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| Ashley and Dotchley! He was so happy to see her again! |
Our first group of Britsionarys in the month of May are now back at home, after a busy and fulfilling week here at Brit's Orphanage in Haiti! The Team, who called themselves Team "Chiki Chiki " (yes, a play on the chikungunya virus that's sweeping the island - more on that later) spent the week working as most of our groups do. By morning, they built a home for a family who was previously living in a temporary shelter. By afternoon, they were engaged in fun and creative play with the children. By late afternoon, they were out on one of various outings in and around Grand-Goâve, getting a better sense of what life is like for those with whom they worked alongside all week.
When the blan show up wearing our signature Britsionary-yellow t-shirts, our neighbors start to get excited. We have developed a bit of a reputation around the mountain community, and so most people near us now knows when they see our groups that someone will be benefiting from their hard work!
We are mindful and sensitive to how we decide for whom to help. Gama, our Haiti Operations Director (a Haitian-American) offers invaluable insights and assistance in this process. Gama identifies a few families in need (there are so many!) but what's more is that he has a conversation with those families about what their most pressing needs are ~ how can we help? We don't want to just parade a group of volunteers up the hill and "bestow these blessings upon them". We want their input. We want to understand their plight, what obstacles they face, and how what we are able to offer, or more specifically what our groups are able to offer, might best assist them and improve their own circumstance and situation.
That's something that is sometimes lost in organizations. So many times it's easy to assume we know what people need to help them - but as I've said before, it's an ethnocentric attitude to presume to know what people want and need. In that way, we hope that the effort and hard work our groups put forth is truly valued and valuable. We're quite certain it is!
The night the house was finished, as the Britsionary Group gathered upstairs for their final reflection, a strong storm blew in. From the security of this building, designed to withstand hurricane force winds and any earthquake up to 9.0, our group wondered if the home they had just completed would stand up to the strong gusts and driving rain that was pelting us. Gama put it in to perspective for us: "What they were living in before almost certainly would have blown over, if not away. They are resting well knowing that they don't have to be afraid their house will fall down tonight." So, while simple and somewhat easy for us, these homes make all the difference for those living in temporary, pieced-together shelters on the hillside here in Haiti...
Of course, no Britsionary trip would be complete without some time with our children! Our kiddos really and truly do enjoy these groups ~ aside from the treats they bring (by way of candy or sunglasses, etc.) they love the extra hugs, kisses, snuggles, and fun that they get to have with our volunteers from the States. It's always an ideal time for the children to practice their English and show off their skills!
We are so lucky to have Melissa Jean Provost with us now as a member of the BLB Team ~ Melissa was originally scheduled to come here for two months this summer and start an art and play therapy program up for the vacation months! Now that she's a part of our team, we know that she can bring her artistic abilities with her every time she comes down with a group! Here, you see Colleen and Matthew displaying one of the first projects the children worked on with the group and Melissa! One thing is for sure: When you walk in to Be Like Brit, you will know first, and instantly - that it is a home for children - where children learn, play, and thrive!
Through our volunteers, we are blessed in the support that their own friends and family offer in helping them get here! As our Britsionary groups raise funds. some (like Melissa for her original long-term project) are able to bring funds in by "raising hope" for Haiti! Melissa had these shirts designed and offered them as part of a fund-raising campaign. Through the generosity of her friends and her family, she was able to get 50 of these Hope shirts down to Haiti for the children! What a fun time we had calling each of the children up and giving them their own! The shirts are also made in Haiti, so the investment is more than just face value! The children love these and we can't thank everyone enough who supported this campaign!
Mackenson is all smiles above - and Steeve is all wet! Yes, the rain fell hard and the children just couldn't resist running out in to the courtyard again and getting some respite from the heat. With all the rain lately, we've been seeing many more creatures and critters around - bugs, spiders, lizards and the like.
One of the things that has reared its ugly head here in Haiti has been the introduction of the chikungunya virus. "Chik" is a virus transmitted by mosquitoes who carry it, and it have some characteristics of malaria. Arguably, it's far worse, as the pain that is associated with it, largely in the joints at one's knees, and in their feet, is often excruciating. It's not a life-threatening illness, but it has to run its course once it infects someone. When we first heard the warnings from the Ministry of Health and from the World Health Organization (as well as the US Embassy) we thought it might be just something that happens but that gets blown out of proportion or exaggerated for a headline. I can tell you it's been anything but hype. This virus has hit Haiti, especially the Ouest department (the one we live in) very hard!
When our group first arrived, we stressed the importance of wearing bug spray to keep those mosquitoes at bay. Our children are using it, and we are doing what we can to control it. Of course, it's impossible to eliminate it altogether. So, this past week when one of our four-year old girls came to my office screaming with pain and a high fever, we knew we had a case of chik on our hands. The only thing to do is hydrate and treat symptoms - the government has made lots and lots of Tylenol available, though one could argue that Tylenol is not exactly an aggressive way to treat the discomfort caused by the virus.
It's one of those things that because the locals have heard about it, any pain, any fever, and discomfort is almost immediately attributed to chikungunya - without so much as a finger stick diagnostic test. I have to admit it was with some irritation that I saw staff member after staff member come to my office or approach me when working in our medical clinic and say to me, "My whole body hurts. I have chikungunya." There are lots of other things that could make one's "whole body hurt" (say, for instance, hauling 40 pound buckets of water up and down a mountain on your head, for example?). Nonetheless, we've felt the impacts of this virus significantly at Be Like Brit...
Just yesterday, we had 7 employees out sick! The truth is, chikungunya or not, these women all had fevers and incredible pain running through their bodies. Without much in the way of options, trips to the local hospital were fruitless, as the state hospital system has been overwhelmed with actual and/or perceived cases of chikungunya. Encouraging our staff to take Tylenol or ibuprofen and go home instead has been met with some resistance, as understandably it's much more intuitive to go to a hospital to seek treatment - even if that treatment would be exactly the same as the bottle of pills I can offer up. It's very frustrating. It's times like this when I see how the lack of education and information really causes people to suffer, for no good reason, really...
We are hoping and praying that this virus makes it way out of Haiti ~ and that our staff and children can be as protected as possible. We know it's not deadly, but nobody wants to see a child suffer for 5 days or so with the pain that comes along with it - or an adult for that matter. It's just times like this when you see people suffering from something that we largely don't have to deal with in the United States. It's all this unnecessary suffering that gets to me.
At least back home we have homes which are largely protected against bugs and insects. We don't have to work outside and expose ourselves to the threat. We know that bug spray and longer clothing can help us avoid infection. We have access to something as basic and simple as Tylenol while the majority of people around us here in Haiti do not. It just really puts in to perspective how normal occurrences for us in the States can and are debilitating issues here in Haiti. The only difference between the two boils down to economy - social class. Indeed, these illnesses just happen to be more symptoms of poverty...
This is why we love our groups! They bring hope - just like on the t-shirts that Melissa brought down with her and gave to each of our children. There is hope in friends and in strangers. There is hope in those who care enough to want to make a difference. Have you ever donated a bottle of Tylenol to Cherylann's Wish List? If so, it's likely that the $5.00 bottle of over-the-counter medicine is helping someone through a debilitating virus right now here in Grand-Goâve. It's likely that it was the only option that person had, at least the only feasible one. Simple acts reaching so far and helping in ways you can't imagine...
We had a busy week with other arrangements, too! I spent a day in Port au Prince meeting with the Life Is Good Playmakers, and we're hoping to have news on that development soon! We have plans to visit several other notable organizations in Haiti in the coming weeks to explore ways in which we might work together, as we know and believe that working together is the best and most efficient way to get things done down here! We hope that you stay tuned to our facebook page for what's happening with our newest group which just arrived on Friday ~ they are already busy and working hard!
Keep the prayers coming and don't forget to keep up on us! Thank you for helping us help the children of Haiti at Be Like Brit! Enjoy some more photos from the week!
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| Visiting the Mission of Hope School in Grand-Goâve |
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| Andreline celebrated her 9th Birthday on May 25! |
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| Melissa introduces our newest group to Be Like Brit! |
