Waiting for family and friends in Port au Prince

Mark, working with friends, starting to fence in a small (about 1/2 an acre) piece of land where he will try out farming techniques and grow food for his own household. The land belongs to MPP (Mouvman Peyizan Papay--Farmer's Movement of Papay). Photo by Jenny Bent, all rights reserved.







The biggest news this week is that Jenny and I are in Port au Prince, waiting for my brother, Keith Hare and three friends, Bill Gettys, Tim VanFleet and Mary Beth Poland. On Saturday, after everyone has finished arriving, we will all head up to Hinche-Papay. Mom and Dad, Catherine and Frank Hare, were also going to be here, but due to last minute difficulties, they won't be able to come at this time.

Work planned for the week includes electrical improvements in MPP's Integrated Health Clinic where Jenny has been responsible for starting an running a small medical laboratory . The crew will also work on installing wires and fixtures in the house where Jenny and Mark will soon be living, up the mountain in Bassin Zim. Also, if all goes well, Dr. Tim VanFleet and Mary Beth Poland will provide one or two days of medical consultation at the clinic, while Keith and Bill do other things. Keith and Bill'specialities lean more towards diagnosing computer code, versus colds, heartburn or typhoid.

Jenny came into Port au Prince from Nicaragua yesterday, around 2:00 in the afternoon. I came in yesterday morning, with Fenes, the MPP driver, as well as a truckload of folks who asked for a ride from Hinche and Papay, along with all of the charcoal, cornmeal and other food supplies folks asked us to take to Port au Prince to their kids who are studying in high school or the University here. Since the folks studying in Port can't work in the fields, they have to buy all of their food, which is an incredible hardship for most. Parents and family in Papay usually don't have money to send, so they send food. The truck was about half people and half food and supplies. Three or four deep cycle batteries as well. As soon as we entered the outskirts of greater Port au Prince (Croix des Bouquets), we began delivering people and goods, one by one, until we got to Delmas 91, up the mountain on the way to Petionville, it was my turn to get dropped off, at St. Joseph Home for Boys and Guest House.


Jenny in the medical lab she has started in the MPP's Integrated Health Clinic, "Mironda Heston." The microscope is a high quality German brand, built to deal with high heat and humidity. We purchased it in Nicaragua with funds from the Mironda Heston memorial fund. Photo by Mark Hare, all rights reserved.