Personal Property is not common in Haitian orphanages.  We wanted the kids at MHO to have something they can call their own.  We gave them all backpacks filled with surprises like picture books about adventurers, animals, flashlights and radios… some new clothes and most importantly, photographs of friends and of themselves.

Renovations for Melissa’s Hope Orphanage are completed.  Total cost approximately  $7,500.  We hired over 25 Haitian laborers and purchased over $5,000 worth of Haitian building supplies  including tools.  New paint inside and out.  New storage for the kitchen and bedrooms.  New toilets and sinks in both bathrooms.  New mosquito screens for all of the windows and doors.  7 tons of gravel were delivered to spread around the house.  90′ trench to irrigate the flooding waters from the foothills out of the yard.  New water pump and new generator.  New inverter and new batteries.  Satellite hook-up for wireless internet. Decorations and some furnishings.  We want to thank everyone who helped, especially our hard working friends in Haiti.  After pumping out the septic tanks we discovered that new tanks will be necessary.  This is a big problem.

To see more pictures of the MHO renovations click on Building Projects / 2010 MHO Renovation.

On my  last trip to Port au Prince, I spent a lot of time interviewing architects, builders, contractors and other NGO’s involved with  the reconstruction effort Haiti.

“We will continue to raise money for our orphanage partners who need new buildings and renovations” (- HORP founder Mike Mahon) “But now we are seeing that there is money available for organizations that specialize in what we do which is sustainable  building.  From solar panel and alternative energy solutions to water conservation and optimal building design, the need for sustainable building in Haiti is very strong.

Combining our experience as builders with our orphanage renovation model using Haitian labor and materials, we are very optimistic about our ability to raise funds to help re-build.

MHO director establishes the Union of Haitian Orphanages for Action to help orphanage directors share resources and use existing networks to distribute food and medical aide from large NGO’s.  The orphanage union seeks to  organize schools and medical clinics and help it’s members find outside support for operating expenses.

Haiti Visit April May 2010 Summary

Michael D. Rath – Haiti Orphan Rescue Program

This is my personal summary of my April-May visit to Haiti, which lead to the restoration of Melissa’s Hope Orphanage and perhaps as important, the establishment of Union des Orphelinos Haitian en Action (Union of Haitian Orphanages for Action) one of the first organizations formed to expressly to voice the needs of the impoverished Haitian Orphanage System.

I arrived in Haiti on April 19 and returned to the U.S. on May 11. For a week I was accompanied by Mike Mahon, my partner in forming Haiti Orphan Rescue Program (HORP.)

During the first week we managed the refurbishment of Melissa’s Hope Orphanage (formerly Holy Angels) in Bon Repos, a suburb of Port Au Prince. MHO houses 20 children, many of them severely disabled. We, with our Haitian crew, were successful in restoring power, water, and establishing proper drainage around the building so that it would no longer flood with each rainfall. We also restored plumbing including sinks and flush toilets, installed mosquito screens over windows, painted both interior and exterior surfaces, and landscaped so the children would have room to play. We also installed wireless internet for the benefit of the caretakers and the children. Our next goal is to install solar panels so the orphanage has reliable power.  We lived at the orphanage while we worked.

Before

After

Following the completion of the renovation and Mike’s departure I had more time to closely observe the workings of the orphanage and the surrounding neighborhood. The Director of the MHO is Jean Pascal Baine, a Haitian who lived for several decades in the U.S. Pascal’s excellent English is something he uses to fullest advantage in connecting with aid organizations. In this way he serves not only the MHO children, but also the neighborhood. MHO feeds not only the orphanage children but also an serves an additional 30 neighborhood children 3 meals each day. MHO also sponsors medical clinics that are available to the neighborhood. MHO has a basic education program to teach the children English and French and some math. Because of Pascal, MHO has evolved from orphanage to an aid distribution center that benefits the entire neighborhood. I wondered if other orphanages could make the same leap?

Part of HORP’s purpose in Haiti was to choose our next project. To do that I would need to find other orphanages with appropriate needs. I visited Orphanage L’enfant Jesus, a very successful orphanage in the countryside outside of Port Au Prince. Gina Duncan, who runs this orphanage, has done an outstanding job in generating aid for her children and community. Compared to many orphanages in Haiti, this one would be considered paradise.

I wanted to visit more orphanages in the local neighborhoods.  With the help of Pascal’s friend Frero, we managed to find a few hidden right in our Bon Repos backyard. Approximately a quarter mile from MHO was a church-run orphanage that had been severely disabled by the earthquake. All the children and adults were living in a large open sided wooden structure as their concrete block housing had been condemned. They had no power, plumbing, proper sewage and their water was tainted. They did however have a very nice new play yard funded by their church with swing-sets and jungle gym installed pre-earthquake.  We visited several other orphanages in the very near vicinity. Haiti is a country of high stone and masonry walls and gates surrounding every property. Because of the walls and gates and little signage, it is hard to know what lives and breathes behind those walls. Each orphanage we visited was just another steel gate and wall. They are so well hidden it is no wonder that aid has not found them.

It was then I began wondering how we might try to bring the orphanages out from behind the walls. We sent Frero into the neighborhoods with an invitation for local orphanage directors to attend a meeting at MHO. We invited 10 orphanages and all attended. During the first three hour meeting the directors filled out assessment forms, talked at length, and then decided they should bond together as an organization. With little debate they decided to call their organization Union des Orphelinos Haitian en Action (UOHA.) The next week 20 orphanages attended the weekly meeting. There are now approximately 30 orphanages participating in the first 3 weeks. Each orphanage has been assessed for need and none are getting essential aid. Not enough food, water, clothing. No power, some are feeding only 3 meals a week. And yet, we know aid is available. The UN vehicles are everywhere. Unfortunately, some orphanage directors are afraid of the UN and other aid organizations. Miscommunication has led to a feeling that the very organizations there to assist them might actually close them down because they are not registered nor do all their children have birth certificates. Of course, registration and birth certificates cost lawyers and money that many of the orphanages can’t afford. And where would the children go? To live on the streets?

Clearly, based on the attendance and reaction of the orphanage directors of UOHA, the aid system in Haiti is broken. The formation of UOHA may be a critical step and model toward fixing this problem. UOHA might well serve as an aid distribution point to all of its orphanages. When an aid organization serves UOHA, it reaches hundreds and thousands of children who have until now been out of the “aid loop.”

There is no organization serving the orphanages in Haiti in the way UOHA can and will.

Union Des Orphelinas Haitien en Action

Our belief at Haiti Orphan Rescue Program is that every child deserves basic care and opportunity. We are builders, managers, organizers, and aid givers. We can see how an organization like UOHA can help us and other aid organizations be exponentially more effective. If UOHA reaches its potential it will also form the basis for large job programs in the agricultural, textile, technology, construction, and service industries. A UOHA with a thousand members representing 100,000 children could combine with an agricultural collective to feed children using Haitian rice grown with Haitian labor and soil.  A properly funded UOHA can become a model organization that will convince Haitians that through unity they do have the power to transform their society.

I wanted you to meet a young woman who lives at Melissa’s Hope orphanage. Her name is Lovely. And she is. She is perhaps 13 years old. Less than 5′ tall, slim she has a broad smile and large brown eyes and a classically beautiful face. She is at one moment vivacious and at the next shy. She is smart and present and hopeful. Melissa’s Hope Orphanage serves serves special needs children as well as able bodied. Lovely is special needs. She has a congenital deformity of her ankles and wrists. When she walks her foot bends at the ankle 90 degrees so that she walks on her outside ankle bone rather than on her foot… The muscles that control the flexion of her foot and ankle and her calf muscles are seriously atrophied. She cannot use her hands as her wrists are flexed permanently inward toward her forearms. These conditions are correctable through therapy and surgery. Lovely waits, and hopes, and prays. For as lovely as Lovely is, in Haiti Lovely is marginalized and even scorned by many for her physical defects. As Lovely knows, if her needs are not addressed Lovely has little chance at marriage or a family. Today physical therapists from America will visit MHO. They will meet Lovely and perhaps today, Lovely’s life will begin to change forever.

When we first considered renovating an orphanage in Haiti our thoughts were to bring down a bunch of our local building contractors and just “get ‘er done.” It wasn’t long before the faults of this approach became apparent. Consider the costs of airfare, food, beer, and lodging for 10 or more Americans for one week. These costs could well exceed all other costs to renovate the orphanage. It soon became obvious that it was not only cost effective to utilize local Haitian labor, it was also the right thing to do. There are millions of unemployed working aged men in Haiti. They needed these jobs. We would hire local. We put together a plan and a schedule based on a crew of 20 Haitian men. We would provide the supervision.

The night we arrived in Haiti there was significant rainfall and localized flooding. The next morning 10 men arrived to begin work. Our plan had been to begin outside removing debris from the earthquake. The standing water around the premises prevented this. While we considered other options for the day our crew stood around no doubt discussing whether these guys from the US had a clue. We decided to have everyone gather in the orphanage for a meeting. Each man was asked to describe his skills. Then it came down to the wage rate. In a few minutes the room was empty. Though we were offering almost twice the average wage rate in Haiti, none of the men were willing to work for that amount. They were all skilled laborers and even though all unemployed, they weren’t going to work for less than what they were accustomed to receiving. In the case of some of the men, that amount was more than 7 times average wage rates. And we were on a budget.

What we needed was some guys who could paint, shovel, work hard. We soon found “our guys” and we put them under the charge of a man with obvious leadership skills who had originally been hired to paint the exterior of the building. Within a week these men, along with a plumber and electrician, had achieved the goal of transforming the orphanage from a decrepit creepy structure into a safe and welcoming environment for children. But perhaps as important as the success of our first renovation project was proving that Haitian labor would be the best means of carrying out our goal of renovating scores of struggling Haitian orphanages.

The orphanage sets in a low marsh and was under 12″ of rain water from typical spring rains.  Raw sewage bubbles up and mixes with contaminated water from the hills to cause sanitation problems and health hazards.  We are going to have the septic tanks pumped out next week after the yard dries out.

In the mean time we hired 20+ laborers and conducted a painting clinic before beginning all of the interior and exterior painting.  Carpenters will help install shelves, fix doors and build  mosquito screens for the entire orphanage.

We found an unused and very “dry” bathroom believed to be broken and it will be converted from storage back to a large usable bathroom with new hardware, sinks and toilets.  All the kids bedrooms will be repainted and re-organized with storage.

We started painting the exterior which had only been plain concrete until now.  We also bought 6 truck loads of soft gravel to landscape the yard.  We strategically spread the gravel in high traffic areas around the house for laundry, parking, recreation and walking pathways to minimize the mud being tracked into the orphanage.

Progress is coming along great and we hope to be finished in two weeks.

The end of the day is coming. We did find a new water pump so that this concrete waterlogged carcass of a building that houses almost 30 people more than half of them disabled might actually have running water for cooking, cleaning, and bathing. Actually on this island of shortages we found the exact same pump twice at two different stores. The 2nd time we found it it was $45 US cheaper than the pump we’d already purchased. So we tried to return the first pump. No luck. All sales final even for an orphanage. Tried to find a circular saw so we could cut some lumber. No luck. Or a stapler so we could hang some screens. No luck. Or a cordless drill. No luck. The most common construction tools are not available on the island. I did find a remote controlled fiber optic cable observation system however.  There may be plenty of saws and drills behind the barbed wire walls of the UN compound, they seem to have lots of stuff, cars, trucks, backhoes, you name it they probably even have gasoline, that rarest of rare commodities. But for us… well… no gas. The gas stations have turned into parking lots. There is gas available on the gray market for about $20 per gallon but you really don’t know what’s in the gasoline and $20 bucks is about what the average citizen of Haiti makes in a week. If they don’t take any days off. So we have a new water pump. But no water for the house because the generator that powers the water pump is out of gas. And the power only comes on a couple of hours a day. Usually when you least expect it. If it were Vegas there would be a pool as to when and how often the power might come on because it’s totally arbitrary.  No power, but plenty of mosquitos. Plenty of flies, and heat, and mud, and water everywhere you don’t want or even expect it. And plenty for the caregivers to do. Getting kids up in the morning. Bathing, cleaning, food, naps. Washing clothes and dozens of diapers… by hand. Putting kids to bed. Still, their is plenty of laughter as the kids and I play with the camera before bedtime.

And small miracles too. Mike M adjusted a therapy chair for Peterson today and for the first time in months he sat up outside. A couple of rooms painted, and some of the exterior. The water is slowly receding. What is progress? How do we categorize this day? Do we only consider what wasn’t pumped or found or sanded?  Or should the smile on the face of a blind, encephalitic child be considered in the equation?

Tomorrow there will be success in Haiti. Despite earthquakes and governments and shortages and politics and actually… in spite of almost everything, tomorrow the caregivers at Melissa’s Hope Orphanage will again succeed. They will feed, comfort, bath, love, wash, clean from dawn until late at night. Tomorrow have no doubt that the Caregivers at Melissa’s will again do their jobs without complaint and with extrordinary grace. Against significant odds the men and woman who care for the children at this orphanage will succeed if only because they have decided in their hearts and minds that despite everything… anything less than success is completely unfathomable. And because of this, so must we.

Day 1 night Haiti

There are hundreds of thousands of people living in tents or under tarps in Haiti. Last night I was one of them. It started to rain a bit by midnight and then by 2a much harder. Around 3 I felt wet. The bottom of the tent felt soft and pliant… like I was floating. I poked my head out of the tent. The grassy back yard of Melissa’s Hope Orphanage had turned into a pond and I, with all my belonging, was surrounded by water. I hurriedly packed computer, camera, underwear, everything I had brought to Haiti for the next three weeks , and dragged all including tent to higher ground. Then I spent an hour drying the tent and hanging my wet belongings.  Finally I lay back down listening to the rain lash the tent. Knowing that, like me, hundreds of thousands of others were lying in tents on the Haitian plain unable to sleep because of the rain. And the roosters began to crow as dawn broke over Haiti.  MR

Thanks to our volunteers and supporters, this remote orphanage now has internet access.  ”This is a big step for us” says Pascal Bain, orphanage director at Melissa’s Hope Orphanage for Children with Disabilities in Bon Repos.  ”Now we can stay connected with the rest of the world, get updates for medical treatment, communicate with our supporters and friends…we can not thank you enough.”    Pascal and his wife Charlotte will also be helping the older children establish pen-pal relationships with students outside of Haiti.  ”This is a great day for all of us” says Charlotte.  The dish was installed with the help of HORP volunteers and the money for the satellite dish and the annual service fee both came from anonymous donors.  The laptop was donated by the Middlebelt Dermatology Center in Farmington Hills, Michigan.  A family in Wisconsin donated a used digital camera which will be presented to Pascal on the next trip to Haiti April 19th.  To contact the orphanage directly you can e-mail the Director  Jean Pascal Bain  mr.bainabc@yahoo.com or look for him on facebook!