Haiti

Day Two:

LiLiLi is Creole for “Read Read Read”

An American woman named Michelle Karshan has started a program in which they train Haitians for paid jobs going from camp to camp reading to children in a very animated way in much the same fashion as story hour at an American public library. Only these kids have never been read to before. It gives them something to look forward to each week or in some cases twice a week. It is amazing to see the response of the communities as the readers go into them.

I was at a very poor unfunded IDP camp called Marche Tet Bef near the slums of downtown Port au Prince with LiLiLi and the kids and parents just ate it up. A simple story but such a great idea! More information at: www.lililiread.blogspot.com

Anide’s story:

Anide is a student in the 12th grade and lives in a tent in an IDP camp with her 2 cousins and 3 nieces and nephews. More to come on her story.

Anide’s nephew Peterson and his little sister.

Adopting Watson

Day Two:

A woman digs a ditch near her tent in Petionville Country Club IDP Camp aka. “Sean Penn’s Camp” in anticipation of more rain. Rain and mud are becoming a problem now that Haiti is coming in to its rainy season and hurricane season.

Day One:

A family in an IDP Camp Corail on the outskirts of Port Au Prince. This family consists of a single mom who has eight children, the youngest of which is sick. Names are in my notes. Notes are not here with me at the cyber cafe.

Watching the World cup from IDP Camp Corail on the outskirts of Port Au Prince. Many of the residents of the camp have been relocated here from the Petionville Country Club IDP Camp aka. “Sean Penn’s Camp” IDP camp.

Dominican Republic with Operation Smile

Tomorrow (Saturday)  I am off to Haiti. I am excited and nervous. I do not know what my internet situation will be so I will post if I can. If not, I’ll post when I get home.

Thursday: Visit to an AIDS orphanage:

Wednesday: Surgery Day Three:

Tuesday: Surgery Day Two

Volunteers and patients:

Monday: Surgery Day One:

Moms and babes in post op:

Saturday afternoon I did some sightseeing in the Zona Colonial with a handful of Mission team mates. Sunday was a “Team Day” aka. a  day off together. We all went to Juan Dolio Beach. Tomorrow starts Day One of surgery. We have to be downstairs at 6:00 am Gulp!

View from the taxi on the way to the Zona Colonial, the area first settled by those that followed Christopher Columbus and where he lived in the New World.

Parque Colon

Dancers. This woman is dancing on top of a bottle.

Juan Dolio Beach.

Saturday was “set up day” in the OR but I was mostly with families who were learning if their child was cleared for surgery. There was also some more screening happening. Lots of moms happy to learn their child was going to get their surgery.

Friday was Day Two of screening:

Thursday was Day One of screening:

Saw the oil spill from the airplane today.

Operation Smile screening starts early tomorrow morning.

Cover image for Tostan.org

Didn’t know I had the cover of their brochure. Tostan.org