Despite the social unrest that has been happening in the capital of Port au Prince, our friends in Cascade Pichon have continued to go to school this last week while many schools closer to the capital have had to postpone classes. Cascade Pichon is rural enough that the protests have not yet affected them heavily. Nurse Maryse is also still going through her medical rotation in the southeast, however it is becoming increasingly difficult for her to travel and do her work because of fuel shortages throughout the country.
In many ways, being a rural and mountainous village has made life more difficult for those in Cascade Pichon. But we are thankful in this moment for the safety that the distance from Port-au-Prince gives our friends. We pray that our friends remain safe, and that peace would be ushered in by the Haitian protestors and the Haitian government.
Haiti is struggling right now. We're asking for prayer.
A precursor: I hesitate to write this, because I view part of my role as breaking down stereotypes that Westerners have of Haitians. In the wrong light, information like this can perpetuate stereotypes that do more harm to Haitian's pride and independence than any social turmoil or poverty can. But I feel out of transparaceny and care, it is also my job to inform you of recent events in Haiti. I pray that we can all look upon these events as manifestations of broken relationships and evil in our world, and not as the justification some of us want to convince ourselves that "people get what they deserve." There's a word in Haitian Creole called degaje. Degaje means to "make do with what you have." In many ways, this has been the motto of Haitian life since the beginning of their independence. But I've been asking myself recently, how do you make do with what you have, if what you have is practically nothing?
Since this last March, Haiti has been thrust into their newest chapter of political turmoil. And in the last two weeks, the palpable tension has been rising in the capitol of Port au Prince. The country is experiencing a major fuel shortage because the government is behind on paying oil companies back for previously used gasoline. This, along with a 19% inflation rate in the national currency, and in-fighting in the Haitian senate, has sparked widespread protests. Principal Chango told me today that school in Cascade Pichon has not been affected by the protests yet, and we hope that it stays that way. And as far as we know, Nurse Maryse is still doing her medical rotation throughout the southeast, though we are trying to contact her right now.
If the Haitian government can ratify a new prime minister and national budget soon, they will be able to access loans from the International Monetary Fund that they desperately need to resume social normalcy. We pray that Haitian leaders are able to step up and help their citizens. A Haitian friend of mine (one of the best people I know) told me yesterday that he feels "useless," and that he is ashamed of his country right now. One must know the past 200 years of exploitation the world has thrust upon Haiti before they can adequately judge what is happening there now, but we also recognize that sometimes we wish our politicians would be better leaders than they are. If I was Haitian, I would probably be protesting too.
I'm asking you all to pray for Haiti if you can. I'm not sure what else we can do right now, I am just praying that our friends can find a way to degaje in the midst of all of this hurt. Even though they don't have much.
- Shay Foster
Annual Soccer Tourney!
Another summer soccer tourney in the S/E! Thanks to everyone for helping us pull this off with Heart to Heart Haiti and others.
Future
This week we helped some friends (pictured here) from Cascade Pichon attend a training for a program called Mutual Solidarity (MUSO). The program allows Haitians to take out loans from their own communities with low interest rates and start their own businesses!
MUSO has had tremendous economic success in southeast Haiti over the last few years, already generating tens of thousands of dollars in Haitian currency. We’re very exited for where it could take our community of Cascade Pichon!
Why do we do what we do?
Why do we go back year after year to the same communities that we’ve been in relationship with since our first trip to Haiti? Because we believe that real development and change happens through relationships, and not simply through charity.
One of our core beliefs is that our Haitian brothers and sisters are ultimately going to be the ones who bring themselves out of poverty. We must remember this. They are the masters of their destiny, and we’re just here do to life with them. Every single “project” that we have been a part of at LQVE was initiated by a Haitian community reaching out with a dream. We then come alongside our Haitian family and attempt to materialize this dream together. It is crucial for us to continue to understand that Haitians make their own development decisions, and we cannot get in the way of that in the name of fundraising or good intentions. Our role is to continue making friendships in Haiti, and to be a supporter and encourager for our friends to chase their already existent dreams.
Thank You!
The books are finished up for 2018. Thanks to everyone for another great year. Over 20K went directly to Haitian nurses, and teachers. (And an additional 20K went into the Haitian economy because of our trip there last year.)
There are so many things we want to do in the future. Thank you for partnering with us in this very complex endeavor. BTW, you know it's complex to work with folks a couple of thousand miles away, and a whole culture away, right? But, we're still at it!
Blessings everyone!
Fully Human
We give, serve, go, and pray because others need our involvement, but also because we need to be involved. It's possible that the thing most often overlooked in the work we do with Haiti (and the work all humans do in helping others everywhere) is that the one serving needs to serve as much as the one receiving the gift needs the gift! To be fully human one has to find ways to give away power.
Cascade Pichon
Schoolgirls in Haiti
School girls in S/E Haiti. Photo cred: Dylan Aebersold
Providing Care Kits
KC people, Thursday, March 7 over the lunch hour, LQVE is partnering up with Kansas City’s premier co-working company, Plexpod, to build some care kits for people in Haiti. If you’ve got travel size soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, washcloth, bandaids, and biodegradable plastic bags (no bigger than 3 gallons) let us know! The team will take them down when they go the second week of March.
Another Trip!
Our next group of college students preparing for another amazing trip to Haiti! We’re thankful for their investment. Please pray for them. They’ll be in Haiti in March.
NEW RE Store Supporting LQVE this Weekend
RE is opening a new store in the CrossRoads District, downtown KC. 10% of sales throughout their grand opening weekend goes to support LQVE. KC people go check em out!
Plug LQVE into your amazon smile account!
The Real Struggle
Some of us engaged in struggles for social justice have been incredibly naive about what has been happening in our own psyches. Our very identities are often defined by our resistance to evil. It’s our way of feeling good about ourselves: if we are against evil, we must be good. The impatience of some activists with prayer, meditation, and inner healing may itself betray an inkling of what they might find if they looked within. For the struggle against evil can make us evil, and no amount of good intentions automatically prevents its happening. The whole armor of God that Ephesians 6: 10– 20 counsels us to put on is crafted specifically to protect us against that contagion of evil within our own souls, and its metals are all forged in prayer.
Walter Wink. The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium
Giving Tuesday Nov 27, 2018
One of LQVE’s biggest days of the year is Giving Tuesday. You’ll be hearing more about it, but because Facebook waves all fees on that particular day, it winds up being a good time to give! We’ve got lots of things planned for LQVE HAITI this coming year (More soccer, more help with teachers, more medicine, finishing up the latest clinic, etc…) We’ll need your help. Thanks for putting Nov 27 on your calendar.
“Our” Nurse Maryse saw 170 people last month in the clinics at Cascade and Bel Airre. 25 of them were less than five years old. There’s no guarantee that any of them would’ve had access to healthcare without our partnership with Heart to Heart International
Newest Clinic Taking Shape
It's really amazing to be a part of something from the ground up. Scroll down a few blog posts to see what this site looked like just a couple of months ago. Now, it's a new healthcare clinic for Nurse Maryse and the people of Bel Arrie, and almost ready to be occupied. Thank you everyone for supporting our work. And don't stop. People's lives are being impacted. (Haitians and Americans!)
Arriving Home from another Great Trip!
Honored to be a part of another amazing trip to Haiti. We worked, and swam, and painted, and sweat, and laughed, and served. I don't know what else someone would want on a trip. Thanks everyone who supported us, financially and in prayer. Please don't stop. Keep giving. The need is huge.
Preparing for another LQVE trip
Shay's back in Haiti with Frantz preparing for the rest of us arriving Monday, July 16, which just happens to be Quincy's birthday. Frantz not smiling is a rare photo. Obviously, they're trying to be cool.
Kids in the Caribbean
Photo cred: RhythmKC