HELO

HELO
(an earthquake impacted orphanage in Haiti which we are partially adopting)

The Journey Begins on March 10, 2011
 

Elisabeth and I spend most of the night packing supply bags; it’s dark and raining as we manage to jam all the bags into the van.  Our sleep is short lived as we rise in the wee hours to travel to New York to meet with the Marist group.

Everyone is excited as we arrive in Port au Prince.  We stick together as we take a bus to the security area and then to baggage claim; after locating all our bags, we head for the van.  Professor Mar and I get separated from the group and find ourselves standing in the parking lot, waiting to be rescued.   Yes, our colleagues discover us missing and rescue us. Darkness settles in before we arrive at our destination.  I find myself gripping the seat, somewhat fearful of traveling these winding roads in the dark.  Hot, tired, relieved, and excited, we arrive safely.  Our gracious hosts, Pastor and Mrs. Jean Beaucejour, prepare our first night’s traditional spaghetti dinner, complete with a vegetarian sauce.  Spaghetti never tasted so good.   (A little background on the Marist students:  Professor Mar Peter-Raoul, teacher of the Public Praxis course at Marist College, hand-selected the 12 students, all of whom had previously studied Haitian history and culture and learned some Creole.)  They arrive in Haiti with open minds and hearts.

As we head for les Cayes, the driver travels on side streets through parts of Port Au Prince, so I am unable to witness the extent of changes on the roads since my last trip. However, I do see changes in Port au Prince:  Some areas are cleaner; tents are removed from the road mediums; the airport is restructured, allowing travelers to move along faster than before.  Many of the changes I notice are outside Port au Prince--new roads being built, old ones being repaired, road reflectors being installed on curves, small concrete homes going up, and seemingly more people selling goods.  Best of all is the amount of heavy equipment now available to facilitate progress

Days Are Filled with Excitement, Laughter, Heartbreak, and Bonding.

We spend our first day, March 12, visiting all three homes--the students getting to meet the children and house parents for the first time.  The children are always excited to meet a new group:  At times they are initially shy, but after a few minutes, the awkwardness breaks with someone leading a game or pulling out our traditional favorite things--coloring books and crayons--a staple of each trip.  
I am amazed to see new changes at HELO since my last visit in August, 2010.  The third home, now complete, is filled with 15 children and their house parents, Pastor and Mrs. Vilnor.  A large portion of HELO land is mowed, creating a playing area for the kids and offering a visual of HELOs’ property lines and mango trees that grace the land. Pastor Vilnor cheerfully greets me and gives me a tour of the new home and the neighbor’s large vegetable garden; if I’m understanding Pastor Vilnor correctly, they share the garden.  I am saddened to see the new water well idle; there’s still no one with the skill to repair it; l pray for help to arrive soon.  Even though there are lots of new faces and names to learn, I feel calm and know that in time I’ll meet the challenge of matching correct faces and names.
During our stay, some of the students and house staff give the third home two coats of exterior blue paint, matching the other home and school.  Available mosquito nets are hung, children sizes in clothes and shoes recorded, and photographs for sponsors gathered.  I spend one hot afternoon indoors with Joseph, Pastor Vilnor, and a few little helping hands hanging in homes two and three clotheslines which will allow more space to hang up clothes and anything else that needs securing from little hands.   Solar panels are installed at each of HELO’s three homes in the hope of providing additional sources of electricity.  Paulo is the first to try out the new system, charging his cell phone.

After school and lunch are over, everyone gets together for a fun-filled afternoon of games, crafts, and just socializing in each home.  We have brought jars of craft paint and banner paper along on this trip:  Amanda creates a project by dipping the children’s hands into the paint and placing them on the banner; others just draw pictures onto the delightful banner, which now proudly hangs on the classroom wall.  Children string colorful beads on twine, creating artistic necklaces and bracelets, smiling as they show off their creations. One day I hang up a corner curtain in the classroom for a puppet show; at first the children shyly interact with the puppets, but soon laughter and song from young and old fill the air.   

Even though I am tired when I arrive back at the house for dinner, I surely can say that the days are wonderful.  Sometimes at night we need to sort and pack up supplies for the next day, a period of time I enjoy because it gives me a chance to get to know some of the amazing students better.  Sometimes we chat late into the evening.  Professor Mar has arranged for her students and the rest of us to gather each night for a group meeting, during which we all share thoughts and experiences of the day.

School

Having the opportunity to witness the children learning in school is special:  Two classes are held outdoors under a large tarpaulin, and the other four classes are divided between two classrooms.   The younger children work on the blackboards with the teacher, thanks to all the boxes of chalk contributed, and the older children, approximately age 7 and up, use workbooks.  The classrooms seem organized with students taking their lessons seriously.  I so enjoy watching the laughing, smiling younger children sing and dance in class.  

Miriame, the house mother of home one, proudly shows Elisabeth and me the report cards of her children:  All are doing well.  Since it is very hot in Haiti and there is very limited electricity to cool the classrooms, HELO schools start early and end at noon.

The Evils of Poverty

A home for recused Restavek children is on our agenda to visit; a home that opened in les Cayes in December, 2010, most of its students are poor, mentally and physically abused Haitian children, some as young as babies and many still showing signs of abuse.  (A little history:  Poverty and lack of education leave poor families without means to care for their children; thus children are given away to host families who promise to house, feed, and educate--in return for domestic services.  Often these Restavek children work dawn to dusk and are beaten and sexually abused.)  Rescued, there are the children who receive help and live good lives, but they are very much in the minority.  I have the pleasure of meeting such a lucky girl, who is treated like a member of the family and always seems happy, in Pastor Jean’s home.

The group finds many creative ways to draw the children out in play, using the supplies Elisabeth has brought along--soccer balls, Frisbee, whiffle ball, bouncy ball, jump ropes, and crafts. Jump rope is a hit with girls and boys alike.  I even take my turn at jumping but find I am better at twirling the rope.  It’s great to have young adults along:  They display such energy as they run and play, non-stop, with the children.  As rain lightly falls, we gather under a tarpaulin to color and string beads, the children enjoying the one-on-one attention.  I will always treasure the bracelet I receive from a small quiet girl named Pauline.  

The dreaded moment finally arrives, and it is painful to watch as each team member says his or her good-bye; after spending the day connecting, bonding, and bringing hope to these children, they now must leave.  Tears fall, and hearts are heavy.

At our meeting that night, many express their feelings:  All team members have unique stories to tell about how the children changed their lives.  Listening, I feel like I am riding a never-ending emotional roller coaster and find myself speechless.  (After the experience has ended, this I can say:  Lives are changed, hearts broken, lessons learned, and inner feelings comforted.  These children changed us all. )

A Day of Blessings

We hold our Sunday morning, March 13, service under the canopy.  It is one of the events I enjoy most, even though it’s three hours long.  Some of the children cluster around us with huge smiles on their faces, sit on our laps or just hold our hands; the music and entire service along with the interacting of the children are heartwarming.   After the service, a woman approaches Elisabeth with her sick baby girl, Saphira, for whom she is unable to care; she hopes that HELO to take her in.  Later, she returns to sign over her daughter to HELO’s care; Pastor and Mrs. Vilnor welcome Saphira to their household.  Joining Saphira is Abraham, found, extremely ill with measles, abandoned in the streets.  He receives medical treatment and continues to recover in his loving home although he does not speak and is frightened of being touched.

Our trip to Haiti continues with a jaunt to Gelee Beach.  Being the only trip the children get to take as a group, there is much excitement.  I am delighted to spend time with the children who love staying in the shallow waters, laughing and splashing each other.  The children show me how to gather tiny colorful crab-like shells which provide a source of protein.   The older children run out into the waves with shouts of joy, spending their time playing with the students.  
Tonight we are at Pastor Jean’s church with plenty of singing, great music, and preaching taking place.  Each of us steps to the podium to give our thanks and express our outlook on visiting Haiti.

Behind the Curtain

I am amazed at all Elisabeth must shoulder and accomplish while at HELO.  There are house parents to talk with while addressing their concerns and needs, decisions to be made on the spot, problems to solve, meetings to make happen, emotional support to offer, daily schedules to organize, time to be devoted to each child, beach transportation to be organized, and maintenance of the van.  The list goes on, but in the end, Elisabeth works it all out.   I am honored to be part of the HELO Board and able to serve the needs of the children and assist on group trips.   

Each time a group visits HELO, we find ways to help support the Haitians.  A Haitian woman comes to Pastor Jean's house, bringing us samples of her homemade goods.  We sample tasty peanut butter and spicy peanuts and enjoy the aroma of Haitian coffee beans, which make great-tasting coffee.  We all end up with goodies to bring home.  Then there are the craft vendors, who set up outside the locked gates; we purchase lots of things from them.

I will always hold dear the endless memories of watching the group interact with the children and house parents, witnessing tender friendships being formed with parents, and children bonding.  I hold in my memory many visions:   an elderly man working hard in the Haiti heat, readying his garden for a new crop, neighbors coming to join in the sport of jump roping, a sweet little old woman visiting HELO every day, hugging everyone, and making HELO her second home, a student giving a handmade bracelet to a mom, the HELO dog having puppies, protected from the sun by a piece of cardboard, a woman sitting beside a basin in the sun and washing piles of clothes, a child falling, her cries comforted by loving arms of a student, water being offered to children who are thirsty and a student and one of our Haitian guides on a bus ride, practicing each other’s  language.  

I clearly see more and more reasons why taking groups to HELO to interact with the children creates a valuable learning experience for both sides:   We share our culture and teach each other our language.   We show God’s love through our hugs and play.  We accept that God lives in all of us and that the color of skin doesn’t matter.  We demonstrate that there are people outside Haitians’ small world who love and care for them.  We are inspirations to the children.  We offer a ray of hope for a better future through education and love.   In return, they inspire and teach us.  They show us that working together and helping each other is a way to survive the hardship of life.  
HELO has come far this past year, and we have a long way to go to meet our goals.  We will meet them, however, because the children are counting on us.

Saving one child at a time, God bless us all.

Susan Pallatto