died in flooding in various parts of the country this past week. Pray for Haiti, as the country has still not recovered from last year’s storms.
Bill Clinton has been named as the UN’s special advisor on Haiti. Hopefully he will help to raise interest and encourage investment here in Haiti. Haitian people still continue to try to reach the United States and other islands in the Caribbean by boat. 10 Haitians drowned off the coast of Miami this past week when their boat capsized. The mentally handicapped lady disappeared from the emergency room waiting area at General Hospital last Sunday morning. She walked out on her own. When we went there to check up on her I met a man who has also been hanging out on the General Hospital grounds for the last month. He was eager to talk with me and explain his story. He spent 18 years living in the Dominican Republic and is a naturalized citizen of that country. He showed me his paperwork. He studied civil engineering at the university there. From the Dominican Republic he went on to the Bahamas and was deported from there back to the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic didn’t want him and deported him back to Haiti. His 3 children are still in the Dominican Republic. He was crying when he told me this. Pray for this man as he tries to get back on his feet. He has no connections to Haiti and is sort of stuck right now.
That’s all the news for today. Have a good week!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Hi! This week was a busy one with the medical program. We held our first medical clinic in the mountains of Kenscoff on Saturday! Pastor Pierre has a couple of churches that are far in the mountains. Because of the distance we are not able to bring a large group of people and supplies to their area. These people do not have access to medical care and the only solution that we could come up with was to set up a clinic and have them come to us. Pastor Pierre visited the outlying areas ahead of time to invite people to the clinic. Some made the journey over 2 days. Pastor Pierre is responsible for 2 churches. The first one we know of as the far church and the other one as the new church, which is closer to the Kenscoff area. The people from the community of the far church traveled on Friday and slept overnight at the new church location. Pastor Pierre slept there overnight with them and at 5:00am he started the journey with around 50 people from the new church site to the clinic site. The trip for the medical team to the clinic site was also a challenge. It was a rainy week in Haiti with a storm system hanging around. I was praying that we wouldn’t have bad weather for the clinic. Saturday morning there was a blue sky in Port-au-Prince and this encouraged everyone. The medical team members all come from the Kentucky area. There were also Haitian doctors, translators and helpers as well. The team loaded the supplies onto the school bus and we started heading up the mountain. The school bus went ahead up the mountain road and had trouble a couple of times overheating. We drove in Kimosabee and he had no problem going up the mountain road. We waited at the Baptist Mission in Fermathe for the school bus to catch up with us and when we heard that the bus overheated again I sent Lukner to check up on things and told Pastor Pierre to wait by the road and call me on the cell phone when he saw the school bus. I figured there was just enough time to run inside the restaurant there and enjoy a strawberry sundae. I don’t get the chance to enjoy that treat here in Port-au-Prince and it sure tasted good!
Pastor Pierre beeped me just as I finished the last spoonful and I ran back to the pickup truck. We then made it as far as the bus and Kimosabee could go. All the boxes of medical supplies, tables and chairs were unloaded and everybody started to carry the stuff. It was about a 1 km hike uphill and was very challenging but everyone was enthusiastic and determined to make it up to the clinic site. When people needed to catch their breath they stopped and when they had their wind back continued on the upward journey. Pastor Pierre had people from his church come down to help with the carrying of the supplies. We reached the site and everything was unpacked and the tables and chairs were set up for the different stations – patient registration, consultation, and pharmacy. We opened with prayer and everyone got to work. As each patient was registered a couple of the team members prayed over the person before he/she went on to the consultation area. Lukner handed out evangelism tracts to people who were waiting outside. A few of the team members were young people and they played soccer with some children from the community. The team also had balloons and bubble blowing activities for the children. Unfortunately though it was cloudy and foggy where the clinic site was and the rains started at around 11:00am. There was a tarp that provided some shelter for people waiting to get inside the clinic. We had rain showers for the rest of the day. The team worked hard and saw 215 patients. The team provided medications as well and this was a real blessing for the people. The goal was to be finished the clinic and heading back down the mountain by 3:00pm and we were able to meet this goal. Because of the rains the way back down was very slick and it was a challenge to keep your footing. At least it wasn’t raining though for the descent. A couple of people wiped out and took a spill but at least they landed in the mud and not in the piles of animal droppings that were along the way. Pastor Odvin was one of the people who wiped out. Pray that his sprained wrist heals quickly. Some of the women did not have the proper footwear for the journey and had trouble with the hike. One of the young people had flip-flop sandals and her feet were very sore. One of the team members carried her for the last part of the descent. I felt bad that I didn’t remind everyone in the beginning to make sure that they had the proper footwear. The people of the mountains were very thankful that visitors were willing to come up and help them and I hope that we can do this again another time. The people appreciated their determination and efforts at bringing the medical supplies and clinic up to them. I don’t think that the medical team will forget their journey up and down the mountains of Kenscoff! We give the Lord thanks for visitors willing to accept challenges in serving the Lord here in Haiti. When I got back home I bribed the children with money to clean my muddy hiking boots for me.
Rainy season officially starts in June but 11 people died in flooding in various parts of the country this past week. Pray for Haiti, as the country has still not recovered from last year’s storms.
Bill Clinton has been named as the UN’s special advisor on Haiti. Hopefully he will help to raise interest and encourage investment here in Haiti. Haitian people still continue to try to reach the United States and other islands in the Caribbean by boat. 10 Haitians drowned off the coast of Miami this past week when their boat capsized. The mentally handicapped lady disappeared from the emergency room waiting area at General Hospital last Sunday morning. She walked out on her own. When we went there to check up on her I met a man who has also been hanging out on the General Hospital grounds for the last month. He was eager to talk with me and explain his story. He spent 18 years living in the Dominican Republic and is a naturalized citizen of that country. He showed me his paperwork. He studied civil engineering at the university there. From the Dominican Republic he went on to the Bahamas and was deported from there back to the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic didn’t want him and deported him back to Haiti. His 3 children are still in the Dominican Republic. He was crying when he told me this. Pray for this man as he tries to get back on his feet. He has no connections to Haiti and is sort of stuck right now.
That’s all the news for today. Have a good week!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Friday, May 22, 2009
ODE TO SAMMY
The last couple of weeks have been difficult ones. I have seen people make judgments on issues that they know nothing of. All these things came out over a young man’s death. Sammy was loved by many. We raised him from a child to a man. Nobody knows him better than myself. The time came when it was necessary to return Sammy to his family. Sammy’s death has brought out feelings of hatred and scorn from some people. Emails of hatred were written to me by a person who did not use their real name. They were meant to hurt. On another organization’s website an individual has posted a comment encouraging members of their organization to “Please care enough about Sammy to support and pray for the work of” their organization, yet this individual never made any efforts to enquire about Sammy or help him. Sammy’s family sent word to us that he wasn’t doing well. Now his family is being judged by others who don’t even know them or anything about the family’s situation. Sammy is at peace now and in heaven where God wants him to be. I forgive them, the person who wrote the emails and the other organization.
I have taken the time the last couple of weeks to think about all these things. God has a plan for all of our lives. Which organization is better than another? God calls us all to do different things. He equips us to do the task he wants us to do. Is one persons’ task and calling better than another? The answer is no. There are many organizations and missionaries working here in Haiti. All are striving to help the Haitian people in many ways. Remembering Sammy I ask you to pray for all missions and missionaries working here in Haiti.
I am reading a book called “If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat”. The first chapter talks of active faith and “water walking”. There is a quotation from a wise man. His name was Theodore Roosevelt. This is what he says:
“It’s not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…. Who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of great achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. So that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”
Let us all make efforts wherever we are to “get out of the boat” and serve the Lord!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
I have taken the time the last couple of weeks to think about all these things. God has a plan for all of our lives. Which organization is better than another? God calls us all to do different things. He equips us to do the task he wants us to do. Is one persons’ task and calling better than another? The answer is no. There are many organizations and missionaries working here in Haiti. All are striving to help the Haitian people in many ways. Remembering Sammy I ask you to pray for all missions and missionaries working here in Haiti.
I am reading a book called “If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat”. The first chapter talks of active faith and “water walking”. There is a quotation from a wise man. His name was Theodore Roosevelt. This is what he says:
“It’s not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…. Who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of great achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. So that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”
Let us all make efforts wherever we are to “get out of the boat” and serve the Lord!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Saturday, May 16, 2009
video - IN CHRIST ALONE
This video is about putting our trust in Christ because He is our hope. This is the message that we give to the people we encounter.
Please click on the link to see this video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8welVgKX8Qo&feature=related
Please click on the link to see this video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8welVgKX8Qo&feature=related
photos - various - part 1
There was a crowd of people watching this woman who had been lying in the middle of the road near where Manu, Jacob and Benson go to school. We brought her to the hospital when it started to rain.
She is mentally handicapped and right now is on the floor in the emergency department waiting room. We are trying to find someone to take her in. Pray for this woman that either her family comes for her or a place can be found to house her.
This is Vanessa's new baby brother! He is only 3 days old in this picture. He has big hands.
Vanessa and her mother are homeless. They have been staying in a building that used to be an orphanage. Somebody let them borrow their bed for a few days so that she could sleep in a bed with her new baby. This family is in a difficult situation and needs a lot of prayer.
Vanessa's father wanted the mother to get rid of her. Vanessa has had her surgery and is a very active girl. She stands and talks and I think will be normal except for a larger than normal head. They may return to the Fond Verettes area to Vanessa's grandfather's home.photos - various - part 2
Poutchino Vincent is a hydrocephalus boy who has been at Dorothy's mission for several years. He needs to have surgery to install a stomach feeding tube. He has been having problems aspirating liquids because of swallowing problems. We took him and his mother to haitian immigration this week to apply for a passport. Pray for Dorothy and her staff's efforts at Faith, Hope, Love Infant Rescue in looking after Poutchino as he also suffers seizures and is a very fragile child.
All of a sudden people are coming forward with goiter problems! It happens like this sometimes here. Pray that this young woman can find treatment for hers.
Loudmy Valcourt is enjoying school and settling into life here in Port-au-Prince. You can see her face is more happier and relaxed this week. These are some of her friends in her class.
Kervens Peltro is a 9-year-old mentally handicapped boy. His father is older and was happy that we were interested in taking him into our handicapped program for September.
Jodline Jean is 13 years old and has never had the opportunity to go to school. In September she too will be added to our school program here at Coram Deohaiti update - may 16, 2009
“Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…” 1 Peter 3:13-15
Hi! This week focused on the struggles of the handicapped. Late every afternoon I always give Macdonald Jean a ride near to where he lives. He lives in the Cite Jeremie area in our neighborhood. He has some form of neuro-muscular disease and over time it gets progressively worse. He likes to come here to be around the other people and also to advance his education. He is not a child but a young man of around 23 years of age. He is smart and has learned to repair computers and cell phones. He is determined to function in life despite his physical disabilities. Because of his weakness sometimes he falls. He doesn’t complain though and just tries to get back up again. One day he was laying awkwardly on the table and when I walked past him I helped him to sit up in a better position again. I asked him how come he never called out for help and he responded by saying that he knew somebody would walk by him eventually to help. He has a lot of courage in facing his disability. People who are physically handicapped here in Haiti face a lot of obstacles in trying to move around, especially on some of the roads we have here in Haiti! Pray for Macdonald as he courageously faces his neuro-muscular disease.
When we bring Macdonald home the other children always want to come along for a ride in the truck. Late Wednesday afternoon Manu and Benson came along. We dropped off Mackenson and then turned the corner to head back up the street. We saw a crowd of people ahead and Manu said that there was a lady lying on the ground. We stopped the truck and got out to find out what was going on. The crowd was standing around watching a woman lying in the middle part of the road. We went up to her to see if she was dead or alive and she was alive. I asked the crowd if they knew who she was and what happened. Nobody recognized her (or would tell me) and some people responded that she was a “zombie”. Others said that she had collapsed from hunger. One side of her mouth was drooping down and I thought that she might have suffered a stroke. In Haiti the emergency number to dial is 114 and we kept getting a busy signal. We then decided to go to the police station on Delmas 33 to make a report and request their assistance in transporting the woman to the hospital. I showed the policeman the picture on my camera of the woman and he spoke to some other policemen and than a police vehicle drove out of the station. The guy then told me that he sent a vehicle to help out. We went back to the area where she was and the police hadn’t arrived yet. I told the crowd that the police would come and they didn’t think that they would show up. Time went on and the police never came. The people in the crowd told me that I should have told the police that there was some cocaine on the road! It started to rain and we didn’t want to leave her on the road and I asked the crowd to help me lift her into the truck. Nobody budged to help. The only volunteers were the older children here at Coram Deo. Reginald and Harold helped to lift her into the truck. We started to drive downtown and the rain turned into a downpour. The water runs quickly down the streets and we passed a person empty a large sack of garbage on the road for the rains to wash away. This is a common thing for people to do and when the rain stops all the garbage piles up in the low areas. We arrived at General Hospital and brought the lady into the emergency room. We made a report with the doctors and then left her. The lady can’t speak so her name is marked as “Inconnu” (unknown). The doctors asked who was with her and we told them that we found her in the street and couldn’t leave her lying in the rain. I was hoping that her family would search for her and find her in the emergency department at the state hospital. In Haiti if there is nobody with a patient they basically get no treatment and I told the doctors that I would come back the next day and try to find an alternative location to put the woman. We went back to the hospital the next day and brought some food and something to drink for the woman. We didn’t find her in the emergency department. She had been moved to the floor of the waiting room. She didn’t have a stroke but she was mentally handicapped. I don’t know how she ended up in the middle of that street. She either had been wandering around for some time and was weak or else somebody dumped her there. We visited the Brothers of Charity in Cite Pele to see if they could help but they weren’t able to. I did have a good discussion though with one of the Brothers. He is from India and used to work for several years in Mexico with the handicapped. The Brothers of Charity just recently had to put out a young mentally handicapped adult after having problems with him who had been with them since a child. He said that they didn’t want to have to handle another situation like that again. He mentioned the need in Haiti for a place for handicapped adults. He told us to check with the Missionaries of Charity at the Home for the Dying to see if they would take her in but didn’t give much hope. We went there and they were away on retreat. On Monday we hope to speak with the sisters. If they don’t take her in there are no other options available but to leave this woman at the state hospital. When we brought this woman food there was an older man there and he came up to us. He told me that he offered to give her some money to buy food but she didn’t understand. He then gave us the money to help to buy some food for her. At least being there on the floor people will notice her and hopefully give her food and something to drink. Pray for this unknown woman who still is on the floor in the waiting room at the hospital. Christian Horizons has group homes for adults in Canada. I pray that one day they will be able to do the same thing here in Haiti. It can be frustrating trying to help the handicapped in Haiti because there are very few options available. Pray that the society will work together here in Haiti to help.
This week we visited Vanessa Jules and her mother. They have been homeless since the father ordered her mother to get rid of Vanessa. Vanessa is a young hydrocephalus child that was recently operated on. Her mother had her baby in a building, which used to be an orphanage/school. She delivered the baby herself with the help of a couple of other squatters. She loves her children and is doing the best she can to look after them. Pray for this family as they are in a difficult situation.
We have had several requests this week for schooling assistance for some children. Kervens Peltro is a 9-year-old mentally handicapped boy. Jodline Jean is 13 years old and has never completed a year of schooling. Pray we can help them in September in our school program here at Coram Deo.
That’s all the news for today. Have a good weekend!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Hi! This week focused on the struggles of the handicapped. Late every afternoon I always give Macdonald Jean a ride near to where he lives. He lives in the Cite Jeremie area in our neighborhood. He has some form of neuro-muscular disease and over time it gets progressively worse. He likes to come here to be around the other people and also to advance his education. He is not a child but a young man of around 23 years of age. He is smart and has learned to repair computers and cell phones. He is determined to function in life despite his physical disabilities. Because of his weakness sometimes he falls. He doesn’t complain though and just tries to get back up again. One day he was laying awkwardly on the table and when I walked past him I helped him to sit up in a better position again. I asked him how come he never called out for help and he responded by saying that he knew somebody would walk by him eventually to help. He has a lot of courage in facing his disability. People who are physically handicapped here in Haiti face a lot of obstacles in trying to move around, especially on some of the roads we have here in Haiti! Pray for Macdonald as he courageously faces his neuro-muscular disease.
When we bring Macdonald home the other children always want to come along for a ride in the truck. Late Wednesday afternoon Manu and Benson came along. We dropped off Mackenson and then turned the corner to head back up the street. We saw a crowd of people ahead and Manu said that there was a lady lying on the ground. We stopped the truck and got out to find out what was going on. The crowd was standing around watching a woman lying in the middle part of the road. We went up to her to see if she was dead or alive and she was alive. I asked the crowd if they knew who she was and what happened. Nobody recognized her (or would tell me) and some people responded that she was a “zombie”. Others said that she had collapsed from hunger. One side of her mouth was drooping down and I thought that she might have suffered a stroke. In Haiti the emergency number to dial is 114 and we kept getting a busy signal. We then decided to go to the police station on Delmas 33 to make a report and request their assistance in transporting the woman to the hospital. I showed the policeman the picture on my camera of the woman and he spoke to some other policemen and than a police vehicle drove out of the station. The guy then told me that he sent a vehicle to help out. We went back to the area where she was and the police hadn’t arrived yet. I told the crowd that the police would come and they didn’t think that they would show up. Time went on and the police never came. The people in the crowd told me that I should have told the police that there was some cocaine on the road! It started to rain and we didn’t want to leave her on the road and I asked the crowd to help me lift her into the truck. Nobody budged to help. The only volunteers were the older children here at Coram Deo. Reginald and Harold helped to lift her into the truck. We started to drive downtown and the rain turned into a downpour. The water runs quickly down the streets and we passed a person empty a large sack of garbage on the road for the rains to wash away. This is a common thing for people to do and when the rain stops all the garbage piles up in the low areas. We arrived at General Hospital and brought the lady into the emergency room. We made a report with the doctors and then left her. The lady can’t speak so her name is marked as “Inconnu” (unknown). The doctors asked who was with her and we told them that we found her in the street and couldn’t leave her lying in the rain. I was hoping that her family would search for her and find her in the emergency department at the state hospital. In Haiti if there is nobody with a patient they basically get no treatment and I told the doctors that I would come back the next day and try to find an alternative location to put the woman. We went back to the hospital the next day and brought some food and something to drink for the woman. We didn’t find her in the emergency department. She had been moved to the floor of the waiting room. She didn’t have a stroke but she was mentally handicapped. I don’t know how she ended up in the middle of that street. She either had been wandering around for some time and was weak or else somebody dumped her there. We visited the Brothers of Charity in Cite Pele to see if they could help but they weren’t able to. I did have a good discussion though with one of the Brothers. He is from India and used to work for several years in Mexico with the handicapped. The Brothers of Charity just recently had to put out a young mentally handicapped adult after having problems with him who had been with them since a child. He said that they didn’t want to have to handle another situation like that again. He mentioned the need in Haiti for a place for handicapped adults. He told us to check with the Missionaries of Charity at the Home for the Dying to see if they would take her in but didn’t give much hope. We went there and they were away on retreat. On Monday we hope to speak with the sisters. If they don’t take her in there are no other options available but to leave this woman at the state hospital. When we brought this woman food there was an older man there and he came up to us. He told me that he offered to give her some money to buy food but she didn’t understand. He then gave us the money to help to buy some food for her. At least being there on the floor people will notice her and hopefully give her food and something to drink. Pray for this unknown woman who still is on the floor in the waiting room at the hospital. Christian Horizons has group homes for adults in Canada. I pray that one day they will be able to do the same thing here in Haiti. It can be frustrating trying to help the handicapped in Haiti because there are very few options available. Pray that the society will work together here in Haiti to help.
This week we visited Vanessa Jules and her mother. They have been homeless since the father ordered her mother to get rid of Vanessa. Vanessa is a young hydrocephalus child that was recently operated on. Her mother had her baby in a building, which used to be an orphanage/school. She delivered the baby herself with the help of a couple of other squatters. She loves her children and is doing the best she can to look after them. Pray for this family as they are in a difficult situation.
We have had several requests this week for schooling assistance for some children. Kervens Peltro is a 9-year-old mentally handicapped boy. Jodline Jean is 13 years old and has never completed a year of schooling. Pray we can help them in September in our school program here at Coram Deo.
That’s all the news for today. Have a good weekend!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Saturday, May 9, 2009
photos - various
We got sad news this week that Sammy died in Fond Baptiste. He was 20 years old. He is in heaven now where he suffers no more.
Jacob had his 15th birthday this week. Jacob is Sammy's cousin. It was on a visit to see Jacob when I first met Sammy (when he was 11 years old).
This 6-year-old girl is our newest addition to the school program here at Coram Deo. Her mother died a couple of weeks ago and her 7-month-old baby sister died a week later. She is now an orphan and will be raised by her aunt and uncle. Her aunt, Joana is one of the hydrocephalus parents (mother of Chrisno). By the end of the week she was sitting in class and starting to smile. Keep her in prayer.
Gilberto Romain is a happy 3-year-old boy who has cerebral palsy. His mother said that he can't still hold his head very well and I told her not to give up that it would just take more time.
I showed her that one day he may walk. Here he is making an effort to stand. Here he is trying to push up with his head. This is a good exercise to build neck strength. Hopefully she will keep in contact.photos - various
Valny Brunel is a 46 year old man who recently had his left leg amputated just below the knee. In August 2008 he was robbed in the Fond Parisien area by three men armed with knives. They pushed him into a hole which was about 10 ft deep. His leg was severely damaged. He went to the Medecins Sans Frontieres Hospital where they attempted to save his leg. In April 2009 they ended up amputating it. He got robbed after completing a business deal and had $5,000US in cash on him. He believes his business partner arranged the robbery. His business partner suddenly died a week after this mans' leg was amputated. Valny had told his family and friends not to take revenge.
Christella Odene is a 13-year-old girl who suffered some serious burns in a fire when she was only 3 months old.
Her right hand suffered some scarring damage. With plastic surgery I think that her hand function can improve. A plastic surgeon who specialises in hand surgery visited Haiti a couple of years ago. I am going to try and get into contact with him to see if he may be able to help this girl.
Marie Alsouna Maitre is a 13-year-old girl who I met 11 years ago. She was born with an encephalocele between her eyes. Ruth Zimmermann of Notre Maison found surgery for her in the United States during that time. The doctors in the United States told her that they would be able to do further surgery on her tear ducts 10 years later. I don't have any of her old info. Pray that we can find the hospital that helped her and also if they can help her once again.
Freud Jean is a 7-month-old baby boy with hydrocephalus. The family lives in the Fond Parisien region. We brought him to Healing Hands this week to register in the next hydrocephalus program. We had 3 new hydrocephalus contacts this week!photos - hydrocephalus
Margarita Antoine is a 2-month-old baby girl who was born with hydrocephalus. She was abandoned at the Missionaries of Charity in Cayes and transferred to Holy Angels where she is now under the care of Linda Cortesi and her workers. She was born premature and her body is very tiny. I don't know if she will survive. Her head is very tight and looks like it is growing quickly. Pray for her and for those who look after her.
She also has clubbed feet. Her feet are tiny. She weighs 8 pounds but most of the weight is her head. Her body only weighs about 2 pounds.
Vanessa Jules and her mother came by for a visit. Vanessa is feeling better and gaining weight after being treated for an intestinal illness that caused diarrhea for a few weeks. She can stand!
This is Chalmay Jean-Jacques who is a 25 year old man from Gonaives with hydrocephalus. He has never been treated. He is a walking miracle!
His head circumference is 85 cm. He was born caesarean section with an already developed hydrocephalus. Because his mother is poor he never had the opportunity to have a surgery. Most babies born this way don't survive and if they do they usually have severe brain damage. Not so for Charlie! He walks and talks and communicates well. He attended school and was able to answer all the questions for his dossier at Healing Hands including providing his and his mother's cell phone number. He is an amazing guy who will be an excellent role model for other hydrocephalus patients. A couple of people asked him if he thought his head was heavy and he told them no. He called me this afternoon to tell me that he arrived back in Gonaives and also I had the opportunity to talk with his mother more about his medical history.photos - hospitals
This is the entrance to the new physiotherapy center for children that opened in March 2009. This mission is a real blessing to the poor as they do not charge for their services. It is located in the Tabarre area. This week we brought Mykerson for his first physiotherapy appointment. He is 4 years old and has cerebral palsy. This center will teach the mother how best to look after her child.
On the opposite corner is Hopital Nos Petit Freres et Soeurs (Our Little Brother and Sister Hospital). This children's hospital also offers free care for hospitalization and provides excellent care. They also run a pediatric aids and tuberculosis program here.
Also in the same area is the Institute des Maladies Infectieuses et Sante de la Reproduction (Infectious Diseases Center). This organization provides HIV and Tuberculosis treatment programs. Haiti's HIV program is improving yearly with assistance from other countries.
On a sidestreet off of Delmas 19 is Hopital Trinite, which is where Medecins Sans Frontieres - France (Doctors without Borders) runs this trauma hospital. In 2010 Medecins Sans Frontieres will be closing this trauma program. Now that Haiti is officially not considered as a country at war Medecins Sans Frontieres will be going to other war torn countries. Haiti will be missing their excellent care. The public health system is still in bad shape. Pray they change their mind!
This is the entrance to Healing Hands. This mission offers physical therapy, prosthetics and orthotics as well as having orthopedic doctors who provide consultations. A lot of physiotherapy teams from Canada and the United States help out here and in the community. We go here a lot too as they are in charge of all hydrocephalus dossiers and follow-up.haiti update - may 9, 2009
“…I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18:3-5
Hi! This week was busy avoiding protest demonstrations. On Monday we were driving up Delmas and saw a group of around 200 protestors walking in the opposite direction down Delmas. They were carrying signs requesting the Mayor of Delmas to give them a market area to sell at. They were happy with the fact that all traffic coming down Delmas was following behind them at their pace! Later we were driving down Delmas 31 and saw a group of protesters in front of the Mayor of Delmas’ office. We just took a little detour to go around them. On Friday we detoured to avoid a protest demonstration coming up Rue Pan American. They were heading to the Dominican Republic Embassy. An incident happened in the Dominican Republic that has upset the Haitian people. A Dominican decapitated a Haitian man in Santo Domingo in the middle of the afternoon in a public area and nobody stopped him. Some of the Dominican onlookers cheered and took pictures with their cell phone cameras. Haitians living in the Dominican Republic have always had problems. It is estimated that there are over 1 million Haitians working legally and illegally in the Dominican Republic. Mostly they work in the agriculture and construction sectors. The Haitians experience a lot of racism there. Some Dominicans don’t want them there. The group of demonstrators who went to the Dominican Republic Embassy burned a Dominican flag in front of the embassy as well as removing the Dominican Republic seal from the walls of the embassy. Benson’s father lives and works in the Dominican Republic. His father’s name is Benito. When Benson came back from his Easter visit with his aunt he told me that his older brother Emmanuel went to the Dominican Republic with his father. I don’t think that he went the legal way though. Pray for peaceful Dominican and Haitian relations and also that a way can be found for Benson to keep in contact with his older brother.
We have a new student in the school program here at Coram Deo. One of the hydrocephalus parents went to the province to help look after her sister-in-law. Joana (Chrisno’s mother) came to us last Thursday and introduced her niece. Loudmy Valcourt is her name. Her mother died a few weeks ago and she never knew her father. Her 7-month-old baby sister died one week after her mother and she now is an orphan. Joana and her husband are now going to raise her. Joana had asked if she could be a part of the school program in September but I thought it would be best for Loudmy if she started right away. This way she could get to know some people here in Port-au-Prince. She is a quiet 6-year-old girl who has never been to school. The first couple of days she didn’t want to sit in class but now she is smiling and taking part in class. We give the Lord thanks that we are able to help her.
This week we registered a few hydrocephalus patients at Healing Hands. For the first time, I have met an untreated hydrocephalus adult. Pastor Emory sent Chalmay “Charlie” Jean-Jacques from Gonaives to get registered at Healing Hands. Charlie is 25 years old and his head circumference is 85 cm. He was born caesarean section with an already developed hydrocephalus in a hospital in Cap-Haitian. His mother brought him to Port-au-Prince when he was a baby and the doctor told her how much a neurosurgery would cost. She couldn’t come up with the funds and the doctor told her that the baby would be in God’s hands. She did the best she could to look after him and he continued to live and thrive. Charlie walks and talks and attended school for some time. When we made the dossier at Healing Hands he supplied the answers to all the nurse’s questions as well as knowing contact telephone numbers by heart. He communicates well. I have never seen an untreated severe hydrocephalus live long and he sure is a unique case! I think he is a walking miracle! He is a good example for hydrocephalus parents to see and will give them hope for their own children. This week we also helped another mission get a medical visa for a boy who needs to have his eye removed and a prosthetic eye put in place. Pray for Clepson and the travel arrangements that are now being made for him to travel to a hospital in the United States.
We received word on Monday afternoon that Sammy died. He was 20 years old. He lived here at Coram Deo from when he was 11 years old until March 2008. I met Sammy for the first time when I went for a visit up to Fond Baptiste to see how Jacob was doing. It was then that a Haitian man told me about his younger brother Sammy. We went down a hill to their home and saw Sammy sitting there. He was near death and his eyes were glassy. Even though he was 11 years old I could carry him with one arm, as he didn’t weigh much. He thrived and grew here at Coram Deo into a young man. He was mentally handicapped and still had the mind of a child. Even though he was mentally handicapped he observed the actions of those around him. I had problems with some of the people who lived here. He observed how they acted to me and duplicated it. After these people were no longer a part of Coram Deo he didn’t realize that these actions couldn’t continue going on. He also started being more physical to the younger children who lived here. In March 2008 I sent him back to his family in Fond Baptiste. We received word a couple of weeks ago that he wasn’t doing well. I sent word to bring him down to Arcahaie and that I would drive there and see him. I never heard back from the family and assumed that he was doing alright. It was a surprise when the next communication came that said he had died and was already buried. I wish that I would have done things differently and gone up the mountain instead of waiting for others to bring him down. Sammy is in heaven now. God knows how his mind was. Our mission here is called “Coram Deo”. It means “Before the face of God.” Sammy is now with God and is suffering no more. Even though he would act up and was very animated and energetic here at home he always behaved in church. He would sit quietly through the service from beginning to end. He knew that church was a special place and that it was God’s house. Some of the people who used to be part of Coram Deo said, “that the children here are not my family”. I try my best to raise the children living here as my family. They know that this is their home. Sammy is now home in heaven and one day we will be together again. Please pray for our family here at Coram Deo.
In the bitter waves of woe
Beaten and tossed about
By the sullen winds that blow
From the desolate shores of doubt,
Where the anchors that faith has cast
Are dragging in the gale,
I am quietly holding fast
To the things that cannot fail.
And fierce though the fiends may fight,
And long though the angels hide,
I know that truth and right
Have the universe on their side;
And that somewhere beyond the stars
Is a love that is better than fate.
When the night unlocks her bars
I shall see Him – and I will wait.
Washington Gladden
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Hi! This week was busy avoiding protest demonstrations. On Monday we were driving up Delmas and saw a group of around 200 protestors walking in the opposite direction down Delmas. They were carrying signs requesting the Mayor of Delmas to give them a market area to sell at. They were happy with the fact that all traffic coming down Delmas was following behind them at their pace! Later we were driving down Delmas 31 and saw a group of protesters in front of the Mayor of Delmas’ office. We just took a little detour to go around them. On Friday we detoured to avoid a protest demonstration coming up Rue Pan American. They were heading to the Dominican Republic Embassy. An incident happened in the Dominican Republic that has upset the Haitian people. A Dominican decapitated a Haitian man in Santo Domingo in the middle of the afternoon in a public area and nobody stopped him. Some of the Dominican onlookers cheered and took pictures with their cell phone cameras. Haitians living in the Dominican Republic have always had problems. It is estimated that there are over 1 million Haitians working legally and illegally in the Dominican Republic. Mostly they work in the agriculture and construction sectors. The Haitians experience a lot of racism there. Some Dominicans don’t want them there. The group of demonstrators who went to the Dominican Republic Embassy burned a Dominican flag in front of the embassy as well as removing the Dominican Republic seal from the walls of the embassy. Benson’s father lives and works in the Dominican Republic. His father’s name is Benito. When Benson came back from his Easter visit with his aunt he told me that his older brother Emmanuel went to the Dominican Republic with his father. I don’t think that he went the legal way though. Pray for peaceful Dominican and Haitian relations and also that a way can be found for Benson to keep in contact with his older brother.
We have a new student in the school program here at Coram Deo. One of the hydrocephalus parents went to the province to help look after her sister-in-law. Joana (Chrisno’s mother) came to us last Thursday and introduced her niece. Loudmy Valcourt is her name. Her mother died a few weeks ago and she never knew her father. Her 7-month-old baby sister died one week after her mother and she now is an orphan. Joana and her husband are now going to raise her. Joana had asked if she could be a part of the school program in September but I thought it would be best for Loudmy if she started right away. This way she could get to know some people here in Port-au-Prince. She is a quiet 6-year-old girl who has never been to school. The first couple of days she didn’t want to sit in class but now she is smiling and taking part in class. We give the Lord thanks that we are able to help her.
This week we registered a few hydrocephalus patients at Healing Hands. For the first time, I have met an untreated hydrocephalus adult. Pastor Emory sent Chalmay “Charlie” Jean-Jacques from Gonaives to get registered at Healing Hands. Charlie is 25 years old and his head circumference is 85 cm. He was born caesarean section with an already developed hydrocephalus in a hospital in Cap-Haitian. His mother brought him to Port-au-Prince when he was a baby and the doctor told her how much a neurosurgery would cost. She couldn’t come up with the funds and the doctor told her that the baby would be in God’s hands. She did the best she could to look after him and he continued to live and thrive. Charlie walks and talks and attended school for some time. When we made the dossier at Healing Hands he supplied the answers to all the nurse’s questions as well as knowing contact telephone numbers by heart. He communicates well. I have never seen an untreated severe hydrocephalus live long and he sure is a unique case! I think he is a walking miracle! He is a good example for hydrocephalus parents to see and will give them hope for their own children. This week we also helped another mission get a medical visa for a boy who needs to have his eye removed and a prosthetic eye put in place. Pray for Clepson and the travel arrangements that are now being made for him to travel to a hospital in the United States.
We received word on Monday afternoon that Sammy died. He was 20 years old. He lived here at Coram Deo from when he was 11 years old until March 2008. I met Sammy for the first time when I went for a visit up to Fond Baptiste to see how Jacob was doing. It was then that a Haitian man told me about his younger brother Sammy. We went down a hill to their home and saw Sammy sitting there. He was near death and his eyes were glassy. Even though he was 11 years old I could carry him with one arm, as he didn’t weigh much. He thrived and grew here at Coram Deo into a young man. He was mentally handicapped and still had the mind of a child. Even though he was mentally handicapped he observed the actions of those around him. I had problems with some of the people who lived here. He observed how they acted to me and duplicated it. After these people were no longer a part of Coram Deo he didn’t realize that these actions couldn’t continue going on. He also started being more physical to the younger children who lived here. In March 2008 I sent him back to his family in Fond Baptiste. We received word a couple of weeks ago that he wasn’t doing well. I sent word to bring him down to Arcahaie and that I would drive there and see him. I never heard back from the family and assumed that he was doing alright. It was a surprise when the next communication came that said he had died and was already buried. I wish that I would have done things differently and gone up the mountain instead of waiting for others to bring him down. Sammy is in heaven now. God knows how his mind was. Our mission here is called “Coram Deo”. It means “Before the face of God.” Sammy is now with God and is suffering no more. Even though he would act up and was very animated and energetic here at home he always behaved in church. He would sit quietly through the service from beginning to end. He knew that church was a special place and that it was God’s house. Some of the people who used to be part of Coram Deo said, “that the children here are not my family”. I try my best to raise the children living here as my family. They know that this is their home. Sammy is now home in heaven and one day we will be together again. Please pray for our family here at Coram Deo.
In the bitter waves of woe
Beaten and tossed about
By the sullen winds that blow
From the desolate shores of doubt,
Where the anchors that faith has cast
Are dragging in the gale,
I am quietly holding fast
To the things that cannot fail.
And fierce though the fiends may fight,
And long though the angels hide,
I know that truth and right
Have the universe on their side;
And that somewhere beyond the stars
Is a love that is better than fate.
When the night unlocks her bars
I shall see Him – and I will wait.
Washington Gladden
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Saturday, May 2, 2009
photos - may 1st - agricultural fair - part 1
It was Nelson's 8th birthday on Sunday. He is Lukner's son. Lukner wanted a photo of him in his birthday suit!
The police had barricades near the palace so we had to walk some to get to the Champ Mars public park. The children enjoyed the walk and seeing the Palais National as well. Later we found out that the police had chased away some protesters with tear gas!
In the old Haitian architecture houses were constructed of wood. Here is a wooden house constructed in miniature. The old Haitian architectural style involved high narrow doors. This house is an example. I asked a couple of the children to stand in front to pose for the picture.
Not every haitian has a bicycle and they were available to rent in the park. It was difficult to take a picture of the children by the fountain because of the bicycles that were circling the fountain.
Finally I had an opening and got a good photo by the fountain. You can see the children weren't that impressed with the fountain. They told me later that you couldn't do anything with this water and that they would rather go to the "sous" (watering hole) in the countryside because they couldn't touch this water. Reginald had the children believing that the water was electrified by the water fountain pump. Reginald is not one of the children in this photo. He refused to go near the water.photos - may 1st - agricultural fair - part 2
One of the exhibits were haitian straw hats. They were for sale and could be bought.
Haiti has a lot of varieties of tropical plants. Haiti used to be the Pearl of the Antilles!
Here is a sample of the types of foods grown here in Haiti
These are baby rice plants.
This is what the rice plant looks like after 100 days. Taiwan signed a contract with the Minister of Agriculture this week for a 15million US$ rice growing project in the Torbeck plain area. 3,000 hectares will be dedicated to production of rice. Haiti needs to be more self sufficient in rice. Reliance on expensive rice imports has really hurt the Haitian economy.photos - kenscoff - mountain farming
The Kenscoff area is farm country! Kenscoff is also a mountainous area.
The soil here is very fertile with good rains. These people are working in this level farm area.
The Haitian farmers are very industrious. These farmers are farming the slope of the mountain.
The slopes can be steep. In the distance you can see a couple of men farming on these terraced slopes.
This is a closer view. They balance themselves by keeping one leg on the terrace edge and reaching up with the other leg. If they fall they fall forward and not backward down the slope!photos - kenscoff - people
Women are good at balancing things on their heads. Water is a precious commodity and some people have to walk great distances to get a pail of water.
Pedestrian, horse traffic was quite common on this road/rail
This woman is carrying a large basket of bread.
This mission building is where Pastor Pierre arranged all the people to meet at.
Yolene (the lady in the black sweater) is the nurse who is responsible for the feeding program here. She has been running this program for awhile.photos - kenscoff - medical patients
Diverna St. Plus has the largest goiter I have ever seen! She doesn't know her age but has had this goiter growing since just after the birth of her first child (at least 20 years).
I don't know how she can move with this large goiter. We are going to bring her to the mission hospital in Cange to see what they can do to help her.
Paulette Louima also has a goiter. She had an operation in 2006 but still needs further surgery.
Sabrina Derilus has had this goiter for a while as well. Goiters can be caused by a deficiency of iodine in the diet. They can also be caused by too much thyroid stimulating hormone in the thyroid gland.
Lherisson Pierre has a cyst growing on his head for several years now. Many times people in the mountains don't know their age. This man only knows that he was born in the time of President Lescot, which means that he was born sometime in the 1940's.photos - various
Pastor Pierre's home is on the right side of the road. His house is not far from where we met people.
The entire time we were there we were the only vehicle on this road/trail. It seems like more horses and people walk this road than vehicles!
Kimosabee handles the mountain road well!
This week the mother of Chaina Brunot came by the house. She is 6 months old and had a shunt surgery in January 2009 at General Hospital. We registered her at Healing Hands so that she can be part of the follow-up process.
Sterline Bonhomme is tiny for a 4-month-old baby girl. She only weighed 6 pounds when Dorothy took her in. Her mother couldn't breast feed or afford to buy baby formula. As a result she was suffering from malnutrition and weak.haiti update - may 2, 2009
“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.” Psalm 126:5,6
Hi! This week in Haiti the focus was on the environment. May 1st is a national holiday in commemoration of workers’ day and agricultural day. Environmental focused events were held by different groups around the country to acknowledge this day. The children wanted to go on an outing. I went with a couple of the older children to see if there was going to be a program at the sugar cane museum. It was an interesting drive! We were waiting at a stoplight and just ahead there was a UN traffic checkpoint. The Haitian man who was standing on the sidewalk got angry with one of the Brazilian soldiers and he pushed him to the ground. The Brazilians got angry and this Haitian man ended on his knees with his hands chicken strapped behind his back. This gave me the opportunity to give the children a lesson on respecting authority. This Haitian man was a good example! We went a little further and then were stuck in a traffic jam. Traffic wasn’t moving and some vehicles turned around and headed back in the other direction. We asked somebody what was going on and he told us it was a “manifestation” (demonstration). Shortly after, a police pickup truck full of happy citizens standing in the back drove by. That’s when we knew it was a “happy demonstration”. A crowd of about 100 people from a citizens’ organization in Tabarre were walking down the road carrying small trees. They were on their way to plant them somewhere to commemorate the May 1st holiday. This was a good environmental lesson for the children. We finally arrived at the sugar cane museum to see that there were no activities going on there and drove back home. We passed the citizens’ group resting under a couple of trees. The large float that was following behind and playing music had broken down and people were fixing it. Hopefully they were able to plant their trees where they wanted to! Everybody went along for the drive downtown to the Champ Mars public park for the large environmental fair going on there. In the park there were a lot of agricultural exhibits on display and we walked along looking at them. It was good that the children could see what is grown here in Haiti. A group of a couple of hundred people protesting to raise the minimum wage tried to protest by the palace but were not able to get near it. The police chased them away with tear gas. I am glad this didn’t take place while we were there because we were parked in this area. The children enjoyed their outing but said that they would have rather gone to the “sous” (watering hole).
The International Crisis Group issued its latest report on Haiti. It is entitled, “Haiti: Saving the Environment, Preventing Instability and Conflict”. This report can be accessed by following the link www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=6078&l=1
The key is that where there is an environmental crisis there is also instability and conflict. Pray that the people in Haiti will focus on improving their environment.
A situation where the environment causes instability and conflict occurred in the Leogane area this week. The rains that we had this week caused some flooding there. People in anger blocked the national highway with a tractor-trailer to get the government to take steps to improve drainage of the nearby river.
On Tuesday we went to the Kenscoff area to see some people who have medical problems that will be requiring surgery. We added their names to our medical search list. Pastor Pierre has a list of 12 women who have large “goiters”. A lot of these are caused by iodine deficiencies in the Haitian diet. One of the women who were there had the largest goiter I have ever seen. I am going to see if the hospital in Cange would be able to help her. Pray we can find a way to help her. Another purpose of the visit was to see the site that Pastor Pierre had picked out to hold a clinic at near the end of May. We had to see what shape the road was in. The medical team will be traveling by bus and we had to figure out which route the bus could take. We found out that the bus won’t be able to get to the clinic site but fairly close. Kimosabee had no trouble driving the mountain road/trail! Pray for the preparations that are taking place. This medical team will be willing to see 200 people and will also do a clinic another day here at Coram Deo as well. This is great because at the same time they will be doing a mini vacation bible school as well for the children!
Sterline Bonhomme is a 4-month-old hydrocephalus baby. She is one of the babies who had surgery in April. Since her surgery she has not been doing well. The mother is not able to breastfeed and is not able to purchase baby formula. As a result she has been weakening because of malnutrition. I asked Dorothy of Faith, Hope, Love Infant Rescue if she could help her and she was able to take her in. Her weight was down from 9 pounds at 3 months of age to 6 pounds at 4 months. She is taking formula now. Pray she will get stronger and for those caring for her.
Magdala died last Thursday. She was 16 years old and a quadriplegic. The family lives in the ravine area on the other side of Delmas 31. I have known her since she was 5 years old. The family took good care of her over the years. She never had pressure sores. Her family regularly changed her positions. She never really grew either and she was about the size of a 7 year old. The children in the community would visit her and they would study their lessons together. Even though her body couldn’t move she was able to speak well and was normal mentally. Her family would carry her out of the ravine and bring her in a wheelchair to a school that was nearby every school day. At the end of the school day they would carry her back. Last Wednesday evening she was feeling sick and told her mother that she was going to die. At 2:00am Thursday morning she suddenly died. It didn’t take long for the news to travel. Everyone in the ravine knew Magdala. We visited the family after hearing the news and told them that they could take comfort in knowing that she is in heaven. Pray for Magdala’s family.
Jn. Eddy found out the results of his Rheto exam re-write. Rheto is one of the graduating years of secondary school (like Grade 12). Only 9% of those who wrote the exams passed and he was one of them! He passed after failing on 3 other occasions but he never gave up. Now he can start Philo (like Grade 13 in the old secondary school system in Ontario) in September.
The results of the senatorial elections were released and nobody won! To qualify a candidate must have 50% +1 votes and none had this. There will now be a second round of elections in June of the top 2 candidates. Port-au-Prince is part of the West Department of the country. Only 2% of eligible voters participated in the recent elections from this area. In total there were 18 candidates vying for the one senate seat for the west. It is interesting that the “no candidate” selection finished in 4th place with 7.2% of the vote. “Spoiled ballots” were not included in the totals but if the “no candidate” votes and the “spoiled ballots” were added together and included in the total “nobody” would have finished in 2nd place and the second round would feature the candidate from the Lespwa party and “nobody”! Pray for the electoral process here in Haiti.
That’s all the news for today. Have a good weekend!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Hi! This week in Haiti the focus was on the environment. May 1st is a national holiday in commemoration of workers’ day and agricultural day. Environmental focused events were held by different groups around the country to acknowledge this day. The children wanted to go on an outing. I went with a couple of the older children to see if there was going to be a program at the sugar cane museum. It was an interesting drive! We were waiting at a stoplight and just ahead there was a UN traffic checkpoint. The Haitian man who was standing on the sidewalk got angry with one of the Brazilian soldiers and he pushed him to the ground. The Brazilians got angry and this Haitian man ended on his knees with his hands chicken strapped behind his back. This gave me the opportunity to give the children a lesson on respecting authority. This Haitian man was a good example! We went a little further and then were stuck in a traffic jam. Traffic wasn’t moving and some vehicles turned around and headed back in the other direction. We asked somebody what was going on and he told us it was a “manifestation” (demonstration). Shortly after, a police pickup truck full of happy citizens standing in the back drove by. That’s when we knew it was a “happy demonstration”. A crowd of about 100 people from a citizens’ organization in Tabarre were walking down the road carrying small trees. They were on their way to plant them somewhere to commemorate the May 1st holiday. This was a good environmental lesson for the children. We finally arrived at the sugar cane museum to see that there were no activities going on there and drove back home. We passed the citizens’ group resting under a couple of trees. The large float that was following behind and playing music had broken down and people were fixing it. Hopefully they were able to plant their trees where they wanted to! Everybody went along for the drive downtown to the Champ Mars public park for the large environmental fair going on there. In the park there were a lot of agricultural exhibits on display and we walked along looking at them. It was good that the children could see what is grown here in Haiti. A group of a couple of hundred people protesting to raise the minimum wage tried to protest by the palace but were not able to get near it. The police chased them away with tear gas. I am glad this didn’t take place while we were there because we were parked in this area. The children enjoyed their outing but said that they would have rather gone to the “sous” (watering hole).
The International Crisis Group issued its latest report on Haiti. It is entitled, “Haiti: Saving the Environment, Preventing Instability and Conflict”. This report can be accessed by following the link www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=6078&l=1
The key is that where there is an environmental crisis there is also instability and conflict. Pray that the people in Haiti will focus on improving their environment.
A situation where the environment causes instability and conflict occurred in the Leogane area this week. The rains that we had this week caused some flooding there. People in anger blocked the national highway with a tractor-trailer to get the government to take steps to improve drainage of the nearby river.
On Tuesday we went to the Kenscoff area to see some people who have medical problems that will be requiring surgery. We added their names to our medical search list. Pastor Pierre has a list of 12 women who have large “goiters”. A lot of these are caused by iodine deficiencies in the Haitian diet. One of the women who were there had the largest goiter I have ever seen. I am going to see if the hospital in Cange would be able to help her. Pray we can find a way to help her. Another purpose of the visit was to see the site that Pastor Pierre had picked out to hold a clinic at near the end of May. We had to see what shape the road was in. The medical team will be traveling by bus and we had to figure out which route the bus could take. We found out that the bus won’t be able to get to the clinic site but fairly close. Kimosabee had no trouble driving the mountain road/trail! Pray for the preparations that are taking place. This medical team will be willing to see 200 people and will also do a clinic another day here at Coram Deo as well. This is great because at the same time they will be doing a mini vacation bible school as well for the children!
Sterline Bonhomme is a 4-month-old hydrocephalus baby. She is one of the babies who had surgery in April. Since her surgery she has not been doing well. The mother is not able to breastfeed and is not able to purchase baby formula. As a result she has been weakening because of malnutrition. I asked Dorothy of Faith, Hope, Love Infant Rescue if she could help her and she was able to take her in. Her weight was down from 9 pounds at 3 months of age to 6 pounds at 4 months. She is taking formula now. Pray she will get stronger and for those caring for her.
Magdala died last Thursday. She was 16 years old and a quadriplegic. The family lives in the ravine area on the other side of Delmas 31. I have known her since she was 5 years old. The family took good care of her over the years. She never had pressure sores. Her family regularly changed her positions. She never really grew either and she was about the size of a 7 year old. The children in the community would visit her and they would study their lessons together. Even though her body couldn’t move she was able to speak well and was normal mentally. Her family would carry her out of the ravine and bring her in a wheelchair to a school that was nearby every school day. At the end of the school day they would carry her back. Last Wednesday evening she was feeling sick and told her mother that she was going to die. At 2:00am Thursday morning she suddenly died. It didn’t take long for the news to travel. Everyone in the ravine knew Magdala. We visited the family after hearing the news and told them that they could take comfort in knowing that she is in heaven. Pray for Magdala’s family.
Jn. Eddy found out the results of his Rheto exam re-write. Rheto is one of the graduating years of secondary school (like Grade 12). Only 9% of those who wrote the exams passed and he was one of them! He passed after failing on 3 other occasions but he never gave up. Now he can start Philo (like Grade 13 in the old secondary school system in Ontario) in September.
The results of the senatorial elections were released and nobody won! To qualify a candidate must have 50% +1 votes and none had this. There will now be a second round of elections in June of the top 2 candidates. Port-au-Prince is part of the West Department of the country. Only 2% of eligible voters participated in the recent elections from this area. In total there were 18 candidates vying for the one senate seat for the west. It is interesting that the “no candidate” selection finished in 4th place with 7.2% of the vote. “Spoiled ballots” were not included in the totals but if the “no candidate” votes and the “spoiled ballots” were added together and included in the total “nobody” would have finished in 2nd place and the second round would feature the candidate from the Lespwa party and “nobody”! Pray for the electoral process here in Haiti.
That’s all the news for today. Have a good weekend!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
