Bringing home Haiti's struggles

CORNWALL — When members of an Ashley Falls, Mass., church group head to Haiti this week, they will be among the few who are going as more than just an earthquake rescue mission.

Greenwoods Community Church members Lynn Eastman and Geri Lawrence are among those who have already established a relationship with villages there, through Partners With Haiti. They travel to Port-au-Prince, remote Marbial and up into the mountains on a regular basis to help communities — schoolchildren in particular. They shared a glimpse of their mission of help and hope with fourth-graders at Cornwall Consolidated School Feb. 11.

This week’s trip back will give the volunteers a firsthand look at how the villages have been impacted by the Jan. 12 quake. The Eastmans’ son and daughter-in-law, Tom and Rachel Pitot, are in Port-au-Prince on an extended mission, but no one will really know what the conditions are in the outlying areas until they arrive.

Lawrence read a brief letter to the children that she had received from one of the 28 Haitian students the church sponsors. It was written the day before the earthquake, a cheerful note from a grateful child.

“I have no idea how she is,� Lawrence told the class. “We have not heard from anyone since then.�

When Eastman, an artist, and Lawrence traveled with a group from their church last November, they spruced up a drab schoolroom by painting murals on the walls. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and their “cow pig� (produced by mistake) made a big difference.

The walls where those murals were drawn were destroyed in the quake.

Eastman told the Cornwall students that Haitian parents have to pay $3 per year for their children to attend school.

“Many of them just don’t have $3,� she said.

The Ashley Falls group helps sponsor children, so they can attend classes. One of the first children they sponsored is named Fritzner, who is now 11 years old and in the first grade.

On their last trip, the volunteers were able to offer a dental clinic. Many of the children sat on benches for most of a day waiting their turn. Teeth cleanings found lots of dirt and grit in their mouths. Eastman explained their mothers fashion dirt cookies, making them palatable with a little sugar and lard, to keep their children from being hungry.

Among the supplies they will bring on this trip are tarps and ropes to help construct makeshift homes. Even the few building still standing are not providing shelter to the earthquake victims. People are afraid to go inside.

“It would be easy to just send money,� Eastman said, explaining why they go. “We need to bring back pictures of their faces, and stories, so people can really know who they are helping. It has made a big difference.�

They will use some of the donated money to help Haitians start businesses, making and selling items to tourists.

“Our goal now is to get the schools going again,�Eastman said. “In the city, tent cities have arisen in the school compounds. It has become a real security issue. The plan is to move schools into tents in other areas.�