Okay, this has absolutely nothing to do with Haiti, but I guess you could say it might have a little to do with my life - I do live in the West, and I've been heard to say once or twice that with all we have going on in our lives, I often feel like I'm trying to "herd cats". Well, if you want to have a good laugh, just click on this video.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SmgLtg1Izw&eurl=http://finequine.wordpress.com/
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Added link about Cite Soleil
Okay, in case you're interested in learning more about Cite Soleil, the poorest place in Haiti (and said to be the poorest slum in the Western Hemisphere), I've posted a link to a Wikipedia website in my "favorite links" tab, on the right side (scroll down) of this blog. To see tons of pics from our trip to Haiti, scroll down to the very bottom - Hannah has made a nice slide show there!
from The Mercy and Sharing Foundation
I cut and pasted this article from the Mercy and Sharing Foundation's website. To visit this great website and possibly to help with their mission, go to http://www.haitichildren.com/. Wow, I'm so inspired by Susie Krabacher and her work. She's on the top of my list of "people I'd love to meet". To view her slideshow, go to April 2003 Slideshow . It's well worth seeing. Okay, here's the article:
If children are our future; what contribution to the global community can we expect of our children in Haiti? Representing 70% of the 8 million people on this impoverished Island, Haiti's children endure illiteracy, child slavery, and high mortality rates. The statistics are alarming:
• 10% of the child population in Haiti will die before the age of 4.
• 7% (300,000) of the children in Haiti are enslaved. They are as young as 3 years old. They often suffer sexual, emotional, physical abuse and p.ossibly death.
• 45% of the Haitian population is illiterate.
• 70% of the population lives below poverty level.
• 30% of the Haitian population is either ill and or underweight.
The possibilities of life have become the probabilities of death for many Haitian children. They must evolve in an environment that perpetuates poverty, illiteracy, child slavery, and dead children.
Is this what we want the children of Haiti to contribute to the global community? Mercy and Sharing is answering "No!" to that question everyday, promoting Haiti's plight around the world. M&S is revealing what is now, and will be tomorrow for the children of Haiti through our efforts.
If children are our future; what contribution to the global community can we expect of our children in Haiti? Representing 70% of the 8 million people on this impoverished Island, Haiti's children endure illiteracy, child slavery, and high mortality rates. The statistics are alarming:
• 10% of the child population in Haiti will die before the age of 4.
• 7% (300,000) of the children in Haiti are enslaved. They are as young as 3 years old. They often suffer sexual, emotional, physical abuse and p.ossibly death.
• 45% of the Haitian population is illiterate.
• 70% of the population lives below poverty level.
• 30% of the Haitian population is either ill and or underweight.
The possibilities of life have become the probabilities of death for many Haitian children. They must evolve in an environment that perpetuates poverty, illiteracy, child slavery, and dead children.
Is this what we want the children of Haiti to contribute to the global community? Mercy and Sharing is answering "No!" to that question everyday, promoting Haiti's plight around the world. M&S is revealing what is now, and will be tomorrow for the children of Haiti through our efforts.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Conditions in Haiti
I cut and pasted this article from a tab in the Three Angels Children's Relief website. I think it explains the need in Haiti quite well. Can you believe this is only a 90 minute flight from Florida?
Halos Medical Clinic at Three Angels Children’s Relief
The Need in Haiti
Although Haiti is only a 90 minute plane ride from Florida, it is the most impoverished country in the entire Western Hemisphere. The health of the people of Haiti is also ranked as the worst in the Americas. The bulk of the population, living in abject poverty, bears the brunt of the burden of disease and has little access to health care, especially in rural areas. The 2005 World Health Report estimates that the Haitian government spends only $2 per capita on healthcare each year, accounting for about 40 percent of national expenditures on health. Health insurance is not affordable or even available for most Haitians (Partners in Health – 2006).
It is estimated that only 1 in 10,000 Haitian citizens has access to medical care in Haiti.
Compared to similar countries, Haiti has the highest mortality rate for pregnant women, infants, and children under 5.
Approximately 1 in 17 infants die before their first birthday and 1 in 7 children die before their fifth birthday. The mortality rate for children under 5 in the neighboring country of Cuba is only 1 death per 133 children (UNICEF, Partners in Health).
Over 50% of the population is undernourished.
Haiti ranks as one of three countries in the world with the worst daily caloric deficit with 2.4 million Haitians unable to afford the minimum daily calories recommended by the World Health Organization.
The leading causes of death in Haitian children are all preventable or easily treated; these include lower respiratory infections, diarrhea, malnutrition, tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.
Halos Medical Clinic at Three Angels Children’s Relief
The Need in Haiti
Although Haiti is only a 90 minute plane ride from Florida, it is the most impoverished country in the entire Western Hemisphere. The health of the people of Haiti is also ranked as the worst in the Americas. The bulk of the population, living in abject poverty, bears the brunt of the burden of disease and has little access to health care, especially in rural areas. The 2005 World Health Report estimates that the Haitian government spends only $2 per capita on healthcare each year, accounting for about 40 percent of national expenditures on health. Health insurance is not affordable or even available for most Haitians (Partners in Health – 2006).
It is estimated that only 1 in 10,000 Haitian citizens has access to medical care in Haiti.
Compared to similar countries, Haiti has the highest mortality rate for pregnant women, infants, and children under 5.
Approximately 1 in 17 infants die before their first birthday and 1 in 7 children die before their fifth birthday. The mortality rate for children under 5 in the neighboring country of Cuba is only 1 death per 133 children (UNICEF, Partners in Health).
Over 50% of the population is undernourished.
Haiti ranks as one of three countries in the world with the worst daily caloric deficit with 2.4 million Haitians unable to afford the minimum daily calories recommended by the World Health Organization.
The leading causes of death in Haitian children are all preventable or easily treated; these include lower respiratory infections, diarrhea, malnutrition, tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Trip countdown!
32 days til I'm back in Haiti, and til my daughter goes for the first time! Amazing.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Heading back to Haiti - Hurray!
My husband and I decided today that Hannah-Grace and I will go back to Three Angels Orphanage next month! Hannah designed a cool website about 6 months ago (see links on the side), in an effort to raise awareness and money for the orphans there. She's worked very hard on this, and Tim and I wanted her to get to see the orphanage. We'd really like to bring everyone, but that isn't possible this time. Hannah-Grace and I are so excited to be able to make this girl trip! What a privilege! We'll be there from December 11-15 - yea!
Thanks, Hannah-Grace!!
My sweet teenager, Hannah-Grace, knows so much more about computers than me. Of course, this isn't saying much, but she really is pretty good at this stuff! Anyway, she kindly uploaded all these pictures for me and put them into two circle slideshows for your viewing pleasure! Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page, and you'll be sure to see them! Also, the music you're enjoying right now is courtesy of her as well. Way to go, Hannah! Thanks for doing all of this for me!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Still processing....
It's been two weeks and one day since Tim and I came back home from our week in Port Au Prince, Haiti, and we still haven't completely made sense of all we experienced there. A 90 minute plane ride from Florida took us to an entirely different world, a world full of striking contrasts. Here are my thoughts, taken from my very brief and quite limited experience of this little bitty country which 8 million people call home. The Haitians are such beautiful, hard working, dignified people -- with such amazing posture! The folks in Port Au Prince, the capital city, live very close together, in such a very hot and humid climate filled with fumes from charcoal and car exhaust and who knows what. Along the streets every day, I saw so many laughing, smiling children, immaculately dressed in ironed and clean, adorable school uniforms -- and yet coming from homes with no electricity or running water in which to iron or wash those uniforms. (How DO they get those uniforms looking so nice?) These happy children come from a world where the norm is spending each day working for that day's bread (or rice and beans). A world where Jesus' instructions/advice to us to live one day at a time -- his advice to "not worry about tomorrow, for today has enough worries of its own" seems to take on a whole new reality to its meaning.
We worry so much about so many little things -- and here were thousands of people, with something real to worry about -- and instead they were just happy to "not be worse". "Not being worse" is actually the translation of their answer to the greeting, "How are you?". The standard answer, as I understand it, is "I'm not worse!" In other words, something worse could have happened to them, but didn't that day, so they respond, "I'm not worse, how are you?".
One thing I remember telling myself in the middle of the week was, "Remember what you are seeing here. Never again think you know a poor person in the United States. You don't. Compared to this, every person in the USA is fabulously wealthy." That may sound like a ridiculous statement to you, but all I mean by that is this. We have so much here -- even when debts are high, bills are numerous, etc., we have such wonderful infrastructure here, such wonderful resources. Public libraries and restrooms, paved roads, safe drinking water. We have food stamps for those needing assistance buying food, we have WIC for baby formula. We have so much. Being poor in Haiti seems instead to be the norm, and I saw very little indigenous infrastructure to support anyone in need of assistance. I was overwhelmed, however, with the amount of assistance that is pouring into Haiti by individual American volunteers and non-profit agencies. There are countless schools, feeding programs, medical aid, orphanages, etc. in existence in Haiti solely because people make the 90 minute flight and come to help. It was inspiring and refreshing to see the vast array of things being accomplished. There is so much good going on there, yet of course so much to be done. I hope we get to return soon. The sadness and pain there is hard to face.....yet it makes me glad for the hope Jesus gave us about Heaven, where one day all His children who suffer here will suffer no more. Won't it be great to be in Heaven one day where there will never again be any more sorrow, sickness, pain, hunger, death, night or poverty? I can't wait.
We worry so much about so many little things -- and here were thousands of people, with something real to worry about -- and instead they were just happy to "not be worse". "Not being worse" is actually the translation of their answer to the greeting, "How are you?". The standard answer, as I understand it, is "I'm not worse!" In other words, something worse could have happened to them, but didn't that day, so they respond, "I'm not worse, how are you?".
One thing I remember telling myself in the middle of the week was, "Remember what you are seeing here. Never again think you know a poor person in the United States. You don't. Compared to this, every person in the USA is fabulously wealthy." That may sound like a ridiculous statement to you, but all I mean by that is this. We have so much here -- even when debts are high, bills are numerous, etc., we have such wonderful infrastructure here, such wonderful resources. Public libraries and restrooms, paved roads, safe drinking water. We have food stamps for those needing assistance buying food, we have WIC for baby formula. We have so much. Being poor in Haiti seems instead to be the norm, and I saw very little indigenous infrastructure to support anyone in need of assistance. I was overwhelmed, however, with the amount of assistance that is pouring into Haiti by individual American volunteers and non-profit agencies. There are countless schools, feeding programs, medical aid, orphanages, etc. in existence in Haiti solely because people make the 90 minute flight and come to help. It was inspiring and refreshing to see the vast array of things being accomplished. There is so much good going on there, yet of course so much to be done. I hope we get to return soon. The sadness and pain there is hard to face.....yet it makes me glad for the hope Jesus gave us about Heaven, where one day all His children who suffer here will suffer no more. Won't it be great to be in Heaven one day where there will never again be any more sorrow, sickness, pain, hunger, death, night or poverty? I can't wait.
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