Bassin Zim cave

Tracey King (right), a fellow mission co-worker stationed in Nicaragua, was at the Joining Hands meeting that MPP hosted at it's national training center in Papay, June 2nd, 3rd and 4th. After the meeting ended Thursday, Tracey stayed an extra couple of days with us. Friday, June 5th, after helping us lay out one cistern for the group, APB, Tracey spent the rest of the morning working with us on the cistern at Diamene's house. In the afternoon, we visited Bassin Zim waterfall and caves, with a couple of local friends, Frank (left) and Roger (middle).

A Great Trip--St. Vincent, St. Barnabas, MPTR, Caracol, SOIL, Limbe, Pix and Jayne

View of mountains and beach from the beach community of Phaeton, our first beach visit, this one courtesy of Paul Jean

Hey Friend,

Wanted to provide a the final installment of the trip six members of the Road to Life Yard* crew made in May and June (May 29th-June 2nd).

The main objectives for this trip were 1) Expose crew members to new ideas, new faces and other organizations; 2) Open up the possibility for other organization to connect with MPP (Mouvman Peyizan Papay--Farmer's Movement of Papay) in general, and the work of MPP's Road to Life Yard-Moringa project in particular; 3) Improve the sense of solidarity among crew members. This was an incredible trip, and we managed to do well with all three objectives.

The Road to Life Yard crew consists of ten men and three women, of which five could go on this trip. Veline Saintilmond (the assistant coordinator for the crew) and I made two. In addition, we selected three crew members based on both the quality of the work they are doing as part of their job, but also based on the quality of work they are doing in their own yards. We selected Wilus Exil, Marimode St. Amour and Agame Elfraïs (see photo 1).

We had been talking about the possible itinerary for this trip since last year, but the timing and impetus for doing the trip at the end of May was in order to connect with Pix Mahler and Jane Carney while they were visiting some of the same places and faces as us. Our first stop, after leaving Papay-Hinche at around 4:00 AM Friday, May 29th, was Fundation Vincent (St. Vincent Foundation) in Cape Haitian, about four hours more or less straight north (Google Earth Coordinates: 19°44' 32.80" W, 72°12'58.58").

Photo 1

The crew, together with friends from Papay who are currently students in St. Vincent-Don Bosco Agricultural School in Cape Haitian. Behind: Veline Saintilmond (assistant coordinator for crew), Raymond (friend and student at St. Vincent), Marimode St. Amour (crew member, responsible for marketing production), Renel (friend and student at St. Vincent), Agame Elfraïs (crew member, assistant for data entry for crew), Fenes (MPP driver, assigned to the Road to Life Yard's truck). In Front: Wilus Exil (crew member, member of committee responsible for crew's chicken production), Janack (friend and student at St. Vincent).

At St. Vincent, we were met by friends from Papaye studying at the institution--Raymond, Renel and Janack. They introduced us to the director of the agricultural program, who was expecting us. We spent around two hours with the director, who explained the goals and objectives of the program, and also showed us the installations. It was good to make the connection with St. Vincent, and learn about some of their requirements for the students--they are pretty strict. The program seems to have a strong focus on both practical and theoretical aspects of agriculture, but based on what we saw, they are not as strong as they could be in practical application of the techniques they teach.

Photo 2

St. Barnabas agricultural school, Terrier Rouge

After eating lunch in Cape Haitian, we headed east towards the Dominican border, stopping about half-way, outside of Terrier Rouge, at another agricultural institution, St. Barnabas (Google Earth coordinates: 19°38' 46.66" N, 71° 58' 41.57" W). St. Barnabas is run by the Haitian Episcopal Church and has traditionally received a lot of support from a number of PC(USA) congregations. Veline Saintilmond, my assistant coordinator, is a graduate of St. Barnababs, along with quite a few of other agricultural technicians working with MPP. In 1997, I had also spent a month at St. Barnabas, learning Haitian Creole from the students, before moving to Bigonet in Leogane (Bigonet Google Earth coordinates: 18°25'50.52" N, 72°37'47.06" W). I was looking forward to seeing one or two of the teachers at St. Barnabas who I had gotten to know fairly well during my month there. Veline was also excited to have the chance with a number of friends she hadn't seen for several years now. In addition, St. Barnabas has recently gotten a new director, and one of the goals of our trip was to meet with Hans Pierre, the new director, together Pix Mahler. Pix is a PC(USA) mission co-worker responsible for helping to facilitate relationships between PC(USA) congregations and their partner organizations in Haiti.

Friday afternoon, when we arrived at St. Barnabas, the director had already left for Cape Haitian, and Pix was not expected until Saturday morning, but Veline was able to begin visiting with old friends, and I got to begin renewing friendships with two professors who remembered me pretty well, including things that made the rest of the crew members laugh. One of these memories was about the way I tend to jump into the work with little regard for the effect on my clothes, even my "good" clothes. As my brother Keith noted in January when he visited, Haitians are usually either laughing with me, or laughing at me.

After visiting for about an hour at St. Barnabas, we continued our journy to the other side of Terrier Rouge, where we were met by Paul Jean, the leader of the farmer's organization, MPTR (Mouvman Peyizan Terrier Rouge--Farmer's Movement of Terrier Rouge). Paul had agreed to host us at their facility where they hold meetings for the cooperative associated with MPTR and where they have workshops and training programs, usually in close association with MPP in Papay. For at least the second time, our crew experienced direct benefits from our position as members of MPP, as Paul Jean received us with open arms, providing us with comfortable bunk beds, safe water and lights each night. Perhaps the clearest indication of Paul's sense of solidarity with us was the time he sacrificed to simply be with us and keep us feeling welcome and safe. Besides sleeping with us each night, Paul spent the whole day Sunday with us, going to church and afterwards to Caracol (see posting "An Afternoon at the Beach--Caracol," below).

Photo 3

Paul Jean, at Carcol beach, with us. Paul is the leader of a cooperative working with MPP, located just east of Terrier Rouge. Paul is also one of the leaders of MPTR, the Farmer's Movement of Terrier Rouge

Saturday morning, we headed back into Cape Haitian to meet Pix Mahler and Jane Carney at the Cape Haitian airport. After they got settled into their room at the Roi Christophe hotel, we headed out to St. Barnabas to meet with Hans Pierre, the new director. Veline also took the opportunity to show the rest of the crew the garden beds. Wilus, Marimode and Agame observed that St. Barnabas may be doing fewer things than Fundation Vincent, but what they are doing they are doing better. Veline and I took the opportunity to encourage Hans to come visit us in Papaye to see first hand the kinds of work we're doing in the Road to Life Yard-Moringa project, as well as get to know more about the work of MPP.

Photo 4

St. Barnabas agricultural school. The new director, Hans Pierre, is to the right. Agame Elfraïs is on the step to the left of Hans. Higher on the steps, left to right: Wilus Exil, Marimode St. Amour, Mark Hare and Veline Saintilmond

After sending Pix and Jane on their way back to their hotel in Cape, together with Hans, the rest of us took a break the rest of the afternoon at the cooperative. Then, late in the day, all of us, together with Paul Jean, headed to the Roi Christophe hotel in Cape Haitian. Pix had agreed to meet with Paul and Veline, to get a better idea of what MPP is all about and how MPP and the Episcopal Church of Haiti, two of PC(USA)'s official partners in Haiti, might benefit from each other's strengths. It was the kind of meeting that, for me, tipifies what is best about how PC(USA) does mission. It was not about Pix telling Paul and Veline what PC(USA) could or could not do for their respective organizations, or even what Pix hoped that MPP might do for the school. Rather, it was a sharing of visions, what MPP is about and what PC(USA) is about and how the commonality in their visions can provide moral and spiritual stamina for the very difficult tasks that remain before us, on the path to the Kingdom land, and as part of being on that path together, how MPP and MPTR might be able to strengthen the mission, in every sense, of St. Barnabas.

Photo 5

"Meeting of the minds" at Hotel Roi Christophe. Left to Right, Paul Jean (director of MPTR),Mark Hare (PCUSA Mission Co-worker and coordinator of MPP's Road to Life Yard-Moringa project), Pix Mahler (PCUSA Mission Co-worker) and Veline Saintilmond (Assistant Coordinator for MPP's Road to Life Yard Project)

While Pix and I and Veline and Paul talked, the rest of the crew enjoyed the hotel pool. Then we headed home. Sunday we went to church with Pix and Jane, then headed to Carcol, to fried fish and rice and the beach. Monday we visited SOIL (http://www.oursoil.org/) and then went to see our friends in Limbe--see post below. The three posts that I published prior to this one provide pictures of those adventures. On Tuesday, early in the morning, we loaded up, delivered Paul to his home in Terrier Rouge, picked up Jane and Pix at the hotel in Cape Haitian, along with three or five other folks catching a ride with us to Hinche, and then we headed South to home. And a whole set of new adventures.

Loading up Pix and Jane and their luggage, to head down to Papaye-Hinche. Pix was headed to a conference at Sant Lakay (Home Center) of MPP, together with half a dozen organizations working to form a common vision that will allow them to advocate more effectively on specific issues that affect farmers other members of the very poor in Haiti. This effort is part of the work of the Presbyterian Hunger Program, facilitated by Lionel Derenencourt.

*For a little more information about this blog, check out the first blog, December 27th, 2008. Also, check out the Wordpress blog: http://hareamark.wordpress.com/ and the official site for Presbyterian Church (USA) World Missions: http://www.pcusa.org/missionconnections/profiles/harem.htm#

If you liked this post, please feel free to leave a comment. Also, let me know if you'd like more information about MPP, The Road to Life Yard-Moringa project or MPP's Integrated Health Clinic. Suggestions about ideas you'd like me to write about are also welcome.

Remember the other blog

Don't forget to check out Jenny and my other blog, on Word Press. I'm using blogger to catch up on old news, and to publish some of the bigger photos (you can click on the photos to see them closer to full-size), and I'll use the wordpress for "new" news (like the birth of Jenny and my child, when that happens), as well as for background information about MPP, what MPP's Road to Life Yard-Moringa project is all about, what we do, exactly with Moringa and what Jenny's work is all about in MPP's Integrated Health Center, "Mironda Heston."

Here's the link:

http://hareamark.wordpress.com/

An afternoon on the beach--Caracol

Cersine Louis (left), Agame Elfraïs's godmother and Agame (right),

on the beach where we spent pretty much all afternoon, swimming and playing.

On Sunday, May 31st after we attended the Episcopal church service in the morning in Cape Haitian, Agame Elfraïs, one of the crew members on the trip, took us to visit his godmother, Cersin Louis, who lives in the community of Caracol, on the beach, east of Cape Haitian (Google Earth coordinates: 19º 41' 41.80 N, 72º 01' 26.22 W). Before heading to Caracol, we picked up five friends from Papay studying agriculture at Fundation Vincent in Cape. (Unless otherwise indicated, all photos are by Mark Hare, all rights reserved)


Agame's godmother and her family put together a feast of fried fish, rice and salad. When we met Cersine on Friday, May 28th, we asked her if they could make a meal for all six of us. She said, "Sure!" Saturday, when we asked if it might be okay to invite another five people, she said "Of course!" When we showed up with one more extra person, nobody even blinked. There is a Haitian proverb, "Manje kwit pa gen mèt" which more or less translates to mean, "Once food is cooked, no one person has dibs on it." We did provide some funds from our trip budget to help pay for the ingredients of the feast. Photo by Agame Elfraïs, all rights reserved.

Paul Jean (left) and Cersine's father (right). Cersine's father borrowed a neighbor's fishing boat and took us out a few hundred meters out into the sea, then some of us swam back to shore. Paul Jean was our host from Terrier Rouge, where we slept the whole time we were in the north and northeast. Paul spent all Sunday with us.

On the raft--Marimode St. Amour, with two other guests, enjoying the ocean for the second

time in her life. Maridmode is one of the hardest workers on the Road to Life Yard crew.

The Road to Life Yard in Limbé

Fritzner, a member of the Limbé "Road to Life Yard" crew with his African redworms. Fritzner learned about raising worms during his internship with us in February this year. We provided the group their starter worms when Fritzner and Marimerci left at the end of February. Photos by Agame Elfraïs, all rights reserved.


One of our stops, during the crew trip to Northern and Northeastern Haiti, was to visit a youth group in Limbé (Google Earth coordinates: 19º 42' 24.61 N, 72º 24' 14.82 W). Two of the key leaders in the group are Agricultural Technicians who worked with MPP's Road to Life Yard-Moringa project crew for fifteen days this past February. Frizner and Marimerci's time with the Road to Life Yard crew was part of their post-graduation internship.

We visited the Limbe group on Monday, June 1st, after visiting the organization SOIL in Cape Haitian. After leaving SOIL in downtown Cape Haitian, it took us about an hour to reach Lembe going south on National Highway #1. When we arrived, we were all astounded by the amount of work Fritzner and Marimerci have initiated in their home community. I thought the visit would be a quick, social visit, a couple hours at most. Instead, we spent over four hours visiting house after house where Fritzner and Marimerci and the crew they have put together (which they have named the Road to Life Yard crew #2) have helped women put in vegetable gardens. Fritzner and Marimerci also had arranged for a simple meal--boiled breadfruit and vegetable stew made from production from their own gardens. Afterwards, the Road to Life Yard crew participated with members of the community group in a brainstorming session, talking through some of the problems they have encountered as well as what form future collaborations between MPP and the group might take, which at the very least, could mean two or three crew members going to Limbé for a few days to lead a workshop for the group. We were also able to connect the group with the organization we had visited in the morning--SOIL (Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods: http://www.oursoil.org/

Top photo: Fritzner with one of the women who have started a home vegetable garden.

Middle photo: The garden the community group does together.

Bottom photo: Fritzner in his own home garden.

Note: Clicking on photos will show an enlargement of each one.

Homemade Gym

These are pictures from a home made gym that we found near the home of our host, Paul Jean, in the town of Terrier Rouge (Google Earth coordinates: 19º 38 13.35 N, 71º 57 19.33 W), in Northeastern Haiti. The main components come from the wheels and axes, gears and motors of the dump-sized trucks that transport most of the goods throughout Haiti.

We took the pictures to have this gym as a record for setting up something similar at my and Jenny's home in Bassin Zim, up the hill from MPP's training center (Google Earth coordinates for our house: 19º 12 26.90 N, 71º 58 55.99 W).

Photos by Agame Elfraïs, all rights reserved.


You sit on the block and pull down on the bar. The weight is adjusted by adding or removing rocks or other heavy objects from the wheel hub.




Weights of different sizes. Only the smallest one to the right was made "commercially."

Bench press. Weight is made from steel pipes and weights are parts from wheels, I think.

For pushups. You put your feet on the perch by the wall and hold onto the parrallel bars of the frame in front.

The Garden Under the Cliff--Rainy Season

This is Agame's uncle's garden by the Papay creek (left), during the rainy season. The piece of land which Else Elfraïs planted to bananas, sugarcane and tayo (a rootcrop), is in the background, hugging the base of the cliff. The land planted to bananas late last year is towards the front, with the creek (left and in front) forming the boundary. Else hoed the bananas and planted corn between the plants at the beginning of the rainy season, so he will get a harvest from this land, even as he waits for the bananas to begin producing.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Agame's uncle is using his land and water resources incredibly well, and is making a decent profit. He has had no technical training and is working with small amounts of money for investment, as he can get it, from his own or his family's resources. For more information about this garden, check out the April 10th posting.

Agame and his uncle took Danny Blank and Nathan Lehmkuhl to see the garden the second week of June. Danny and Nate spent ten days with MPP as part of a technical exchange, sponsored by a number of friends and supporters of the work of MPP's Road to Life Yard project. (Photo by Mark Hare, all rights reserved)