June 1st our Chache Lavi team meet for the first official day of the program. Girlande Louissant is to be the program Facilitator and in time will run the program in Ileavache. Josiane Bazile is the Agent de Terrain and will be the community liaison. We have no time to rest on our laurels as in five days time we have our program launch.
The week includes devising and practicing a sketch to give the community a sense of what Chache Lavi will bring to Ileavache. We have selected a sketch as a way to cross the communication barriers of poor literacy levels and language skills. It is a great success and the accompanying drums add great energy to the program. Girlande and Josiane get a complete surprise when we present them with their certificates for passing the training program at FEJ.
There are representatives from more than 26 local community groups in attendance at the launch. It is live on local radio Vole FM. And a week later we get a full page 15 coverage in Le Nouvelliste; Haiti’s national newspaper. (I buy up all the copies I can to give to everyone on Ileavache) All the speeches including Soul of Haiti’s are delivered in Kreyol! ORFAIV, a local women’s organisation organise a song to close the proceedings. It is one everyone knows and completely embodies the spirit of the day. One measure of the success of the launch is that the weekend after it, when I am out for a walk people are calling out Chache Lavi. We are delighted, all the more so for Girlande and Josiane having their first successful event completed.
Week two turns Chache Lavi (Seeking life) into Chache le bureau (Seeking an office). As luck would have it, a local house that we have always said was in a great location for Soul of Haiti projects is available. A deal is struck and contracts are to be drawn up for moving in on July 1st. In the meantime it is back to the kitchen table in Kay Ailish, but not for long. We need to meet the five groups we have selected to work with for the pilot program, to run over 18 months.
Meanwhile, Medical Team International are back for the last day of training for the staff at the orphanage. On the 25th we will have an evaluation/test for all the staff. Nine of the twelve staff are available to take the evaluation. For those with literacy issues the test is carried out as a practical, with the staff person needing to demonstrate the technique of bathing; feeding and changing one of the children. Everyone passes and MTI are happy to look at the next phase of training. Before they leave we discuss the community outreach program for people with Special Needs that live in the community.
Dr. Jacob Allgeier and Matthew McCoy are two visiting marine specialists on the island, reviewing the artificial reef project they launched last year. Their research is part of a U.S. National Science Foundation project coordinated through North Carolina State University and they have been working closely with local partners, as well as The Nature Conservancy, Haiti. Over the weekend I took the opportunity to visit the reefs to learn about this program.
The two small islands off Ileavache, Caye a l’Eau and Ileacabrit are both fishing communities. We visit the fishermen there to talk about the program. The communities ask for more reefs to be put in place to help regenerate the fish stocks. Afterwards we talk about this as an option under the Chache Lavie social business model. With our structure we could facilitate the program if NCSU would provide the expertise via training; reefs and funding. They are very open to the idea and we will review this for one of our 2016 projects.
Still on the subject of fish, over at Samafe the work on the fish farm has slowed. Firstly, we’ve had no rain for five months on Ileavache and basin levels are dropping so it is all about keeping the basins topped up and the fish alive. This puts our tourist attraction plans on hold. The commercial side of the project needs investment but first we need some technical support to help us form the business plan. Jake and NCSU will take a look at some technical questions we have about the basins and stocking. Sharon has made contact with three other projects in Haiti in the hope of finding one who can help guide us to success.
I head to PAP for some meetings including one with Kreyol Essence to look at the potential for IAV to become a supplier of oil for their health and beauty products.
In the orphanage the monthly supplies are needed and thanks to Ile Aux Enfants Haiti (IAEH) for again sponsoring diapers. The tshirts for the staff arrive and the ID cards are on order. The water cisterns under the main building have been loosing water. With the current dry spell we take advantage to re-plaster the floors and walls in two cisterns. Rain finally arrives the week after and the repairs seem to have fixed the leak.
The boat for Canobert is getting maintenance and there are some pieces for the shelter to be collected in Camp Perrin. There is an engineering school there, run by French and Italian engineers, with local graduates turning out high quality stainless steel bespoke components.
CLV is on track with the pre-selection and Selection phase for candidates for the pilot program. Josiane and Girlande visit the applicants and outline the program. We review the list and select 16 women to come to an introduction morning. CLV will organise a medical check-up for all the participants; Josiane as Agent de Terrain is organising all of this activity. The program pays for the medical check-up and for the prescription if one is needed. Providing access to health care ensures the women can focus on their training and business start-ups. Poor health is one of the most common reasons that women give up business here.
The month of June sees real progress on our community outreach program. A partnership between Soul of Haiti and Medical Team International will offer the beneficiaries services such as:
- Free therapy
- Training for parents/family members
- Community based support
- Free equipment for their needs
- Placement/access to further medical assessment or support
Haven have also agreed to come on board with the offer of home improvements adapted to specific needs. The families are so happy to receive some help and MTI will develop individual care programs for each person.
“There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in”.
Graham Greene
In our line of work we often have to accept the practical limitations of what can be done. Every so often we exceed – watching Simon Boldy, a boy we thought was destined for a wheelchair, walking with one of the therapists around his garden was a tiny glimpse of the future that may lie in store.