By Karen Wienberg | Chair, Board of Directors
October 4 marked the first anniversary of the catastrophic Hurricane Matthew that devastated Haiti's southern peninsula. Students – who had just returned to school – lost everything connected to their education: books, uniforms, shoes, and even school buildings. This year, we were able to register even MORE children and youth in school – many for the first time ever! Simond's family lives in a village in the remote countryside, only accessible for our staff by motorcycle. We met his family in July. Simond, 8 years old, bright and enthusiastic, had not thought of school being an option for him. Yet, here is his, going to school proudly in his uniform, backpack over his shoulders with his school books and supplies!
School books arrive to LFBS office. Our staff are putting LFBS stamps on them, ensuring children and families understand that we are lending them the books and they must return the next year. If they don't return them they will not be lent new books again. Responsibility is part of the education too and responsible expenditures are a key part of LFBS operations. Tutoring continues at our Transitional Safehouses providing encouragement for those new to school. Our Tutor is a University student and his wages help him with those expenses. Win-win-win!
We recently had a young woman graduate as a school teacher! This was one of the youth who was in the horrific orphanage our Head of Haiti Operations lived in during 2011, and was instrumental in having shut down. How amazing to see this young woman become a teacher! The possibilities are real.
Our Staff are also continuously increasing their knowledge and expertise. A partner organization, Lumos, hosted a training, “Reinforcing the Resilience of Adolescents and their Families”. One of LFBS senior staff attended the training in Port au Prince, and he then duplicated the training for the rest of our team in Les Cayes. We’ve been applying some of the tools learned through this training in meetings with the children and youth as well. How incredibly applicable this is to our work and lives - we are surrounded by remarkable resilience.
LFBS Head of Haiti Operations, Morgan, was a presenter/participant at the Family Preservation Symposium held in Port au Prince in September. Her presentation focused on: “It's not just about orphanage transition but about investing in families.” Morgan and two staff members also attended Ansanm Pou Ayiti (Non-Profit and NGO Summit "The Effectiveness of Aid") in Port au Prince, October 19 to 21. This event was opened by the Prime Minister of Haiti. What a wonderful, much-needed event discussing innovative solutions to more effective methods of supporting Haitians, and bringing government officials into an open discussion with NGOs. INTERESTING POINT: of all NGOs working in Haiti, only 4% are in regions outside of Port au Prince (where there is tremendous development need, and where LFBS work is focused).
Building a local knowledge base and capacity in rural communities is critical to true change. Our staff once again coordinated and participated in community training offerings in rural regions of Randell and Tiburon to raise awareness about the Rights of the Child and to engage local people in basic ideas, discussion, and how to take action to prevent violence and sexual assault. Every one of these targeted training sessions we have provided this year has resulted in communities setting up their own systems for follow-up and community self-monitoring. Our partners with Haiti's IBESR (Social Services) and the Working Group for Child Protection (GTPE) assist with facilitation, and One Hundred for Haiti provided funds to make it happen.
When possible, we have continued to rebuild houses of families in remote communities. SO many lost their homes during Hurricane Matthew. The families are completely involved in preparing the base and assisting with construction. Some home locations are far up rural mountain areas, requiring all of the building supplies and tools to be carried up steep, rocky trails!
LFBS Medical team continue to provide medical care to those who would not otherwise be able to access it. We have our own pharmacy and the team travels and sets up Medical Outreach Clinics in various communities. Just days ago, in the impoverished community of Renaud, the three doctors saw over 90 children during the two day clinic!
Just a glimpse into all that is going on! Our 2016/17 Annual Report will be available on our website soon.
Thank you for supporting us and making this possible!
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