Sunrise in Port au Prince

Petionville

Our evening has ended with the gracious hospitality of Bernard and his wife Sabrina. After winding our way through the nighttime traffic of Port au Prince - a traffic so intense with smoke from small cooking fires, dust from the road and building debris, people moving in and out of congested traffic stacked four cars wide on a two lane road, that a cooler was able to be stolen from the bed of our truck without us even knowing - we arrived in Petionville at the house that Sabrina's grandfather built. Once there, we were fortunate to be some of the select few to enjoy Sabrina's culinary skill and one Bernard's recent catches - an example of why he has been so instrumental in the success of FFP's fishing villages. With a view of Port au Prince and places as far away as the DR, their home offered Delane, Ed, Paul and I a perfect opportunity to reflect on what it is that Haiti needs, the amazing things that FFP is doing and what we can do to help by providing something as basic as clean water.

Our trip is scheduled to end tomorrow but the work to help Haiti's poor will obviously continue. We plan to be part of that work and hope others are encouraged to join us in an endeavor that is truly making a difference and changing this small part of the world.


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Tents on the median of the highway into Port au Prince

A bus loaded to the gills

Back To Port au Prince

Driving back into Port au Prince we know we are getting close when the tents begin to appear. As the number of buildings increase so does the debris and so do the buildings that have lost their structural integrity or crumbled entirely.

As the road becomes more crowded we drive in both lanes equally, horns blaring. We are reassuring ourselves that Bernard, who is driving, is the 1983 trans-Haiti ralley winner.
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Bernard: entrepreneur, fishing addict, hostage negotiator and winner of the 1983 Haitian Grand Prix

Our driver extraordinaire

Hurt toe

This kid had cut open a gash on the bottom of his toe . I took him back to the truck and cleaned it, put neosporin on it and bandaged it. His reward for his patience was a bag of crackers.

Everyone wants her picture taken!

Orphans

On the way back to Port au Prince we stopped at an orphanage. The kids, 31 of them were at another orphanage where they were abused and were removed to this place. The orphanage is pretty primitive but I think the kids are treated well as they seem pretty happy.

Anse a Veau

Arriving in Anse a Veau, we visit the construction work on the Village of Hope - expected inauguration Jan 12, 2011, in honor of the students killed during the quake while on a mission trip with FFP. The work is progressing with concrete blocks being made on site. Rebar was being delivered by the truck load and home sites were seeing their foundations laid.

The water system is being worked out but as yet unfunded. The plan is for individual water catchments for each house and a well or cistern to provide for the school and cafeteria. There is very limited potable water. The only available water is city provide from a cistern providing but a trickle because of the number of persons needing access.

After a brief visit we are racing back to the river crossing in an effort to beat the rain that is starting to fall.
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The Road to Anse a Veau

The road to Anse a Veau can only be fully comprehended if you know the road to Port de Paix. Ed and I know know both and our chiropractors may benefit from the experience. The road also has the advantage of a car wash or "wash away" if there has been rain.
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Delane Bailey

Food for the Poor Haiti Project Manager Delane Bailey with John Beasley and Ed Buckley

Wells in Southern Haiti

We have spent the morning inspecting wells in southern Hait. These particular wells serve people in very remote areas. The contractor that instled the wells guarantees them for life and fixes any wear and tear for free. The seven wells we looked at are all funded by our project, Waterlifehope in partnership with Food For the Poor. The wells are dated and I noticed that one of them was built on my birthday this year. A nice present.

Morning Well Visit

After heavy showers last night we are traveling over muddy single lane roads up river past cocoa plants, breadfruit, banana, coffee, mango and coconut trees. We are visiting small communities served by our wells. Each have a FFP number and are monitored often for their functionality.

Our progress is slowed by the mud and occasional large bolders. We cross some small streams leading from waterfalls high in the mountains and pass many small homes and communities. Occasionally, we pick up hitchhiking little boys in the back of our truck. Four wheel drive is a great invention.

Some of these wells are recently constructed - one out of pure chance on Ed's birthday. Each serves about 200 families of about 5 to 7 members.

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People of Haiti

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The Hotel Aldy

After a white knuckle drive along the coast and racing against the dark we arrived at Aquin. A quick turn up a narrow dirt path/road leads us to the Aldy Hotel. Its a four story structure that survived the quake being a number of miles from the epicenter. Standing tall on a mountain side, the hotel gives us a view of a shadowed bay and dark silhouetted islands.

We have time for a cool shower and strategically placed fans that make the 90 degree heat and humidity more manageable.

Sitting in the open air dining area, stories of the quake are exchanged. Waiting for dinner we sit and contemplate the small miracles and the larger tragedy. The feeling that we - and everyone who has graciously donated - are all doing something, even something small, is reassuring.

Tomorrow we will begin the day with a visit to our recently funded and completed wells in several villages close by.

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Detour Vialet

Taking a quick detour - following the Mayor of Vialet driving a quick little scooter, we travel a small one lane mud and dirt track through old corn fields to a community near lake Miragoane. Here FFP is planning 20 Talapia cages for the lake and the community is requesting homes. The lake is beautiful and bordered by rice fields and mountains to the south. We were treated to fresh coconut water and pulp then munched on fresh sugar cane as we hiked to the lake shore and listened to stories of Bernard's youth and hunting trips into the mountains.

Now its a quick pace to Aquin and our nights lodgings.
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Fertile farmland that needs irrigation

We have pledged to help with irrigation here and potable drinking water.

Club Managers Assoc of America School

FFP is building a school funded by this organization. Started by a local pediatrician from West Palm, Jean Monice. He is from the area and started the school under a Mango tree. It is now almost complete and will have clean water supplied by an artesian well funded by our own Ed Buckley.

The well has just been cemented and will be operational in a couple of hours. It will have a gate and public access for the surrounding community as well as the students.
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Rachel's Village

A note about the fishing village we recently visited. The village is to be the location of 25 two room houses built by FFP. Each will have a shower and toilet and a patio. So far there is $100,000+ to fund 20 of the houses and construction begins Monday.

Now the rest of the story. The funding was begun shortly before the quake by Rachel, a 10 year old from Lighthouse Point, Fla. She started with simple fund-raising techniques and began receiving matching funds and now a whole village will bear her name.   Click Here To View Rachel's Fund Raising Page
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Fishing Village

Our afternoon on the road includes a stop by a fishing village that is being rebuilt by FFP. As a bonus we get to pass out crackers to the kids, and narrowly escape with some crumbs.

Headed next to Grand Goave the Petite Goave to visit a school and another fishing village.
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Today's catch

Little girl in fishing village

Artesian Well

A stop by an FFP tent village and an artesian well. We're moving faster now - out running some afternoon storms.

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In a tent city

We stopped at one of thousands of tent cities, this one at the epicenter. Most houses at the epicenter were destroyed and there are mostly tents here. And rubble. Lots of rubble. Lack of water, sanitation and at night, lack of light is a problem. And for women and girls,, according to Delane Bailey, fear of molestation and rape.