Good morning!  Today I'd like to give you a little history about where I am staying and what I will be doing in Haiti.  I will be staying at the Notre Maison Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  It was damaged during the earthquake a few years ago.  The orphanage has finally raised enough money to purchase land to build a new school and guest area.  Just this week a architect donated his time to draw up plans for the new buildings.  It will still be a long way off before anything gets done.

Land for future school

The woman who runs the orphanage name is Gertrude Bien Aime.  Gertrude is a nun with the Sisters of Charity.  She could have retired and settled down in sunny California but decided to stay in Haiti because there is so much to be done.

Gertrude

Most of the children at Notre Maison are disabled and we left abandoned by their parents.  They are well taken care of by Haitian standards but not even close to the proper care if they were in the United States. The little girl below was found abandoned in the streets.  She was taken to Notre Maison.  They do not know her name or anything about her past or her disabilities.  They gave her a toy and she didn't know what to do with it.

The orphanage must now care for her even though they do not have the money or room for her.  What do you think her life has been like so far?

A group from St. Louis came down and worked on water filtration.  This is what water in Haiti looks like.  The darkest one is the one the people drink, do wash and cook with.  It looks like a mud puddle.  This is why a lot of people in Haiti are sick because they do not have access to fresh and clean water.

Would you want to drink this water?  How about even the cleanest sample?  I am lucky enough to have clean, filtered and bottled water.

 

Ok, that's it for now.  Just some things to think about for the day.  If your class has a question, you can ask me and I'll try to find an answer.