ARTICLE - ANGELS MET WITH GRATITUDE

ANGELS MET WITH GRATITUDE
(Woodstock Sentinel-Review) - By Heather Rivers

WOODSTOCK —The looks on their faces was more than enough reward for their efforts.

Several volunteers from the local organization Angels For Haiti returned to Canada on Feb. 11 after a 10-day trip to the earthquake-ravaged county.

They delivered roughly 60 care packages designed for mothers living in the tent camps who were caring for babies up to six months old.

"You should have seen the smiles on their faces looking through the bags," volunteer Teresa Cisek said. "The people were grateful for everything."

The care packages, largely comprised of donated items from local residents and organizations, included diapers, clothes, soap, powders and diaper cream.

"It's pretty much everything a baby needs," Cisek said.

In order to deliver the packages, Angels for Haiti volunteers visited local tent camps and handed out numbers to the new mothers with which they could claim their bags. The number system was designed to avoid the chaos associated with bringing free goods into the camps.

Haiti is facing a crisis of newborn children, many the result of rapes in the tent camps.

Angels for Haiti, comprised of several Woodstock and area volunteers, operate out of Coram Learning Centre, a Christian mission in Haiti for orphans and children in need.

The mission is run by Karen Bultje, whose sister Tanya Bultje is a member of the Angels for Haiti organization.

"Birth control is not their first thought. Getting food for their tummy is," Tanya Bultje said before the trip. "Mothers just don't know where to begin, knowing they have that support can make a difference."

Cisek explained the mood of the residents in the tent camps was grim.

"They may be smiling but they are depressed," she said. "It's been over a year now. How long can they stay in a tent?

Cisek also said many residents are being forced to leave the camps.

"They basically have nowhere to go," she said. "Some are trying to rebuild their houses. Some stay in the camps and pray."

The Angels have visited Haiti about seven times since 2005, and the group has been to Haiti five times since the earthquake hit to deliver medical and food supplies – and more recently – the baby care packages.

Volunteers on the most recent trip included Cisek, Marlene Magashazi, Elizabeth Pais and Angela Sutherland.