I was in Haiti for the month of March. Here is a link to some pictures I would like to share.
This is a native Hybiscus, one of the bright spots in the country.
The rest of the pictures are here if you are interested:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/840575/
Nice - in Haiti for work or vacation? Thanks for posting. Looking at your pictures now . . .
Incrediable photos. Thanks so much for sharing. It is so sad to see the living conditions of these folks. It truely makes you appreciate what we have no mater how little it is, it is more then what they have. What is it that you are trying to acomplish for these people other then educating them to what they are doing to there natural resources? Do you make this trip often? What type of resources do these people manufacture for their lively hoods other then the charcoal? Do they export anything to the US that will subsidize their income or do they have anything that we would want? I don't know of their plite other then the fact that the living conditions and poor medical facilities are so very limited to them, what facilities there are.
My knowledge of these people is little but I do wish that there was something I could do. I have so little myself but I know that it is more then they have.
I promise not to complain about anything today.
Hi all,
Gourdbeater,
Haiti is one of the poorest nations on earth, even poorer than most of the nations in Africa. It has been an independent country since 1805. Since that time only 3 of the nations leaders have served their time in office and has left peaceably, most have been murdered or have been kicked out as dictators. The average Haitian lives on less than $180 per year. Try doing that with gas at $6.50 a gallon. They walk, use donkeys and use the Tap Tap. Maybe we will see more horse drawn carts and wagons on our streets.
I have been traveling to Haiti since 1991, 20 trips; mostly to repair missionary vehicles
and train mechanics. We, my church and I, support a Haitian agronomist and veterinary technician, Etienne Francois, who does work in and around the village of, Les Anglais, on the far Western tip if the island. Etienne, has 1000 different projects where he is helping people learn to grow more healthy food and animals. I work to support him with training seminars and doing research on various projects.
While preparing for this last trip, I am writing a farming training manual, I came across a study report by the CIA, It turns out that the CIA does a report on every nation in the world.
The CIA study indicated that 45% of the Haitian population is age 14 years and younger.
I have begun to change my focus on what kind of Haitian training to do. I am now going to concentrate on seeing if I can encourage the development of school and small plot gardens. If each house had a tire garden or two by the front door it would go a long way to slow the hunger situation. The young children can be trained to care for the gardens at school. Our sister church in Les Anglais has a school with 425 young minds in elementary, as well as 165 in high school. The church has plenty of ground, behind a good substantial wall, to start school gardens.
We have electrified the church compound and have supplied a generator so they can have evening classes on growing better food choices. I can see I am going to be busy.
Well this is long enough, but it gives you an idea what I do on my vacations in Haiti.
I told someone the other day that my passport is boring, Haiti, Haiti, Haiti.
God Bless you all, His servant, Paul.
Thank you so much lonejack and it is gourdbeaDer not Ter. Hehe I bead gourds not beat them. Hehe
Paul - good for you. What wonderful works you are living. Did you happen to see the piece on Nightline last night about the family in Pasadena, California, who? Well, here's the result of a search on Google. They have a little homestead in the city. I wonder if there are any tips or ideas in there that might help you with your training manual.
http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/tag/nightline/
Kathy
"But for the grace of God, there go I . . . "
Thanks, Katie59 for the site.
I studied it at great length. They have the right idea. Now all I have to do is get some specific training in the Creole language to train my Haitian brothers and sisters.
I am going to post some pictures of my own small homestead garden here in Lake Oswego. I have been asked to post some pictures on my drip watering system.
I am working on a complete manual, including plans for a worm bin, a barrel composter and raised beds.
Keep looking.
In Christ, His servant, Paul.
Wow, katie59. That is a very interesting piece. Can you imagine what neighbors in that area say. I could care less. Just the fact that they are self sistaining is great. Just imagine if they could get the rest of the LA area to convert to growing their own food and becoming more self suficiant there would be a little less polution. I guess that is too much to wish for.
Hello,
I came across this thread while looking to see what others were doing to assist Haiti right now, and you, lonejack, are right in there. I wonder if you are in Haiti at this moment and how you and the people you work with are?
Thanks for bumping this up. We haven't heard from lonejack in quite awhile. I hope he/she is safe.
me, too.
katie59. Go over to Strawbale Gardening forum. He is posting there.
Oh, good. Thanks, Patricia.
Hi all of you great friends.
I am truly safe here in the U.S., brought to tears several times a day as I watch what is happening in Port au Prince. I have missionary friends who have been caught in the quake and missionary friends who are struggling to help.
Most of my friends are in the Southern finger of Haiti, in Les Cayes.
Right now the quake is reaching Les Cayes, 125 miles from Port. The victims are streaming out of Port, sometimes with the clothes on their pack, sometimes carrying meagre keepsakes on their heads, sometimes carrying their dead. The hospitals and churches on the way from Port are being overwhelmed with the influx. Most supplies come from Port which is destroyed; no fuel for transportation is available; no food; no medical supplies or anything is being transported.
I am told that roads into Port are passable but there is no coordinated supply yet been established. I am sure this will happen in a few days. In the meantime our people are doing what they can.
If you go to the link posted above you will find a couple of places I have listed to get support out to Haiti. When you support these missions you are supporting people on the ground in Haiti and you can be sure the money you donate will get to the ground.
I will continue to post more places where you can donate funds that will get directly to Haiti.
God Bless you all. Please keep our brothers and sisters in Haiti in your prayers.
Paul.
Thanks for touching base, Paul. I'm grateful that you are safe. And my heart continues to break for those in Haiti who are suffering so much. You and your friends are truly doing wonderful work - and I'm sure that those of us here a happy to do what we can to help.
I pray that there's an end to all these aftershocks soon and that the aid can start getting to those who need medical attention and food and water.
Kathy
