Anti-Government Protests In Haiti Turn Violent

ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS IN HAITI TURN VIOLENT
(USA Today) - AP

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Thousands of critics of Haiti's President Michel Martelly staged protest marches Monday that turned violent as people threw rocks and shots were fired in the air.
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It appeared at least one person was shot. An Associated Press reporter heard several gunshots, and then a crowd loaded a man onto a motorcycle and took him to an ambulance. The ambulance driver said the man was shot in the back. His condition wasn't immediately clear.

The marches were among the biggest demonstrations against Martelly since he took office in 2011, and the crowd in the capital swelled as protesters passed each neighborhood. Their complaints ranged from the cost of living to high levels of corruption.

Protesters lit fiery barricades of discarded tires on one of the busiest streets as they called for Martelly's departure from office. Demonstrators also smashed car windows and tore down posters and billboards bearing the leader's face and burned those too. Pro-Martelly groups held separate marches, and the two sides took turns throwing rocks at each other as riot police dispensed canisters of tear gas.

"We are moving forward to removing him from power and won't stop until he leaves," said demonstrator Jean Daniel.

Martelly, his prime minister, Laurent Lamothe, and the first lady attended a church ceremony in the northern city of Cap-Haitien, the site of another, smaller protest Monday, a national holiday that commemorates Haiti's final battle before it secured independence from France in 1804.

In a speech that followed at a historic site where the fight apparently took place, Martelly appealed for unity. "If we didn't put our heads together, we wouldn't have had the Battle of Vertieres," he said. "If we didn't have our heads together, we wouldn't have a Haitian state."

The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti on Saturday urged Martelly and opposition parties to sort out their differences in a peaceful manner. The world body also dispatched armed troops for the demonstration to join riot police with shields and helmets.

The mounting tension between Martelly and his opponents stems in part from the government's failure to hold legislative and local elections that are two years overdue. The U.N., U.S. and others have been overly supportive of the Martelly administration but relations seemed to be straining in recent months because of the delayed vote. The election was supposed to have been held before year's end, but it most likely won't happen until next year.

"The international community should take notes," said Moise Jean-Charles, a senator and vocal critic of the government. "The people are rising for a change. Martelly and Lamothe aren't doing anything for the country but stealing money."

State Exam Results - Elementary School Graduates - 5eme/6eme AF

The results for the government exams for 6eme AF (last year of elementary school) have been released. The national pass rate is 77%, which is a good average. Out of 105,141 candidates who wrote the exams in the West department (of which Port-au-Prince is part of) 81,089 candidates passed. For the 2nd consecutive year our students completed 2 years in one (5eme and 6eme AF) and for the 2nd year we had a 100% pass rate. All 11 of our students passed the state exams. We registered our students along with the Ecole Evangeliste and in total 32 out of the 33 students passed. Sherri Fausey is an American missionary who has a school in the Delmas 31 neighborhood as well had a 100% pass rate for the 26 students that her school sent to the state exams. It looks good for our Delmas 31 neighborhood. We have good schools and good teachers at these schools. Pray for the students as they prepare for secondary school :) Attached are some photos of 2 of our teacher leaders at our school Jn. Eddy Alexandre, and Josue Marcelin. Josue Marcelin is the teacher of the Grade5/6 class. On the last day of classes in June we had a parent/teacher meeting and the graduating class was presented with haitian creole bibles ( a gift from bibles that were donated to us from Providence United Reformed Church in Strathroy. After completing their education here at Coram Deo we hope to place them in a christian secondary school in our neighborhood Ecole Evangeliste. Pray that we can find sponsors for this year graduating class.

Jn. Eddy Alexandre and Josue Marcelin are the leaders of our school program here at Coram Deo. Jn. Eddy is responsible for the 3eme/4eme AF and Josue Marcelin (Amos' older brother) is responsible for the 5eme/6eme AF program.

Our elementary school graduates for 2013. All 11 students wrote and passed their state exams. Not only did they their state exams but they completed 2 years of education in one year, completing both 5eme and 6eme AF :)

 

For the 2nd year in a row we had a school pass rate of 100% in the state exams.

The students worked hard this year, studying extra time. The teachers came in on Saturday mornings to work a couple of hours with our state exam class. The teachers gave the students a kiss at the parent/teacher meeting when the students were presented with their report cards. The 5emeAF had to wait until today to await the results from the government of their passing to secondary school.

The teachers are proud to have students willing to work extra hard to complete 2 years of education in 1 year.

The graduates :)

Tropical Storm Chantal

 

It looks like Haiti is going to be hit by Tropical Storm Chantal. Looking at the trajectory of the storm it looks like the North part of Haiti is going to see the worst of this storm. Haiti will start experiencing the storm on late Wednesday, Thursday morning. The Hydrocephalus surgeries start on Wednesday. Pray it isn't too bad in Port-au-Prince. There are a lot of babies awaiting surgery and if the storm is too bad it might place the surgeries in jeopardy. We also will be running food to the hospital in the mornings and evenings.

2nd Tropical Wave Of The Season Is Likely To Affect The Southern Coast

THE SECOND TROPICAL WAVE OF THE SEASON IS LIKELY TO AFFECT THE SOUTHERN COAST.(Alterpresse) -

Port-au-Prince - Tropical wave number 2 of the season, formed in the night of May 23 to 24 east of the arc of the Antilles, which may affect in the next 48 hours the South regions of Haiti, informs the National meteorological Center (Cnm).

A mass of humid a moist air moving from the eastern tip of Cuba to the island of Haiti will cause rains in some districts of the country, including Nippes, Central, North, Northeast, the South, Grand Anse, South and southeast.

Those responsible for the management of risks and disasters continue to encourage people in hazardous areas exposed to landslides, mudslides and flooding, to follow the safety instructions.

It is generally advisable for these people to evacuate and stay with friends or relatives, who live in habitats and less exposed areas.

The first tropical wave and the displacement of another air mass have caused May 22 and 23, showers and thunderstorms,with strong winds in the Haitian capital and surrounding areas.

Some suburbs north and east of the capital were severely affected by flooding.

Update - Phoebe Jean

UPDATE - PHOEBE JEAN

Phoebe was examined by the visiting American surgeon at Bernard Mevs Hospital. He told the family that the anus is not too small anymore and that the main thing is to prevent infection and see how Phoebe does. He told the family that she would have to have follow visits every month and that if the anus doesn't heal than he would perform a surgery to form the colostomy and repair the anus. Pray for Phoebe, that the wound caused by the first surgeon heals and that she doesn't get a serious infection. Phoebe is the first child for Lamique and his wife Micheline. They are good parents and do whatever they can to help her.

Lamique is a cement boss by trade. He recently applied to the Brazilian embassy for a work visa in Brazil. This week he got the approval. Thousands of Haitians have traveled to Brazil, most of them through illegal migration following the drug routes into Brazil. Lamique is immigrating the legal way and his visa request was granted! He came to the house this morning and asked if I could help him pay for an airline ticket. I told him that we weren't able to help him. Pray for Lamique, and that he would be able to find a way to get to Brazil and to be able to support his family. Being a skilled tradesman it will be easier for him to support his family in Brazil rather than Haiti.

Recently the Brazilian government deport 322 Haitians who had traveled illegally to Brazil. Below is the article:

DEPORTATION OF 322 HAITIANS FROM BRAZIL TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
(Alterpresse) - By Edson Wooldy Louidor

Bogota/Sto Domingo - The Director General of Migration from the Dominican Republic, Jose Ricardo Taveras was informed of the deportation of 322 Haitians from Brazil to Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo, learned the Dominican press.

The Dominican official expressed on 21 May his disagreement with the decision of Brazil to deport to his country foreigners, whose place of origin was not the Dominican Republic.

He also announced the decision of the government of President Danilo Medina to not receiven any more Haitian migrants or other nationalities deported from Brazil, who may not pass through the Dominican Republic.

The decision to deport undocumented Haitians located in the Brazilian territory was announced by the government of Dilma Rousseff on January 13, 2012, during the official announcement of the new immigration policy of this country against Haitian immigration .

On occasion, the Minister of Justice of Brazil, Eduardo Cardozo, said that Brazil was determined to regularize the immigration status of all Haitians on its territory until 12 January 2012. But now Haitians entering the country improperly will be asked to turn around and be subsequently deported, he warned.

The official did not specify the country to which Brazil would deport undocumented Haitians. To transit countries: Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic or the country, Haiti? Everything seems to indicate that the Dominican Republic was selected by Brazil as the country of deportation; a decision that the Dominican government has not approved.

Pressed by the situation of thousands of Haitians repeatedly blocked at the border with Bolivia and Peru (in the Acre area), Brazil had convened on May 13 a multilateral meeting of the five countries involved in Haitian immigration to South America.

During the meeting, delegates from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, reflected, under the leadership of the Government of Brazil, the need to control the borders to act against the smugglers and to control Haitian migration to the South American region.

The Acre Brazilian local government had to declare a state of emergency several times to seek help from the federal government in Brasilia to cope with the humanitarian crisis affecting thousands of Haitian migrants who arrived at the border.

Brazil seems to be faced with a dilemma: to continue to welcome more and more Haitians on its territory (currently there are over 5000) or seek to deport them.

Why does the government of Dilma Rousseff not repatriate Haitians to their country of origin? This is the question that remains an enigma to many.

Coram Deo Haiti Update - May 17, 2013

“Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.” 
Proverbs 16:3

Hi! It is an exciting morning in our yard this morning. The school children made Haitian flags and then had an assembly, where the teachers had them marching around the yard singing the Haitian national anthem and patriotic songs. Each May 18 is Fete Drapeau  (Flag Day). We celebrated it a day early!  It is good for the children and teachers to have pride for their country and to celebrate their fight for independence from slavery into a nation. Pray for Haiti, that the country would develop and improve. We can provide a helping hand but it is the Haitian people who will need to make the changes.

This week, the community health workers from International Child Care/Grace Children’s Hospital, made a couple of visits to our school program here at Coram Deo. The first visit was to talk with the students about cholera and to remind them on how to prevent and treat cholera. May is the month of rain and we have been getting some good downpours. Cases of cholera usually increase during rainstorms as the bacteria are spread by flooding rivers and ground water.

The second visit of the week was a mobile lab testing day. One of the school shelters was used as a laboratory. The students and patients who were waiting to be treated by Ed all took blood tests checking for HIV and Syphilis. One of our students, Dadelene Vincent tested positive for syphilis. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease.  Untreated it can eventually lead to death. Ed treated her with antibiotics. Dadelene is a young adult who is also deaf.  We were concerned about how she got syphilis and sent a copy of the lab results home to her family. Her aunt came to talk with us this morning. Handicapped people are sometimes sexually abused here in Haiti. Dadelene’s family is poor and lives in the countryside. A few years ago she decided on her own that she didn’t want to live the rural life anymore and ran away to Port-au-Prince. Her aunt, who lives in our neighbourhood walked through the La Piste refuge camp where a large number of deaf people live searching for Dadelene.  It was through seeing a photo that a deaf person led her to where Dadelene was staying. Dadelene then moved in with her aunt’s family and enrolled into our school program here at Coram Deo. Her aunt told us about her problems dealing with her. Dadelene is rebelling and not listening to her aunt and sneaks out. This is how she probably got syphilis. We are going to contact Pastor Leny, who is a Philippine missionary here in Haiti. He has a church and a deaf ministry. Pray for Dadelene, that she learns how to live. Pray too for the community health workers who are visiting the schools in the area doing these mobile lab clinics. We are thankful that Dadelene’s syphilis was treated.

Raymond Saintoute, a 28-year-old man was injured in a motorcycle accident on December 24, 2011. He was brought to the Medicines Sans Frontieres trauma hospital with a displaced/fractured hip. The doctors there told him that they couldn’t help him and didn’t have the specialized equipment and supplies needed for a surgery. He then spent the next 10 months getting around using crutches. He was unable to put any weight on his damaged leg. We brought him to see the Cure International team working at the Adventist Hospital in Carrefour and they willingly agreed to do his surgery. In December 2012, almost to the day – 1 year later, Raymond finally got the surgery needed to repair and put into place his hip. His repaired hip was held in place with steel pins and an external fixator. He has lived the last 5 months with this steel appliance sticking out of him. Last week he had another surgery to remove the external fixator. He now is heading into a long physiotherapy process for his hip and leg. He needs to learn to walk again. Pray for Raymond as he endures the sometimes painful physiotherapy sessions. He told me that he would have courage to endure the pain . His desire is to be able to walk again without the assistance of crutches. We give the Lord thanks for the medical personnel of Cure International and Adventist Hospital who have surgically repaired Raymond’s’ broken/displaced hip.

Last week we sponsored Pastor Pierre and 20 other church workers/pastors to attend the 3 days of Timothy Leadership Training Seminars (May 8-10)  held at the Christian Reformed Ministry Centre. We housed 12 of them here at Coram Deo each evening.  They slept on cots and mattresses under the outside school shelters. It worked out well. Each morning we brought them over to the Ministry Centre and picked them up in the afternoon. The last time the Timothy Leadership Seminars were held was in October 2012, just as Hurricane Sandy was starting to hit Haiti. The Kenscoff church workers had to walk through the mountains in stormy weather that time. This time it wasn’t a hurricane storm but a Lavalas (translated as flood) storm/manifestation as thousands of people accompanied Jean Bertrand Aristide from his appearance at the court to answer questions about the Jean Dominique murder case. Jean Dominique was a journalist who was assassinated while Aristide was president. Aristide lives in the Tabarre area, and where the ministry centre is located is on the route that he would travel. As a result traffic was minimal in the area as a lot of people kept off the streets that day because of uncertainty. We were happy that we had quiet streets to travel on!

Our truck,  Kimosabee, is getting old and the truck is making some new noises. Poor old Kimosabee is sick again and not able to carry us around until we find a mechanic to fix him. Ysmaille has lent us one of his vehicles to pick up our handicapped teacher and for our errands while Kimosabee is under the weather. We are thankful that we were able to pay our payroll for the month of March. We are a couple of months behind because of funding problems. The repair costs in the past with the truck have affected our ability to pay our employees. I am not going to get Kimosabee fixed again, until the payroll and our teacher’s tuition is paid. This week more funds were deposited into our bank account and I will be paying the April payroll next week. Thank you for your prayers and support. Please continue to pray for funding, that our programs here can continue to thrive and grow. Pray too for the farmers, that their crops would grow well and that they will reap a good harvest. We received a good suggestion in testing the soil quality and we will be pursuing that. It will be interesting to find out how fertile the soil is in the Kenscoff area.

Have a blessed weekend and a “bon fete drapeau”!

Karen Bultje, Coram Deo

Canaan - Eryl's Mother

Eryl's mother lives in a refuge camp called Camp Adoquin, which is located near the Delmas 33 Police Station. It is a large camp covering a large area, and is located on private land. People living in the camps don't have the financial means to relocate. Until just a few months ago Eryl's mother didn't even have a bed to sleep on.

The landowner's need their land back and the people need a place to live. Now that it is almost 3 1/2 years since the earthquake there is pressure to get people off the land. There are too many people in camps help them all relocate.

Marlene, my sister Tanya and the other Angels to Haiti team members are part of our Coram Deo family. They made it possible for Eryl's mother to have a bed, and now are helping to support Eryl's mothers' move out to Canaan.

Canaan is a quickly growing area outside the city. Jn. Eddy and Herode's mother has a temporary shelter there . The land is considered public land and the camps that are emptying now are almost all heading out to Canaan. The people living here hope that one day they can build a home out there. Jn. Eddy made arrangements yesterday for Eryl's mother to get a plot of land in Canaan. The guys are gathering the material necessary to construct a temporary shelter. They hope to build the shelter on the week-end with the help of Eryl, his brother and members of our Coram Deo family.

The timing is good. Camp Adoquin has had threats against it. The people were told that their homes would be destroyed. Last week a young man bought food on credit from a female food vendor who makes her living cooking food and then sells it by the plate. When she asked the young man when he would pay her the young man responded by breaking a bottle and using it to cut the woman on her chest. When the woman went to the police station to file a complaint the policeman there told her that they were going to come and kick everybody out of the camp and that there was too much problems in the camp. The woman returned to her home.  Eryl's mother knew the woman. She is happy to get the opportunity to leave Camp Adoquin. Pray a way can be found to empty the refuge camps peacefully and return the land to the owners in a peaceful way.

The following article explains the problems occurring in the camps right now:

EVICTION FEARS HAUNT HAITI CAMPS AFTER ATTACKS(Miami Herald) - By Trenton Daniel (AP)

PORT-AU-PRINCE - Attorney Reynold Georges showed up with a judge and a police officer on a recent afternoon at Camp Acra, a cluster of tents and plywood shelters scattered across rocky hills dotted with trees in the heart of the Haitian capital.

The lawyer told the camp of some 30,000 people that they were squatting on his land and had to leave, witnesses said. If they didn't vacate, he said he'd have the place burned down and leveled by bulldozers. Camp leader Elie Joseph Jean-Louis said other angry residents, who had lost their homes in a catastrophic 2010 earthquake, fought back by lobbing rocks at Georges and the people he had come with.

The camp residents managed to protect their homes that day but they also brought to life a far-reaching problem.

In the few weeks since the mid-April confrontation, their plight has become a symbol for what many say is the growing use of threats and sometimes outright violence to clear out sprawling displaced person camps, where some 320,000 Haitians still live.

The standoff set off a chain of events that left several shelters burned and a camp resident dead. It occurred a little more than a week before the human rights group Amnesty International issued a report on the jump in camp evictions in Haiti over the past year.

"This terrible event is proof of the consequences of continuing forced evictions in Haiti," Javier Zuniga, a special adviser to Amnesty International, said in a statement about the standoff. "They have been living in camps with appalling living conditions. As if this were not enough, they are threatened with forced evictions and, eventually, made homeless again."

Georges tells a different story. The former senator, whose most famous law client is former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, denied that he had threatened residents, saying he was only there to show officials what he said was his land.

"If they said that, they are crooks and liars," Georges said of camp residents.

After Amnesty released its report, Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamonthe told The Associated Press that the government of President Michel Martelly was in fact trying to stop the evictions.

The government does not "believe in forced evictions," Lamonthe said. "There are some private owners that do it, but the government itself does not condone that."

Haitians displaced by the earthquake are entitled to special legal protection under the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, which prohibit forced evictions unless necessary to protect the safety and health of those affected. National authorities are responsible for protecting and providing humanitarian assistance to those displaced people.

By all accounts, clearing the camps in a humane way reflects the epic challenge that Haiti still faces more than three years after one of the worst natural disasters in modern history.

The earthquake killed more than 200,000 people and displaced as many as 1.5 million others, a staggering number in a country of 10 million. In its aftermath, settlements such as Acra sprang up around the crowded capital where land runs scarce, with people building shelters with debris, tree branches, salvaged timber, tarps from aid groups and bed sheets. The camps eventually became miniature cities with their own stores, barber shops, bars and churches. About 385 of the settlements are still standing.

Aid groups and officials from Martelly's government say fewer visible encampments and a smaller number of displaced residents are proof Haiti is recovering. But housing advocates worry that many people are actually being evicted with no place to go, at the hands of authorities or people such as Georges who claim to own the land.

Evictions were far more common just after the quake, with the International Organization for Migration calculating that 6,650 people were forced from informal camps during the last six months of 2010.

The practice tapered off, however, with just 279 people evicted in the last six months of 2012, according to the organization.

Now, that number is growing again as private property owners grow impatient to regain their long-occupied land. According to the migration organization, 977 displaced people left the camps through force or threats during the first three months of 2013.

The story is different on public lands, where many displaced people have already moved out of after the government offered rent subsidies elsewhere.

Earlier this year, about 700 people were kicked out of another encampment on private land in the Port-au-Prince district of Carrefour after police fired warning shots and a judge ordered them to leave.

People from yet more camps have said they've fled their temporary homes after fires tore through the settlements in the middle of the night or in some cases when police destroyed their tents or lean-tos with machetes. But unlike Camp Acra, no one in those cases was reportedly killed by the authorities.

That bloodshed has thrust Camp Acra into the heart of the debate, with much of the ire focusing on Georges and his infamous client.

Duvalier, the ex-dictator, returned to Haiti from exile in 2011 and is fighting off human rights charges stemming from years of brutal rule. Camp residents say the former strongman is also among several Camp Acra visitors who have claimed ownership to the land.

Although most of the area is believed to belong to the government, as well as a small portion to Haiti's influential Acra family, even humanitarian groups specializing in housing issues aren't certain who the owners are. Land disputes in Haiti are often settled with bags of cash, guns, machetes or arson.

Residents say Georges' visit was only the start of their problems.

Hours later, an unidentified band on motorcycles raided the camp while residents slept, setting fire to seven makeshift homes, according to an Amnesty investigation. Residents who woke to the smell of smoke quickly doused the flames with buckets of water.

Over the long night, several hundred residents walked down the hill to a police station to report the raid, but the officers refused to help, said camp leader Jean-Louis.

"The police said they didn't have gas for their cars," he said.

Angry camp residents protested by lighting a bonfire of tires and other trash and blocking Delmas 33, a major thoroughfare.

It was around the same time that the tensions turned deadly.

At around 5 a.m., one camp resident, Merius Civil, left his shelter to throw out the trash, just as police officers from the station stormed the camp, his sister Anele said.

The officers arrested Civil as well as neighbor Darlin Lexima, said Patrice Florvilus, an attorney representing the dead man's family and other Camp Acra residents. Lexima said he later saw Civil in police custody, too dazed to speak.

"I saw that his face was bashed in, his nose was bashed in, and he had marks on his body," Lexima said.

Florvilus' law firm said that it believes Civil died at the Delmas station, and that witnesses reported seeing officers carry a sheet-covered body from the station to a patrol car.

Police Inspector Jean-Faustin Salomon offered a different account, saying Civil died at a hospital. He also said a preliminary report showed neighbors beat Civil and Lexima because they didn't participate in the protest.

"A good man has left the world," sister Anele said sitting on a bucket in the doorway of her brother's shelter. "Now that he's dead I want to know why."

For the Rev. Waler Baptiste, a Camp Acra pastor, the settlement came under attack for a simple reason: Haiti wants to rid itself of displaced people without giving them anywhere to go.

"People have been trying to remove us to take back their land," Baptiste said. "The government doesn't care about us. Whoever can take advantage of us will try to take advantage of us."

Coram Deo Haiti Update - May 11, 2013

“And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”;  and it was so.”  Genesis 1:29, 30

Hi! May 1^st was a holiday here in Haiti. It was Workers’ Day and Agricultural Day at the same time. Schools were closed. We took 11 people here from Coram Deo and went to the Agricultural Fair at the State Agricultural Grounds in Damier. As we drove past the Sonapi Industrial Complex we saw a group of protesters who were carrying signs and banners about worker conditions and rights.  The traffic was busy in the Damier area. A lot of people were heading to the Agricultural Fair. There was no charge to enter inside the grounds and we walked around visiting all the booths that were set up. One area was set up with artisans selling different types of souvenirs and art. All of these items were handmade by Haitian crafters and artists. Another area had cooks selling Haitian food. We even bought some rice that was grown here in Haiti. It is known as “Shella”. We bought a couple of packages for our Sunday meal.

Haiti has been hit hard with lower price imports. This has discouraged farmers from growing rice. We visited booths that were about agricultural themes. The Ministry of Agriculture had a booth set up and had cd’s available for purchase about studies done by the government on agriculture at a national and provincial level. We were able to get posters and brochures at the different booths and will use these in educating our students and others that we come into contact with.

Another section of the fair was the area dealing with animals. Chickens, rabbits, pigeons, doves, parrots, goats and cows were on display. The children enjoyed getting close to the animals. The busiest section was where the quail and quail eggs were being sold. People were lined up to buy quail kebabs! We were able to buy a weeks’ supply of chicken eggs and purchased them at a wholesale price. When we left the gates of the fairgrounds we noticed the same group of worker protesters from the Sonapi Industrial Complex had walked the distance to the Agricultural Grounds. We listened to the spokesman read off a list of worker demands and rights. Later on the news we found out that these protesters had been blocked by the police for some time at a crossroads while President Martelly was visiting the agricultural fair. When the president’s convoy passed them by they weren’t very happy that they couldn’t obtain their goal of protesting at the agricultural fair while he was there.

The Kenscoff area where Pastor Pierre lives is an agricultural area. Potatoes, carrots, onions and cabbage are sold in the markets of Port-au-Prince from that area. Pastor Pierre is concerned for the people in his community. The farms are not as productive as they used to be. We have begun seeking people and organizations who work in the agricultural area to help him. Through the pastor training seminars the people we sponsor come from 4 areas: Kenscoff, Belladere, Leogane, and Port-au-Prince. As part of building community we want to help these pastors work in their communities to help improve the lives of their congregation members and the community in which they live. A couple of weeks ago we got a donation of seeds from Hope Seeds, through Love A Child. We were able to distribute onion, cabbage, tomato, carrot, pepper, kale, lettuce and mustard seeds to the pastors involved in the pastor training program. They in turn will distribute it amongst some of their people. We hope to follow up with the pastors to see how these seeds grow and hopefully prosper into a harvestable crop. Hope Seeds is on the internet at www.hopeseeds.org. They are a Christian, charitable organization which provides seeds and agricultural support to missionaries and mission teams around the world. On their website we were able to access a few articles written in Creole and French. There is a children’s coloring book written in French that we downloaded and will use as part of teaching children about farming and agriculture. One of their board members runs a mission in Cap Haitien called Living Hope Mission ( http://livinghopemission.org ). Part of their mission focus is in agriculture. I believe strongly in networking. So many missions here in Haiti focus on their own thing and don’t involve themselves with other missions. I am glad that Love A Child and Hope Seeds are eager to work with others in encouraging and supporting God’s work being done here in Haiti.

The government is starting a program this year encouraging people to plant Moringa trees. It is known in Haiti as Doliv. The tree is rich in vitamins and nutrients. Moringa contains 7 times more vitamin C than an orange, 4 times more calcium than a glass of milk, 4 times more vitamin A than carrots, 3 times more potassium than a banana, and 2 times more protein than in a glass of milk. Both the pods and leaves of the Moringa can be eaten. Moringa leaves are rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. The bean can be used to prepare a high-quality oil. The dried leaves of the Moringa can be used as a food supplement for children suffering from anaemia or facing malnutrition. It can also be used for improving animal health. Dried moringa leaves can replace soybeans to feed cattle or poultry. The government intends to promote the cultivation of Moringa against both malnutrition and deforestation.  We were out at Love A Child this week and spoke with one of the missionaries there about the moringa. They are going to encourage families to plant the moringa to build a natural hedge. The moringa tree foliates every 45 days. By planting the tree 1 foot apart a hedge can be grown and the family can harvest the leaves off of one tree every day. By the time 45 days pass the first tree will foliate again and be ready for harvesting. We talked about this with Pastor Pierre and the other pastors this week. We hope to encourage the Haitian people to use the moringa  tree as a food source. It will help to improve the health of their families.  Genesis 1:29,30 sure does apply to the moringa. Pray that the people in the churches of Belladere, Kenscoff, and Leogane will be encouraged to use the tree. The pastors here are listening and we hope the people in these areas will listen too.  Pray for the current agricultural season. Rainy season has begun and so has planting. Have a blessed weekend.

Karen Bultje,  Coram Deo

Haiti Update - April 30, 2013

But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion.  So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn,  and the innkeeper,  and said to him,  “Take care of him; and whatever more you spend,  when I come again, I will repay you.”  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”  And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”         Luke 10:30-37

Hi! I started Coram Deo here in Haiti in 1998 with the help of family and friends. Since that time we have strived to help the Haitian people. There have been a lot of challenges but we have persevered. I strive, and teach the Haitian people who are part of Coram Deo to be the Samaritan. Sometimes we come across people needing assistance in our travels, sometimes they come to us, and other times Haitian people bring them to us hoping for an answer. We are grateful that Ed Amos set up his medical/dental clinic here at Coram Deo. Every day there is a gathering at the gate of people hoping to be seen for medical or dental problems.  He treats the ones he is able to help.

 Some people have problems that need specialized care. This morning a mother and her baby came into the clinic. She told Ed that she and her baby have HIV. They both are not in a treatment program. We will be taking them to Nos Petits Freres/Soeurs  Hospital later in the week to have them both tested, and enrol them in the anti-retroviral program once their HIV is confirmed as positive. The hospital has an excellent HIV program and medications are provided free of charge. Pray for this mother and her baby, that they both can be helped. 

Stevens Petit-Frere, a  7-year-old boy  is a child that Ed saw at the clinic a few weeks ago. He had a bad head fungus plus an enlarged abdomen. We took him for a sonogram today and the results show that he has an enlarged spleen, multiple cysts and probable non-hodgkins lymphoma. Pray for  Stevens.  He faces multiple severe health problems. Pray that we can find help for him either here in Haiti or in the United States. 

A couple months ago, Bradley, a 5-year-old boy, was playing with another child who had an umbrella. The child lunged at Bradley and poked him directly in the eye.  He  lost his eye.  Bradley lives with his grandmother in a refuge camp. His mother died during the earthquake and his father was never a part of his life. His grandmother came with a paper from the General Hospital eye clinic. The price of a prosthetic eye for Bradley is $300H (35 US$) and she didn’t have the funds for the prosthetic eye.  Johnny went with them to the hospital this morning but the doctor wasn’t  there. We have another appointment for Thursday.  Pray that Bradley gets fitted with a prosthetic eye.

We have 2 hydrocephalus babies and their mothers staying here the last couple of weeks. One is from the island of La Gonave and the other from the mountain region of Foret De Pin.  They are awaiting the arrival of a neurosurgeon who will be working with Project Medishare at Bernard Mevs Hospital. He just recently performed 8 hydrocephalus surgeries. He will be returning at the end of May to perform some more. Pray for the babies who are here, that they get stronger and healthier during this month of May.

Slade Alfred is a 9-month-old baby girl/boy. We aren’t able to identify the sex of the child because it has all the body  parts of a male or female (ambiguous genitalia). This baby will need genetic  testing to determine its’ sex. This can only be done in the United States.

2 of Marie’s relatives came with their mother from the Petit-Goave region to see Ed this morning. Both of the children have severe curvature of the spine. Both these children will need to get spinal surgery that can’t be done here in Haiti. Amos brought these 2 children and Slade over to the office of Angel Missions Haiti. We are praying that they can help us in finding medical care for these 3 children in the United States.

These are the children that we saw today.  All have serious and complex problems. I have a notebook containing many more names of children and adults who we are seeking help for. Most missions choose not to help these types of cases. The ones who do are overwhelmed with requests for help. Pray for all those with special needs here in Haiti and pray that one day Haiti will be able to provide medical care for all its’ population, and that people wouldn’t have to suffer with a treatable medical problem.

Our school program here at Coram Deo is going well. It is good to see the yard full of students, and also that there are now enough school shelters to house the children. During the week at any one time we have 150 people in the yard;  100 students and 50 people waiting to see Ed at the clinic. We are grateful to have caring teachers who seek to give the students a good education.

The pastor training seminars that the Christian Reformed Mission offers are being well-attended by Pastor Pierre and his group of pastors/church leaders. On May 8-10 there will be another series of Timothy Leadership Training Seminars. We currently sponsor a group of 19 pastors/leaders in the churches that Pastor Pierre has had contact with.

We are thankful that we are here in Haiti to try and help the people who come into contact with us. We are thankful for the prayers and financial support that people have given. Currently our funds are low. At the end of March there was a balance of $2.77 in our CDN$ account. The month of April brought to us through Mission of Tears $1,900US in donations. To function well in all our programs here at Coram Deo we need to have a monthly funding of $9000. We are not able to attain that level and have been striving to work at a $5000 level. For the month of April we are trying to work with ½ of that. As a result we can’t pay all our expenses.  We are asking that people would prayerfully consider helping us financially at this time.  We strive to be the Good Samaritan and to help the Haitian people. We can only do this with your help.

Karen Bultje,
Coram Deo

DR. KEITH FLANAGAN - CVM OBITUARY

 

A missionary who I think is one of the best missionaries here in Haiti died yesterday. Dr. Keith and his wife Jan helped a lot of people. They had a heart to help the handicapped here in Haiti. Keith is now in heaven and I know that God will tell him "Well done, good and faithful servant". Pray for Jan and his family as they make funeral arrangements. Keith was with the CVM mission and this obituary notice was on their web site. We will miss you Keith
Karen

Celebrating a Life of Serving Christ Through Veterinary Medicine

CVM is sorry to announce the death of Dr. Keith Flanagan on April 3, 2013. After a short illness in Haiti, Keith and Jan were transported to Miami for medical care. Keith passed away early Wednesday morning. Funeral arrangements in the Texhoma, Oklahoma area will be posted as soon as the family can make them.

We rejoice in a life well lived and yet mourn and grieve the loss of a dear brother in Christ, a faithful friend, a passionate kingdom worker, and a faithful servant to the Lord’s work in Haiti. All who know Dr. Keith can reflect on his incredible network of relationships. He is dearly loved by his family, his co-workers in CVM, the incredible numbers of people who he and Jan hosted in Haiti to join them in service, his extensive network of friends and colleagues in the profession of veterinary medicine, and the thousands of Haitian friends who he so faithfully loved and served.
Dr. Keith Flanagan is a 1978 graduate of the college of veterinary medicine at Oklahoma State University. He connected with Christian Veterinary Mission in 1979 and did his first short-term mission trip in 1986 to Haiti. He and Jan proceeded to respond to God’s call to serve the people of Haiti in long-term missions when Keith left for Haiti April 2, 1987 with Jan and their sons Sean and Brian following in June. For the next 26 years, he and Jan poured themselves out in ministry and service to the people of Haiti serving in a variety of roles in ministry and development work. They would host hundreds of short-term volunteers over the years and served faithfully on the CVM team representing the work of the Lord through veterinary medicine at many professional meetings and student events.

Keith was highly respected for his love and appreciation of the Haitian people and culture as well as for his selfless dedication to development work in Haiti. He served at all levels of development in Haiti, working on nationwide programs of livestock development and disease control. Dr. Flanagan and his Haitian counterparts trained 100’s of village level animal health workers and, in recent years, invested heavily in the work to equip and train Haitian veterinarians trained in Cuba. He was a noted expert on livestock development in Haiti and was often consulted by others who sought to serve. Keith also touched the lives of so many individuals. Keith and Jan opened their home to countless Haitian friends needing help, supporting them in their trials and rejoicing with them in the events of their lives. They are god parents to many young Haitian adults who have been encouraged and supported in their education and personal development.

Dr. Keith Flanagan had a wonderful set of gifts for a cross-cultural development worker. His practical life skills from growing up on a farm in rural Oklahoma, his networking and strategic thinking skills from his education and experiences in private veterinary practice, and the military and his incredible love for people were all gifts that he poured out in service to the glory of Jesus Christ. He served with joy and a great sense of humor and yet had a passion for justice and seeing those in need empowered in their development. Keith had a heart to be a witness for Jesus Christ and lived that out faithfully in word and deed.

He will be missed! Keith is survived by his incredible wife Jan, his faithful partner in these many years of service. He is also survived by his oldest son Sean, wife Chandra, and their two children. He is also survived by his younger son Brian and wife Robin and the child they are expecting. Keith’s family in Oklahoma includes his mother Rosella Flanagan, brothers Steve and Joe Flanagan, and sister Koleta Ferguson. These family members represent an extended network of family and friends across the United States. We stand with them in celebration of a life well lived and grieve with them in the loss of a dear friend.
Make a Donation
CVM as set up a memorial fund in honor of Dr. Keith Flanagn. Please click here to make a donation in his memory.

Share Your Memories

So many of you have been touched by the life of Keith Flanagan and his wife, Jan. If you would like to share the impact they have had, memories or kind words, please click here.

Send a Card or Letter

If you would like to send a card or letter to the Flanagan family, please send them to:

Flanagan Family
c/o Mrs. Rosella Flanagan
HC 4 Box 8
Texhoma, OK 73949-9202

"But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control." - Philippians 3:20-21

Haiti Update - December 27, 2012

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”  (Luke 2:14)

 Hi! Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! It is the winter season in Haiti now and the weather is great! Temperatures are in the 80’s during the day and the evenings are cool. Everyone is glad that hurricane season is over (it ended November 30^th). This past hurricane season was a bad one for Haiti. It seems like there is a cycle to bad hurricane seasons in Haiti . 2004 and 2008 were years of bad storms and both times many lives were lost. The 2012 season ended  with not a large loss of life, but there was a large loss in the agricultural sector, which carries implications for the current dry season. 70% of crops were lost and people out in the countryside are at risk of hunger in the next few months. The southern part of the country really took a hit by Hurricane Sandy. The last couple of weeks Benji and his mother were staying here at Coram Deo. Benji has hydrocephalus and received a shunt surgery during the last round of surgeries. He has gotten malnourished.  We sent them back to the Jacmel area before Christmas with a box of Feed My Starving Children Manna Packs and told her to come back each month for another box. We can’t help all the families who lost their crops during the hurricane season but we can help one family. Pray for all those who will be struggling with hunger during the next few months.

Our school program is on Christmas break until January 7^th. We held exams one week earlier because we had a medical team doing 3 clinics here. It ended up that all the schools had exam week earlier than normal. People were saying that the end of the world might happen on December 21^st because that is when the Mayan calendar ended and the children wanted to make sure there exams were done before that day. Some children thought there might be an earthquake that day.  I am glad no earthquakes happened and that the end is not yet! There is lots of work to be done. Now that the Mayan calendar is no more maybe people will focus on what the Bible says.  It is good that we can focus on Christ’s birth and the hope for peace one day.

We are thankful that Ed Amos moved his medical clinic here to Coram Deo from the Adoration school. Every Monday and Tuesday are medical clinics, with a maximum of 50 patients being seen each day. Ed even does minor surgeries. During those days fewer patients are seen. Wednesday and Thursday are dental clinics and up to 20 people are seen for teeth cleaning, minor fillings and tooth extractions. Ed has 2 Haitian nurses who help him with the clinic. Macdonald registers the patients and also maintains the patient log for appointments. Through these clinics 3 orthopaedic cases came to our attention. All needed surgery. We brought them to Adventist Hospital where the Cure team works and they all received a free surgery. 2 were children who had bad fractures to their lower arm.

Raymond, a young man was in a motorcycle accident last December. The doctors at Medicine Sans Frontieres told him that nothing could be done here in Haiti for his injured hip and that he would need to go to another country for medical care. Raymond and his family is poor and for the last year has been getting around on crutches with a hip that has been out of place.  Dr. Nelson, a visiting Cure American orthopaedic surgeon performed surgery on December 10^th at the Adventist Hospital, located in the Carrefour area. Raymond spent one week recovering from the surgery in hospital and the doctors told him that in 4 months he will be walking normally again. We give the Lord thanks for this gift of healing.

Berno is a young man who came to Ed’s clinic one day with a large keloid. Berno had been in a bus accident on Rte. National #1 that had killed 17 of the 26 passengers in the bus. Berno survived the accident with a broken leg and a laceration near his right ear. The scar tissue formed into a keloid and grew to the size of a baseball. Embarrassed by this disfigurement he always made sure to wear a hat covering up the keloid. Ed surgically removed the keloid and now the disfigurement is gone. Pray for patients like Raymond and Berno who come to the clinic with the hope of a solution. Ed’s main financial supporter will not be able to fund the clinic after the end of 2013. Pray that support is found for him to continue to run the clinic.

Rick Boer and my dad made a visit to Haiti in October. When Rick went back to Canada a friend talked with a dentist in Wyoming, Ontario. The dentist saw the pictures of the clinic and Coram Deo and he decided to donate his entire dental clinic furnishings, as he was transferring to a new clinic and buying new equipment! Pray for a way to send this equipment to Haiti.  Ed could really use the equipment and this also opens up the possibility of having more dentists come to Haiti to hold more dental clinics. Our large living room makes it perfect for a clinic!

In the last few months we have been blessed with medical teams who use our facilities for medical clinics. Dr. Karen McCarthy and medical team members came in October from Jacksonville, Florida. A medical team from Amelia Baptist Church came in November and a medical team from Auburn United Methodist Church came in December.

We are thankful that Pastor Pierre and 18 other Haitian pastors, and church workers were able to participate at the Timothy Leadership Training seminars that were held at the Christian Reformed Ministry Center in October. The day that the seminars were to begin was the day that Hurricane Sandy hit Haiti. I thought that not many would show up because of the weather but everyone showed up! The people from the mountains of Kenscoff (14) walked through the night through windy and stormy weather. It goes to show how hungry the church leaders are for training. They didn’t even allow a hurricane to stop them! Pray for more training for these pastors. Pastor Pierre has at least another 20 pastors interested in attending these seminars.

We completed a shower construction project recently. It started while my dad and Rick Boer were here. The new shower was constructed as an addition to the dormitory. That corner of the yard is now cemented and cement benches were constructed. The new shower has a tiled floor and walls, and also a changing room. A water tower was constructed for the shower. The old shower was knocked down and this now gives more room for the school shelter along the back wall.  Pray for future projects. We need another school shelter constructed along the front wall and also to cement that section of the yard. We also need to construct another toilet room and renovate the existing one. With more people in the yard we need more toilet facilities. We also need to tile and make some modifications to the existing washroom. With cholera being here in Haiti it is easy to keep the toilet room clean with tiled floors. We would like to have laptop computers so that students can learn computer technology. One project idea is to have 10 computers and set up a cyber cafe. A few of our teachers are taking computer courses and need access to a computer. If anyone would like to donate a computer please contact myself or Tim Bos.

I give thanks for a board/committee that has the same vision as I do. We are working together to pursue the vision of Coram Deo. Tim was recently here in November to help with the shower project. The committee is supportive and encouraging.  It is good to know that I can contact Tim by phone, text, Skype or an email at any time. It is good to see committee members coming to Haiti to help out in constructing our vision here in Haiti. The “field of dreams” is taking shape!

We are thankful for the financial support we have received. Right now the funds are low but we are praying for support. I don’t have a salary and don’t seek one but I pray that people will be supportive of the project. All the funds I get here in Haiti go towards helping the Haitian people.

Have a Blessed New Year!

Karen Bultje, Coram Deo

 

Haiti Update - September 8, 2012

“... The Lord has his way, in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. (Nahum 1:3)

Hi! Haiti is a country that is susceptible to natural disasters. When I went on the internet on Wednesday the first thing I noticed was a breaking news report of an earthquake of 7.6 that hit Costa Rica and that there was a tsunami alert for the Caribbean. I ran outside to tell the people in our yard about the alert and then went back to the computer. The alert was updated and the Caribbean was not at risk for a tsunami. I then went back outside and told everyone that it was a false alarm!  I felt sorry for the people living in Costa Rica and figured there must have been a lot of damage, and loss of life, only to find out later that there was just 1 death due to a heart attack during the earthquake and that buildings were still standing in Costa Rica. I hope and pray that construction in Haiti will improve to the same levels as other developed areas of the world.

Last Sunday morning at around 8:00am there was a 3.7 earthquake in Haiti, which was located 4 km south of Leogane and 33km WSW of Port-au-Prince. We never felt anything here at Coram Deo.

A few weeks ago 100 earthquake experts met in the Dominican Republic. Representatives from Caribbean countries attended. What was stressed is that the islands of the Caribbean are located in a seismic zone that is active and that an earthquake of 8.0 may arrive at any moment along with a tsunami risk. A Haitian seismologist stated that another earthquake for Haiti is imminent and could happen at any time. There is a strong possibility/certainty that Cap Haitien will one day suffer the same fate as Port-au-Prince did. Wednesday’s earthquake in Costa Rica sure is a reminder to be aware!

We are in the middle of hurricane season and Haiti was visited by Tropical Storm Isaac almost 2 weeks ago. We monitor the National Hurricane Centre’s website daily to monitor the progress of storms. There was a possibility that Isaac would form into a Category 1 Hurricane before passing through Haiti.  The storm slowed down as it neared Haiti. We thought we would see effects in the afternoon but it wasn’t until late in the evening that Isaac showed its’ effects.

The winds started and soon my cell phone rang. Someone we know that lives in a refuge camp called to say that the winds were causing problems and that the people were scared and praying. Isaac never reached hurricane strength when it hit Haiti and everyone is thankful for that, but even as a tropical storm a lot of damage was caused by flooding and the winds. We never had flying projectiles of coconuts going through the yard but the flying projectiles of almonds falling off the tree and hitting the tin roof of the kitchen shelter sure made a lot of noise! A window screen fell onto my bed and I decided that I didn’t want to lie in bed anymore and checked out the house instead. The winds eventually died down and then there was just the rain.

 In the morning we checked out how Port-au-Prince weathered the storm and in some places there were large tree branches that had fallen. The government had work crews out removing debris from the storm. Some tents in the refuge camps were destroyed. We saw the Grise River was full with storm runoff and flooding its’ banks in some places. The bridge in Croix-des-Missions was closed to vehicular traffic due to the flooding river. In the Gressier region the Momanse River was enlarged by 50 meters by the flooding waters.

The most damage was done in the South-East and West (Port-au-Prince) departments of the country. 165 camps were affected by Isaac. 18 refuge camps were evacuated by civil protection officials. 15,812 families were evacuated from the camps, 24 people lost their lives either in landslides, drowning or electrocution, and 42 people were injured.  Tents were ripped by the winds as well as tin roofs being ripped off of homes. It wasn’t just the refuge camps where the storms effects were felt. In one government report it was stated that 1,144 homes were flooded, 1,005 homes destroyed and 6,040 homes damaged. 8,189 families are now homeless after the storm.

Vanessa (a hydrocephalus girl) and her family live in Fond Verette, a mountain region near the Dominican border. Their home was destroyed by the winds of Isaac. When Vanessa’s mother called me I could hear hammering in the background as the family was putting together a shelter to live in.  We had a large tarp that we gave to the family. The road was blocked until a landslide and a large boulder was cleared from the mountain road. Her sister picked up the tarp a couple of days later.

Pastor Pierre’s church and some of the church member’s homes suffered some damage due to the windy conditions. Some homes were lost to landslides and others by having their roofs ripped off by the winds.

Floridalaine is a young girl who was born with congenital cataracts. The last couple of weeks we have been bringing her for tests and appointments to General Hospital in the hopes of getting cataract surgery for her. Her family lives in the mountains of Kenscoff. Her father told me that they lost their crop to the storm. He had planted beans and potatoes and harvest time would have been in October. Now many families have lost their crops in addition to their homes. Selling of their harvest creates an income for paying for school for their children and for seed for the next planting season. Many families in the Kenscoff area lost their crops and a few people lost their lives in the landslides.

Agriculture took a big hit during the storm. Before Isaac appeared agricultural production was already affected by a 40% loss in crop yields due to the dry season. Banana plantations, coffee, avocado, and rice crops were almost totally destroyed in certain regions by Isaac. Fruit was affected as well. Thousands of animals were carried away by flooding rivers.  It is estimated that agriculture suffered $242 million US$ in damage. The irrigation system in the South-East and the Cul-de-Sac plain is severely damaged. Pray for families who live in the farming areas. Hunger could become a problem in the next few months due to the effects of losing their crops. Pray that those who lost their homes will be able to rebuild or find other shelter for their families, especially since hurricane season isn’t over until the end of November.

Internet and cell phone service was affected by the storm. The Digicel and Voila cell phone companies had service interruptions that took some time to restore. Our internet service was out of order for 4 days. We found out that Natcom, which is the state/private Vietnamese telephone/cell/internet provider maintained services after Isaacs’ passage. We purchased a jump stick to be able to pay a daily rate for internet service. The government used the Natcom building as a communications hub due to the damage to the other company sites. After the storm the government sent out financial assistance to some families by transferring mobile money to their cell phones that they could use to purchase food. It is great to see how technology can help during disasters.

Electricity was off throughout the city during the storm. 30 of the 32 electrical circuits were knocked out of service by Isaac. After a couple of days we had electricity again. Other areas of the city took longer to restore to service. The invertor and generator came in handy to supply us with power during the city-wide black-out. All EDH electrical circuits are now in service again. Isaac caused 336 million gourds ($8 million US$) damage to the electrical system of Port-au-Prince. Isaac destroyed 230 transformers, 2,200 electric poles and damaged 120 km of circuits. EDH did a good job at making repairs with the limited resources that they have in the last couple of weeks.

The European Community has given $3 million Euros to Haiti for Isaac disaster relief funding.

Crime did not come to a standstill during the storm. A 56-year-old woman was kidnapped as Isaac passed through Haiti. It looks like the kidnappers saw the storm as a good opportunity. A dead new-born baby was found on a street in the Christ-Roi area of Port-au-Prince. It looks like a home-birth that went wrong. It wouldn’t have been possible for the woman to go to the hospital while she was in labour during the storm and I guess you could consider this baby’s death as an Isaac victim.

This update has been a natural disaster update for Haiti. Pray that the country re-builds taking things like tsunamis, earthquakes and hurricanes into consideration.

That’s all the news for today. Have a good weekend!

Karen Bultje, Coram Deo

Haiti Update - August 23, 2012

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven”. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Hi! Tropical Storm Isaac is heading through the Caribbean and is expected to hit Haiti tomorrow. It may reach hurricane status before it hits on Friday. The environment ministry has declared a red level watch for the country. There may be heavy rains associated with Isaac and some wind as well.

Last week we purchased a Nu-TV digital television receiver and we can receive channels from Europe, Canada and the United States. It is relaxing in the evenings to watch Canadian news and keep up-to-date on current events. I also bought a small stereo that has a cd player/radio. I have decided that it is good to take some time at the end of the day to not focus on the challenges of Haiti. I am not a person who goes out to places and thought that these luxuries would be a good way to relax. I didn’t use Coram Deo funds to make these purchases or for the exercise equipment purchases. I never thought I’d see the day when I could watch Hockey Night in Canada here in Haiti but this will now be a reality as we can now watch the CBC!

We have been monitoring the progress of the storm on the weather channels from Florida and last night they had an entire program on Isaac and the storm is still far from Florida! One point of advice was to remove the coconuts from the trees as these could be flying projectiles during a storm. I told the children about this and they elected Reginald to climb the coconut palms and remove the coconuts this morning. This is our effort at improving safety in our community in preparation for Tropical Storm Isaac. Pray for Haiti, especially for those who live in low-lying areas. Flooding is always a possibility during these storms.

The government is getting serious about the environment and the big garbage problem here in Port-au-Prince. Effective October 1st the government will be prohibiting the importation and marketing of polyethylene bags. The last few years small bags of water have been sold on the streets and the empty bags are dumped everywhere. These bags are not biodegradable and can take 400 years to degrade. It is common for Haitian cooks to use a black garbage bag to cover a large pot of rice. Marie, our cook insists that these black garbage bags help the rice to cook faster. It is great that the government is now educating the people that this cooking practise is wrong and unhealthy. As a foreigner it is difficult to make changes to a culture but a Haitian president sure can create a change fast! The government is also banning Styrofoam packaging as well. In the canals and on the streets of Port-au-Prince, Styrofoam and plastic are everywhere! Pray for these changes. They are good changes for the country and the government is leading to establish these changes.

In March 2013 a green energy project costing $250 million US$ will be started. International Electric Power is an American company that will be building an energy –from-waste plant on land provided by the Haitian government, 10km north of Port-au-Prince. 30 megawatts of electricity will be generated by converting garbage into energy. 2,000 tons of garbage is generated each day in Port-au-Prince. The company is planning to collect all the garbage from the streets of Port-au-Prince and truck it to the plant. Effective March 15, 2015, Port-au-Prince will finally have a way to dispose of garbage in a good way!

Our exercise/living room is being well used! The exercise bicycle, treadmill, gym set, abs roller and weights are getting good use. Last night it was 8:00pm and supper hadn’t been started yet. One of the older guys had to make supper and he enjoyed the exercise room so much that supper was delayed. We now have a new rule for the exercise room.... all chores including supper need to be done before the exercise room is open :)

I came back from Canada with a digital video projector so that we can host a community cinema. Christian and children’s programs will be shown on Fridays once the school year starts. This digital video projector will also be useful for parent meetings and also for the clinics that are held here.

Floridalaine is a young girl who was born with congenital cataracts. She lives with her family in the mountains of Kenscoff. Yesterday we brought her to the eye clinic at General Hospital to see if they will do surgery to remove these cataracts. Pray that a solution can be found to improve her sight and that surgery can be performed.

Johnny Jean was one of 24,000 people to write the exams for entrance into the police academy. The results were posted and he wasn’t selected. He really wants to be a police officer. I am praying that one day he can achieve his dream of being a policeman or in the Haitian military. In the meantime he loves working out in the exercise room in his spare time. This week the guys saw the police at work on our streets. They were sitting out front of the house chatting on the street when a police car drove to the corner, stopped, and a policeman descended from the vehicle. He shot in the air 2 times and then got back inside. That made everyone jump. Manu decided it would be best to go to bed. It is great to have policemen as curfew enforcers :) There have been some problems with street crime in the neighbourhood. Sadly one of the guys we helped after the earthquake is involved. Junior has been stealing cell phones, chargers and other items from people and then tries to re-sell them. Pray for Junior to leave his life of crime. The police were shooting in the air to let thieves know they were in the area.

We have been getting good electricity lately. For most of the day we have electricity and only use the invertor for the evenings. For the last 6 months though the electricity line on our street has been sagging and is now just below the barbed wire on our walls. We have contacted EDH several times requesting them to come out and fix their line. Pray that they will eventually come out and fix it. Yesterday afternoon, around 4:00pm we heard a bang and then there was no more electricity. We figured that a transformer blew but the cause was something worse. In the Cite Aux Cayes area, a man was on the roof attempting to steal electricity. I don’t know if he tried to connect to a high tension wire but the ending was not good for him. He was burnt from head to toe and taken to the hospital. I don’t think he survived his injuries. Regulating electricity is also a big task for the government to get control of. People are constantly stealing electricity from the lines and sometimes dying in the process of their quest for electricity.

That’s all the news for today. We are preparing for a stormy weekend! Have a good storm-free weekend.

Karen Bultje, Coram Deo

 

TROPICAL STORM ISAAC

 

 

The 9th tropical storm of the 2012 Hurricane Season has formed and is named Isaac. There is a possibility that Isaac will turn into a hurricane before it reaches Haiti. Everyone is planning for a rainy weekend. Pray for those living in the refuge camps and in dangerous areas. In Haiti the biggest problem is flooding due to the large amount of rainfall that may occur.

Haiti Update - August 20, 2012

“I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. God does it,  that men should fear before Him. That which is has already been, and what is to be has already been; and God requires an account of what is past.” (Ecclesiastes 3:14, 15)

 Hi! My sister Michelle had surgery last Monday to remove her rectum and is now getting used to having a colostomy. The surgeon saw that the tumor had completely disappeared. Michelle spent one week in hospital and is now recovering at home. Pray for her as she continues her cancer treatment. My mother had surgery last Wednesday to remove the gall stones from her bile duct and she is now waiting for the surgical date for the removal of her gall bladder.

The golf tournament that the Coram Deo committee in Canada has been busily preparing for was a success. There was a full slate of golfers participating last Friday. We give the Lord thanks for all those who participated and for the sponsors who helped support the tournament. It was a sunny day of golfing!

The new school year was supposed to start on September 3^rd, but the government has delayed it to October 1^st. Some school directors and citizens are disappointed with this decision. The international standard for days of schooling is 200 days. With the September 3^rd opening there would have been a 190 day school year, but with the delay to October 1^st there is now only 156 school days. School directors who have been doing curriculum planning will now have to re-write it taking into consideration the reduction in school days. The reasoning by the government was to give parents more time to prepare for the new school year and the extra month gives them more time to save money to purchase books, pay for school fees, etc. There has also been a shakeup at the Ministry of Education with the Minister of Education being replaced. This has also delayed the signing of the book subsidies of the government with the school textbook publishers. We were able to get the book catalogue from the Henri Deschamps book dealer ahead of time, along with the unofficial book subsidy list and brought our order in to them last week. They will call us as soon as the government contract has been signed. The rest of the books we need that we can’t get at the subsidized prices we will get downtown at the “black book market”; the rates there are cheaper.

Last week we registered students for the first year kindergarten class here at Coram Deo. Some first year students have come from the countryside to Port-au-Prince to stay with relatives. These students are older and never have had the opportunity to attend school. Jn. Eddy did the intake testing for these students to determine  what level they are at.

We finished paying the last instalment of tuition fees last week for Jn. Eddy Alexandre and Josue Marcelin. One year of university costs $2,000 US$ for books and tuition. Pray for funding for their 3^rd year of university which will begin in October 2012. The school year runs from October to August. Last week they presented their marketing project that they have been working on for the last couple of months. Jn. Eddy and Josue both take their schooling seriously and want to have a better life for themselves and for their families.

Last week the results of the 9eme AF state exams were released (these are students who have completed their 3^rd year of secondary schooling). We only had 1 of our secondary school sponsor students writing these exams. Claudin Jean passed his exams and now will be advancing to the next level of his secondary education – 3eme Secondaire). 119,338 out of 177,502 participants passed these exams, a 67.23% pass rate. Pray for Claudin as he moves on to his next level of schooling.

The former Governor General of Canada, Michaelle Jean, is now a Special Envoy of UNESCO to Haiti. Michaelle Jean has a special interest in improving the education system of Haiti. A consortium of universities from Haiti and Canada gathered in Haiti last week to form an alliance for the reconstruction of the education system of Haiti. 18 Haitian universities and Canadian universities from Laval, Moncton, Ottawa, Sherbrooke and Montreal took part. The consortium is known as CIRSEH (Consortium Interuniversitaire Pour La Refondation Du Systeme Educatif Haitien). It is good to see Canadian Universities participating in improving the education system of Haiti. Please pray for their efforts.

Michelet Laurent is an adult male who has suffered with a growth on his knee that has caused him pain for the last 10 years. We helped him last week to see a doctor and get testing done for his problem. On Friday he had surgery to remove this growth. Pray for him as he heals from this surgery. Pray also for the medical system here in Haiti. Because of Michelet’s poverty he has suffered with a medical problem that was easily treatable.

Recently, there were 2 policemen who were shot in the Delmas 19 area. One was killed and the other was shot in the leg. Criminal gangs are at the root of most of the violence here in Port-au-Prince. Police focused on the Delmas 19 area in the search for the shooters and they specifically were keeping an eye on the neighbourhood where our gatekeeper Yonel Glezile lives with his family. It ended up that several arrests of gang members were made. Yonel told me that the individual who shot the policeman lived in a temporary shelter that had been constructed by the British Red Cross. Yonel is frustrated with the criminals in his neighbourhood that cause problems and was happy to see some of them arrested. Yonel continues to live in his broken home with his family. The width of the house is now exactly the width of a double bed, with no room at the sides. The double bed is elevated so that the children have room to sleep under the bed. The Red Cross gave him sheets of plywood to put up as a wall along the side of the house that they smashed. He is determined to keep his home along the canal. It is sad that the Red Cross didn’t supervise the project enough to prevent his home from being smashed. It ended up that the Red Cross determined that the canal didn’t have to be that wide, but that was after Yonel’s house was already partly demolished by workers.  We visited the canal project the other day and work is progressing. The canal isn’t completely covered yet and people are dumping garbage into it. During the last major rainfall the canal was plugged by garbage and  also was boarded off for the construction work that was being carried on further down the canal. This blockage created flooding in the neighbourhood and people had to flee for higher ground. Some of the men broke the sides of the canal with sledgehammers  for water to flow. Pray that Yonels’ house is restored and that the Red Cross will reconstruct Yonel’s home. The neighbourhood was about 80% destroyed by the earthquake and it will be interesting to see how it will be reconstructed.

That’s all the news for today. Have a good week!

Karen Bultje, Coram Deo