Dispelling Fear, Hiking to Houses, and Quake Anniversary

The past two days were very successful! It's been reassuring to know that what we planned, based on everything we'd been reading online and in the kolera advisories.

We held three training sessions (1 at Kayiman, 2 Platon) with about 175 people including 20 leaders who were given large packets of materials including handouts, posters and sewom oral (ORS). Many people expressed appreciation. We also showed them how to use solar disinfection for water. They confirmed that the training helped dispel a lot of fear and they asked many good questions. They told us the UN landed a helicopter there last month and dropped off ONE -- yes, ONE, box of ORS!!! Nothing else and no info. The leaders we trained at both places represented a wide geographic area which is awesome! Even as far away a Zone Makaya.

Paul and Carli walked 7 miles in the mountains with two COTMA members and evaluated 45 houses for the Rain on the Roof project. That makes a total of 93. Now Paul will put all the info into a database. He also photographed all the houses. We'll put up a slideshow on the website once we return home. We plan to start with repair of 10 homes based on a meeting we'll have woth COTMA in about a month so we can develop a plan together. Mostly the houses are small (24' x 15') with an average of 6 people living there. All of the roofs are corrugated metal on wood rafters. Most of them have roofs that are rusted out, and some people are even living with completely missing panels altogether! We can't even imagine having to live like that! It puts living in tent cities in perspective. Paul said, "I'll remember this for a long long time!  Just to be able to go to 93 Haitian homes!  And then to imagine how they managed to build such large concrete cisterms in such remote locations ... How did they get the concrete up there?". They also found sinkholes and limestone caves that the Haitians said no one has never gone in. Their reaction was "why would you want to?"

Sadly we learned that Wislene has been returned to her family, but this time with an uncle. Her family made accusations about kidnapping. We suspect they were looking for the money we paid Pr Saurel for her food. So now she hasn't had her HIV meds since October. While hiking down from Platon she ran down the path when she saw us walk by near Leprete.  She's thin and less healthy looking but still smiling. 

We gave her what food we had in our backpacks. 

The election news is bad again. I explained to Amoce what a "shell game" is. That's what this feels like. It's quite probably going to blow up again. 

We stopped at AUC and got Ady's transcripts before heading home. 

It was a very full two days! :)