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Information about Pichon, a remote village in southeast Haiti
Updates are below. Most recent posted Wed, 16 Oct 2006, from David Smith
(click here to quick link)
Pictures (click
on image to enlarge)
This was taken at the end of November. I understand
that the large cement slab that the school is built upon really helped
it survive the floods last May. It is still an open question about
whether any expansion should be in this location or elsewhere.
Updates & News
------- posted Wed, 16 Oct 2006 -- from David Smith
Dear Friends and Family,
Attached is the Fall 2006 newsletter for Education for Prosperity. After many turbulent months in Haiti, some affecting us personally, things appear to be quieting a bit. Two EfP board members were scheduled to visit Lekol Pa Nou in August but were advised that the situation in Haiti was too unstable. Our revised hope is that a December visit will be possible.
The good news is that sixth grade was added in September, keeping our growth plans right on schedule. Enrollment at the school now stands at 45 pre-schoolers and 90 elementary school students.
As always, we are grateful for your support and encouragement.
With warmest regards, David
-------posted Wed. 10 May 2006 -- from Emmalee Ashland
Article on Haiti from the Monday 1 May 2006 Seattle Times
“Dozens live on émigré's largess” (click here)
-------posted Fri. 23 Feb. 2006 -- from Haiti project
director Lou (Liné) Balthazar
Note from Liné Balthazar to our U.S. contact,
David Smith, with Pichon teachers' pictures (click
here)
-------Sun, 7 Aug 2005 -- from David Smith
Dear Colleagues,
Our new non-profit, Education for Prosperity, is up
and running, continuing the support for Haiti and getting our newsletter
systems in place. This issue is probably a bit longer than future
issues will be, but it is attached for your reading enjoyment.
(click here to dowload the Newsletter of May-June-2005.pdf)
We are constantly amazed by the widening circle of
friends and supporters who have taken a keen interest in the children
of Pichon and will be sharing highlights of their stories. Each
one contributes to the success of Lekol Pa Nou ("Our School").
Best wishes to all
-------Thu, 21 Apr 2005 -- from David Smith
Yes, activities in Pichon are still progressing, despite
civil and environmental disturbances. There are a few new photos
on the web site that show the aftermath of May 2004 flooding and
October 2004 scenes of the school:
http://homepage.mac.com/dlsmith19/PhotoAlbum1.html
Click on "more photos" link at the top of
that page to see the second album.
-------Mon, 20 Dec 2004 -- from David Smith
The newsletter is legit but it is too large a file,
I fear. It is seven pages and has a number of photographs, many
of which were taken by Pierre and my next door neighbor in Haiti
over Thanksgiving. We have been reorganizing our efforts here in
Michigan and are moving from the Peace Education Center fiscal agent
to our own non-profit which is called "Education for Prosperity."
We now have our own board and are learning to work together and
harmonize our respective strengths. This will take a while, I'm
sure.
Conditions in Haiti changed dramatically this year,
Maggie. I doubt that I can capture it all. I don't even comprehend
it all and I certainly have not figured it out yet. Civil and political
disturbances quite aside, the unprecedented environmental disasters
have brought about serious dislocations. Here are some of the key
items:
Years of cutting trees to make charcoal to sell for
cooking in overpopulated Port-au-Prince has led to 98% deforestation
of Haiti.
On May 23, 2004 the southwest corner of Haiti was
hit with a tropical storm which, because of the lack of trees or
other vegetation to hold the water, resulted in a severe flash flood
throughout the area. Tons of topsoil, rocks and trees swept into
and through Pichon. People climbed trees or the roofs of their houses
to escape. About 20 people died. Neighboring Mapou was at the bottom
of the valley instead of on the slope like Pichon. It was under
30 feet of water and an estimated 1,000 people died there. Belle-Anse,
the nearby town where we stay during our visits, is now inundated
with starving, begging refugees who are straining limited resources
to the max.
A dozen international aid agencies came to the area
to provide disaster relief. They gave away tents, food, medicine,
water, an appropriate response to a critical disaster. The unfortunate
and unintended consequences are that people once again learned to
be dependent on outside resources for their survival. One report
suggests that the local capacity that we have striven to build over
the past five years has eroded and that people are calling for us
to build a better school for them. That is a plausible scenario,
but I will want to see and hear for myself. I want to believe that
all those tender grass-roots could not have washed away with the
topsoil.
The floods also have made already rugged roads even
more brutal. Loulou and Nadia's truck has been virtually destroyed
traveling back and forth from Port-au-Prince to Pichon.
The aid agencies don't stay long. They move on to
the next urgent crisis. They did not have long to wait. In August
a hurricane devastated northern Haiti. You probably read the headlines
about the thousands who perished in Gonaive. The people who live
in the southeast are pretty much left behind, their hastily installed
shelters and new water lines reportedly in areas that will be vulnerable
to floods expected to come with the next rainy season in May-June.
Concerns are that the stage is set for yet another disaster.
In all this, the school was spared and still stands.
Fourth grade was added this fall and enrollment is now up to 200,
which is beyond the capacity of the existing structures. Our dilemma
now is figure out the most constructive response. Certainly we need
to maintain our commitments to cover the $1,200 per month operating
expenses in Haiti. We also need to expand a capital budget to purchase
a proper vehicle to provide necessary links between P-au-P and Pichon.
If the Balthazars cannot get to Pichon, they cannot pay teachers,
they cannot train teachers, they cannot oversee curriculum development,
they cannot provide the encouragement and hope inherent in Pichon
being reliably connected to the outside world.
Now, should we raise money to double the size of the
current school? (I'll send you a photo of it that Pierre took in
November.) That would make for better learning environments for
students, but would it also reinforce an identity of dependence?
Would it further inculcate a negative belief in Pichon that they
lack the ability to help themselves and it is the responsibility
of outsiders to care for them? The school is actually located in
a vulnerable area. Should we relocate it to a safer area or redesign
it in some way to withstand floodwaters?
The only strategy I can come up with (yet untested
by other's views) is that we consult with parents and local leaders
about a two year plan to double the size of the school, either at
the present site or a safer one. In the mean time, we could ask
them to build temporary structures out of bamboo and palm leaves
immediately while we raise funds for a larger permanent structure.
This approach would give the local people an authentic and important
role to play in solving the problem and set in motion outside resources
for future expansion. Perhaps it would convey the message once again
that we are partners in service to OUR children and THEY have a
critical role to play in this partnership.
This is all so complicated, Maggie. We wish only to
be guided to do the right thing. Resources are definitely needed,
but so is their wise and thoughtful use. Let's stay in touch. Ask
questions about things that I have failed to make clear. Make suggestions
where you and your friends may see a new approach. And finally,
know that we all value the friendship, support and encouragement
we receive from the Phinney Chorus. God bless!
-------Thurs 4 Mar2004: Maggie gives a note on Ecole
Pa Nou. I am making an effort to keep up with the situation and
our contacts here and in Haiti to determine the efficacy of our
involvement at this turbulent time. ON the one hand, more help is
needed now than ever. On the other hand, can our contributions reach
their
destination? I will keep you posted.
Haiti Newsletter document 
(right-click to download Haiti.newsletter.win04.pdf)
Pichon Facts document
(right-click to download PichonFacts1.24.04.pdf) |
