by Jonathan
After a full week in the subzero temperatures of upstate New York, I was anxious to get back to Haiti and to Be Like Brit! While scheduled to return on Tuesday, weather would delay me by a full day, and so when I finally got back to Haiti (after a car, a boat, another car, three airplanes, and another car!) I was exhausted! Nothing would keep my spirits down, however, about returning to find the amazing group from St. John’s Catholic School in Shrewsbury, MA, along with our super-rock star nurse Deirdre who returned to BLB after having first served on the Christmas Week Trip!
The St. John’s Group was the first group we had ever hosted at Be Like Brit with children actually living in the orphanage. I first wrote about these Pioneers when they visited us in February of 2013. We were home to just eight children, and so the group was really very labor focused. This first group of high school students, you may remember, worked very hard and actually hand paved the road that goes up to Be Like Brit! No easy task, and so while that first group definitely set a precedent, the St. John’s groups continue to be Pioneers in all that they do.
The St. John’s Group is lead by Mr. Mike Nicholson, Mr. Tim Williams, and Mr. Mike Foley. Also on hand for these groups is Len’s nephew Ross Pentland. Ross had agreed to come along on the first trip as he is an alum of St. John’s and with his record breaking points on the basketball court, he is a great role model for the students. In true Pioneer fashion, Mike, Mike, and Tim brought this group in like no other group has before entered Haiti: They entered Haiti without Kristin or Melissa!
A test run of sorts, we recently decided that with the popularity of our Britsionary programs and the fact that weeks are filling up quickly for the remainder of 2015, we needed to find a way to keep Melissa and Kristin in the states more, as when in Haiti it can be difficult to get “office work” done. Kristin worked hard and developed an incredible Britsionary Leader Training Program, and she and Melissa conducted these trainings back at our Operations Center in Worcester ahead of this trip. Armed with this manual and the expertise of Kristin and Melissa’s advise and guidance, the group fearlessly entered Haiti, self lead and without incident!
We are so proud of our teams at Be Like Brit, both in Haiti and in the USA. Gama and Weenshy really stepped up to the plate and took the lead of the Britsionary group. Amanda did her part (and mine!) in my absence and managed what was a very hectic week, given that the kanaval season meant children home from school. Holidays with a few children at home can be complicated. Imagine our household at 67!
Indeed, having the extra hands on deck to help manage the day-to-day operations of Be Like Brit was much appreciated, and the St. John’s group did an amazing job! Of course, the group worked by day on a home for a local couple with 5 girls and 1 boy in their own home! This Catholic family from St. Joseph’s Church in the mountains (called 2nd section tête á boeuf – meaning it’s up there in elevation!) was so gracious and appreciative for the boys’ hard work! We love when we can facilitate connections between similar groups in Haiti and at home, and there is no doubt this family will be forever grateful to the group from Shrewsbury. It is even more true, perhaps, that the St. John’s students and leaders will keep Eloise and Dieuvenaire and their six children in their hearts and minds for a long time to come.
Our nurse and new best friend Deirdre could not have been a better fit than to be around a group of high school teenage boys! Deirdre has an amazing spirit and is perhaps one of the wittiest women I’ve ever met! Her good charm and her nurturing spirit are seemingly innate, and she rolled with the punches with this group on hand! Her work in the clinic with our own nurse and caregiver Madona was invaluable!
It seems this past week and a few days into the week before that, a stomach bug of sorts has made its way into our home! Many of our children have had very upset bellies, and Deirdre was so incredible in her nursing of our little kiddos, whose energy had been zapped out of them and whose faces just were so sad looking, we couldn’t help but ache for them!
Deirdre was able to conduct a lot of training with our staff, refreshing on things like hygiene and food preparation, and worked with our caregivers and our children, bringing invaluable sexual education and information to the children in the most appropriate of ways. She even had a great game she came up with, a quiz of sorts, asking the children questions and positing theoretical situations, asking if this was a “yes” appropriate or a “no” inappropriate circumstance! She was greatly impressed with how much our children knew and how assertive and confident they were in their answers. We work on this in an ongoing way, incrementally. We don’t want to flood our children with too much information, but in a place like Haiti, where gender equality isn’t exactly an item high on the agenda for the government and schools, we believe it’s imperative to instill within our children respect for each other and advocating for self in all situations. Thanks to Deirdre, we were able to make great progress in this area this past week!
Our friends from Life is Good Playmakers, you may recall, partnered with Be Like Brit in what is called a Deep Impact Partnership. This program emphasizes the use of play to help children heal from past traumas in their lives. Their slogan, “Life can hurt, play can heal” is so relevant and on point. We love that LIG Playmakers trainings and workshops are delivered to Haitians by Haitians, so that cultural nuances aren’t lost in translation and trainers and trainees can work together without those potential barriers.
Life Is Good conducted a day long workshop with all of our child care staff, as well as a dozen or so teachers from both the Mission of Hope International School and St. Francois d’Assissi here in Grand-Goâve. The idea is that if we equip those who work with our children not only in our home, but at their schools too, everyone can reap the benefits of consistency and better skill sets to deal with the myriad issues and challenges that exist when working with children who have persevered through what is often a very difficult past. We can't thank them enough for this important and valuable partnership!
Len made his way back to Haiti after about 3 weeks away! Protests over the prices of gasoline here in Haiti and transportation strikes unfortunately caused him to have to cancel more than once! We are glad that in spite of the tragedy at the kanaval in Port au Prince this year, where a performer on a parade float struck a power line when (reportedly) the vehicle made a sudden forward jerk and the person responsible for lifting low-hanging powerlines out of the way did not lift this particular line. The fiery incident created a panic situation in the packed streets and sadly, a reported 20 people were killed and more than 70 injured in the ensuing mayhem. We were very happy to stand in solidarity with Haiti as the government called for national days of mourning, and a State funeral for the victims just yesterday, Saturday, February 21, 2015.
On the heels of Deirdre and the group from St. John's leaving, we were excited to welcome to Haiti and to Be Like Brit yesterday Dr. Michael Taylor. Dr. Taylor is with UMASS Medical and involved in a fellowship in Global Health. He's a very seasoned traveler and familiar with much of the illness and disease we see in this part of the world. He's also a pediatrician, an invaluable resource for us and for the area, as obviously being a home for children, that tends to align well with our needs! We look forward to a great week with Dr. Taylor here at Be Like Brit, and hope to get him out to show him parts of Haiti, too! We hope this is the beginning of a great friendship and working relationship which will bring top-notch medical care to the children of Be Like Brit, and allow us to expand the scope of our clinic to include community, too! Pray for us as we navigate these waters!
Be sure to stay tuned for more exciting developments from Be Like Brit both in the USA and in Haiti! We thank you for helping us help the children of Haiti at Be Like Brit!
