It'll never be enough when billion after billion of dollars continue to be poured into a nation with 80% illiteracy, 56% unemployment, a history of government corruption and no real effort is made to reform its infrastructure. It's worse when that money never makes it into the hands of Haitians but is instead going towards administrative and living costs of international workers. It'll never be enough when thousands of pounds of food continue to be brought into in a country where agriculture is non-existent and deforestation is rampant. It amounts to nothing at all when Haitians are never asked what it is they need/want but are instead subjected to what is thought to be best for them. History from the last three decades has taught us that these approaches don't work. Is the world insane then, to be witnessing the exact same things and expecting different results?

No. We, as Haitians are. We still sit and wait for everyone else to tell us what to do. We're content with the overseas rice and consumer products that continue to flood our markets. We're more passionate about Brazil and Argentina than about our kids' education. We weren't bothered by the heaps of trash and waste on our block as long as it was not in front of our house and we're quickly becoming used to the pile of rubble across the street. We complain that it's never enough instead of saying "enough is enough!"

365 days later and the world is measuring success by what international organizations have done. Progress ought to be measured by how many of our Haitian brothers and sisters use pick axes, shovels, wheelbarrows and sometimes their bare hands to clear the rubble- and waste-strewn streets of their neighborhoods. It's progress when we don't wait for anyone to tell us what to do but come up with plans to rebuild our collapsed homes, hospitals and schools better. It's progress when we realize that for as long as we live, no one will care more about Haiti than us. It's progress when we put our differences aside and realize that when we unite we become stronger and achieve more than the rest of the world combined.

We, Haitians, are the silver lining Haiti needs right now. The earthquake may have broken our limbs, toppled our landmarks, destroyed our fledgling economy, compounded our needs for solid infrastructure, claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of our loved ones. But it hasn't crushed our resolve to see a renewed Haiti.

It's our duty. Now, more than ever.

It all started with Toussaint L'Ouverture, a self educated former slave. After England and Spain invaded Haiti (then called Saint-Domingue and 100% controlled by the French), he made a pact with France to fight the Spaniards and British off the island. The man was a military genius. He managed to train an ALL-slave army, expelled the invading forces and gave control back to France. The slaves were freed.

Toussaint went on to issue Haiti's 1st constitution in 1801. The French weren't having it so Napoléon Bonaparte sent a large expeditionary force to restore French rule. Toussaint was promised his freedom but was deceived. He was seized by the French and shipped to France. He died imprisoned at Fort-de-Joux. His famous last words: "En me renversant, ils n'ont abattu que le tronc de l'arbre de la liberté. Il repoussera par les racines car elles sont profondes et nombreuses." (They've only felled the trunk of the tree of freedom. It will regrow because its roots are numerous and deep). 

When it became clear to all Haitians that the French were bent on re-establishing slavery, the revolution erupted. From 1801 to 1803, battle after battle was fought. On November 18, 1803, the last of the French forces were defeated and on January 1st, 1804, exactly two hundred and seven years ago, Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared Haiti a free republic. The first black-led nation in the world and the only country whose independence stemmed from a successful slave rebellion. 

What does that have to do with pumpkin soup? Everything!!! All throughout their reign of terror, the French forbade all Haitians from drinking pumpkin soup. It was considered a delicacy far too sophisticated for the palate of slaves. Therefore as a symbol of freedom, all Haitians, no matter where we are on the planet, drink pumpkin soup (soup joumou) every January first since 1804.

It's a day the whole world should remember and celebrate. The best and most authentic recipe is below. Enjoy and Happy Haitian Independence Day!!!

What role did you play? What did you tweet or use Facebook? Did you post to gather support for an organization? What information did you retweet/repost? How long before that had you used twitter/facebook?

This is not to give yourself a measly pat on the back by recounting your glory days. But it's a public standing ovation to the hero in each of you. Thank you.

Amongst the hundreds of thousands of lives lost in Haiti's tragic earthquake, there were artists, students, teachers, christians, business people, politicians, cops, rich, poor, young, old. They along with the millions of internally displaced must remind us that we all share a same world and a same destiny. The lessons learned must reflect in our decisions and actions to respond for the better to the risks posed by poverty, injustice, exclusivity, division and exploitation. That we shouldn't take our loved ones, our possessions, even our own lives for granted. 

As you look back over 2010, how has the earthquake in Haiti affected you? Or has anything 2010 affected your life, for better or worse? 

At the time of this writing, 53 people are confirmed dead from a cholera outbreak in Central Haiti. But this post is not to regurgitate a news story but hopefully help save countless thousands from the same fate, whether Haitians or international relief/development workers in Haiti. This is a summary of information tweeted, retweeted, gathered from Dr Jo at CAMEJO and Dr Suréna of the Haiti Bureau de La Protection Civile (Haiti Civil Protection Bureau) on phone calls.

Cholera is a pathological infection of the small intestine by the vibrio cholerae strain that causes an enormous amount of diarrhea. In fact, once incubated (short incubation period), the diarrhea inflicted can kill in as little as 1 to 2 hours. It's transmitted in only one way: orally and can spread throughout the entire island quickly. You can find a lot of information about it here - https://health.google.com/health/ref/Cholera. Translate to Creole, print, reprint, and spread the word. It's a 100% human pathogen, animals don't contract the disease.

Here's a summary of how to fight it.

Treatment

Simple: Rehydrate. NOT water, but IV solution. Preferably Ringer Lactate if you have access to it. Most will die of dehydration because they don't have access to a hospital. If you do and have Ringer Lactate, PLEASE distribute to homes and throughout the homeless camps. The diarrhea is so acute that it's akin to water coming out of your anorectal extremities. The ONLY way to survive is to get hooked to IV QUICKLY. The electrolytes will replace what you're losing even as you're losing them.

A treatment of antibiotics by a medical professional is HIGHLY recommended beyond rehydration.

Haitians LOVE them some seròm oral. It's important to note that in this case it will not help much.

Prevention

Primary Edict / One and ONLY rule: Watch EVERYTHING you put in your mouth.

Nursing mothers need to continue breastfeeding their infants. Human milk has several components that inactivate the cholera toxin. Infant formula is very risky in areas with water contaminated with this toxin.

Drink ONLY potable water. That means either purified, boiled, filtered, with chlorox added. But in Haiti, your best bet is to probably boil the HECK out of your drinking water.

Flies, cockroaches and other insects carry it. So DO NOT store food over night. Eat all your food HOT, right off the chaudières.

AVOID shaking people's hands. If you do, Wash your hands thoroughly and the right way. http://www.cdc.gov/features/handwashing/

Have disinfectants with you at ALL times. Always disinfect what you're about to touch. Always disinfect bathrooms and out houses.

Keep your hands clean at ALL times.

***KREYÒL****

Prevansyon

Yon sèl bagay ki kab fè ou pa gen kolera: VEYE TOUT SA OU METE NAN BOUCH OU.

Bwè SÈLMAN dlo potab. Sa vle di fòk dlo a oswa pirifye, bouyi, filtre, ou byen ak kloròks ladann. An Ayiti, meyè chwa ke ou genyen se bouyi dlo a jiskaske ou touye mikwòb ki ka ladann.

Manman ti bebe dwe kontinye bay tete. Let tete gen plizye bagay ki kapab dezaktive mikwob kolera a. Pa pran chans fe let bibon nan zonn kote dlo a kontamine ak mikwob kolera sa a.

Nursing mothers need to continue breastfeeding their infants. Human milk has several components that inactivate the cholera toxin. Infant formula is very risky in areas with water contaminated with this toxin.

Mouch, ravèt ak lòt insèkt ka ba ou kolera tou. PA SERE manje pou demen. Manje tout manje'w CHO, lè'l fèk sòti sou dife.

Evite bay moun lanmen. Si'w fè sa pa erè, lave men'w BYEN lave.

Toujou mache avèk dezenfektan. Dezenfekte TOUT bagay ou manyen. Dezenfekte twalèt ak latrinn.

TOUJOU kenben men'w pwòp.

***FRANCAIS****

Prévention

Une seule loi pour s'écarter de la choléra: Faîtes attention à TOUT ce que vous mettez dans la bouche.

Buvez SEULEMENT de l'eau potable. L'eau doit être ou bien purifiée, bouillie, filtrée, ou contenir du chlorox. En Haïti, le meilleur choix serait probablement de bouillir l'eau jusqu'à ce que les microbes meurent.

Mamans, continuez de donner du lait de sein a votre enfant. Le lait humains contient plusieurs elements qui peuvent desactiver le microbe de cholera. Ne prenez pas la chance de donner du lait formula dans les zones ou l'eau fut contaminee.

Les mouches, les ravets et autres insectes sont porteurs du microbe responsable de la choléra. Ne STOCKEZ pas votre nourriture pour le lendemain. Mangez tout chaud, à peine sorti du four ou la chaudière.

Évitez de secouer la main des gens. Si vous le faîtes par erreur, il faut BIEN vous les laver. 

Ayez du désinfectant avec vous. Désinfectez tout ce que vous touchez et surtout vos mains. Désinfectez les toilettes hygiéniques ou les latrines.

Tenez vos mains TOUJOURS propres.

***ITALIANO****

Prevenzione

Prima e unica regola: attenzione a QUALUNQUE cosa mettiate in bocca.

Bevete SOLO acqua potabile. Il chè significa disinfettata, tramite bollitura o aggiungendo cloro. In Haiti la cosa più indicata è bollire l'acqua affinché il batterio muoia.

Zanzare e altri insetti trasmettono l'infermità. Quindi non conservate il cibo, cuocetelo e consumatelo caldo, appena tolto dai fornelli.

Evitate di dare la mano alla gente. Se lo fate, lavatevi le mani in modo corretto.

Tenete le mani pulite SEMPRE

Today, dreaming of a Haiti that's not only restored, but better, stronger, bigger, also seems impossible. 20% of the landmass is affected. 80% of the economy collapsed. 1.5 million people lost their homes, hundreds of thousands died and tens of thousands are physically, emotionally injured and barely surviving. Roads, in already abysmal conditions before the earthquake, are splayed open. The few hospitals on which hundreds of thousands depended, collapsed. The Senate, House of Representatives, Palais National, are all in a heap of rubble. It's 8 months later and the Haitian diaspora and international community are disillusioned. Money is mismanaged, red tape and bureaucracy seem to take precedence over saving lives and reconstruction. Many have unconsciously sided with Pat Robertson, resigning themselves to the fact that Haiti may indeed be cursed after all.

But it's imperative that we too, dare to dream. That the tens of thousands of survivors will NO longer go without quality medical care. That every Haitian citizen will have access to education, healthcare, food, clean water, energy and technology. That the virtually nonexistent electrical grid is replaced with clean solar and wind energy. That Haiti stops being the Republic of NGO's. That Haiti stops being the Republic of Port-au-Prince and decentralizes its services and population. That it relies on JOBS and NOT aid. That its 1 in 6 sons and daughters living abroad would stop remitting 2 billion dollars a year but use that money to buy AND build the country back. That the epithet of "poorest country of the Western hemisphere" is soon replaced with the former and more apt "Pearl of the Caribbean" appellation! I dare dream that one day, Haitians will rise to the challenge set by their forefathers. That united, we are indeed strong. That united, nothing is impossible. That united, we can and WILL rebuild our country! That Haiti stops being a destination for missionaries but for tourism to be one of the largest and fastest growing segments of the economy. That it becomes the true mecca of the Caribbean. That the 250,000 deaths from the unprecedented catastrophe of January 12th are a wake up call, a call to action for a nation that has for far too long fallen prey to complacency and corruption. 

Keep the dream alive, don't give up on Haiti.

What's your dream?

Renewal 4 Haïti is a charitable tax exempt 501(C)(3) organization, dedicated to improving the quality of life in Léogâne by participating in reconstruction efforts and providing support to infrastructure and indigenous organizations built by the community, for the community and sustained by the community.

Vision Statement

Positively change the lives of the population of Léogâne and surrounding regions by providing lasting support in the medical, educational, financial, spiritual and psychological areas.

Exciting things are happening in Haiti!!

      When reading the newspaper, watching television or listening to NPR, it is easy to become discouraged and wonder where all your financial donations have gone: we are assaulted with the idea that very little is changing in Haiti sine the earthquake (or, EVENT, as the experience is called in Haiti). In a country that has been riddled with hardships and corruption, this lack of change has more than a hint of truth. However, we, at Renewal 4 Haiti, have a different and hope filled story to tell.

     After our ad hoc group of 20 physicians, nurses, and other dedicated humanitarians served in Leogane 9 days after the Event, we returned to our comfortable homes and began to brainstorm on how to best serve that region of the globe.  We formed the nonprofit, and we have had wonderful success thanks to our families, friends and your support.

     We are a small band, supported by a growing number of people committed to improving the conditions in Leogane, Haiti. We have been successful in getting much- needed supplies to Leogane because we have a unique web of communication with the townspeople that are established in that Haitian community: the Drs Charles, Hilda and the Leogane nursing school have been a factor in improving sustainable health care in the region for over 27 years. Jodel Charles, a Haitian immigrant living in Aurora, has been blasting out communications to everyone who will listen, and has involved many different factions of support. We have asked for, and received, money and equipment for the Leogane area, which the Haitians have RECEIVED!

     We are able to be a direct conduit to Haiti because of our strong alliances on Haitian soil. We are also able to be effective because of our supporters in the states. Have an idea for improving the quality of life in Leogane? Call Jodel and he will say YES!

     Is sending school supplies to children your hearts passion? We will say YES! and offer a route to get your supplies in the hands of the children. We sent over 100 schoolbags, filled with supplies last month.

     Want to send your medical supplies? YES! We sent more than 600,000 pounds of medical supplies to Leogane since February2010. The supplies have come from our community: Aunt Sally’s nebulizer, Uncle Harry’s glucometer, dressings and oxygen equipment from Sugar Loaf FD, local physicians who are updating their offices.

     The bottom line is this: each one of us have been given a specialized skill- our skills vary, as do our personalities. We, at Renewal 4 Haiti, are dedicated to making a difference.

     However, we need YOU to help keep the progress moving forward. YOUR talent, what ever it is, will be instrumental to further the cause of improving a life, one day at a time.

     We need people who are natural organizers to help match volunteers to tasks. A few examples of skill sets:

Are you an event planner? Would you like to host a fundraiser for Renewal 4 Haiti?

Artist? Will you take your medium and sell for fund raising? Will you teach your art in Leogane? Will you make business cards for our tiny staff?

Researcher? Can you help evaluate a “needs assessment” and analysis of our progress?

Culinary guru?  Can you plan simple nutritious menus for our hospital cafeteria? Can your menu plan feed 400 people on a shoestring budget?

Optimist? Will you answer calls and injuries that we receive from the website?

Your individual gifts are always present within you- now you have an invitation to use them!

Thank you for considering us for your next donation (of time, money, energy).

TOGETHER WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!

There are so many amputees with infections coming to the hospital and having to turn them away makes no sense... We submitted the grant proposal to DRI and are crossing our fingers to see if we get the $25,000 out of the $50,000 we need for a solid operating room. We're also canvassing facebook and twitter nonstop and have raised $790 in three weeks! Depending on the grant and not doing anything while people are dying is not a good idea, which is why we haven't stopped asking. The quicker we get $50K, the sooner we head to Haiti and get the work done!