Hearts with Haiti
March 5, 2010
Resurrection from the Rubble
On January 12, 2010 a devastating earthquake hit Haiti. Many lives were lost. It is truly miraculous that there were no lives lost among the children, the leaders, or the staff of The St. Joseph Family(SJF). The life of this family, however, was greatly impacted and forever changed. While we can assess and measure the external damage and the cost of rebuilding these homes, what is harder to assess is the psychological impact of living with death and destruction for weeks on end, and with frequent tremors and the fear of reliving the horror of those moments all over again.
The boys from St. Joseph’s Home for Boys(St. Joseph’s) in Port-au-Prince (PAP) were relocated to Trinity House in Jacmel. Although Trinity House sustained some damage it is still considered safe. However, the boys sleep outside in tents because they are afraid. A Hearts with Haiti Board member who was in Jacmel a few weeks ago recounted a 4.5 tremor during the night when he was sleeping indoors. He said it was terrifying. He slept outside in a tent for the rest of the night. Tremors continue with some frequency. The fear is fresh. Michael Geilenfeld has enlisted the aid of a therapist in Canada, through Broken Wings Mission, who specializes in PTSD and he will be working with the children in the coming months to address some of these issues.
The children from Wings of Hope have been relocated to two adjacent houses further up the road from the original building. These houses have been rented for the year. Although structurally safe, they are not handicapped accessible and it has been a challenge to make them so. However, Renee Dietrich, an American volunteer who has lived and worked with The St. Joseph Family for the past 10 years, reports that the children are doing well and have adapted to their new home.
St. Joseph’s in PAP was destroyed. Although the bottom three floors are still standing, Michael has had it evaluated by both structural engineers and an architect and all agree that the extent of the damage is such that it is unfit for habitation. The consensus is that it must be torn down and rebuilt. Wings of Hope, although still standing, has been deemed unsafe by the same experts and it will also be demolished and rebuilt. Michael is working with Lionel Allen, an architect who worked with him on the construction of Wings of Hope about 10 years ago. Lionel is the brother to Ralph Allen, the artist and friend who has worked with the boys of SJF for years. SJF has contracted with an American Company to do the demolition on St. Joseph’s and Wings of Hope and are waiting to hear when they will be available. The demolition is expected to start in the next few weeks.
In addition, Michael has purchased the house next door to St. Joseph’s. This house is connected to the Art Center and at one time was rented by St. Joseph’s. The house has a big yard and will allow SJF to build wider and lower for safety. Michael and the boys will take possession of the house when they return to Haiti at the end of March after their current RDTH tour. Eight of the boys currently staying in Jacmel will be able to return home. There will be space for a tent on the roof and they will have a choice to sleep indoors or in the tent.
There is no doubt that we have a major rebuilding effort in front of us. Many have asked “how much?” The answer is that we simply don’t have a figure yet. Michael and the SJF leadership are hard at work figuring this out. It will be in the millions. Haiti was not a cheap place to build before the earthquake. Prices are going up. KC Bersch, an American volunteer at Wings of Hope, recently wrote that food prices have doubled in recent weeks. Many materials must be imported to the island. Skilled labor, in light of the magnitude of the work to be done, will come at a higher price. In addition to the rebuilding effort, there is still the ongoing support of the children of SJF and the communities that SJF supports. As Michael said in a recent email, “We know that the resurrection of St. Joseph’s is going to be a long and arduous task, but we are remaining positive and taking it one cement block at a time so it does not overwhelm us. “
This week the RDTH begins a 6 state tour in the US to raise funds for the resurrection of The St. Joseph Family. Much prayer by many went into making this dance tour possible in the face of long odds against getting visas for healthy young men and boys to come to the US at this time. And yet here they are. It is these core values of prayer and creativity that enabled SJF to survive and thrive in the midst of pain and adversity for the past 25 years. And this same Spirit will enable them to survive and thrive as they resurrect their lives from the rubble of the earthquake.
People have asked me, “ why these children when there are over a million orphans in Haiti?” The answer is simple. St. Joseph’s is a family – a family that celebrates the beauty and value and worth of every child, no matter what the circumstances. It is solidly planted in the firm belief, as Michael says, that they are blessed and blessed abundantly and that their purpose, God’s purpose for them, is to be the blessing of God to others. The children of SJF, the boys now grown into young men, the RDTH, the outreach into the communities of Jacmel, Fermathe, and City Soleil inspire us, they urge us forward, and they invite us to do the same for others. SJF gives us a vision of what we can be and a model for how Haiti can care for all of her children. The St. Joseph Family gives us hope. Hope for ourselves and hope for the future of Haiti.
Cheryl Proctor, Chair
Hearts with Haiti, Inc
27 Horne Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27607
919-758-8085
Resurrection from the Rubble
On January 12, 2010 a devastating earthquake hit Haiti. Many lives were lost. It is truly miraculous that there were no lives lost among the children, the leaders, or the staff of The St. Joseph Family(SJF). The life of this family, however, was greatly impacted and forever changed. While we can assess and measure the external damage and the cost of rebuilding these homes, what is harder to assess is the psychological impact of living with death and destruction for weeks on end, and with frequent tremors and the fear of reliving the horror of those moments all over again.
The boys from St. Joseph’s Home for Boys(St. Joseph’s) in Port-au-Prince (PAP) were relocated to Trinity House in Jacmel. Although Trinity House sustained some damage it is still considered safe. However, the boys sleep outside in tents because they are afraid. A Hearts with Haiti Board member who was in Jacmel a few weeks ago recounted a 4.5 tremor during the night when he was sleeping indoors. He said it was terrifying. He slept outside in a tent for the rest of the night. Tremors continue with some frequency. The fear is fresh. Michael Geilenfeld has enlisted the aid of a therapist in Canada, through Broken Wings Mission, who specializes in PTSD and he will be working with the children in the coming months to address some of these issues.
The children from Wings of Hope have been relocated to two adjacent houses further up the road from the original building. These houses have been rented for the year. Although structurally safe, they are not handicapped accessible and it has been a challenge to make them so. However, Renee Dietrich, an American volunteer who has lived and worked with The St. Joseph Family for the past 10 years, reports that the children are doing well and have adapted to their new home.
St. Joseph’s in PAP was destroyed. Although the bottom three floors are still standing, Michael has had it evaluated by both structural engineers and an architect and all agree that the extent of the damage is such that it is unfit for habitation. The consensus is that it must be torn down and rebuilt. Wings of Hope, although still standing, has been deemed unsafe by the same experts and it will also be demolished and rebuilt. Michael is working with Lionel Allen, an architect who worked with him on the construction of Wings of Hope about 10 years ago. Lionel is the brother to Ralph Allen, the artist and friend who has worked with the boys of SJF for years. SJF has contracted with an American Company to do the demolition on St. Joseph’s and Wings of Hope and are waiting to hear when they will be available. The demolition is expected to start in the next few weeks.
In addition, Michael has purchased the house next door to St. Joseph’s. This house is connected to the Art Center and at one time was rented by St. Joseph’s. The house has a big yard and will allow SJF to build wider and lower for safety. Michael and the boys will take possession of the house when they return to Haiti at the end of March after their current RDTH tour. Eight of the boys currently staying in Jacmel will be able to return home. There will be space for a tent on the roof and they will have a choice to sleep indoors or in the tent.
There is no doubt that we have a major rebuilding effort in front of us. Many have asked “how much?” The answer is that we simply don’t have a figure yet. Michael and the SJF leadership are hard at work figuring this out. It will be in the millions. Haiti was not a cheap place to build before the earthquake. Prices are going up. KC Bersch, an American volunteer at Wings of Hope, recently wrote that food prices have doubled in recent weeks. Many materials must be imported to the island. Skilled labor, in light of the magnitude of the work to be done, will come at a higher price. In addition to the rebuilding effort, there is still the ongoing support of the children of SJF and the communities that SJF supports. As Michael said in a recent email, “We know that the resurrection of St. Joseph’s is going to be a long and arduous task, but we are remaining positive and taking it one cement block at a time so it does not overwhelm us. “
This week the RDTH begins a 6 state tour in the US to raise funds for the resurrection of The St. Joseph Family. Much prayer by many went into making this dance tour possible in the face of long odds against getting visas for healthy young men and boys to come to the US at this time. And yet here they are. It is these core values of prayer and creativity that enabled SJF to survive and thrive in the midst of pain and adversity for the past 25 years. And this same Spirit will enable them to survive and thrive as they resurrect their lives from the rubble of the earthquake.
People have asked me, “ why these children when there are over a million orphans in Haiti?” The answer is simple. St. Joseph’s is a family – a family that celebrates the beauty and value and worth of every child, no matter what the circumstances. It is solidly planted in the firm belief, as Michael says, that they are blessed and blessed abundantly and that their purpose, God’s purpose for them, is to be the blessing of God to others. The children of SJF, the boys now grown into young men, the RDTH, the outreach into the communities of Jacmel, Fermathe, and City Soleil inspire us, they urge us forward, and they invite us to do the same for others. SJF gives us a vision of what we can be and a model for how Haiti can care for all of her children. The St. Joseph Family gives us hope. Hope for ourselves and hope for the future of Haiti.
Cheryl Proctor, Chair
Hearts with Haiti, Inc
27 Horne Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27607
919-758-8085