There is nothing like waking up to the sound of a pious procession walking and singing through the damp streets of downtown Jacmel. We all gather on the balcony and watch in awe. I loooooooooove this scene unfolding beneath us. The usual morning traffic of trucks, tuk-tuks and motor-taxi and their incessant honking replaced by a beautiful chorus of voices. I can’t help but get teared-up. Moments like these are few and far between in this place. All the hardships we’ve had and problems we keep encountering when trying to do our work are tiring. So this morning was healing in a way. Nice to feel hope and happiness for a change.
Things with the Olive Tree Projects are standing still. Waiting for the furniture to arrive so we can get this clinic started and Sara has been adamant about not beginning any clinical activities until we have an adequate set-up and I completely respect her decision.
My mantra for this journey to Haiti has been: expect nothing and prepare for anything.
I came to Jacmel to help with the Olive Tree Projects. I’m still involved but the work that I am doing for them is nothing like what I had prepared myself for. However, what I am learning is just as valuable. My journey takes me in a completely different direction as I walk through the door of the big pink house on Portail Leogane street on March 17th, 2010. Meet Susan and the other volunteer midwives. Work in the big white dome clinic and see woman after woman for prenatal care. Bumi Sehat Haiti. Next thing I know, I am living in this amazing home, sharing in the work with a crew of eccentric but passionate people, getting a better understanding of where I have landed.
Kelly, the executive director arrives from the Okanagan on March 21st, a fellow BC midwife I click with right awat. The energy of this place changes completely and it feels good to have her presence. Get right down to business on Monday morning and next thing I know, I am knee deep in politics, administration and staffing issues. Totally not what I expected to be doing here. Far from it actually. I was open to helping in whichever way would be needed but this mandate was definitely not something I thought I would have to open myself to. I struggled for the next 48hrs trying to figure out whether or not I could take this mandate on. I came very close to just packing my bags and coming home. So what could be so bad that I was ready to pack up and say goodbye?
Bumi Sehat has been in Haiti for 6 weeks now. The dome tent that serves as a clinic and birthing center was inaugurated less than 2 weeks after the team’s arrival. Talk about hitting the ground running. Prenatal care and primary care for children under 3yrs old. The space just opened for births and thus far we have had 5 (all boys) and expecting many more as the word spreads in the community. It’s all good except for what is going on in the background. Kelly finds out that the location they had picked for the dome is not in a regular tent city, it is in the most infamous tent city of Jacmel. A real ghetto. And so we struggle to integrate this community of hard people. Lots of drama, fights, and threats after a few of our workers are laid off. Our security was never an issue but the dome suffered some damage in the midst of this all and we learned some valuable lessons. It’s been 5 days now and the ambiance has completely changed. Lots of meetings and talks later, I believe we have found peace here. Lots of issues with work ethic, professionalism and pride. Haiti’s issues run deeper than any earthquake and every organization trying to establish itself within communities will find similar challenges. Long term sustainability means counting on having a majority of Haitians working for the organization and less and less expatriate volunteers. It will be a challenge to find workers that will be responsible enough to complete their mandates without supervision. We have a few already and our next step will be to make sure that the community in the tent city understands that we are only here to help and that their collaboration is the key to enable our project to do the good it was meant to do.
Back to Good Friday. The afternoon clinic is open, although not many patients come as it is a holiday. I take this quiet time to finalize inventory and stock. I’m working on making prenatal booklets for our many women right now. And this week, I continue with the teaching workshops. Looking forward to seeing our motivated community educators again. A beautiful gang of very bright university students that will be qualified to teach health workshops at our clinic and in their own communities after they complete their training with us.
After a good days work, 3 of us head out to the countryside for “ra-ra”. After carnival (mardis gras in March), communities organize ra-ra’s each and every day for the 40 days of lent. This year, the government has banned ra-ra’s but there are still some happening and Reggie takes us to his grandfather’s village to ra-ra away the evening. Imagine a crowd of 50 people, starting at one location, much like a parade with a band and band leader. Marching to the beat of the drum. Start at the cemetery, lots of rhum being spat onto the graves of the elders. Then the music starts and we walk to the next location. Going from door to door. The crowd getting bigger and bigger and we just follow their cue. Hours later, we part ways and walk home, still feeling the rhythm of the drums in our systems.
It’s been quiet on the birthing front. A few peaceful births here and there. Our prenatal clinic is getting busier and busier which means, we will soon be experiencing an exponential rise in births as we build a larger clientele. Stay tuned…
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