#FreeHaiti: This is How We Know What Love is...

A little over a year ago, I wrote on the topic of #FreeHaiti, a post called There is no Fear in Love, which discussed something that had come up in the Christian Haitian community in response to kidnappings in Port-au-Prince, specifically in churches. It was my third reflection on the #FreeHaitiMovement, making this my fourth. Should a Christian come armed to church and prepare to fight? I leaned toward yes, and argued that this is the way to stop such ridiculousness - to stand up to it. Kidnappings, for example, can only take place if people who have knowledge about such things keep quiet. 

I also argued that there is a literal, ongoing war, both spiritual and physical in Haiti. Although I'm a Christian, I don't believe that evangelizing in the traditional sense is what I am called to do. The evangelization I believe most strongly in is:

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." - John 13:35

"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." - 1 Peter 3:15

In summary, love actively and gently share your faith when questioned. The biggest way I have felt compelled to love Haitians is to live in solidarity and dedicate myself, through Project Esperanza, to providing education and opportunity. More on the faith that drives Project Esperanza here: https://esperanzameanshope.org/our-faith-2/ 

Adventures of Son Son - Part 2

A lot has happened in the past year and unfortunately, the situation in Haiti has deteriorated even more. I get a lump in my throat every time I read about the soaring numbers of Haitians being intercepted by U.S. Coast Guard and sent back to Haiti. Can you imagine how desperate someone must be to get in one of those crowded boats and take to the sea, often being unable to swim?! Schools have not even opened for the 2022-2023 school year due to gang violence and chaos. 

I am encouraged by news such as a mayor in the town of Miragoane who led the people to take to the streets and refuse the entry of gangs, attempting to spread their territory (https://www.facebook.com/groups/199558963717/permalink/10159892632793718/). I wish I had a way to empower such leaders and I hope they continue to hold strong. 

If you aren't aware, gang activity in Haiti is apparently funded by powerful elites who equip vulnerable young men to carry out their dirty work and bring them big bucks. Kidnapping is a large business and gang members are highly armed. The average citizen's best bet for defense is a machete. Meanwhile, here in the Dominican Republic, the easiest refuge for Haitians as the two countries share an island, deportations have drastically increased as well. 

There was one story shared earlier this month that exemplifies Jesus Christ in a powerful way. It shows the depth of the war at hand and the privilege that all of us who have not had to be in such a war have. I hope that sharing the account inspires action. 

Stories emerged of a gang burning people and houses in a town called Cabaret. I didn't dwell on them as such stories of terrorism, murders and displacements are unfortunately common. However, one American woman named Kimberly who works in this area shared some insight. 

This young man named Jefté used to serve people who were displaced by gang activity. Here is a picture she sent of him preparing a pot of food for a group of victims of gang violence in his area. 

She reports that one gang came to believe that he had snitched on them, telling the police of their whearabouts. As a result, this picture shows what they did to him. 

You may not be used to seeing gasoline in a jug like that, but it's often hauled around that way here, and that is what that is. The gang members burnt him alive, then went after others. 

I apologize if sharing this causes you prolonged emotional distress. It did to me. I thought of trying to remove myself from such news. But can his wife and baby remove themselves? Can the mothers whose sons' throats were cut in front of them for not joining gangs remove themselves? 

What struck me most about this photo, after I got over my initial sorrow, was that he is not in a state of panic. If I had to describe his expression, I would say stern and defiant. Did he not know what these gangs were capable of? Of course he did. Why didn't he lie low? It reminds me of this verse: 

"When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." - 1 Peter 2:23

Of course Jesus had the power to retaliate, whereas this man did not, but I do believe that the Holy Spirit that moved him to serve the victims of gang violence and perhaps speak up about their whereabouts removed his fear and called him to entrust himself to God, who judges justly. It also reminds me of Stephen, a disciple who was stoned to death for speaking the truth, not long after Jesus' death. He too did not fear or panic, but entrusted himself to God. 

And so I come to one of my favorite verses in the Bible. We're told to love. In fact, Jesus says it's the Greatest Commandment. But the world has many definitions of love. What exactly is love? 

In 1st Corinthians we learn that love is patient, kind, does not boast, etc. In 1st John 3:16, it specifically says, "This is how we know what love is". Probably every churched person and even many of the unchurched know the verse John 3:16 which teaches us about our salvation, our ticket to heaven. But who knows 1st John 3:16, which teaches us the key to doing what we are called to do? 

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." 

Verse 17 and beyond goes on to say more wonderful things, but I don't want to go on too long. Love is sacrifice. Jesus exemplified it for us. Disney movies have reiterated it time and time again throughout the decades. Every successful social movement has been rooted in the same concept of people putting their lives on the line in order to show society that something isn't right. This was embodied by Jesus. This is how we know what love is.

So as we search for the solution for the problems that face Haiti and other parts of the world or our own households, the answer isn't actually a secret. Should I buy something I don't need at all or should I use a little money to help someone who is desperate? Should I ignore my child's cry for help or should I make a little more effort to listen and connect? Should I spend hours watching a dirty movie or should I spend that time educating myself on really important things? Love calls us to sacrifice our desires and possessions for the good of our brothers and sisters. 

"Well, it probably won't work anyway," you might be thinking. 

Let's go back to 1st Corinthians' definition of love. 1st Corinthians 13:8 says, "Love never fails." 

Is that just cliche? Something people say to feel good? 

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."-2 Timothy: 16, 17

As the rain and the snow

come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,

so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

-Isaiah 55:10, 11

Happy New Year. May we learn to love more than ever in 2023. And if you want to learn more about Jesus in a super personal way, go to Angel.com and watch The Chosen! Season 3 is out!!! 

Haiti Cheri

Years back we had two young men in our group home, Elvio and Daby, who were aspiring rappers. Well, there have been many more than those two, but these two were quite into it. Their rapper names were Snake and Violent Poison. These are young men who have left Haiti and immigrated to the Dominican Republic "in search of life".

Anyway, Daby, I believe it was, wrote a song called "Ayiti Cheri", which is how you would write it in Creole. It means "Dear Haiti" or "Darling Haiti". The first verse went like this:

Ayiti cheri
Lon tan ou pa t pe soufri
Sa pa fe m plezi
Ak kriminel sa yo

Darling Haiti
You didn't used to be afraid to suffer
That doesn't make me happy
With those criminals

A few days ago, a friend of mine in New York posted this article on Facebook. It's talking about how Haiti is facing a humanitarian calamity and most people outside of Haiti don't even know about it. I am here in the Dominican Republic. My husband is from Haiti. Most of Project Esperanza's employees are from Haiti. I have been hearing about what's going on there and we have felt some effects of it, but reading this article made me realize that I have grown somewhat numb to it throughout the years. It makes me sad, but I also had thoughts like, "What else is new? There's no Civil War or war against another country but simply a war against themselves. How can you help them? In general, they're so upside down," and more. I also thought things like, "Isn't this just proof of what you get when you endlessly play with the devil... or worse."

But as I continued to read through the article, I was moved to tears. I am not sure of all the details, but from what I understand, rioting has been taking place for months by people who don't want the current president in power. This article says the crisis started in July, but I remember hearing of an attempt to burn down the perhaps Haitian equivalent of the White House earlier than that and being forwarded videos of various Haitians' opinions on the matter. This article tells more about the current president, as well as informs and counsels about the country's politics.

I just keep shaking my head and thinking, "Sure, shut down your schools. That's a productive way to advance the country." It has also been said that gangs have been paying uninvolved people to do chaos-creating things. What seems to have happened in the more recent past is that gas prices rose, so rioting worsened.

Haitians here in Puerto Plata always talk about the president and money as if it all just goes straight into his pocket. There is no accountaiblity (claimed in the way they talk) and all presidents are stealing the country's money. I don't know how it really works, but it's surely not the most organized system. It makes me think of the several people who I have hired (not simultaneously) to help me out with housework. They always seem to stack plates with the smaller plates beneath the bigger plates, or with no order at all. What they definitely do not do is stack the biggest on the bottom, smallest on top.

Heck, just yesterday I believe it was, I asked my husband to help our two-year-old use the bathroom as I was occupied. Poor little Gabe was losing control and started to go in his pants. But instead of helping him remove his pants, my husband started taking off his shirt...button by button. God love him. I just am constantly shaking my head...or worse.

So after reading this article, my negative thoughts and numbness was broken. I remembered the children who are growing up with the same type of experiences as the previous generation, leaving little hope for the next generation. I remembered the church members in my husband's hometown who rang a bell every morning at 5am. It was pitch black as there is no electricity, yet they got out of bed and joined in prayer every day. Talk about faithfulness!

I started brainstorming. What could be done here? They can't arrest everyone causing trouble. Everything is basically shut down. What is going on with prisons, anyway? I heard that some U.S. troops have been sent to help and that that has done some good. They also can't give in to gangs and let them run the show!

Well, my long term vision, hope, and prayer for Haiti is free, quality, nurturing elementary education for all. I suppose I should say all children. The opportunity for adults through a night program would be great too, as well as workshops for parents of students in elementary school. Sure, high school and college are great, but educating a portion of the population may not be effective when roughly 50% never go to school at all.

I also think that the educated folks are still affected by the rest, as they seem to still believe all sorts of tall tales, such bats being rats that grow wings when they get old. The majority of the members of society have never done activities like this:

Which is longest? How can you tell? Is the ___ longer or shorter than the ___? Why does the marker look like it's longer than the pencil? How could we fix that?

These photos and questions were taken from this blog post. 

Sure, many things are learned through living life. And some skills are mastered much more than us educated folk, such as washing clothes by hand! It's truly amazing the stains that the average Haitian woman here I know can get out! But in the end, we know that formal education for all is a must in order to raise a developed society.

When I give an orientation to volunteers coming to volunteer with Project Esperanza, I explain that a way I wrap my head around the unstable state of Haiti is this. Columbus conquered the island of Hispaniola, making it a Spanish island. Spain ceded the Western third to France. France brought over boatloads of people from West Africa and enslaved them to do their work and profit off of them in their colony. If you read a book by Dr. Paul Farmer called Uses of Haiti, you can gain great insight into the brutality of that slave system. It was said that more slaves died during that time period which lasted around 150 years than in the United States slave system!

The slaves led a revolution that lasted from 1791 to 1804, where they basically were successful in killing and chasing off all the French, and became the first black republic and the second democratic nation in the New World after the U.S. Why has that not been made a Hollywood movie? It's an amazing and heroic story.

But then you have to run a country. Most of your population (excluding the Mulattos - offspring of French and slaves who would've received education) was treated with extreme brutality, lived through an autrocity of war for the last twelve or thirteen years, and never received any formal education! That's quite a challenge! To make matters worse, the country continued to be abused to France, and also the United States, I hear. I am not sure as to the facts of this article, but you may want to take some time to read its claims. I would highly suggest reading The Uses of Haiti for more info on the matter. 

People sometimes ask, "Why don't you do this work in Haiti?" Project Esperanza has two schools full of Haitian children in the Dominican Republic. I first say, this is where God brought me. I just jumped on a volunteer trip and learned about intense need that wasn't being met. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. I didn't need to go looking for need anywhere else. I also believe that creating a healthy refuge in the neighboring country while encouraging immigrants to commit themselves to the development of their motherland can be just as effective as working right in Haiti. 

But there is also a good point in that question. The source of the problem is in Haiti. My end goal for our schools is to create the best elementary schools possible for this specific population. A main focus is to create social conscious change makers, as well as loving and well-educated problem solvers and critical thinkers. Teachers and students will learn the best practices we strive to implement. I could go on forever about the process it has taken to get our teachers to use behavior charts rather than disciplining kids by making them kneel, slaps on the hand, kicking them out, etc. They have one thing engrained in them, and I have another engrained in me. It's a fight at first to bring about change, but the kids growing up and becoming teachers will be a different story. 

Once we can "perfect" our schools and are able to claim actual financial sustainability, I would love for Project Esperanza to collaborate with others in reaching the goal of helping Haiti to have free, quality, nurturing elementary education for everyone. I envision this happening by providing grants to private schools in Haiti coupled with visits, organizational and academic materials, and trainings. We would also either employ or provide financial aid to teachers and students of ours who are dedicated to working in the sector of education in Haiti. This should be a fairly lucrative position compared to other local jobs for those who are selected as top notch candidates. 

This is the vision that fills my heart. I don't think it's something I came up with myself, but something God has shared with me. I think it's what he wants. After all, Jesus did say that the greatest commandment is to love God and then to love others as we love ourselves. May all of our hearts break for the innocent people who are stuck in the chaos that is going on there; in the upside down-ness where bridges break down because people stole the nuts and bolts from them. Think about that the next time you're frustrated with a long line at Starbucks! 

This is nice and ideal for the future, right? But it's November 17th and the school year still has not started for most in Haiti due to these riots. I have some ideas I would like to share about what could be done now, but will do that in a next post as this one has become quite long. Let me finish by inviting your support in the work that Project Esperanza is doing. 

At this point, we have 150 more students we need to get sponsored this school year. We have three levels of sponsorship: 

Level 1 - an annual donation of $150 which covers daily lunch, a uniform shirt, and some materials. 

Level 2 - a monthly donation of $30 which covers daily lunch, a uniform shirt, some materials, and contribution to teacher's salary.

Level 3 - a monthly donation of $50 which covers daily lunch, a uniform shirt, some materials, contribution to teacher's salary, and contribution to the facilities.

You can learn more here. Thank you for considering investing in someone so worthy in the eyes of our creator. Let's not give up. May his kingdom come. 

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Street Census Redone

When Project Esperanza first came to Puerto Plata as a Virginia Tech student organization in the summer of 2006, we conducted a street census with the understanding that the results would be submitted to Integracion Juvenil, a Dominican foundation, that was opening up a home for boys on the streets. We created 140 profiles over the course of one month and submitted the information to Integracion Juvenil. We were told that Integracion Juvenil rejected the profiles as 96% of them were of Haitian youth and adolescents, and they did not intend on receiving Haitians into their home.

This is where our work began. The average age reported was 14. We were told that some of these kids were living with “bosses” who sent them out selling and then took their money at the end of the day. Very few reported living with family, and those who did reported living with a brother, a cousin, or an aunt, but not their nuclear family (mother, father, and siblings). The original profiles were lost in a damaged hard drive before we could collect the exact statistics, but it was remarkable to us that 0% of the Haitian youth reported currently attending school. Some had reported attending school in Haiti before coming to the Dominican Republic, while others reported never having gone to school before. Probably 85% reported living in the barrio of Padre Granero, where we began running a school shortly thereafter, whereas the other 15% reported living in the barrio of Agua Negra on the other side of town. When asked why they came to the Dominican Republic, they all said, “to search for life”. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, so it makes sense that so many venture over to the other country that shares the island with them in hopes of finding “life”.

At the end of the month long census, some found out where our volunteer house was located and they began coming by in groups asking to see the photos we had taken of them for the census profiles. We were sad that the home we thought we would be able to lead some of them to through Integracion Juvenil was not going to be a reality for them. So we began a lunch, tutoring, and recreation program at that time from noon to 4pm. We began learning much more about them and over time, some did disclose their stories.

Someone in Haiti, normally a neighbor, had convinced them to come with them to the Dominican Republic. Sometimes it was with a parent’s consent, and sometimes this person had convinced them to come in secrecy even when the parent did not consent. They promised the boy that life would be better in the Dominican Republic. They would find bikes on the ground easily that they could have and ride, radios as well. They would go to school and eat better meals. Then when they arrived, they were often made to live harsh street vendor lives where they wake up early, search for wood to build a fire, and prepare sweets to sell on the beach. They were taught a route they would walk all day long to sell sweets on the beach. When they arrived home, they would turn their money over to the person they live with, and do an accounting. Some reported harsh punishments if they did not sell all of their sweets. Some showed scars where they reported being hit with machetes. We went with one to the hospital where the doctors found he had internal bleedings from beatings.

Some boys had even reported during the census that they lived with their father, and then we came to find out that the man they lived with was not their father, but someone who had brought them here in this manner. Over time, we found out certain men who were involved in this trafficking business. Women were involved in the kidnapping and enslaving that was going on here as well. It was a quite common practice. It is for this reason that we sent close to 50 youth back to Haiti to be reunited with their families who they reported being tricked. Their families thought they were doing a good thing for them. The adults running these operations said that their parents knew what they were sending their kids to. They didn’t want them or couldn’t take care of them. That is why they sent them.

We did not do the street census again until this year, 2015. I had thought about it in the past and quite frankly the idea scared me. The need and sadness we found during the first census was overwhelming and running an organization that was attempting to respond to the need had taken over my life. We have some great success stories from the first street census. Some young men who had never attended school before are now close to graduating from high school. Some have steady jobs. Some have started families. Some have been more responsible in starting their families than others. Some are here in the Dominican Republic while others have settled in Haiti. But we have lost some as well. Others spend time in and out of jail. 

Anol

I wrote a tribute to two we lost, Anol and Etienne, in the book I published, but since then we have lost two more. We have lost two of the first three who we offered mattresses on the floor to in 2007 when they reported sleeping on the beach or on someone’s porch. Both were scarred and problematic boys but had they had the chance to be given a permanent and loving caregiver and secure home and family, they could’ve done great. I am talking about a foster or adoption situation. Yes, they were a part of our group home, but both fell back into the streets as they needed much more individual attention than we were able to give them at the time. Here is a group home video from 2015 memories. The last slide which mentions Michael and Tina Reeder is actually out of date. For family and health reasons they unfortunately were not able to stay for the year they had hoped for.

I won’t neglect to say that it saddens me that so many volunteers (although not all volunteers) came and met these boys and then returned to their lives in the U.S. without doing anything to better the boys’ lives. Maybe these volunteers had other things going on in their lives that kept them from doing that, but I just think that if I have dedicated pretty much my whole life, then more could have at least written from time to time to ask how so and so was doing. I am not saying this to pat myself on the back or put others down but it is truly something that I have a hard time understanding. We all (volunteers) have our nuclear families, quality education, secure housing, food security, and job opportunity. I don’t think anyone can say that their problems have been too great to spare an occasional check in. Anyway, what is done is done and I hope we can only move forward for a better future. 

Alin did not last long in the group home. When there were 18 boys in the beginning (we tried to help everyone) and lots of fighting and power struggle, he requested to be sent to Haiti to visit what family members he had there. Upon returning, we did not allow him back

into the group home because he had many accounts of stealing and

Alin

other vices. However, had he expressed extreme interest in coming to school each day as others did, he may have been given a second chance. He did not. He continued to come to soccer practice some. Then I didn’t see him for quite a while. A few years ago, Jonel told me that Alin was in jail in Santiago and needed someone to sign for him or represent him at his hearing. I said that I could not. I was just overwhelmed with responsibilities and he had not maintained contact as others had to the point that I felt like I could vouch for him in any way. 

It was maybe a year later that I asked Chinaider about Alin and he said that Alin had been shot and killed in Sosua. The police shot him as he ran away from a theft. In law school, I learned that deadly force cannot be used to stop someone from theft or anything that doesn’t create extreme deadly risk to others. Someone running away from a theft should not be shot. However, here you hear of this sort of thing without repercussions to the shooter. I did not learn about this until after he was buried. Chinaider thought that he was buried in Sosua. 

Luis did not return to the group home after he stole a laptop from the administrative space he broke into in a separate building in 2008. He lived in town ever since and lived a fairly calm life. I never heard of any more problems from him and he did not seek any more help from me or any teachers or employees. He seemed to play a lot of Nintendo and eventually found a job with the trash truck. He even attended the public night school in town regularly and would have started 8^th grade this year. He was very scarred. I wrote about him in this blog post. Luis is the boy I was referring to who was said to have been used by the police for violence in Port-au-Prince.  

Jeres told me this past summer that Luis had gone to Haiti and was very sick. I was busy and did not ask and was not told anything further for over a month. Then one day recently we drove through the area of town where he lived and I asked Chinaider, who was in the car, for an update on Luis. He replied with, “Luis died”. He said that someone had taken him to family members in Haiti and he died within a few days. When I asked what sort of sickness he had he said that he became extremely thin and had no appetite. That is all I know.  

Rest in peace Alin and Luis. 

Bobby is someone who was in the group home until 2009 when we made contact with his mom and heard of the true story that he was pretty much kidnapped. We sent him back to her and she was so grateful. He came and went after that. He basically lived in between our group home, his mom’s house in Haiti, and another area where he had contacts in the country and worked in agriculture. Every time he came he had a really hard time living in a group setting and managing resources in a humble manner. By this I mean that he always ended up getting into a conflict because he owed someone money or took someone’s stuff. He is an extreme people person and makes friends everywhere but gets into conflicts when he owes money, etc. He didn’t deny his involvement in drugs from a very young age before he was ever in the group home but I do know he was clean for the most part before we sent him to his mom’s house in 2009. But it looks like at some point he fell back into that. 

Normally when he would go to work in the country, people would then report him buying drugs and stealing things. So this may be the root of his problem. 

The last time he was here and left was not even a year ago but without going into too many details, I didn’t want him to come back and didn’t plan on talking to him when he did come back. He turned 21 in January which is the age that we completely kick someone out of the home. At 18, they stop receiving aid with food. However, we had not let him back in the home for quite a while because of these reasons. He stayed with another young man who had graduated from the home, named Biby. Biby knew I did not want to see him, but nonetheless, came with him to my house when he arrived again. My house is next to the group home and was just one street over from Biby’s house at the time. I did not go outside to talk to him when they called me. They eventually left. Biby then saw me leaving later on that day and approached me. He said that he was not planning on accompanying Bobby to my house, but had done so because he sees that Bobby is now crazy. He arrived this morning and isn’t making any sense. It also seems like both of his thumbs are paralyzed. I listened, was surprised, and went on my way. 

The next day Bobby approached me when he saw me on the street and I was able to converse with him and see what Biby meant by “crazy”. He made some sense and remembered everyone, but did seem handicapped. A day later he had a tank top on backwards… one with a scoop neck and high back that was very apparently on backwards, but he did not notice. He speaks quietly and is unable to completely convey his thoughts, which seems to frustrate him a little. He walks around during the days and looks for work. He was caught stealing a bag of bread at a colmado down the street but they went easy on him when people told them that he was crazy. So we’ll see what happens. I am not sure what I can do for him unless someone really wants to take on his case. And even then, I don’t think I should personally be too involved with him directly as I would not like to give him any sort of welcome into my personal space. But someone else in the organization could perhaps help. 

9 years after the first census, I realized that it was time to delve in again. We started with winter break volunteers sitting in spots around town with a clipboard and a camera. This time we gave out bags of rice, beans, and a packet of oil as a thank you for participating in the census. Spring break volunteers participated as well up until May. Our summer volunteers did other activities but I still got a few profiles going around town in the summer as well. The results are quite different than 2006. In 2006 we divided into two groups and did it for one month, so probably 22 weekdays. We conducted the census in the afternoons. This consists of 44 half days. This year we did 15 half days and then I did a bit independently. Therefore, more time was spent on this in 2006. But it was very clear that in 2006 there were simply more youth working on the streets. Tourist police have completely banned two touristic areas to such street vending among youth: the Malecon or Boardwalk, and Central Park. Also, attempts have been made by the government to eradicate child labor in general. Of course we find many teenagers street vending and do profiles on anyone who reports being 18 or younger, and those older ages don’t count as child labor. But there was a significant lower amount of 10 and 11 year olds on the streets during this census. Additionally, it might be due to the fact that we did send around 50 kids back to their families in Haiti and started registering kids in school, and rewarding them with things for going, but the men who were highly responsible for the child trafficking in Padre Granero when we first began seem to have stopped doing that altogether. I haven’t heard of such activity in years.

The most alarming thing we saw during the 2015 census was not kids who were estranged from their families and living as servants, but two cousins and a sister. They live with their parents and say they go to school, but they can be seen often in the dark far from home selling peanuts. I drove the two boys home one day as it was dark and they were at La Sirena when they live far away from La Sirena. They fell asleep in the car and I made it to the area where they said they lived, then asked people on the road if they knew where the boys sleeping of my car lived. We eventually found their family. I talked to them about why they sent their kids out to work on the streets like that alone and until very late at night. They said that an adult usually went with them and would go with them in the future. They have financial needs. I said I would try to find some help to get them some groceries each month. And not to send the kids out anymore! Especially alone! I still see the kids very often, sometimes accompanied by an adult, and sometimes not.

Published Book!

This post will be short and sweet. I've gotten a lot of requests throughout the years to publish a book. I have gotten these requests in reference to my many updates from the ground here in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. I wrote 29 posts on the La Vida Idealist blog on Idealist.org but it was shut down about two years ago. I finally was able to retrieve my posts and decided this would be the perfect opportunity to publish!

I have set the e-book for free for 3 days (as of yesterday). My only request is that people who receive it for free write a review, which can help me sell more. Here is the link to the e-book. 

Here is the link to the paperback. 

In a few weeks, both should be available on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and more. I am excited and have many more ideas for more books to publish in the future! Thank you! 

Understanding Restavek

The other day I ran into a young man selling sugar cane out of a wheelbarrow on the street in Puerto Plata. As I passed him, we made eye contact, and I then recognized his face. We both stopped, smiled at each other, and then broke into dialogue. A few seconds of reflection and I remembered his name: Jamile. He was one of the first boys living as a "restavek" we ever sent back to family in Haiti. This was in January 2007.

"I don't know where you live," he said. "That's why I haven't come to see you. I wanted to come thank you because what you did for me was a really big thing." He said this several times. I'm not saying that to brag, but am just telling the story as it happened. If you don't know, restavek is a name for a Haitian child slave or really a system of child slavery in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic among Haitians. Most Haitians are descendants of West Africans who were enslaved by the French who used to run the country. In 1804, the slaves revolted and gained independence. But when you examine the country, or at least when I do, I can't help but to think, "Well you didn't like it when they did that to you, why are you doing it to others??" But maybe it was just a way of life that was learned and a different way of life has been difficult to adapt to?

Anyway, I have the most insight on the situation here in the Puerto Plata. We both are quite poor. Let's say I'm your neighbor in Cap Haitien but I move to the Dominican Republic. I see that selling sweets on the streets in the DR can make some income, and if I can have 5 people working for me, I could have a little operation going. So I go back and ask you if you would like me to take your 12 year old son with me to the Dominican Republic. I promise that he will eat better and go to school. To the child, I make him believe that he will find bikes and radios on the ground and things will be fun. You entrust me with your child and we make the journey to the Dominican Republic. Two others entrust me with their children as well, and I convince two street kids two come with me too.

Then once we get there, I use the same tactics that are used on slaves anywhere to get them to work. I treat them bad.. and maybe the ways of doing that very from person to person. They are little and have lost contact with their parents in Haiti. This can go on for years. This is what was going on with Jamile and his two other housemates. And this is why we sent them back to their mothers in Haiti, against the will and despite threats of their "owner". I had seen their previous "owner" around town since and he, like many others in the neighborhood where he lived and where we first began supporting a school, stopped doing this, or at least did it a lot less.

"Ronald (fake name) was making me suffer and you took me out of that," Jamile said.

"Do you see him nowadays?" I asked.

"We live right by each other," he answered.

"But he hasn't done anything to you since then?" I asked.

"No," he replied.

So this was 7 years ago that we had sent him. He eventually made his way back to the Dominican Republic to search for work and ended up living nearby "Ronald" since they have a common circle of acquaintances, being from the same area in Haiti. And the slave and slaveholder relationship is a thing of the past. Did we do things as we should have? I'm not exactly sure. I believe God's hand was over the situation and it seems to have turned out better than it was when it began. But I have formed lots of thoughts over how such situations should be intervened in, because I don't want to be an example of an American who came in and intervened in someone's home without having the authority or the experience to do so. Now I do have the experience. At that time, I don't know that me and the others who were behind that did have the experience. But we did at least speak Creole, and I think the language barriers and assumptions in communication are sometimes the biggest things to get people in trouble!

If you look up restavek through organizations such as this one or this one, you can read that the scenario is typically a little different in Haiti, but this is how I have seen it play out time and time again here in Puerto Plata. Here is a testimony of one young man who has been with us for 7 years now.

A few months ago I was contacted by a woman who was, along with her daughter, working on setting up an orphanage in a town in Haiti. They were attempting to rescue a group of kids from an orphanage that they deemed to be a restavek operation. She asked for insight as far as setting up a non-profit and the paperwork involved with that, but also thoughts on the situation. I was grateful to be able to share a lot of what I learned with her, and now will share with you. Below is what I shared with this woman.

I do have thoughts about this and am happy to share. Forgive me if I offend you in any way since I am ignorant as to everything other than what you have shared in this e-mail and you may have excellent replies to my concerns of which I am happy to read. Here are some things I strongly believe and stand behind. 

First, working with kids at this level is largely about working with adults...and even more so when the financer (you all) is in a separate country than the kids. I know how disturbing it can be to discover kids in restavek situations.. but I have come to see things very differently after living here for 7 years than I did when I first came and witnessed this. This is so very much due to cultural differences and judgments that we can't help but to make coming from a compleeetely different world. I have come to see the people who force or have forced kids to work in very different ways than I did initially.  Sometimes these people are heartless child abusers, that's for sure. But sometimes they are ignorant, are doing what they know, are doing what they think is best, and actually do care for the kids much more than it would seem, and are very open to change. There is one family that used to have several kids living with them and working for them, treating them very differently than they treat their own kids, sending the kids out to sell on the streets all day, every day, never giving them days off, etc. They were definitely restavek kids. We took one in and he is now a leader of our group home and a star among others in the program. He said that they never hit him and he didn't experience other abuse, maybe some verbal, but they hit other kids sometimes who were less obedient. This family has changed a lot over the years in reference to housing kids and forcing them to work, as have others who used to do this in the community where we work, because of the attention that it received. No one was prosecuted, but the kids were definitely liberated and the people doing this were looked down upon. 

But this family still had one boy living with them. I knew that this boy's mom had visited the area the year before. She knew where he was living and how he lived. She asked him to return to Haiti with her when she left and he chose to stay with this family rather than go back with her. He did help the mother of the household out significantly with food she made and sold, but he also went to our school, and had a large amount of freedom. He is now sixteen. A group that recently began working in the community were told about this situation and quickly made the decision to remove him from the home. I stepped in and had a lot to share, and honestly was undecided as to which would be better for this boy - the life he was living with the family where he did do a significant amount of work, or the life he would live after they removed him from the home. One, I knew that the people who had brought this to their attention had their own motives for doing so, and I didn't believe their motives were pure. They ended up renting an apartment and this is supposed to be an apartment for him, as well as paying someone to give him extra lessons, but the group funding this are not here permanently, plan on visiting quarterly, but do lack the language and cultural skills. I have more insight into what is going on and to me it looks like these men have gotten the group to rent an apartment and are benefiting from it and now instead of being in more of a family setting, he is staying with fairly young men and lacks real guardian figures as far as a family structure is concerned. Hired men as caregivers in the past have done things such as frequented prostitutes and come back to tell boys in the home about this, and just give other poor advice and examples. So which home will turn this young man into a more productive member of society? 

Another thing I strongly stand by and I think it's proven is that the best environment to provide orphans or kids estranged from their families is.. a family. The closer to a family structure, the better. And the closer relationship and loyalty between the caregivers and the financers, the better, because that is more realistic to a family. Sometimes paid caregivers can just view their role as a job and not respect the funds that are being spent, etc. We now have a system where boys who have grown up in the program are leaders of younger boys and have no paid caregivers. Their motives have to be in the right place or it just doesn't work and money just gets in the way of that, whereas if you provide someone with meals or a food stipend, housing, schooling, and a family relationship, and they have a responsibility within their family to care for the younger family members, that is very different than money. I also see that this boy that has been removed from the home, well at least at first, I'm not sure about now, the financers thought he was staying in this new apartment whereas he was really staying with the family who had him working, and it was because he was comfortable there...and we have seen this a lot in the past.

Another thing I will say is, restavek is really a spectrum..the exact conditions vary from case to case, the amount of work the child does, the age of the child, the amount of liberties the child has, the amount of emotional connection there is between the child and the authority in the house, between the restavek child and the biological children of the authority, as well as other restavek children in the house, whether or not the child goes to school, the amount and type of abuse inflicted on the child, etc. But I will say for a child's development, there are arguably worse situations for an orphaned or abandoned child in Haiti or a Haitian child in the DR who is forced to work a lot and kept under strict discipline, and removing children from one home can put them in danger of falling into worse situations. In my opinion, kids who grow up in the streets are often worse off development-wise than a restavek child, but that may also depend on the amount and type of abuse a restavek child undergoes. The reason why I say this is because from my observations through housing, schooling, and working with kids from the streets and from restavek situations mixed in a group home setting beginning in 2006 is that kids who grow up in restavek situations turn out to be more obedient, respectful, and honest than kids from the streets. Kids from the streets often have serious problems with authority as well as attitudes that really inhibit them in life and I have seen far too many end up in prison, whereas I have seen many kids with a restavek background succeed, commit themselves to their schooling, and respect people who are willing to help them. There is also a large difference between restavek kids who are forced to work in the streets and restavek kids who work in the home. Kids forced to work in the streets are still exposed to the dangers of the streets, one of which we have seen here in Puerto Plata is pedophilia, whereas kids working in a home are more protected from that, assuming they don't experience such abuse in the home.

Now, you might say that you in no way intend that kids who are removed from the orphanage in Haiti end up in the streets and of course that is not your intention and I don't know if there is a very big street kid population in that area but Port-au-Prince is not far away and I know there is a very large street kid population there, even girls which I haven't heard of anywhere else. I have seen many times where kids who get to pre-teen or teenage years are not kept on a tight reign or are not occupied with enough activity throughout the day and they end up in the streets. We have made many attempts to locate and upon locating him, force a son of someone in our community to come home and stay with his family, and he always refuses and runs away. They have tried chaining him several times. It's very sad and it has now been over a year since they have seen him. This is so even if food and shelter is provided for them at their home, and it seems to be an extra large phenomenon in Haiti. Parents go looking for their kids and the kids run and hide from them as they come to enjoy the street life. Kids spend years doing this and seem to realize their stupidity in their older teenage years, generally, but have already been exposed to so much and estranged from their families for so long. It does seem to happen the most where the parents may have a drug problem, violence in the home, extreme poverty, single moms, lots of kids, so anything where the kid lacks attention, but really, first, at least one of these conditions fit most families in Haiti, I'm sure, and also, an orphanage is a very difficult place for a kid to receive attention as well, and as far as an orphanage that can occupy 17 kids all day long...well that's a large monthly budget. I have seen people give kids lots of chores to keep them occupied to keep them out of trouble, and without the financial means to pay for extra curricular activities, it's the lesser of two evils.

So these are just some things to consider. I am curious as to how it was determined that the current orphanage was a restavek operation, what the social services that are intervening plan to do with the kids once they are removed from the home, since it sounds like you all are not yet prepared for that, the sources of information for you all, etc. I think that is all that I felt the need to share. Again, I hope it does not come off as offensive as there is obviously a lot more to the story that I have not heard, but this is my two cents from doing similar work. If you can take a child who is used to working, not receiving school, and being abused, out of the home and put him or her in a home where they are nurtured, schooled, and their already developed work ethic celebrated and rewarded, then wow, of course that is a life transformation and a new life altogether. But if the new home is not yet prepared, I think it's important to be aware of some potentially unpredictable side effects of removing a child from such a home, and some potentially wasted attempts as well. 

Also, one more thought, collaboration is key in this line of work. My initial thought was that you all first try to collaborate with the current leaders of the orphanage rather than separate from them altogether. They must already have resources they are devoting to this, and could potentially be doing the best that they can with those resources and with their life's experiences. It has taken some working with the young man I mention who is now a group home leader so that he doesn't treat younger boys the same way he was treated when he was their age. But he has learned and changed. I would like to think that the same is true with the leaders of the current home. This can be done by attempting to lay down certain rules such as at what age a child can start doing chores, and what a healthy daily schedule would be. A financer has the right to enforce such changes for the better of the orphanage. 

Testimonies to the Existence and Use of Magic in Haiti

Ever since I began doing volunteer work in the Dominican Republic in 2005, different people started suggesting that I read Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. If you have not read or are not familiar with this book, it’s about the life and work of Dr. Paul Farmer who is co-founder of a non-profit organization called Partners in Health which does significant health care activity in Haiti and in other developing countries. I go through stages of reading a few books and then not doing any pleasure reading for long periods of time. A few years ago a friend got me the book for Christmas but I still did not get a true hankering to read it until I heard that Dr. Farmer would be speaking at Virginia Tech, my alma mater, last year. I found the book to be very enjoyable, educational, impressive, and thought-provoking. I was especially interested in Dr. Farmer’s unique and quirky, yet nurturing upbringing that likely had a large influence on him turning out to be a very intelligent and high achieving man with a pioneer spirit.

Through reading Mountains Beyond Mountains, one can really gain an understanding of Dr. Farmer’s views regarding world poverty and health care for the poor. There were several points throughout the book where I wish I was reading it as a part of a class or a book club so that we could discuss certain points. I won’t talk about every point I would have liked to have discussed but just one main issue.

Early on in the book, the author recounts a conversation he observed between Dr. Farmer and a Haitian patient. The patient told Dr. Farmer that she believed that her health problems were caused by a magical attack done by someone that was angry with her. Dr. Farmer told the patient that magic does not exist. Through living and working with Haitians I hear continuous talk about magic. I have always heard of this magic referred to as voodoo in English but I rarely hear Haitians use the world voodoo. I have also never seen or heard reference to voodoo dolls coming from Haitians. They talk about someone going to a “boko” or a “mambo” When asked what a “boko” is they often say someone who serves Satan or who knows how to use magic. A boko is a man and a mambo is a woman. People go to a boko or a mambo for a number of reasons. In exchange for money and sometimes under certain circumstances such as certain materials provided, a boko or mambo can supposedly kill someone with magic, witness a situation or find out the true story without actually being there, make someone sick, make someone crazy, make someone receive money, make someone fall in love with the person desiring, give someone the power to disappear, heal someone from a physical or mental sickenss inflicted by magic or Satan, put someone into a state where they appear dead and then later raise them from this state, raise someone from the dead to serve as a slave, give someone the power to disappear, give people the ability to transform into certain animals, and more.

After hearing so many accounts from so many Haitians, I think that it is unwise of Dr. Farmer to conclude that magic does not exist and to state this with authority to Haitian patients. Anyone who believes in the Bible should also not ignore such accounts as such things are also recorded in the Bible. 1 Samuel 28 tells of Saul going to a spiritist and calling up the spirit of Samuel to give him insight as to what David was up to. Perhaps Dr. Farmer’s thoughts on this issue were misrepresented by the recorded conversation and he has further thoughts on this issue. I don’t know. I would be interested in talking to him about it as well as with other foreigners working in Haiti or with Haitian immigrants or refugees in another area such as we do in the Dominican Republic.

Although I have not witnessed many of the things Haitians assure me exist and they have witnessed, I have witnessed some and therefore have to conclude that magic of some sort does exist and it is Satan’s tool. It is also not a joke or a game as some might think it is. An American might hear the word magic and think of a magician pulling bunnies out of hats or making little balls disappear under cups. Haitians know nothing of this sort of magic and the word has a totally different meaning. Magic is not something that people should submit to out of fear, just as one should not submit to Satan out of fear. But it is something that should be taken seriously. 1 Peter 8 says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil is prowling around like a lion looking for someone to devour.” I often hear bits of this verse stated in reference to mambos, bokos, and people involved in magic or witchcraft, saying that they will eat you. My husband is Haitian and has spoken seriously and firmly with me about magic ever since we met. He gets upset when friends or family have any sort of involvment in magic. People have spread rumors in the past that he used magic to make me fall in love with him. This is an accusation that has highly offended him.

The main situations I have witnessed have been illnesses and the disappearance of items and money. I have witnessed several people with illnesses that are understood by Haitians to be zombies, demon possession, or a spiritual attack of some kind but will mention two cases here as examples. In 2007, a member of our program for Haitian refugee boys working and sometimes living on the streets of Puerto Plata became ill. He first started acting strange when a fight broke out and there was lots of commotion. The fight got diffused and then I thought that this boy was fighting but after observing further, saw that he was on all fours and about three or four large boys were on his back, trying to hold him down. One boy was laughing at their inability to contain him. Soon after, he laid on the ground unconcious. Staff members carried him to a hospital that was located conveniently right across the street. The doctors had him stay for a few days and diagnosed him with epilepsy. I was very busy during these few days and unable to visit him. When he was released, he continued having attacks. They did not appear to be seizures and members of a Christian Haitian church said that we were wasting our money at the hospital. These were spiritual attacks and prayer would heal him.

One evening he was having attacks and we took him to the emergency room where they gave him a strong tranquilizer injection. We assumed that he would sleep through the night but after a few hours, he was having strong attacks, biting the sheets on which he laid and attempting to bite himself and others. We held him down and prayed for him. At one point he called the name of the staff worker next to me and said, “There’s a demon walking in my head. When he finished saying that, I felt a wind come from him and turned my face to avoid taking the wind straight on. As I did this, I saw that the man next to me he had just spoken to did the same thing simultaneously with me. We continued praying throughout the night and the boy prayed some himself as well. He eventually became peaceful and slept. Before becoming sick, this boy had asked to return to his family in Haiti. I had been reluctant to send him since no one could go with him to assure that he arrived safely and it was where he should be. However, after his sickness and other mayhem that went on in the large group, I realized that the responsibility was too great and sent him back along with a few others. No one has seen or heard from him since. Therefore, we have no update on him. During the few days between the long night of prayer and the day he left he did not have any attacks. This is one of several examples I have witnessed and helped care for here.

There is another young man who walks the streets of Puerto Plata selling ice cream every day. Everyone calls him “Dyab” which means “Demon”. He apppears mentally handicapped or restricted mentally in some way although I haven’t spent a lot of time with him. Those that are from the same place as him in Haiti, including my husband, say that his father had a boko do something spiritual to him that causes him to be in this condition. They explain that as a child, he was very uncontrollable and violent. His father made the decision to mentally handicap him in order to control him. His father did this by going to a boko and paying him to use his knowledge and power to put his son in this state.

These cases would likely be understood and explained as something different by psychiatrists in the United States. However, I remember learning about medical framing in a History of Disease and Medicine class I took at Virginia Tech. Framing is basically recognizing a group of symptoms and defining them as a disease. Many illnesses diagnosed, especially mental illnesses, do not have tests that can be run to measure anything in the body to prove the presence of a specific illness. To me, this is evidence of the spiritual nature of the illness. Understanding that diseases are framed somewhat arbitrarily helps to open one’s mind to the different ways illnesses are understood across cultures. Hopefully this also helps Americans to open their minds to the possibility that Haitian understanding of such illnesses may be more accurate or at least worth considering and learning from. For more information on this topic and the use of psychiatric drugs in the US, check out this very informative documentary video made by the mother of a classmate of mine that committed suicide shortly after our high school graduation. His suicide was linked to the psychiatric drugs he was taking for depression at the time.

While spending time in Haiti, I spoke with a pastor, a judge, and other community leaders about the subject of witchcraft or supernatural acts of Satan. I did not seek out community leaders and specifically ask them questions about this but just through passing time in the community and experiencing different things that happened while I was there, such as the dealth of community members, these conversations came about. Before these conversations, the majority of the testimonies and stories I had heard had come from boys in our program in Puerto Plata, as well as Haitian staff members and neighbors. I definitely considered these accounts, but after spending more than a week with my husband’s family in a remote community in Haiti, experiencing life there, and talking with these community leaders, I reflected on Paul Farmer’s comment I read stating that magic does not exist and realized that if that is the approach taken by humanitarian efforts in Haiti then I think it is an insensitive and arrogant approach that gives no value to the testimony of millions of Haitians.

To be scientifically clear, I have not personally listened to the testimony of millions of Haitians but I have listened to at least 100 testimonies in Puerto Plata from people representing various regions of Haiti and at least thirty testimonies from a community outside of Cap Haitian. All have spoken affirmative to the existence of the magical works I mentioend earlier and no one has yet spoken in the negative. These testimonies have come from Haitians of all ages, varying educational levels, and varying levels of personal involovement with magic.

One boy who has been in and out of our program told me about growing up in a household that worships Satan and the sun. I was confused when he told me that they would leave offerings to Satan such as plates of food and Satan would eat them. After asking for further explanation, he told me that Satan could eat the food in different ways. After leaving the food, you could go away and come back to find it gone, not knowing exactly what had happened. Or a force could come over you and you yourself could eat the food or throw it somewhere before coming back to total consciousness. After regaining awareness you are unclear as to what happened.

I also mentioned that I have experienced the disappearance of items, especially money. Before this began happening, I had been told several times that there were people who could disappear, go and steal without anyone seeing. I had also heard of people just having to get near you in order to somehow steal your money without ever touching it. Lots of people that go to a boko go and make some sort of an effort to get money. While Dominicans generally look down upon Haitians, some make trips to Haiti in order to seek out bokos, usually with the ambition of getting rich. A teacher with Project Esperanza used to work as a guide in this area, leading visiting Dominicans to bokos in Haiti. He then became a Jehovah’s witness and quit doing this.

I have experienced several occasions where money has mysteriously disappeared. At first, I accused those nearby and got upset but after a few times, I learned to keep my cool as I realized that accusing people and getting upset only seemed to make things worse and wrongly turn me against others. Yes, people have been responsible for taking money before but there have been several times when that possibility was completely ruled out.

One example is when I ate at a cafeteria and had a zipper wallet in my hand. It had a 500 peso bill and a 200 peso bill. I checked intentionally before eating and saw this. I held the wallet in my hand the whole time and no one touched me. After eating, I opened the wallet to pay and the 500 peso bill was missing. I am 100% sure that the bill was securely in the wallet before and that no one touched the wallet.

Another example happened this past summer when Project Esperanza co-founder Kristin Preve was visiting, along with the Tulane Medical student group. I was on the soccer field at soccer practice. I pulled a zip lock baggy from my purse that was full of change and sent someone to buy water. I then put it back in my purse. Kristin then showed up at the door at other end of the field. I yelled over to her, asking her to bring the guagua (van) full of volunteers over to the other door so that I could pay the guagua driver without having to walk across the field. After a few minutes, the guagua sat outside of the door I was near. I went over and stood by the driver window to pay him for the day’s services. I gave him some money from my pocket but then needed to complete with money from the change bag. I searched all through my purse and couldn’t find it. I went back to the soccer field where I just was and couldn’t find it. I asked the boys on the soccer team that stood around and they searched. I then had to tell the guagua driver that I would finish paying him tomorrow and he took the volunteers back to the hotel. Kristin never got out of the guagua as I paid the driver. The only time she got out was when she appeared at the other end of the field, about 100 yards away. We never were in contact with each other. Additionally, no one that was outside of the guagua got in the gaugua at this point. I just went to the window and paid the driver. Later that evening, Kristin found my bag of change in her purse which she had with her in the guagua. We confirmed that it was the same bag. How the heck did it end up there? This sort of thing has happened on too many occasions. Luckily we found the money this time but on several occasions I have not.

It is probable that Dr. Farmer told his patient that magic does not exist because he did not want the patient to engage in continued conflict with the person she believed had sent an illness upon her with magic. He also likely believed that the case could be solved with modern medicine. That is very reasonable and I think it’s important to try to lessen conflict in such situations. However, there is value in exploring the spiritual realm as well when considering the health of individuals and communities. I think that this is an area that Haitians specialize in.