Haiti

Haiti is suffering from the massive Jan 12 earthquake and needs our help. Below I've posted some first-hand accounts of the quake from people in Haiti. Please consider a donation to an organization in Haiti. If you would like to give directly to a Haitian family, please contact me (anna.versluis@gmail.com).

Friday, June 30, 2006

From Monday June 27th

Tuesday was an uplifting day after Monday's disappointments! I visited the FAES office for the fourth time and left after they still weren't ready with the report. I asked them to call me when the report is ready and I will pick it up. There just is no point in me waiting for over an hour each time I go there. I met Joseph at the MCC office and—despite the fact it was during a Brazil soccer game—he took me to the SKDE office, which had moved since I'd last been there. We saw Pastor G and his wife and they were very gracious and helpful. SKDE has a program in the Fond Verrettes area and they will put me in touch with the leaders as well as lend me a cell phone for my time in Haiti and give me the use of their driver and his motorcycle for three days. These are really wonderful gifts! I would not be able to get to the far reaches of my study area without a motorcycle. Pastor G also introduced me to Zalinx, SKDE's agriculture and environment expert. Zalinx was extremely interested and helpful. He's a recent graduate of the ag university at Damien and knows Andrenor and Ludger and Dir. Richmond and Dr. Carvil, etc. He lent me two books that are major but out-of-print works on Haiti's environment so that I could make copies of them. This is great, especially since the libraries that have these books don't necessarily have the means to make photocopies or scans. Zalinx also set up meetings for me with the motorcycle driver and Delices, director of the Fond Verrettes program. The driver said he could stop by the office that day so Joseph and I waited for him. It turns out that the driver, Cher-Frere, is a good friend of Tricia's, my old housemate when I lived in Haiti. She used to talk about him ALL the time. I got the feeling Tricia thought Cher-Frere could help her out with any problem she might have—she always spoke very highly of him and had a good time with him. So it was great to finally meet Cher-Frere. It's such as small world here! Cher-Frere said he can go to Fond Verrettes with me next week, so we will do that.

After SKDE, Joseph and I parted ways and I continued down Delmas to the government cadastral office. I'd been told there was a small chance I could find the 1986 photos there but, no, they only have data for the cities of Haiti and not the Pine Forest. They said they'll let me know if they hear of where the 1986 photos might be, but I think the photos are lost for good.

On my way home I stopped by Ginette and Moise's home since I'd not been able to reach them by telephone for five days. They were surprised to see me but impressed that I'd made such an effort to get in contact with them. I told them the plans I have to return with them to Fond Verrettes the week of the 10 th.

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