I'm really trying to get this blog out there so readers can see the beauty in Haiti and hopefully reach people who want to help and donate! So please everyone, SHARE THIS BLOG! Show friends and family or post it on your Facebook wall, or your friends Facebook wall, or hey maybe Ellen DeGeneres' Facebook wall!
If you donate through the link in the tab above labeled "Free the Kids" or by going to www.freethekids.org and you want to know more about what your donation goes toward, feel free to comment and I'll tell you what you wanna know!
Donations are tax deductible, and 95 cents to the dollar goes directly to Espwa. It is not corrupted or intercepted by the Haitian government, it is 100% safe and reliable.
They use the money to pay for food, school supplies, clothes, electricity, and buildings to house and care for the ever increasing amount of kids!
A common pattern with American's donating to Haiti is they think they know what Haiti needs. Without doing extensive research, without visiting, they assume. Obviously the best of intentions are there, but most of the time it can end up doing more harm then good. For example: rice. A few years back America sent over a TON of rice. Yes, people were fed...but they didn't need rice at all. The rice farmers were then put out of business, which hurt the economy. Also, the way we prepare our rice is different then they prepare theirs, so the nutrients they typically get were lacking.
Do some good today, donate and/or share this blog and get the message out there.
Mesi anpil :)
IMPORTANT:
The main reason this needs to be shared for donations is this:
Back when the earthquake hit, Espwa along with many other places were flooding with donations. Now that the hype has died down and attention is shifted elsewhere, Espwa was notified their funds are being cut over 40%. They have to cut 100 of their 300 employees, and the remaining 200 have to take a 20% pay cut. Started projects like the girls village or the chapel will have to go unfinished for now because food and education are the main priorities. So please, do what you can to help ensure these 600+ kids never have to be put on the streets ever again.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Renmen
I think one of the main things I enjoyed in Haiti was the friendly interaction with everyone. You would be walking down the street, a timid white girl with her group of white friends, blending in was NOT an option... and 99% of the people you passes would smile and say "bonjou" or "bonswa." At least in Les Cayes..PoP is another story.
You would see two grown men holding hands, not because they are homosexual-they have wives and families- but just out of love and affection. I wouldn't doubt it's for protection either, for showing the town they have at least one big guy to back them up.
In Espwa, I was always communicating with someone. Though the language barrier made it difficult at times, an effort was always made. If words could not convey a message, actions would. I was always holding hands with one, two, or even ten kids (sounds impossible with only two hands, but you tend to realize your average logic doesn't apply here). My favorite was seeing the older 'tough' teenage boys holding hands with the sweet little girls. It gave them this vulnerability that one can't help but love. And the little boys would grab onto your legs and hug them like they were holding on for dear life.
The older girls were just the sweetest, always wanting a hug, or to dance, or to stroke my hair. At home I have to beg people to play with my hair, but in Haiti it's to the point where I have to ask them to stop so I can get up and do something else!
If there is one thing I could bring from Haiti to America, it is the love they have for one another. Pure joy.
You would see two grown men holding hands, not because they are homosexual-they have wives and families- but just out of love and affection. I wouldn't doubt it's for protection either, for showing the town they have at least one big guy to back them up.
In Espwa, I was always communicating with someone. Though the language barrier made it difficult at times, an effort was always made. If words could not convey a message, actions would. I was always holding hands with one, two, or even ten kids (sounds impossible with only two hands, but you tend to realize your average logic doesn't apply here). My favorite was seeing the older 'tough' teenage boys holding hands with the sweet little girls. It gave them this vulnerability that one can't help but love. And the little boys would grab onto your legs and hug them like they were holding on for dear life.
The older girls were just the sweetest, always wanting a hug, or to dance, or to stroke my hair. At home I have to beg people to play with my hair, but in Haiti it's to the point where I have to ask them to stop so I can get up and do something else!
If there is one thing I could bring from Haiti to America, it is the love they have for one another. Pure joy.
Seems legit
"Central Bank"
....I'm sorry, what?
My exact reaction when I saw these every 1/8 mile on my 5 hour drive from Port Au Prince to Les Cayes.
They're actually lotteries "lotri" made out of tin sheds & painted on is phrases such as "bank", "central bank", "alliance bank"..
Funny right
....I'm sorry, what?
My exact reaction when I saw these every 1/8 mile on my 5 hour drive from Port Au Prince to Les Cayes.
They're actually lotteries "lotri" made out of tin sheds & painted on is phrases such as "bank", "central bank", "alliance bank"..
Funny right
Monday, April 29, 2013
My story
This past Easter, I experienced something, that in a short amount of time, changed my life.
I went to Pwoje Espwa Sud in Les Cayes, Haiti.
PES is an orphanage established by Fr. Marc Boisvert, an awesome priest with grit (sooo necessary in this country) and a more than caring heart. If you wanna see what he looks like, google him-he's practically famous.
PES houses over 600 children, educates thousands, and provides a safe environment for both parent-less orphans and economic orphans.
When I say economic orphans, I mean children whose parents are still alive but cannot afford to take care of their child, so they either sell them as a child slave so they are guaranteed food and shelter, or they put them out on the streets. Some orphans in Espwa have come out of child slavery and are happy to call this place home.
The orphanage was originally intended to be for boys only, but girl after girl showed up and Fr. Marc couldn't turn them down.
The children range from babies to young adults. Some boys who went through the orphanage are now employed there, and give back to the place that gave them everything.
In Haiti, a lot of houses are made of miscellaneous items, random slabs of wood, and tin. The streets are crowded with hardworking people, striving to provide for their families. 80% of Haitians live below the poverty line. That's insane.. People think America's gap is big, well look at that statistic and try to make the same argument.
In Espwa, the children live in stable homes with beds, a house mother, clean clothes, food and showers. SHOWERS! That's huge in Haiti. A lot of Haitians typically bathe and wash their clothes in a stream/canal, so this is quite advanced. Thanks to this orphanage, these kids live a pretty good life.
From now on I am not going to refer to Espwa as an orphanage or the children as orphans because those words typically have negative connotations and I don't want any negative thoughts associated with Espwa because it is a great place.
Odd place to end this post but I'm running out of brain power...
I went to Pwoje Espwa Sud in Les Cayes, Haiti.
PES is an orphanage established by Fr. Marc Boisvert, an awesome priest with grit (sooo necessary in this country) and a more than caring heart. If you wanna see what he looks like, google him-he's practically famous.
PES houses over 600 children, educates thousands, and provides a safe environment for both parent-less orphans and economic orphans.
When I say economic orphans, I mean children whose parents are still alive but cannot afford to take care of their child, so they either sell them as a child slave so they are guaranteed food and shelter, or they put them out on the streets. Some orphans in Espwa have come out of child slavery and are happy to call this place home.
The orphanage was originally intended to be for boys only, but girl after girl showed up and Fr. Marc couldn't turn them down.
The children range from babies to young adults. Some boys who went through the orphanage are now employed there, and give back to the place that gave them everything.
In Haiti, a lot of houses are made of miscellaneous items, random slabs of wood, and tin. The streets are crowded with hardworking people, striving to provide for their families. 80% of Haitians live below the poverty line. That's insane.. People think America's gap is big, well look at that statistic and try to make the same argument.
In Espwa, the children live in stable homes with beds, a house mother, clean clothes, food and showers. SHOWERS! That's huge in Haiti. A lot of Haitians typically bathe and wash their clothes in a stream/canal, so this is quite advanced. Thanks to this orphanage, these kids live a pretty good life.
From now on I am not going to refer to Espwa as an orphanage or the children as orphans because those words typically have negative connotations and I don't want any negative thoughts associated with Espwa because it is a great place.
Odd place to end this post but I'm running out of brain power...
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