Port-au-prince, HAITI– The Salvation Army Haiti hopes to partner with Visual Compassion to bring glasses and jobs to vulnerable populations in Port-au-Prince and southern Haiti.

“The Salvation Army’s greatest asset is its infrastructure,” said Visual Compassion founder and CEO Joey Dollack. He hopes to tap into that infrastructure to deliver prescription eyeglasses to children and adults in communities the Army serves. Through a laboratory with trained technicians in Port-au-Prince and screening stations throughout the city and into southern Haiti, the partnership could create much-needed jobs both in the capital and rural areas as well as addressing a widespread need for affordable eye care.

At a cost of just $10 US per pair of glasses, this sustainable project, “would be a good ministry for The Salvation Army,” said Major Lamartiniere, Divisional Commander of TSA Haiti. Most glasses are currently imported from Miami, so the markup can be steep. Getting the raw materials in-country and training a local labor force to edge lenses and fill prescriptions while maintaining minimal overhead would not only create jobs and make eye care accessible to many who could not otherwise afford it, but also bolster the local economy.

Dollack was able to visit Salvation Army operations in Delmas 2 and Fond des Negres during a two-day visit to Haiti, and is excited at the possibility of partnering with the Army in Haiti. He has seen this program transform lives in the States and is excited to see it work in Haiti. “When you have an opportunity to serve those who have less than you, you are looking through the eyes of Christ,” said Dollack, even if it’s something as simple as giving an eye exam to someone in need of glasses.

Visual Compassion has an existing relationship with the The Salvation Army in Houston, Texas and works with people in its recovery ministries to provide jobs through vision centers. The Houston program creates an average of 10 jobs in a year and is self-sustaining. Dollack has been able to use components of this program to improve the quality of life for people in Africa, South America and Haiti on short term trips and now hopes to have a long-term impact. Partnering with The Salvation Army in Haiti will be Visual Compassion’s first opportunity to set up a lab outside of the United States.

For more information on Visual Compassion, visit www.infocusonline.org.

Nearly 700 students started the school year in newly repaired Salvation Army school buildings. The HRD school renovation and construction team worked hard during the summer months to start, and finish, repairs on four of six priority schools scheduled for improvements in 2011.

Not only were project manager David White and assistant project manager Raymond Cédoine working hard to ensure schools were ready for the start of classes, but they were building local capacity by training a maintenance team in repair and upkeep of the buildings. The work included masonry and carpentry work, roofing, latrine and electrical repair and installation of water catchment systems.

Heavy rains contributing to impassable road conditions have slowed progress on schools in Bellegarde and Campeche, but work is set to be completed by Christmas. “We have met many challenges and overcome them with everyday problem solving and great determination,” said David White.

By the end of 2014, some 20 schools affected by the earthquake will have been repaired and reconstructed. There are seven schools slated for 2012, including two new constructions. “We are excited about the wonderful repaired and constructed schools The Salvation Army in Haiti [is] receiving,” said David.

New roofing and walls at Lafferonnay.

Project manager David White and assistant Raymond Cédoine supervised the installation of a new water system in Lafferonnay

Building capacity is a key component of the HRD team’s work in Haiti. David White (left), program manager, works with the local construction team to improve their skills.

Elissaint Jean-Jacques pictured here with his wife Nahomie and daughter Kayla.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (July 19) – “One of the most important things for The Salvation Army is to be able to say to the Haitian people that we believe the answers to Haiti’s problems are already here among Haitians who are willing to live in Haiti and see that it becomes a better country,” according to Major Ron Busroe, Haiti Recovery and Development (HRD) Director.

Elissaint Jean-Jacques is one such person. A Fulbright Scholar with two masters’ degrees from the University of California, Davis, Elissaint could have found himself among the Diaspora taking advantage of the opportunities offered outside of Haiti; but he decided to stay. “I am so concerned about the future of Haiti, the development of Haiti; seeing people come out of their abject poverty,” he said.

His passion for helping his homeland combined with his educational background focusing on community development, with a thesis on faith-based organizations and community change in Haiti, made Elissaint the ideal candidate for the Faith-based Community Capacity Development (CCD) Program Manager.

This project aims to equip community leaders and members with the tools to identify problems and use their own strengths and resources to solve them, rather than being dependent on, or restricted by, outside aid. “This project is based on principles of self help, felt needs and participation,” said Elissaint.

Major Busroe is excited to welcome him as part of the HRD team, not only because of his extensive academic achievements – being at the top of his undergraduate class and receiving such a prestigious graduate scholarship – and his experience managing large response and recovery projects for another NGO, but because he knows and understands what The Salvation Army is about and has witnessed, firsthand, how faith-based community facilitation can bring about change.

From the poor rural village of Couyot, Elissaint Jean-Jacques has chosen to use the opportunities he’s been given and the skills he’s learned to give back to Haiti; to equip communities to make positive change.

Elissaint grew up in Couyot, an isolated mountain community in the West District of Haiti, accessible only by foot or donkey. He was first introduced to The Salvation Army through its school in Couyot. “If there was not that Salvation Army school [in Couyot], I would not be able to read and write,” he said. “Even now, it’s the best primary school in the area.” It was also through The Salvation Army in Couyot that Elissaint found and accepted Jesus Christ. He was enrolled as a Junior Soldier at the age of 12 and has been a part of The Salvation Army for 27 years. Elissaint now lives and works in Port-au-prince with his wife Nahomie and three year-old daughter, Kayla. “I am very pleased to be back home and to put my skills to the service of the country and The Salvation Army,” he says.

Elissaint has already laid much of the groundwork for the CCD project; developing and translating curriculum, setting up monitoring tools, visiting communities, hiring staff and developing an implementation plan. Training for the first of three cohorts of the project will begin in September 2011, and will target the Port-au-prince, Petit Goave, Leogane and Arcahaie areas, all severely affected by the earthquake. Members of that cohort will be equipped to gather others into community action teams that will implement the project; identifying issues and working toward solutions for their communities.

“The fact that I can contribute to the development of communities and of people is something that is

very close to my heart,” said Elissaint. It is also at the heart of the Army’s work in Haiti and the HRD team is excited to have this project in such capable and passionate hands.

Port-au-prince, HAITI – Stakeholders met last week to discuss the future of The Salvation Army’s primary healthcare clinic.

Representatives from donor territories met with HRD, divisional and territorial staff, including Major Lucien Lamartinière, Haiti Divisional Commander, and Dr. Danielle Prosper to determine programming needs moving forward. After a week of site visits and productive discussions, the formal project writing process will begin.

Dr. Danielle Prosper, clinic administrator, looks forward to more updated facilities to serve clients and hopes to expand the clinic’s community outreach to include health workers who can assess needs and educate residents on health issues in their daily lives.

“The clinic is one of my favorite programs in the division,” said Major Lamartinière. It is a financially self-sustaining program that benefits the immediate community and many who come from outside the city for services.

The Salvation Army’s primary healthcare clinic has been in operation for 40 years. It began as a community clinic for nearby residents but now serves people from all over Port-au-prince and surrounding areas. The clinic currently provides infant care, pre- and postnatal care, vaccinations for children and pregnant women, family planning, treatment for malnutrition, HIV testing and open consultation for adults in addition to an on-site pharmacy.

The most common illnesses treated at the clinic include adult hypertension, diabetes and ulcers, gynecological infections, and respiratory infections and malnutrition in children. The clinic also regularly treats endemic illnesses including malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis and now cholera.

The primary health care clinic is unique in that it operates solely from the fees collected from its patients.  As the Army looks to expand the capacity of the clinic and upgrade the facilities, maintaining the sustainability of the clinic is an integral component of planning.

The Haitian people know some of what has happened in Japan. They hear on the radio about the destruction of the recent earthquake. A few see pictures on television or in print. No doubt their minds go back to 12 January, 2010 when a much smaller earthquake hit Haiti killing over 300,000 people.

Haiti is still trying to recover from the devastation. When you start as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere it is difficult to make progress quickly. The Haitians are a people who want to help. But they have little that could make a material difference in Japan; the world’s third largest economy.

What the Haitians can do is pray. And so they did last weekend.

This week, the people in Haiti are in need of your prayer. An election is scheduled for Sunday, 20 March. A new president will be chosen. This could be a turning point in the history of Haiti. Thousands of NGOs are prepared to spend billions of dollars to rebuild Haiti. A stable, efficient and honest government is essential for Haiti to recover. We believe God wants Haiti to be better than it is. We believe God wants to bring healing to the people of Haiti.

This Sunday could be the day that God begins to work a new miracle in Haiti; a miracle that will bring about a new name for Haiti. No longer “the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere,” let us pray that people will begin to see a new rebuilt Haiti that is recovering.

Pray for the people of Japan – and pray for the people of Haiti.

]]> http://tenforhaiti.org/?feed=rss2&p=180 0 http://tenforhaiti.org/?p=167 http://tenforhaiti.org/?p=167#comments Wed, 12 Jan 2011 22:26:33 +0000 admin http://tenforhaiti.org/?p=167 Journal 7 – Standing Room Only
9 January 2011

This morning on our way to The Salvation Army Port au Prince Central corps we drove past several churches.  We noticed people standing outside all of them…the churches are full.

On this Sunday before the first anniversary of the 12 January 2010 earthquake pastors all over Haiti are reporting more church attendance than ever before.  Why is that?  It’s very simple.  When everything in life is taken from you, what remains is your faith in God.  Best articulated in the hymn in my hand no price I bring, simply to the cross I cling.

Haitians are unbelievably resilient and their hope in the future is not based on anything that can be taken away. We sing the praise chorus:

My life is in You LORD
My strength is in You LORD
My hope is in You LORD
In You, it’s in You

But they live the reality that God has not forgotten them, will hear their prayers and heal their land.
This morning the Port au Prince Central Corps congregation worshipped for the last time under the ragged tarps that have been in place since the first Sunday after the earthquake.  On Wednesday, 12 January 2011, a service of remembrance and commemoration will include a ribbon cutting for a new temporary multipurpose building that will house both the corps and TSA College Verena school.  Twenty five new soldiers were enrolled today adding to the 59 enrolled this past year.

This Wednesday, Haiti will take time to remember the terrible tragedy that befell this country a year ago and dream of a future better than the past.

And there will be standing room only in the churches.

The Salvation Army continues to respond to the outbreak of cholera in Haiti.  As children prepared to go on Christmas break at College Verena soap was provided to take home.  Hand washing is one of the important components in preventing the spread of the disease.

Captain Felix Ezeh, administrator for the Army’s Clinic Bethel hospital in Fond des Negres spent 3 days in Port au Prince arranging supplies for the growing number of cholera patients at the hospital.

The initial cholera treatment center accommodates 17 patients.  Those slots stay full and alternate sites are being prepared.  Supplies of bleach, surgical gloves, IV and oral rehydration packets are becoming increasingly difficult to find as the number of cases has increased to over 200,000 with 2,400 dead reported dead.

The UN reports positive news this week . . .the mortality rate for new infections has dropped to 2.2 % from 10%  in mid-October when the first cases were reported.

In spite of this good news, we are saddened to confirm the deaths of five students at our school in Rossignol, a village in the Artibonite valley where the disease first appeared.  There is one confirmed case at our College Verena School in Port au Prince.

In spite of being the poorest country the western hemisphere and one of the poorest in the world, Haiti previously has not had a confirmed case of cholera in over 60 years.   Generous support from The Salvation Army in Canada and a donor from the Bahamas has made it possible for us to respond to this deadly epidemic.

The year 2010 has not been a good year for the people of Haiti.  The world is aware of the devastating earthquake that took place on January 12 leaving 300,000 dead and half the capital on Port au Prince in ruins.

As we approach the end of the 2010 the situation remains desperate.  Tent camps around the city still house over 1 million displaced persons and only 5% of the rubble has been removed. 

In mid-October cholera cases were confirmed in Haiti for the first time in 60 year.  Over 2,000 have died as of early December with an upswing in infections reported every day.

Now as the year comes to an end the worst political violence in decades has closed the city.  This election unrest is worse than 2004 when President Aristide was overthrown.

As we tried to drive to work Friday, we were turned back by roadblock fires on Delmas.  Then a UN tank starting firing into the neighborhood.

How is this week’s violence affecting The Salvation Army Haiti Recovery and Development office:

• The office was closed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. 
• The psychological and social support for adolescents and youth adults project organization meeting with officers was postponed.
• Major Jean Volet rescheduled meetings to finalize the demolition of damaged buildings and preparation for new construction of the Delmas compound.
• Captain Monael Many met with the internally displaced persons camp committee on Monday but was unable to purchase the additional cholera prevention supplies because stores have been closed since Tuesday.
• Water filtration and purification units for 10 schools most impacted by the cholera outbreak were purchased, but the training for the project was postponed.
• Captain Felix Ezeh reports 20 cholera cases at Bethel Clinic Hospital in Fond des Negres.  Prevention supplies are running low because no supplies can get through and people are dying on the way to the hospital because the roads are blocked.  The situation is urgent.

                             Prevention                                         Isolation Ward

In this setting, our morning message text from Lamentations 3:19-26 was appropriate and difficult to hear:

           I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.

           I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.

          Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope;

          Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

          for his compassions never fail.

          They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

          I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

          The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

          it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

And Romans 8:24-25

 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have,     we wait for it patiently.

Pray for the people of Haiti as we wait patiently on the Lord’s salvation.

The death toll from cholera in Haiti is now approaching 2000 with no let-up in sight. Clinics and hospitals throughout Haiti are reporting people with the disease coming for treatment. The Salvation Army Bethel Clinic in Fond-des-Negres has set up a special quarantine area for infected patients with additional support staff hired.

Other than Bethel Clinic, The Salvation Army response has been prevention. A plan to distribute soap, disinfectant, oral rehydration packets and antibiotics through the Army’s community outlets is being implemented. In the Port-au-Prince area, these include the primary health clinic, the Internally Displaced Persons camp, the College Verena primary and secondary schools. Outside Port-au-Prince response is handled through the existing 60 community service centers, e.g. churches and schools.

This effort is being support by The Salvation Army –Canadian Territory and a very generous donor from the Bahamas.

Our Army Rossignol school reports the deaths of several children. A pure water treatment plant has been sent to Rossignol where first reports of the outbreak surfaced. Investigations are underway to study the possibility of placing pure water treatment plants in all 49 Army schools.

No cases of cholera are reported in the IDC camp that we managed in Place de la Paix in Delmas. With 13,000 people living in the camp, it is a major area of concern. Working with partner NGO’s Concern Worldwide and Viva Rio, drinkable water and clean latrines continue to be provided. Since the infection is spread mainly through contaminated water, these measures are vitally important.

On Sunday, 21 November we gathered to worship with over 600 people of the Port-au-Prince Central Corps (PAP Central)in the school yard under tarps. The building was severely damaged by the January 12 earthquake.

In a country facing pre-election violence and a cholera epidemic…churches are full.  Every Salvation Army church in Haiti reports significant increases in attendance.  Port-au-Prince Central has added 59 new members since the earthquake with plans for a big Harvest Festival enrollment on 12 December.  

In his opening remarks during the morning worship service, the corps office (pastor) of PAP Central, Major Hubert Murat, talked calmly and matter of factly about the cholera epidemic.  His instructions were simple, but will save lives if followed:  wash your hands with soap, drink only treated water, thoroughly cook your food and ask the market people if they have washed their hands before you buy anything to eat from them.

Then he addressed the election…you have an obligation to vote.  The elections are scheduled for Sunday, 28 November.  Major Murat instructed his flock to be prudent next Sunday about traveling to church. If you are concerned about your safety don’t come, but be sure to pray…and vote.

Major Magalie Murat gave the sermon on the text Ephesian 6 – we are not fighting flesh and blood but we are fighting unseen forces of evil.  As she spoke thoughts of the seen forces of evil Haiti has experience in the last 10 months came to mind:  earthquake, hurricane and cholera.

Then there is the evil caused by people.  As we drove home we found ourselves surrounded by supporters for presidential candidates. With 19 candidates, opportunity for manifestations of violence between rival political parties in palpable.

With all the negative you would think despair would overwhelm, but Major Murat’s message was simple and encouraging – God who is with us gives us the strength we need to overcome all the powers of evil arrayed against us.

We are thankful to be serving with the men and women of The Salvation Army in Haiti.