“Following the flow” (ayisyen swiv kouran) is an essential element for survival in all of Haiti. When we were there in late 2016 following the disastrous prolonged flooding in the North, that profound truth came home to us.
The city of Cap Haitien was totally flooded — muddy run-off currents flowing in the streets. Yet before our eyes as we moved, hubcap-deep in the deluge, the city also moved on: uniformed students off to school, vendors setting up in any safe spot, endless streams of motorcycles rolling with the torrents to earn a gourde. We amazed Americans learned once again what it takes to survive in such a place. You just go on ... tomorrow is waiting.
Successful Students
Education is paying off for Lovelie Joseph. As you may recall, Lovelie is one of our original orphans. She was sponsored for nursing school and is soon to graduate. She has already landed a job as a school nurse, receiving $300/month — the usual pay for nurses. That is a good Haitian salary.
Kesnel Pierre, at left, another of our original orphans and a stellar student, has been sponsored for four years by a beautiful little church near Scottsville, Virginia. Tomorrow is waiting for these two young adults.
A Friend Lost
Tomorrow has been lost to one of our dearest Haitian friends Clody LaFrance. Clody was a splendid interpreter for our medical teams, a great guy and a student of American English. He died when struck by an errant motorcycle on the streets of Cap Haitien. Accidental death, so often involving vehicles, is tragically common in Haiti. The major risk for visitors to this amazing country may not be tropical disease, but a traffic accident.
What Is a Paffle?
In a word … delicious! This puff pastry cooked up on a waffle iron and stuffed with your pick of sweet and savory fillings is the signature item at a new Cville eatery called Iron located on Water Street. Restaurant owner Kathryn Matthews reached out to us a few months back with a generous offer to donate 10% of her profits on Wednesdays and Thursdays to the Ford Foundation. So if you haven’t tried a paffle, we recommend stopping by mid-week to give it a taste! Find out more at iron-made.com.
Stop Hunger
For many years, Stop Hunger Now has helped us by supplying hundreds of thousands of meals each year. A good full meal costs Maranatha just 25 cents after customs expenses. They are now called Rise Against Hunger and if they are doing a packing and shipping event in your area, please join them in their wonderful effort to help the hungry of the world.
School Expansion
To meet the needs of their ever-expanding school population, the Headmaster of Maranatha has requested another 100 desks and benches. These will be produced in the professional school at a fraction of the retail cost. They will also crank out another 400 uniforms at minimal cost. Your gifts also help provide about 400 uniforms (free) to other smaller schools in the area.
Wish List
The endless “needs” bucket for Maranatha includes a dream of a library building. This would serve not only as a place for books, but as a study and computer center as our young folks attempt to move on in education. Now that would be a good project for an organization or family to dedicate.
The vibrant, but structurally collapsing school (with 300 primary students) at nearby Maroquee is still in the “bucket”—no hope yet for a new building, sad to say. However, we can say for certain that overall Institute Maranatha is THRIVING thanks to your support!
(Images courtesy of Adriane Neumeister)
The city of Cap Haitien was totally flooded — muddy run-off currents flowing in the streets. Yet before our eyes as we moved, hubcap-deep in the deluge, the city also moved on: uniformed students off to school, vendors setting up in any safe spot, endless streams of motorcycles rolling with the torrents to earn a gourde. We amazed Americans learned once again what it takes to survive in such a place. You just go on ... tomorrow is waiting.
Successful Students
Education is paying off for Lovelie Joseph. As you may recall, Lovelie is one of our original orphans. She was sponsored for nursing school and is soon to graduate. She has already landed a job as a school nurse, receiving $300/month — the usual pay for nurses. That is a good Haitian salary.
Kesnel Pierre, at left, another of our original orphans and a stellar student, has been sponsored for four years by a beautiful little church near Scottsville, Virginia. Tomorrow is waiting for these two young adults.
A Friend Lost
Tomorrow has been lost to one of our dearest Haitian friends Clody LaFrance. Clody was a splendid interpreter for our medical teams, a great guy and a student of American English. He died when struck by an errant motorcycle on the streets of Cap Haitien. Accidental death, so often involving vehicles, is tragically common in Haiti. The major risk for visitors to this amazing country may not be tropical disease, but a traffic accident.
What Is a Paffle?
In a word … delicious! This puff pastry cooked up on a waffle iron and stuffed with your pick of sweet and savory fillings is the signature item at a new Cville eatery called Iron located on Water Street. Restaurant owner Kathryn Matthews reached out to us a few months back with a generous offer to donate 10% of her profits on Wednesdays and Thursdays to the Ford Foundation. So if you haven’t tried a paffle, we recommend stopping by mid-week to give it a taste! Find out more at iron-made.com.
Stop Hunger
For many years, Stop Hunger Now has helped us by supplying hundreds of thousands of meals each year. A good full meal costs Maranatha just 25 cents after customs expenses. They are now called Rise Against Hunger and if they are doing a packing and shipping event in your area, please join them in their wonderful effort to help the hungry of the world.
School Expansion
To meet the needs of their ever-expanding school population, the Headmaster of Maranatha has requested another 100 desks and benches. These will be produced in the professional school at a fraction of the retail cost. They will also crank out another 400 uniforms at minimal cost. Your gifts also help provide about 400 uniforms (free) to other smaller schools in the area.
Wish List
The endless “needs” bucket for Maranatha includes a dream of a library building. This would serve not only as a place for books, but as a study and computer center as our young folks attempt to move on in education. Now that would be a good project for an organization or family to dedicate.
The vibrant, but structurally collapsing school (with 300 primary students) at nearby Maroquee is still in the “bucket”—no hope yet for a new building, sad to say. However, we can say for certain that overall Institute Maranatha is THRIVING thanks to your support!
(Images courtesy of Adriane Neumeister)
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