 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
• By Diane Simon • By George
Robillard • By Jen Quaglia |
|
Brothers
Stanley Hoffman, Keith Spratt, Mark Morin and George Robillard from
Mother Teresa Council 12494 in Windsor, Ontario recently travelled
to Haiti with Father John Duarte, the pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual
Help Church and 23 other people on a work/exposure trip. Brother
George Robillard shares his experience........
There
is a saying in Haiti "No one hears the cry of the poor - or
the sound of a wooden bell". These words have new and greater
meaning for me as I experienced the trip of a lifetime.
I thought
I was prepared for everything I would see and do, but there is no
way you can prepare completely for the beauty of this country, and
at the same time the sadness, the hunger, the poverty, the need
for clean water and sanitation. I experienced deep feelings and
emotions I never thought I could have, being with these beautiful
people, especially the children and getting to know them. From the
moment the 27 of us arrived in Port au Prince, our lives changed
in a way that is hard to explain.
We
began work almost immediately unpacking all of the 54 bags (70 lbs.
each) of supplies we brought with us to distribute to the people.
We gave to the clinic, and to the new school in the village of Labadie
which was built thanks to the generosity of a Windsor businessman.
We were there to put the finishing touches to this school and to
paint it. 700 children will be able to attend this school - grades
1 to 6 and receive one meal a day. This is a remarkable thing for
this small community. All the village people joined in helping us
- it was rather hectic at times but it is their school and they
wanted to help. Wherever I went, there were children who were ready
to hold my hand and become my friend - they asked for nothing -
just to be with you. These people have nothing, but are filled with
faith and love of God. We worked together, we laughed together,
we cried together and we prayed together.
Some
of our time was spent in Mother Teresa's hospital for the children
and the Brothers of Charity hospital for the sick and the dying.
To be able to give these people some little comfort by shaving them
or massaging their skin or holding them was very emotional and humbling,
and the look of gratitude in their eyes said it all.
But
our visit to Cite Soleil was probably the most disturbing of all
- we saw mud cakes mixed with a pat of butter and salt drying in
the sun. This was food so that the people especially the children
could line their stomachs with something to stave off the hunger
pangs. This brought tears to Fr. John and all of us. Children with
swollen bellies were curled up sleeping surrounded by filth or raw
sewage. This image will remain with me forever.
One thing I know for sure is that these people deserve a much better life than they have. "Hearts Together For Haiti", Fr. John Duarte's organization
is dedicated to doing all that they can to make this better life,
and all that we can do here in our country and in our community
to help achieve this is necessary. Many people have a hard time
contributing to a third world country - they feel we should be taking
care of our own. But I tell you our own have so many agencies to
help them whereas these people have no one at all.
Would I go back again? I sure would!! God Bless the Haitian people.
Brother George , Mother Teresa Council 12494.**Note: Mother Teresa Council 12494 has supported Hearts Together For Haiti by supplying a water pump for the village of Prenete and also by contributing this past year to the education of Donald Pierre.
|
WEBSITE
DONATED BY
