After three years after the devastating earthquake of 2010, Haiti is still suffering the after effects. There is a lot of debate about what has or has not been accomplished by the government, charitable organizations, etc. on the grand scale. Rebuilding Haiti is a frustrating concept when viewed from “the big picture.” But I can tell you that average Haitian families do struggle to make a difference every day. Progress and changes are happening in small communities. Hard-working individuals and industrious families have hopeful stories tell.
This is also what is happening in our parish community. Last year, we adopted the guiding principle: “Youn lafwa solid, pou youn kominote angaje.” It translates as: “A solid faith, for an engaging community.” So far it is being realized. The growing membership of the parish community is a visible sign of growing faith. Faith sustains the Haitian people. When you ask Haitian people, rich or poor, “How are you today?” there is only one generic response to it: “Pa pi mal, gras a Dye” (Not bad, thanks to God). Church is the Haitian place of refuge; faith is their strength. In the parish of St. Jude and St. Simon, we hope to utilize this faith as a means for change and to make a difference.
Last year, the parish developed a project called “Mouvman Manman Sen Jid yo” (Mothers of St. Jude Movement). The project provides support and assistance to mothers and women in the parish though a small-scale business program. These women engage themselves in small business ventures such as street vending of vegetables or selling barbeque at night; they also directly exchange clothes or other common household wares, etc. It empowers them to be self reliant and independent. They participate in a cooperative type savings program by then contributing to a weekly collection from their earnings. This is a tremendous resource enabling them to give assistance to and rely on each other. They also actively participate in health and hygiene promotion within the community. Last year these women were essential to our cholera awareness program. They got out into the community, going door to door, helping disseminate information on the seriousness and precautions surrounding cholera. Our parish community has had zero cases of cholera since the outbreak.
The parish social projects are also having a positive impact on the lives of many people in the parish. We initiated and opened a plastic recycling collection center. The biggest current threat to Haiti’s environment is the volume of plastic clogging the canals of Port au Prince, causing flooding during rainy times. These same clogged canals present the perfect breeding ground for all types of bacteria, creating a huge source of illnesses in Haiti. The plastic recycling collection center is collecting over 1000 pounds of plastic garbage each day. It has become a self-sustaining project, creating employment and livelihood for families in the community. On top of the positive environmental impacts, decrease of flood-damage losses property, and the reduction of contaminated water resources, it also provides a small income for anyone willing to collect plastics in the streets.
Our parish has also able to build a modest medical facility. The clinic was inaugurated and officially opened on July 22, 2012. Today, it constantly receives an average of twenty patients each day. Currently staffing the clinic is a medical student intern along with a few nurses from the parish who generously offer their services for free. The clinic currently provides HIV testing, pregnancy testing, regular monitoring of diabetics and those with high blood pressure problems. Sick people receive free medication from the pharmacy, where benefactors from the United States generously donate most of the medicines. The clinic is a mission clinic: open to receiving medical doctors, health practitioners and volunteers from the US who wish to come and help the Haitian people through medical care.
An exciting new project is being realized in the parish as well. It’s called “Greening Port-au-Prince: Rooftop Gardening.” This project was developed to transform urban rooftops into vegetable gardens. We currently have piloted two rooftops. We grow plants that are essential elements of the Haitian cuisine, like tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, eggplants, okra, squash, and various beans. Using old tires, metal barrels, used buckets, etc., we offer another method for families to see that there is so much that they really can do in their lives. This project is creating a lot of interest in the parish. It’s aimed at empowering families who are living in the slums of Port-au-Prince: enabling them to eke out some healthy sustenance and/or some modest income for their families.
With the constant generosity from our friends around the globe, this past year we were able to send about 150 children to school. We paid their tuition fees, and provided them with the necessary school supplies and uniforms. The cost of educating a child in Haiti is about $250 a year. We strongly believe that by providing a decent education to this younger generation, we are helping to provide Haiti with the chance for a better future.
These, and so many other realizations in the parish of St. Jude and St. Simon, are becoming stories of miracles, stories of faith and above all, they are stories of hope. Over the dozen years of my missionary work in Haiti, I have discovered one very important thing: to believe as our brothers and sisters in Haiti, that as long as we come together, there is always hope. That belief is bringing us the change we hope for in Haiti.
Andrew Labatorio, cicm
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Fr. Andrew Labatorio, cicm, is a native of the Philippines who joined Missionhurst-CICM in 1996 and was ordained in 2003. Doing mission work in Haiti since 2000, Fr. Andrew has been pastor of the parish of St. Jude & St. Simon in Delmas, situated in a huge inner-city slum area of Port-au- Prince, since 2005.
