09.14.10

Day five : RF, Nutrition Clinic and Street Kids

Posted in Haiti September 2010 at 11:15 pm

This morning we headed out to RF to do a final check on the school. It is doing well, the roof was half up when we got there and was close to being finished when we left. I spent some time interveiwing France on what the experience has meant to him, and learned he attended the sisters school for primary school but never finished secondary school, which is high school. It is interesting getting others perspectives on how this is effecting them. It doesnt just effect the children it will be sheltering but all those who are learning to work on it. It is a good feeling.

We didnt stay in Riviere Froide for too long, we headed out around lunch time to go back to Port Au Prince. We were heading to the nutrition center today and also to go back to Jimmy Bono’s to see the street kids, so we had to get back in time to do all that before dark. It was a long and bumpy ride home, thank you Patrick for being the best driver in the world! No one else could have gotten us around this week the way you have.

When we got back to the house, we freshened up and met up with Rebecca M to head to the nutrition center. The nutrition center is a place where people take their severley malnurished or sick babies and children to be nursed back to health. It is run by nuns of the Mother Theresa, the Missionaries of Charity. It was hard to see. The building they had been in before the quake was destroyed, so now they are in open tents. There were at least 50 babies at this center, it is heartbreaking to think that so many children are going hungry just in this one area. We held them and fed them, they are not only hungry for food but for attention also. Most have parents who come during visiting hours but others have been abandoned. It was hard to see, I wish there was more I could do to help here.

After leaving the nutrition center things took a turn to the lighter side as we got to go see the street kids once again. We sat and talked with Jimmy, via Patrick and Rebecca, about starting up a business for him and the kids to help teach them and bring in income. We ended the talk decided that Jimmy would talk to the other teachers and come up with 5 different business ideas and than we would all decide. I am so looking foward to starting this project in January when we return. After our chat we handed out bubble gum (our activity of the week) to all the kids, who all wanted their pictures with us afterwards. They are too sweet…

So now we are just packing up to head back to the states tomorow. It is bittersweet…I am glad to be coming home to everyone I love but sad to be leaving Haiti. I really do love this country and I have made strong friendships since I have been here this trip. It has been so good. Thank you to everyone here in Haiti for being the wonderful people that you are, and thank you to everyone in the states that made it possible for us to come here to make this school a reality. It has been an experience I will never forget.