November 16, 2009

Site Soley day!!
I had French toast for breakfast this morning, which the guesthouse made up special for the few of us that missed out on the pancakes, which was lucky because I preferred what I got! Our Cite Soliel team left at about 9 so we could meet up with our UN convoy at 10 at a gas station in Cite Soleil. As we were pulling out of the guesthouse Jus was saying goodbye to Joel as though he would never see him again, it was really funny. Turns out Noel and Joel had been arguing over who would have to drive us into Cite Soleil, I guess Joel drew the short straw! We arrived in the city and were unsure of what gas station was meant, because the one the driver had thought was the meeting spot was a ghost station with only the hood remaining and a crew of people just hanging out. They telephoned our contact and yes indeed we were at the right spot and a few moments later 3 big UN trucks loaded with armed men pulled up across the street. Our quote of the day from Dorothy: “Oh, all that is for us? I was expecting a man with a stick!” We got a lot more than a man with a stick, and likely had a lot of overkill, but it was neat nonetheless to have all the UN with us. Our first stop was at the police head quarters where we met with the chief, he wanted to welcome us into the city and wanted us to know that they are ready to rebuild and ready for the international community to come into the city to help. It was a nice moment…Cite Soleil has been through a lot. We left the station and I think they just wanted to bring us on a tour of the city because we would drive down a street, turn around and then come back, and go down a few side streets. We made our way to a school, that also has a health centre and had at one time housed an orphanage, but due to financial constraints had to close it down and send the kids off to different places. We met with the principal and toured the facilities being followed by hoards of kids in cute little pink uniforms! We saw the empty orphanage and the cobweb filled dentist clinic and the empty shelves of the pharmacie…we were able to help in that last aspect because we had several medical kits in our van with medicines and supplies that we donated to the pharmacie here. We then went to visit the general hospital where we saw the vaccination clinic and walked through a ward where nursing students were working. After the hospital we went to a Sister’s of Charity home that is supported by Wyclef’s charity. We were told that the centre’s policy is no photos on the inside and we were not to ask questions to anyone inside. I do so wish I could have taken pictures, because it was hard to believe what we saw when we entered the gates! It was like a green oasis! A very nice facility that was so impressive! The ran a medical clinic for young children so we passed all those people waiting in the front area and then went through to see the nutrition program and the kindergarten school and then around back to where they run a sewing, embroidery and card-making school for the moms of the children who are in the school or in the daycare! And then over to the daycare area where small kids come in and are fed, bathed and put down to nap while their moms are in school! It was all so great! I bought a package of banana leaf cards to use as my thank you cards for major sponsors. Throughout the day we let everyone know what the Healing Hands organization was all about and what types of services we could offer, so that when they came across people who would benefit from our assistance they would know how and to whom to refer. I hope this generates a relationship between their community and our organization for future endeavors to help Cite Soleil rebuild. I had been expecting our visit to be much different, as I had been on scouting trips before where we would enter an orphanage that needed our services, and we would do quick and dirty assessments to make a plan for the next team coming in…that would have been a nice experience, but I think what we did today will also be helpful. It was less hands on than I was expecting however. Before saying goodbye to our UN convoy we stopped for a group photo. The UN team with us was mainly Nigerian with one from Mali, and what was very funny throughout the morning was that the UN was actually taking more pictures than we were! Every time we turned around they were snapping pictures of both their surroundings AND us! I didn’t know we were that interesting. I, of course, had to have a picture wearing the helmet before they left…mission accomplished. Back at the guesthouse we grabbed a quick snack and then Dorothy and I went up to the clinic to help out…but we couldn’t find anyone working. The therapy room was full of people but I didn’t recognize any as being therapist. So I stopped one young guy who looked to be showing another man exercises and asked him if he was a therapist…he said yes…so I began talking to him about the plan for the afternoon and asking if they needed any help today and he kept saying I don’t know…then after some back and forth he finally says I don’t work here, I am just assisting a friend. I finally found Shirley and we helped her with an exercise program with a young girl who we were told had scoliosis, but Dorothy checked her back and thinks they must give this diagnosis to whoever has back pain. I also talked to her about proper body mechanics because she complained of pain during mopping and sweeping. When we finished here Colleen had come up to the clinic for our scheduled therapist meeting to discuss a 2 year curriculum schedule. The meeting went fairly well and we were able to clarify our role and what we could not do for them, ie. give them certified training that would help them find jobs elsewhere, they need to go to University for that. We were able to find out their thoughts on our educational workshops and what they wanted to learn more about, I was happy to have some OT ideas come up...and Johnny, the manager of the clinic, wants us to implement an evaluation process to provide more incentive to the therapists attending the session. Up to this point the organization was handing out participation surveys to whoever showed up, Johnny wants an evaluation a month later, then certificates if they pass. With our list of topics in hands we have a lot to accomplish over the next 2 years.
When we finished the meeting we sped off to the artisans cooperative to get some shopping in, I really dont feel like I have gotten much on this trip...I definitely wont be having an art sale when I return home...as I am still scrambling to find souveniers for my family! We got to the co-op about 30mins before closing but they stayed open longer for us. We met a team there that was from Ontario and were drilling wells in schools. I got a metal carved mirror, a rock carving of a drummer, a candle holder, 2 woven grass mats for the kitchen, wooden bowls for family, stained glass ornaments, earrings, a post-card and a metal key holder. Traffic was really bad on the way back to the guesthouse so we didnt manage to fit in any other stores before dark. I am sad to have missed Kay Atizan and Mennou this year. We had supper and then started to pack up our purchase for our departure tomorrow :( I tried my best to engineer a supportive box for my tete zeb so it wouldnt be crushed on the plane. Later on Cyril showed up for a last visit and then decided he was taking the Jacmel girls out for rhum sours for our last night. We went to a nice restaurant and had a lot of fun. When we came back we joined the group on the penthouse roof where Colleen and Jeff had been staying and we all talked about our best and worst moments. I said my worst moment had been saying goodbye to Enrico, and that's when they reminded me that Karen fell off a cliff last week! I guess she seemed in such good spirits tonight it is hard to say it was the worst moment because of her amazing recovery! But indeed, it was a horrible Haiti moment.