ARTICLE - D.R.- HAITI BORDER "ERASED"

SWELLING LAKE ERASES HAITI-DOMINCAN BORDER
(Dominican Today) -

Mal Passe, Haiti- Haitian leader Toussaint Louverture’s historical statement “the island is one and indivisible” as the pretext for his troops to invade the eastern portion of Hispaniola island in 1821 materializes 200 years later, at least at the southwest border.

The swelling Sumatre (Azuei Lake) has erased the line dividing Haiti and the Dominican Republic, as the waters have submerged the marker pyramids built along the border points between the two nations, with only number 239 still visible.

The lake also threatens the villages “La 39 and La 40”, two communities of Haitians in Dominican territory, where inhabitants live off the sale of the charcoal they take to Haitian territory aboard sailboats.

The swelling of Azuei’s 115 square kilometers has also destroyed plantations of Dominican farmers and threatens to spread to communities as far away as Tierra Nueva.

Since last year its waters had washed out the highway which links the town Jimaní with Haitian territory, which prompted the Dominican government, with the support of local businesses, to raise the highway nearly two meters. Across the border the Haitian authorities did the same.

But the lake still grows and has submerged the Customs, Immigration, and Agriculture Ministry and the offices of other Dominican government agencies.

Ovidio Dotel who runs one of the companies and is head of the Binational Market Retailers Association, said they’ve already spent around RD$25 million in landfill in this place, without a solution in sight.

“Look where we are, in a second floor. We were down there and now that has been buried,” said the merchant quoted by news source listin.com.do.

The lake’s continuing growth is forcing a second transfer of the government agencies, now being built on the higher grounds south of Jimaní, where Caribe Tours and Terra Bus also have erected their terminals; in addition to others that ply the Port-au-Prince transport route.

The Dominican Government also provided land for many Haitian vendors to build their warehouses or install their containers to transport merchandise to Port-au-Prince.

Further into Dominican territory there’s also the concern that the water of Azuey, located 55 meters above Enriquillo Lake, will eventually reach the basin hastening its swelling, blamed on the soil’s lack of moisture retention, lost to decades of rampant deforestation.

ARTICLE - JACMEL - EMBEZZLEMENT AT ONA

SCANDAL IN JACMEL, EMBEZZLEMENT AT ONA
(Haiti Libre) -

Jean Alix Boyer, Director General of the "Office National of Old Age Insurance" (ONA), at the head of a delegation in the metropolis of the South-East since Wednesday, September 14, 2011, accompanied by a Justice of the Peace and the Police Nationale d'Haiti (PNH) are investigating the management of the administration of Herno Jeudi and Hector Noël, who are respectively the Regional Director and Deputy Director of the ONA in Jacmel.

According to information provided to HaitiLibre, from a reliable source, Director Herno Jeudi may have fled about one week before the arrival of the Commission of Inquiry.

Last Wednesday, Jean Alix Boyer who continues to listen to the employees, had forced the employees to leave the office at 8pm, provoking the anger of the latter.

The residence of Deputy Director Hector Noël, was searched. One of the relatives of the Director, Herno Jeudi was arrested by the police. The Director General of ONA in Haiti, declined to comment to the local press.

The first Senator of the South East, Edwin Daniel Zenny, stated that this investigation into the management of the administration of the regional office of the ONA, is an alarm that shows the acceleration of the anti-corruption machine of the government of Joseph Michel Martelly throughout all public institutions of the country.

Senator Zenny, member of the Anti-Corruption Commission in the Senate, said that an amount estimated between 7 and 13 millions gourds ($175,000 to $325,000 US$), has been diverted within the regional office of the ONA in Jacmel. He expressed hope that the outcome of the investigation will be made public and that all accomplices will be arrested for trial. Edwin Daniel Zenny hopes that the people involved in the region will not be the only ones to be punished in this case.

Meanwhile, reactions are coming from both sides of the community of Jacmel on the presence of this Commission. On all city sidewalks, people are questioning the silent way in which the Director General of the ONA, is conducting this investigation. Taxpayers so far, know nothing and there is no clear precision in this case.

Jean Jeudi, defender of human rights of Society MAKAYA (SOMA), in an interview with Haitilibre congratulated the Directorate General of ONA, who chooses to conduct this investigation in the region. The human rights defender estimates at 90% the complicity of the Director Herno Jeudi, currently in the marquis. The administrator of SOMA indicated that acts of fraud have been perpetrated by an association of criminals operating within the ONA of Jacmel. Jeudi Jean hopes that this report be made public as soon as possible and that the real culprits are apprehended and brought before the competent authorities for justice.

Note that ONA is part of one of the public institutions discredited by the population in the department of the south-east. It is classified as one of the public offices with the most employees. This does not prevent the population from criticizing the quality of services offered by this institution. "By 1pm, the doors of this office are nearly closed and the majority of employees have already been released," lamented some taxpayers. According to the same source to HaitiLibre, leading figures are involved in this case of embezzlement at ONA. A case that HaitiLibre will closely monitor in the region.

ARTICLE - JACMEL - COURTHOUSE REHAB.

REHABILITATION OF THE COURTHOUSE OF JACMEL
(Haiti Libre) -

The two-story building, erected in 1908, which covers an area of 160 m2 in the historic district and which houses the Courthouse of Jacmel, was, despite its resistance, severely damaged by the earthquake of January 12, 2010, making it inoperable for the judicial and administrative staff.

Mr. Jean S. Avillon, Director of Judicial Affairs from the Ministry of Justice, in the presence of judicial authorities from the city, representatives of the Institute for the Protection of National Heritage (ISPAN) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has inaugurated the launching of work funded by UNDP to the tune of USD$350,000. The Ministry of Justice has entrusted the implementation of the project and its seismic retrofitting, to the ISPAN over a period of four months. "The Courthouse of Jacmel is a historical heritage that characterizes the architecture dating back over one hundred years. Our duty is to preserve this property. [...] If this building is still alive, it is thanks to the roof tiles that allowed it to resist," explains Elsoit Colas, technical director of ISPAN. "The work that we will conduct will allow the building to regain its stability through the use of seismic standards."

"Justice is the guarantor of citizens' rights. Without justice, peace , security or development can not exist and, when the judicial structures are destroyed, they must be rehabilitated in a timely and sustainable manner," declared Paolo del Mistro, Project Manager of the project Rule of Law of UNDP.

"... After January 12, we were forced to find an alternative as soon as possible. Thus, since February 2010, the hearings are held under a tent provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross, located in the courtyard of the Manoir Alexandra, and we use the annex building of the Courthouse as offices. Our priority was to revive the judicial machinery," explains Me. Adeline Dougé François, Dean of the trial court of Jacmel.

These are the working conditions of lawyers, clerks... who have been working in these conditions for almost two years. "These are not ideal conditions. We have more than 50 people packed into the annex but we have no choice," explained Luc Francois, lawyer of the bar of Jacmel; adding that "The files, the follow-up of the trials can not remain unanswered. Lives depend on it. People are waiting and we must give them justice."

ARTICLE - CONILLE - REPORT DELAY

THE COMMISSION OF THE SENATE POSTPONES THE SUBMISSION OF THE REPORT OF DR. CONILLE
(Haiti Libre) -

The President of the Special Commission in charge of analyzing the documents of the Prime Minister-designate; Senator Simon Dieuseul Desras, has announced yesterday that the report on the ratification of Dr. Garry Conille, which was to be ready early this week is postponed. The senatorial commission, unlike that of the lower house, which had made only a confirmation of signature with the institutions that issued the documents, of Dr. Conille ..., the Senate Commission wants to ensure in person that these are the institutions in question, who have issued them. Several Senators are questioning the authenticity of some documents...

Senator Simon Dieuseul Desras has explained the cause for this delay "...there are two documents that we have not yet verified. Until we have checked them, the report will not be ready. The report was supposed to be ready early this week as I said, but I'm sure that it will be ready by the end of the week... we want to check these documents..., we want to ensure that it is the institutions in question who have issued the documents: a certificate from the ONI and two certificates issued by the Town Hall of Petion-ville, and another by the Civil Court Registry.

[...] We can not say whether our report will be favorable or unfavorable. However, if section 157 of the Constitution is respected, if Article 11 of the Decree of 2005 is met; if 52.1 is respected, the report will likely be favorable. But, if there is one point, for one reason or another, which is not respected, the report will be unfavorable.

On the other hand, we needed explanations, on points which were a little obscure for us. On Saturday we were able to talk with a lawyer for Mr. Garry Conille, who gave us explanations. Another problem concerned the final tax declaration. We found that there were two different addresses. They put the address of the person who paid for him [Dr. Conille] above, and the address of the concerned is at the bottom [...] we talked with a specialist of the DGI, who said that it happens all the time. He showed us four or five other cases where this has happened..."

For his part, Senator Steven Benoît, is providing for a heated and contradictory debate in the Assembly during the session of ratification. There is no doubt that during the ratification vote, there will be pro, cons and likely abstentions.

President of the Senate, Senator Jean Rodolphe Joazile explained that for his part "...there is no contact with the Commission [...] we have only written contact when the Commission needs an expert [...] I do not go to the Commission to see what is happening. I'm just waiting until they send me the report [...] The Assembly will be convened 24 hours after the commission has sent me its report; because I want every Senator to have the report in hand, one day in advance..."

ARTICLE - MARTELLY - ELECTRICITY - PRIORITY

ELECTRICITY A PRIORITY FOR PRESIDENT MARTELLY
(Haiti Libre) -

President Michel Martelly, has proceeded, yesterday Monday, September 26, 2011, to the opening of work on the energy sector in Haiti. The ceremony was held at the Ritz Kinam Hotel in the presence of Joseph Williams of CARICOM, Minister Jacques Gabriel of Public Works, Transportation and Communications (MTPTC), Garry Valdémar, Director General of Electricity of Haiti (EDH) and representatives of various organizations and associations operating in this sector.

"I expect from your thoughts that you identify the lines of action from which, will be developed and established a rational, pragmatic policy of energy in Haiti" ...said the Head of State during a workshop...

President Martelly said that he was aware of various problems related to energy in Haiti, stating EDH, the state company responsible for the distribution of electricity in the country, has only 200,000 subscribers for a population of over 8 million. Consequently, the Head of State announced that it will take all necessary steps to implement a coherent structure of the energy sector, which will come from the convergence of the efforts and initiatives of the private and public sectors.

The Head of State is convinced that the country must have the electricity infrastructure necessary for the development of industry, creating jobs and improving living conditions of the population. In addition to Education, the creation of Jobs, the Environment and the establishment of the Rule of Law, President Martelly, said that energy is now one of the priorities of his five-year term.

haiti update - september 26, 2011

“See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land..........

......No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected. For the fool speaks folly, his mind is busy with evil: He practices ungodliness and spreads error concerning the Lord; the hungry he leaves empty and from the thirsty he withholds water. The scoundrel’s methods are wicked, he makes up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just. But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands. Isaiah 32:1,2,5-8

Hi! For almost a year now Haiti has been in the process of establishing a new government. People are praying for a government that will lead in righteousness and with justice. The election of a new president was a long and difficult one. The majority of the Haitian people ignored the elections (almost ¾ of the people didn’t vote). For those who did, they saw an electoral machine tainted by fraud and corruption. We saw the frustrations of the Haitian people when it was announced that Michel Martelly would not pass the first round. We treated people who were injured after the results were released. The street corner where we live is always busy with people. A man who joked and bragged to his friends that he voted for Celestin was attacked and beaten by his friends who had voted for Martelly. Another man was injured after being hit by a rock. The entire city was shut down as people took to the streets in frustration. Tires were burnt, and Celestin election posters were ripped and burned along with the Celestin headquarters. We were on the streets to be a witness to what was transpiring. The first day of protests were the worst. People in Haiti are looking for change. They want a leader like in Isaiah 32:1,2 and they voiced and acted out on their frustrations by experiencing what the poor in Isaiah 32 5-8 experienced. The Haitian people want a noble man to lead the nation and those who voted decided for change. They voted against the status quo. They voted for a man who was a musician, whose stage name was “Sweet Mickey”. While Celestin posters were ripped and burned, Martelly posters were removed with care and taken home as souvenirs. We walked with a group of thousands who were heading downtown to protest by the ruins of the National Palace. The walk was sort of festive in the beginning. Some of the people had rocks and sticks that they used to hit at Celestin posters. Heading down Delmas 18 it was like a parade. At one section of the road we stopped and waited while another grouping of hundreds of people headed down a different section. We were near the ruins of the Cathedrale when there was gun fire. A gang was firing on the crowd. There was a home nearby with an open door and we dove inside for cover. The man who owned this house was friendly and we waited there for a few minutes until the shooting had stopped. This man then told us to wait while he went up the street to make sure the gunmen were not in sight. After he came back and it was clear we went forward. Gunfire happened again at the Cathedrale. The gunmen didn’t advance and stood in the distance shooting. These gunmen were Celestin supporters. Once we arrived on the Champ de Mars everything was calm. It was sort of funny how calm it was. Riot police were leaning calmly against the gates by the palace and smoldering tires were on the streets. Everyone was thirsty from the walk and there were vendors selling freshly squeezed orange juice and shaved ice frescoes. There were posters on the palace grounds of all the candidates. Michel Martelly’s poster was in between 2 other posters. One man said to me : “Look a man hanging between 2 thieves”. The people were looking at Michel Martelly as a messiah to lead them out of their troubles. They voted for change. Politicians never led them anywhere and they voted for a musician. The protests reached the ears of both the national and international community. The votes were re-examined and changed with Michel Martelly advancing to the 2nd round and then on to becoming president of Haiti. The Haitian people were determined that their voices would be heard. Now the country is waiting for a prime minister to be approved by the senate so that the country can move forward in its rebuilding efforts. Pray for this last hurdle to be overcome so that the country can move forward with a fully functional government in place.

There are still around 600,000 people living in refuge camps around the city. There is a lot of pressure on some of these tent refugees to leave but they have nowhere to go. We have helped a couple of employees leave their refuge sites. Joanna, who is a teacher’s assistant and is the cook for the hydrocephalus surgeries needed to leave her site. She doesn’t own property. We helped her by paying rent for 1 year. In return she donated her time to the hydrocephalus program. Yonel, our gatekeeper and his wife had a young baby and they were living in a shelter of wood scrap, tin and tarp. Their small home was destroyed during the earthquake. After a team from Angels to Haiti visited they sponsored the reconstruction of his home. It is good to see people leave the camps. Many missions are helping but the main problem everyone is faced with is a place to build. Pray that the new government can make the plans and choose building sites for all the refugees.

The new government brings along with it encouragement for the hydrocephalus program. A few months ago Wyclef Jean and his Yele charity donated a cat scan machine to Project Medishare at Hopital Bernard Mevs. With this donation the hydrocephalus children can benefit from receiving a cat scan at no cost. We were there when President Martelly and Wyclef Jean inaugurated the cat scan machine. Jansika and her mother were chosen along with 4 other hydrocephalus children and their mothers to meet the president. During his speech President Martelly talked about hydrocephalus. He is the first leader to take an interest in the lives of hydrocephalus children. Pray that the Haitian society changes to accept hydrocephalus children. The society in general considers these children as a curse and parents of children are given advice to “throw their child away” or abandon it. Sadly during the last round of hydrocephalus surgeries 2 babies were abandoned by their families at Bernard Mevs Hospital.

This year we have held summer school for the students in our program here at Coram Deo. The teachers requested this. It is good to see their desire to teach. Several of our students have learning problems and the long summer break means that they forget what they have learned. By continuing to work with them the children continue to advance. The government has set October 3rd as the official first day of classes. This week is going to be a busy week as we make preparations for the new school year. Jn. Eddy Alexandre will be starting his 2nd year of university and we will have 6 students sponsored in the rheto and philo classes, which are the graduating secondary school classes. It is an accomplishment here in Haiti for a student to finish secondary school. Only 1% accomplish this feat.

The teachers and young adults here at Coram Deo were given the opportunity to participate in a seminar sponsored by the Playmakers/Life Is Good program. The seminar leaders are Haitian and their goal is to teach those working with children the importance of play in the lives of children. There were a number of activities that were shown to the seminar attendees as well as a powerpoint lecture. At the end of the day each participant received a diploma. The Playmakers/Life is Good trainers will follow up at the schools with the teachers to see how they are applying what they have learned. Pray for the work that Playmakers/Life is Good is doing here in Haiti. It is good to see Haitians teaching Haitians.

We have a few extra people residing here at Coram Deo. Currently there are 5 hydrocephalus mothers and their children who are staying while their children are recovering from surgery or awaiting the next round of surgeries, which will be held at the end of October. These mothers are all from outlying areas and it is difficult and costly for them to travel back and forth. Pray for these children and their parents. One of Manu’s chores is to make sure that all the plates of food are on the table for meal time. The other day he came and said that we have 26 plates of food for supper. We give the Lord thanks for a large yard. We live simply here but everyone has a place to lay their mattress!

Kimosabee has not been performing well lately. He has a problem with the radiator and overheats quickly. Pray we can get the truck fixed into a good working condition so that we can continue with our work helping people with medical care. We rely on Kimosabee a lot and right now are limiting our trip distances to protect him from overheating.

As we start a new school year we ask you to pray for Coram Deo and also pray that financial support is raised to support our work here at Coram Deo. I read the poem that appears below and it represents what the Haitian people are going through. Please pray for Haiti and for its people.

“Before the winds that blow do cease,
Teach me to dwell within Thy calm;
Before the pain has passed in peace,
Give me, my God, to sing a psalm,
Let me not lose the chance to prove
The fullness of enabling love.
O Love of God, do this for me;
Maintain a constant victory.

Before I leave the desert land
For meadows of immortal flowers,
Lead me where streams at Thy command
Flow by the borders of the hours,
That when the thirsty come, I may
Show them the fountains in the way.
O Love of God, do this for me;
Maintain a constant victory.

(Anonymous)

That’s all the news today. Have a good week!
Karen Bultje, Coram Deo

photos - hydrocephalus - part 1

It is good to see hydrocephalus surgeries happening more frequently. With a shorter interval in between surgical teams for some children it means the difference between life and death. This baby has a fairly large head but looks like she is resting comfortably sucking her thumb.

The mothers of hydrocephalus babies need to be strong. Society encourages them to abandon babies. This mother lovingly is feeding her baby one day after surgery.

With a surgery pressure is relieved on the brain. I always take lots of photos of these children. To see how these children advance and develop over the years is proof of how a brain can develop once pressure is relieved.

This spina bifida baby is now recovering here at Coram Deo. The ventriculoscopy procedure didn't resolve the hydrocephalus and he will need another surgery in October to install a shunt. Pray that the baby stays healthy and free of infection until then.

This young child has not had surgery yet but is very alert. This family comes from the countryside and the child was not selected for surgery in September.