News from Haiti

September 2010 Update

Wed, 8 Sep 2010 10:15:45 -0400

We have very sad news to report. Last week, Chedrick and six of his Jenn Vi (Young Life) staff were returning from a very successful meeting in a rural Haitian town where they introduced the ministry of Jenn Vi to folks in that community. As they started the long drive back to Port-au-Prince, they were thrilled and excited about the way they had been received in the town.

Chedrick, our school headmaster and the director of Jenn Vi in Haiti, was driving the car. In the dark of night, they approached a large boulder in the road that caused Chedrick to attempt to swerve around it rather than hit it head on. When he swerved the car, it turned over, rolling three times. Chedrick was not badly hurt, but two others were seriously injured. The most critically injured was our school principal and Chedrick's closest friend Ona Barthelemy. He suffered spinal and internal injuries that left him unable to move or have any feeling in his legs. Prior to this accident, Ona was still healing from internal injuries due to a wall that collapsed on him during the January earthquake.

We received word last Sunday morning that Ona had died from the injuries. He leaves behind his wife and their beautiful baby boy. We are all stunned and deeply saddened at the loss of Ona, a man so vital to us as a friend and minister and the on-site Principal of our Good Shepherd School.

When we were in Haiti last November, we had dinner with some of the staff at Chedrick's home. Charlie was sitting with Ona in one corner of the porch and they were trying to help teach each other English and Creole words and phrases. They had just gotten to the phrase "I love you" when the plastic chair Charlie was sitting in broke, sending him crashing to the floor. Ona leaped to his rescue, reaching down to pull him up and when he realized Charlie was OK, he smiled that great smile and said, "Charlie, I love you!" To us, he seemed to love everyone.

Ona was led to Christ by Pastor Tito, Chedrick's father, then was one of the early graduates of our school in the 1980's, then became a teacher, and finally the Principal of the school. He always cared deeply for the children, serving our work trips any way he could, and was so proud of his family. Ona was the epitome of the servant leader for Christ. For us, most of all, Ona was our friend. We will miss his bear hugs and his warm greetings when we would arrive at the school. There will be many sad children, teachers, and parents.

Ona's family, who live in a 10x10 tent at the school, is totally dependent on his $300 monthly salary, which we will continue paying. We would also like to set up an endowment for his family for the future. If you would like to contribute to this fund, please indicate this desire on your next check. There is so much good news to report to you but we felt that this letter should do nothing but honor and remember our wonderful friend, Ona Barthelemy. His Lord surely greeted his arrival with the words "Well done good and faithful servant!"

In Christ,

Charlie & Mary Scott

August 2010 Update

Thu, 5 Aug 2010 13:24:04 -0400

We had a very good trip to Haiti two weeks ago, accomplished much and experienced an unusual adventure. The adventure took place when we tried to fly home from Port-au-Prince. After waiting ten hours in the airport, we were informed that we would not be flying out due to the American Airlines plane having mechanical problems. We had to spend the night in the airport with no water, no food, no blankets and no air conditioning. We realized how spoiled we are when our friends in Haiti experience these lack of "necessities" every day. After a rather miserable night, when the airport reopened the next morning, we were able to meet and speak with CNN correspondent Anderson Cooper who was flying out to New York after being in Haiti to check on progress six months after the earthquake. We were able to tell him about our school which he said he would like to visit on his next trip to Haiti.

The highlight of the trip was the day we spent at the school with Architects for Humanity, the group we are partnering with to rebuild the school. We are so blessed to have this group choose our school to be one that they will rebuild in Haiti. Due to Haitian government bureaucracy and new standards for school buildings, we will not be able to start building until October. School is now out from August 1 until October 1 although the daily meal program will continue.

Initial estimations indicate the rebuilding of the school and church will cost at least $300,000. You, our sponsors, have already given over $100,000 since the earthquake for the rebuilding! We still have a long way to go on raising the balance but we believe God will lead us to the groups and individuals who will provide this in the coming year.

We encourage you to go to view plans for the new construction below, and visit this page to learn more. This is going to be a GREAT new school! Thanks to your faithful help, we are on the way back!

 
Charlie & Mary Scott

July 2010 Update

Wed, 7 Jul 2010 09:40:49 -0400

When we arrived in Port-au-Prince last month, several scenes that we will not soon forget stunned us:

·       Tents everywhere---some decent pup tents but many tents made of sticks with a piece of tarp on top.

·       Toppled buildings that have not been touched since the January earthquake. Haiti simply does not have the machinery to remove the massive amounts of rubble from collapsed buildings.

·       About 800 children at our school meeting under makeshift tent classrooms in the heat and rain still singing, laughing and enjoying their lunch of rice and beans.

·       Chedrick, our teachers and Jenn Vi staff still living in tents or cars due to fears of another earthquake or because their homes were destroyed by the earthquake on January 12.

·       Our school turned into a hospital for one day with several hundred children, babies and adults lined up to see a doctor.

We are going back to Haiti this week and part of our time will be a meeting with Architecture for Humanity, a nonprofit design services firm that is working in Haiti to rebuild schools. We will be gathering information on the costs for rebuilding, new regulations for schools in Haiti, the process for removing the rubble of the destroyed school and many more items related to the future new school.

Thank you for being a part of this with us. Haiti needs you now more than ever.

 

Charlie & Mary Scott

June 2010 Newsletter

Mon, 7 Jun 2010 09:43:17 -0400

We had a wonderful trip two weeks ago to Haiti. Thanks for your prayers. We were greatly blessed in what we were able to accomplish in four days. Our team of 14 was overwhelmed at the sights of destruction and the massive tent camps housing thousands of people. But we were also very encouraged by the amazing resilience of our Haitian friends who somehow express joy and hope in the midst of oppressive heat, disease and poverty.  The major accomplishments on this trip were being with and encouraging Chedrick, his family and staff, as well as being able to take gifts to the school children. Several of our team worked on girding up Chedrick's damaged house in hopes that soon he and his family might be able to move back inside. They are now in tents set up on the street in front of their house along with many neighbors and leaders from Jenn Vi. We were also able to do some exciting work on the master plan for the rebuilding the school (more about that soon).  By far the best part of this trip was offering medical assistance through a team of Canadian and Californian doctors and nurses to over 400 children and families in the Pele community at our school. We wish you could have seen the line of people who showed up for medical help ––many babies, pregnant women, elderly, crippled, and emotionally and physically abused, just hoping to see a doctor. The medical team also provided a psychologist who met with our students and helped them to talk about the earthquake. They also provided Haitian interpreters for each of the medical personnel to be able to talk directly with the patients. These pictures give you a glimpse of this amazing trip. Thank you for your part in making this a possibility!

 

Charlie & Mary Scott

May 2010 Newsletter

Mon, 10 May 2010 14:44:34 -0400

Before I share with you the latest news from Haiti, I want to let you know that after 51 years on Young Life Staff, I have resigned. This gives me more time to work with Child Sponsorship and our ministries in Haiti. 13 of us are going to Port-au-Prince on May 18 to support Chedrick (our school’s principal) and begin work on a master plan for rebuilding the school. More importantly, I am sending you excerpts from Chedrick’s last report, which arrived this week:

Some people say that the Haitian people recover quickly or even too quickly from the earthquake that made more than 300,000 died, but the reality is that Haitian people are fighting with life problems. For them life is like a battle, if they give up they are going to lose and life difficulties will be without any doubt winners. It does not mean that they have already forgotten the loved beings they lost. A friend of mine called David told me last week that he lost his wife and his only daughter whom he loved so much at the time of the earthquake and since that event he cannot live any more despite all his efforts to start again to live. Apparently he is normal but inside of him it is the bitterest sadness.

At this moment of full sadness, schools start again with their activities with enormous difficulties. For some people we might wait for the next year to start again with school activities because we are not really ready for that, for others the Haitian government should initially come to a conclusion about the misery of people. Some school buildings might be demolished before accommodating children (such is the case of the Good Shepherd School) because of the damaged buildings, which at any moment can crumble, represent true dangers to the life of people. Why make promises when you cannot hold it? The Haitian government promised to demolish our school and to give us tents to continue to work with the children, but until now nothing was done and despite all our steps near the persons in charge of the government, they are not able to give us good information.

Child Sponsorship Program with its limited resources is the only institution until now which does not cease intervening and to help us to save several hundreds of children and adults at the same time, although its mission is to work with the poor children of the area of Pele (Cite Soleil). We started again to work with the students of the Good Shepherd’s school whom we accommodated in some makeshift tents. When the wind comes with much dust, the teachers and the students are obliged to stop working. Because of the heat, which becomes increasingly dense, we are obliged to dismiss the students a little earlier every day. Our expenses increased and that explains why we need more than ever assistance from everyone. For example, because of the heat we are obliged to give much more water to the students, we are obliged to increase a little the ratio of the meal that we used to serve the children every day, the prices of the various products increased in Port-au-Prince and in the other cities…

Despite all the difficulties encountered, it was with the greatest joy that the students come back to school. A thing still worries the children, when they come to school and spend several days without seeing a friend, they immediately think that the person died. They come a little often to the office to have information concerning one friend that they do not see and very often we are not able to give them good information.

The students are more than hungry now and most of them are able to exist because they can find at least a meal every day at the school and their parents can in some rare cases find assistance from the humanitarian organizations.

Imagine one moment what you can do in the life of others while agreeing to make donation to a serious institution like Child Sponsorship Program and which has alive witnesses who can testify to everybody what your donation and those of the others have made in their lives and some of them today take part in the great work that we are realizing. The current vice-principal of the Good Shepherd School (Barthelemy Ona) was a former student of the school and today he contributes to teach other poor children who would never have hope if Child Sponsorship did not exist.

Before the earthquake the enrollment of our students was 1,600 but one month after the reopening we can already count 900 to 1,000 children and we are glad to be able to feed 600 of them every day. We say thank you to all of you who help us to maintain that program so much important for the poor children of Pele (Cite Soleil).

It continues to rain almost every night and most people still live in tents. Life did not improve yet; some people suffer from rainwater because their tents and/or tarps start to tear. There were two after-shocks today.

All the Young Life clubs in Port-au-Prince started again and our non-centralized work with the young people who do not attend our clubs and/or are living in tents continue normally, although in certain areas people do not understand what we are trying to do.

The Haitian people need prayer more than before; they need assistance of any kind.

--------

Thank you so very much for your help during these desperate times for our friends in Haiti.

Yours gratefully,

Charlie Scott, Chairman

April 2010 Newsletter

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 11:34:45 -0400

Three months after the earthquake, conditions in Port-au-Prince remain miserable with the presence of heat, rain, disease, and the fear of another earthquake. In spite of this, our headmaster Chedrick Caneus this week wrote the following:

We continue to serve food every day to the children of Pele and to some adults. They continue to come every day to receive that food which has helped so much after the earthquake and which still continues to help. Now, all Haitians are thinking about the reopening of the school that will be on Monday April 5, 2010 in the areas that were struck by the earthquake. During the last week we met with the parents and the teachers. Those meetings enabled us to approach a final assessment about the students and the parents. According to testimonies, we recorded five cases of mortality from the students and one case from the parents.

We have built some temporary tents with woods and tarps to receive the students on Monday. At the meetings, what made me happy were the joy and the smiles that we could see on the faces of all the parents and the teachers. The parents have accepted with the greatest joy to send their children to the school on Monday, but they need so much and they ask for help. I have chosen to present the needs of the parents:

• Most students do not have uniforms and shoes anymore, then the parents will be obliged to send the children to the school with what they can have.
• Most students do not have bags, books, copybooks, pens, pencils…
• Most students are confused and will be in very difficult situation to learn at school.

All the teachers are ready to start again with work but they have also presented needs to facilitate their work:

• The tents are very hot and that requires that we give much water to the students, consequently will need some water coolers.
• As we are obliged to buy water every time, a well will be very good.
• We will need a system to purify the water.
• We will need a new bathroom for the students, because we do not know if the old one is damaged and could make new victims.

About Young Life, we started with work on various forms with the young people so that they can feel better after the earthquake and be part of an environment much more jovial. We have a precious opportunity during those kinds of activities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to young people who do not accept the savior yet in their lives. We started with the activities in the Club of Lizon where we have cleaned approximately 10 neighborhoods. Approximately 45 young people took part in that activity. The second club was the club of Simon who has chosen a way to do that different to work. They have required that each young person could come to the club with another young person who has not yet accepted Christ yet in his or her life. Last Saturday, I had the honor to be the speaker and I shared with them the importance of the man/woman into the eyes of God. I showed them that Jesus stands in front of the door of their heart and that He is waiting for their decision.

It continues to rain and that makes life a little difficult in the tents. Despite everything, everyone tries to keep their smile and to adapt to the new situation. The ministry of the women in Young Life is working enormously and is trying to help the women to remain on the way that God shows us. The women of that ministry have met several young girls who are in a difficult situation after the earthquake. This week they will meet with a young girl (16) who lost all her family during the earthquake and who really needs help.

The Haitian people need prayer more than before, they need assistance of any kind. Any help on behalf of everyone is welcome. Thank you.

In Christ,
Chedrick

We are working hard to help with the needs Chedrick names. And we need your help too. We are so grateful for your continued generosity in the aftermath of this tragedy. We are making progress but obviously have a long way to go.

We also hope you will appreciate the photograph and message from 8-year-old Danielson on the right. We wanted you to have something for your refrigerator or to share with your family.

Yours gratefully,

Charlie Scott, Chairman

Final day in haiti

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 16:34:33 -0500

Sunday

On our way to the airport this morning we stopped by the school to see the last bit of work that was done the day before. We had not expected to have the privilege of witnessing the church service in the courtyard of the school property. What a beautiful sight to see Ona, the assistant headmaster/pastor preaching God's word to the people gathered. As I stood in the new school building, which only days before had been an empty shell full of debris and rubble, and listened to the sounds of people clapping and voices singing praises to God, I was overwhelmed and moved to tears. I could only lift my hands to join in the worship and give thanks to an amazing God whose presence is so evident!

Looking out over the congregation, I saw many face of those we had spent time with during the week. There was Lendric...the French teacher, who grew up in Pele and graduated from the Good Shepherd School. He was one of the many teachers and adults from the community that joined together to construct the new classrooms. With hammer in hand, Lendric shared with me about the joy of work. He said when he does not work he feels sick/unhappy. He told me that “Life is Work.” I also saw Madame Litsky...one of the eldest of the group who is the head cook. Everyday she and four other women get up at 5am to begin cooking the meal that is served four hours later to the children and adults who show up at the school to for a meal. We had the honor of serving alongside Madame Litsky, passing out close to 300 plates of rice and beans. And there were, of course, the smiling faces of the children...the kids we had hung out with all week handing out soccer balls, jumping rope, learning Creole, singing songs, bandaging open sores, sharing letters, listening to stories and giving hugs.

It was a powerful way to end our week, a scene that will be etched in my memory for a very long time. Determined people, praising the Savior in a dirt courtyard... surrounded by rubble... looking up toward a brand new, safe structure rising from the destruction with a big blue tarp on top! This is Hope, This is the Church, the body of Christ joining together to serve one another!

While I share a glimpse of the hope, I would not be giving the whole picture if I did not share the great suffering. Life is beyond difficult for many. It is unimaginable to us, unthinkable and unjust. Thousands are homeless, living in a “tent” made of sticks and sheets. The rain has come and many “sleep” standing up inside. The food lines are long and people are still hungry. There is a long road ahead. We are in it for the long haul.

Thanks for joining us.

Day 4 in haiti

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 16:23:10 -0500

Saturday

We headed out to the countryside to a small, rural village called L'asile in the southwest part of Haiti about 50 miles from Port-au-Prince. Erik had set up a meeting with the town elders to discuss the possibility of a partnership with Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee Company, a free trade company that gives back to the community where the coffee is grown. We traveled over 12 hours, all 8 of packed into a small SUV. We drove through Port-au-Prince past the palace and the big tent city in the park. We saw lines of women waiting for food that seemed to stretch 3 football fields. We saw makeshift tents lining the median of the highway where traffic zooms by at a very fast pace. There is just not enough relief aid getting to the people. It is very heart wrenching to see.

We also passed the area of the epicenter and saw the cracks in the road where the earth had shifted. The town of Leogane experienced 90% destruction of homes. I finally had to put on my iPod just to escape, but listening to my worship music only brought me more tears.

We traveled at least 30 miles on washed out roads to get to an old coffee farm that has not been used in years. The people of this town were naturally very excited that this possibility for revitalizing their community. After much discussion and prayer and a few photos we left, hoping that this might be the beginning of something amazing for this impoverished community. How life changing it would be for them to grow coffee and be able to sustain themselves and their families! It was an amazing day.

Day 3 in haiti

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 16:12:46 -0500

Friday

We worked until dark today. We were able to share the letters and notes we brought from the U.S. We met with the cooks, some teachers and the children sharing personal notes to each group via Wooby, our interpreter. Afterward, we had about 25 students write notes back to the kids in the states. We hope to form a partnership with schools to help the two cultures connect and become friends. We were able to share a big duffle bag of health and personal care items, soccer balls, and baby items... and they were grateful. The little we give is returned many times over in the blessings they offer each one of us!

After the long day, we met with the Jenn Vi (Young Life) staff for a time of fellowship, worship and prayer. We sat outside in a circle sharing stories and hearing about what it was like at the time of the earthquake and the difficulties they face living on the streets. Chedrick shared an old Haitian motto that says, "The street is the living room of Haiti." This has become even more of a reality after the earthquake––the streets are not only the living room, but the bedroom, dining room, even bathroom and office.

We learned that the Jenn Vi office is now in the truck and that many staff have joined together to form their own tent community in front of the office. A very poignant picture I have in my mind is a tent set up with bed, comforter, table and chairs complete with a flower arrangement on top. They never cease to amaze me as they still laugh and smile and make plans to move forward with the ministry God has called them to do. I love to be in their presence.

Day 2 in haiti

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 16:05:33 -0500

Thursday

After clearing the rubble we began constructing the framework of the temporary school. So many men from the community came out as well as the teachers and Young Life staff. It was great to see them learning new construction methods since wood is not the typical material. They are such hard workers.

The inspector came to visit and likes the project. We may just be the first school rebuilding project underway in Haiti! The difficult part seems to be waiting for direction from the government. They have condemned the buildings and said they would return to tear down the remainder, but do not give any indication of when that might happen. There are many more questions to be answered, but for the time being Chedrick feels that he can use these six new classrooms to begin school again...possibly having 2-3 short sessions each day to accommodate all the students.

The government has indicated school may reopen in April and the good news is we will be ready!

There is still much to do and we feel like work teams could begin again this summer with plenty of projects. I also learned that the school is very much the heart of the community. While we were there, a group of workers hired by USAID came to store their tools overnight. Another group came to drop off wheel barrows and brooms. People will be hired tomorrow to clean the streets. Each will receive a meal and $5 for the days' work.