Pas Bliye Nou

Don’t Forget Us

A goat project recipient and her children

A farmer.  I asked him how old he is and he responded, "Bah.  My mother is dead.  My father is dead."  Old.

     We’re home now and I’ve had a few days to rapidly catch up on the kids, work, our animals and home.  It is good to be home.  Anna Ray ran to our bed screaming with joy on Sunday morning and Leo had saved ten hugs and ten kisses, Luc met us with his slow smile and sweet hugs.  We are so blessed. 

Leo with his baby chick, "Bananas," the day before we left.  He wanted to know why his picture is not on this blog.  So, here you are LEO!

     We made the long trek home on Friday and Saturday.  We rode on the back of a ‘moto’ from Port Salut to Les Cayes.  Once in Les Cayes we waited and waited and finally took a bus from Les Cayes to Port au Prince.  Then a flight from Port au Prince to Miami, Miami to Denver, and Denver to home.  All along the way we were accompanied by friends and every good bye was hard and filled with the words, “Pas bliye nou.”  Don’t forget us.  It’s hard, though, as we step back into our lives roaring at full speed.  Of course, we come back with gratitude- gratitude for the obvious; good roads, lights and cars that run, the ability to read and write, medical care, food and a home for our children.  But, also, a great gratitude for the life example that our Haitian brothers and sisters give us.  They take time there to say thank you, to sit and to talk, to wait for things that are good and coming.  And it is these acts of great kindness and courageous hope that I want not to forget.

Our chaffeur and ride to the airport in PAP

The blind woman who walked many hours, by herself, to the meeting.

The first meeting.

The gifts.

The board of directors for the mircolending project

     We leave Haiti with great hope that we will be back and that our friends and this village community that we have come to love will continue on in life and living.  We will try not to forget and will surely fail, but every trip back is a reminder of what a gift this country and her people are in our lives.

Thank you Haiti.  Thank you.  

A woman weaving in the market.

This woman has only peppers to sell in the market.  The project will help her to grow her inventory.

Sweets.

Reinyon-an (The meeting)

     We spent most of Wednesday and Thursdays in meetings with the goat cooperative and then the new coop that will begin a microfinance project.  The meetings were full of people who came dressed in their Sunday best with hats and empty purses.  They came bearing gifts for Corey- eggs, coconuts and mangoes.  One woman, a blind woman, walked several hours just to let Corey know how much the goat project had made a difference in her family’s life.  We very much hope that this coop will be independent of the interests of us- the whites, the foreigners.  So, the last meeting was conducted first with and then without us.  Corey, of course, came prepared with lots of ideas based on his research into other microlending projects and strategies.  The community of Wozye came with ideas that will work in their specific community.  Finally, we came up with rules and the budget, guidelines for the new microlending project.  To make a copy for C’s records, they then took out another piece of paper and carefully hand copied everything down again.   

For now, the microlending coop will look like something like this:

1.  Three groups of five villagers will be chosen for each lending group.

2.  Each borrower will be given approximately $125US to start or grow a small business- taxi services, items to sell in the market, solar panels for charging cellphones, etc.

3.  Each borrower will have 6 months to pay back the loan with 4% interest.  2% will be returned to the borrower at the time of loan repayment.  2% will go to the costs of the project (phone cards, gas, internet use, etc.)

4.  If a borrower defaults on his or her loan, no one in their group will be eligible for an additional loan.

So, there it is!  It’s simple, but hopefully good and helpful.

The meeting

First micro-lending coop in Wozye

Wozye

We spent our second day in the village today.  It is so good to be back.  Immediately, we were greeted and kissed and hugged and referred to as my sister, my brother.  Everyone wanted to know how the kids are There has been some progress in the village.  The road is paved which definitely makes it safer and helps with commerce, etc.  There are also several hotels that have popped up on the roadsides.  I haven't seen any tourists yet, but am hopeful that this beautiful beautiful country can begin to attract them.  There is also still a lot of hunger and disease and poverty that is truly unimaginable.  I forgot how bad it is here.  I remember watching foreigners come through the first village we lived in Haiti, crying.  I remember thinking how rude that was.  I am ten years older now, than when we first came to Haiti, and found myself tearing up several times in the past two days.  It is a hard hard life here.

In addition to lots of visiting and the market and some trips down the coast, we had a goat project meeting today.  Around 75 people came to the meeting, to get an update, see Corey and learn about what new is happening.  One woman (pictured below) is blind and travelled several miles on foot, alone, to thank Corey for the gifts that her 3 goats have brought her children and her family.  After the meeting started, people started getting up carrying plastic bags with gifts- lots of gifts.  They brought eggs, coconuts, and mangoes to thank us for the work of the Goat Project and their new microlending project.  I took a photo, below, as these gifts really belong to the many many people who have donated to this village in the past.  The people in Wozye are so grateful and so so glad that they have not been forgotten.

It was a beautiful day.   I feel so blessed to witness the generosity, joy, and kindness of these people.

My chauffeur and friend, Philippe Berger

Corey in the bus station, Les Cayes

Philippe Berger and Pierre Chery

Unloading the luggage from our bus