A Little Background
Before leaving for Haiti, I made a special presentation to the members of Trinity Youth Group (TYG). At that time, I announced my intention to facilitate a two-week summer mission trip to Haiti. Participants would return to Haiti with me following my leave and share in both cultural immersion and two community-based initiatives. I had hoped for a strong representation of TYG members in this trip and was therefore eager to learn in which projects they were interested. Among other things, I shared the long history of deforestation in Haiti and the devastating effects that it has had on the landscape, wildlife and economy of the country. Megan Piette, a high school sophomore, expressed real concern over this issue and wanted to know hoe group could offer assistance.
Megan’s passion over the challenge of deforestation, coupled with a connection I had already established with a member of a greening organization working in Haiti, actually confirmed that one of the summer mission projects would focus on the issue. For me, Megan’s concern and interest was a sign that this was an area of high priority for the future of Haiti.
Weeks and months passed, more extensive materials were distributed on the summer mission trip along with monthly articles and other promotions. Despite these efforts, which spanned far beyond my home parish, no youth expressed an interest in participating. Though I could certainly invest time trying to analyze the reasons and examine what I could have done differently to successfully launch the program, I chose to accept the situation and decide how I might best execute the two projects that I had identified.
Since Timote Georges, the Field Manager in Haiti for Trees for the Future (www.treesftf.org), and I had been strategizing this project throughout my time in Haiti, it certainly seemed feasible to identify an all-Haitian volunteer team. As I also discussed this with Oge Beauvoir, the Dean of the Seminaire de Theologie, he expressed a desire to involve the youth of the Episcopal Church in Arcahaie, St. Thomas. Timote and I scheduled a meeting with Pere Deveaux, head priest of St. Thomas in mid-May. As we shared the mission and vision for the project, Pere Deveaux told us that the Church’s scout troop had been eager to participate in such an initiative and should, therefore, represent the volunteer force from St. Thomas. He called one of the scout leaders who joined the discussion. Soon dates were confirmed and preliminary logistics set.
While I was on leave, Timote held a couple more detailed meetings with the scouts. When I returned in early August, Timote and I had a final planning session and arranged to spend a morning shopping for all the necessary supplies.
The Project Itself
During my years of leadership in the youth program at Trinity, a week long residential outreach program in the city of Philadelphia called Mission Philadelphia had been created. Initially, the group engaged in a wide variety of projects throughout the city. During the past 7 years, they have partnered with a greening organization call Urban Tree Connection (www.urbantreeconnection.org) and helped to transform abandoned spaces in the West Philadelphia corridor into inviting, community utilized gardens and parks. The key to the success of these projects is the significant relationships that are forged within the neighborhoods where the work takes place. Community members not only participate in the week’s experience, they continue their commitment to the initiatives throughout the year.
The model for Treesftf is quite similar. As Field Manager in Haiti, Timote receives requests from communities in the regions most affected by deforestation. He holds meetings with them and, together, they determine the best way to move forward in the given area. Trees for the Future supplies the equipment, seeds and other associates supplies for each sponsoring area. The ongoing stewardship of the project is the responsibility of each community. Thus far, this approach has been a most successful one. However, there continue to be two consistent challenges to the growth and sustainability of the reforestation program- food for community volunteers and transportation.
Hunger is probably the number one health challenge in Haiti. Since most of the reforestation work is taking place in outlying areas, the issue of starvation is even more striking. Thanks to the generosity of my Mission supporters, especially those who made some special gifts in the late Spring and during my leave, Timote and I were going to be able to offer both breakfast- coffee and bread with mamba (peanut butter) and lunch (rice, beans, beet salad, meat and pikliz (a kind of spicy cole slaw-delicious!) along with unlimited water and juice throughout the day. We took comfort in knowing that both the scouts and community members were guaranteed two meals on the days we partnered in their area.
Transportation is another major issue in Haiti. Few individuals have their own vehicles, especially in rural areas. The roads are in terrible condition, often requiring a 4 wheel drive or pick up. This is especially true in the rugged and mountainous regions where much of the reforestation occurs. Again, because of the support of so many to my work in Haiti, we were able to rent a truck for the two days of the program. This not only allowed for the transport of supplies but also all the workers.
Since this was a first experience for the scouts of St. Thomas, Timote identified two established programs located 20-30 minutes from the Church. The first was located in Bercy. It included a significant parcel of land on which to plant trees, a tree nursery and a large compost pile. The second location was in Caryies, a hilly and rocky region where the community leader, had established the nursery on his own property.
Timote and I left Port au Prince late Sunday afternoon with a truck full of supplies. Junior, the driver for the LAMP Clinic of Cite Soleil, had graciously offered to serve as the driver for most of the project. What a God send! We arrived at St. Thomas to find the scouts assembled and waiting to meet me, receive marching orders for the next day and ask any questions. They were very excited about the program, and eager to receive their t-shirts! Some questions already anticipated future programming.
Given the August heat, we woke up at 5 a.m. and prepared for a 6:30 a.m. departure for the work site. One group pulled all the equipment out of the storage area and began to assemble the two wheelbarrows and a couple of the tools. Another small group left to purchase 7 five-gallon jugs of purified water. I was on bread and mamba duty, while a few men pulled the HUGE block of ice off the ice truck (a sight no longer seen in the states!). The cooks prepared coffee avek anpil sik (with lots of sugar!) and everyone gathered for breakfast.
Junior was not available until later in the morning, so Timote recruited a local tap tap driver to take us to Bercy. All was well until we turned off the main road to “uncharted territory”. As we moved through ever-increasing high grass and brush on a narrow dirt path, the grumblings of the driver and his partner also increased in both length of complaint and volume. At one point, they stopped the tap tap and refused to go any further. After some negotiation, however, we were back on our way. Within another 15 minutes, it was clear that the rest of the journey was going to need to be on foot. We paid the richly deserved fare, and began trudging through the terrain with all of the supplies. Perhaps this is a good time to mention that there were 28 scouts who ranged in age from 9-16. There were 4 troop leaders, all in their early 20’s. Everyone took something, whether a handful of tools or a 7 gallon jug of water, and moved through the high vegetation, under an already intense sun. Soon we arrived at relatively open space. The nursery and the beginning of a compost pile could be seen beyond some banana trees to the far left. Straight away there was a nice shade tree on a small rise. This would become our central location for equipment, hydration, food and rest. To the right, there was a partially cleared field of banana trees. This area would be prepared by the group. There was a third location where the ground needed to be loosened with pick axes for tree planting. Given the intensity of the labor, this project would involve the some of the older volunteers and Timote.
Work began around 7:30 a.m. Intense progress was made for the next few hours. Beverage igloos were deployed to the different locations. It was incredibly hot. My job was to make sure that the Igloos remained full and iced. This was a fairly constant activity. I also manned the central gathering place.
There was a group break around 10:30 a.m. People returned to their assigned areas until around 12:30 p.m. As the middle of the day approached, all but the older crew stopped and waited for lunch. I had a little bread and Mamba left from breakfast to spell those who were hungry. A parade of cooks and Jr. arrived around 1 p.m. Even after 8 ½ months of being in Haiti, I continue to be amazed at the volume and weight that Haitians can carry, especially on their heads! Large metal pots of rice and beans, more jugs of water and the rest of the wonderful meal were quickly arranged in a buffet line. Everything was delicious and rapidly consumed.
Everything was packed up and the first part of the group headed to the vehicle with Jr. He shuttled them to the road and headed back for the rest of us. Timote and I were part of the second group. As we headed to the pick up point, we stopped to speak with two farmers along the way. Interestingly, they were engaged in some of the very environmental work that Trees for the Future is training other Haitians to do. As we proceeded, Timote remarked that, in his mind, Haitian farmers are the foundation and heart of the country. While formally untrained in certain areas, they have a keen awareness of surroundings and man’s impact on nature. They work to diminish these problems on their own property.
After making two runs back to St. Thomas, we thanked the scouts for a hard day’s work and bid them farewell until 5:30 a.m. the next morning. We headed for the public beach and experienced a brief relief from the heat until a thunderstorm rolled in. We quickly gathered up our things and ran to the car. On the way back to the Rectory, we picked up some BBQ (chicken in a clear pike spicy sauce-delicious!). It was the perfect end to a perfect day.
I woke up at 5 a.m. the next morning and assembled 60 sliced rolls with mamba. The scouts gathered, formed a circle for their group prayer and the first group jumped into Jr’s car. The ride to Cariyes took us down the main highway toward the beaches. Suddenly, we made a quick right and began to ascend a narrow and rocky road. About 10 minutes later, we stopped in front of a fenced property. As we entered the gate, there was an outdoor dining area, a charming little stone house to the left, a cooking area toward the back and, to the right, a well established tree nursery.
The first order of business was breakfast, Everyone sat down and I doled out the bread and mamba. The cooks had prepared coffee and also offered fresh avocado (in season at this time of year) and bananas. When this group finished eating, they began to process enriched soil for the seedling bags. This was done by first stomping on piles of manure and then adding it to a large pile of soil along with an enriched grain like substance. The soil mixture was properly tossed and blended, resulting in a mountain of dirt. A number of youth and adults gathered round and began filling the seedling bags. As they were filled, other youth took them into the nursery, where they were topped off and carefully lined up. Within a few hours, the HUGE pile of organic soil had disappeared and the nursery was, once again, filled with little seedlings.
While this work was taking place, there were two other teams planting more mature seedlings, one above the nursery in a large open area and the other on a rise along the road we used to arrive at Cariyes.
One of the reasons that our second day of work started so early was that a 23-year old member of the scout troop had died recently and his funeral was scheduled for that afternoon. I was told that he died of anemia. I suspect it was Sickle Cell Anemia. Certainly a sad time for the community.
We stopped work around 1 pm. We returned to the nursery, washed hands and shared in a fabulous lunch of fish (the best I have had during my entire stay in Haiti), chicken, beet salad, and rice. Then it was time to load up the truck and say good-bye. Just before departure, we took a group picture. It was great to have the volunteer team in their lime green shirts. Of course, the community leaders and the cooks were also an important part of the day.
We shuttled the crew back to St. Thomas in the same fashion as we had the previous day. I drove with Jr. on both runs between Cariyes and St. Thomas. The first group created the following song about deforestation and sang it during the entire ride back to the church:
Escout sen toma yo: we
St. Tomas Scouts: Hey
Nou sot plante: bwa
We come to plant: Trees
Poun rebwaze: Peyi a
To reforest: Our country
(Repeat many times)
Fok nou plante: bwa
We should plant: trees
Poun rebwaze: Peyia
For reforesting: The country
(Repeat many times)
It reminded me of the many wonderful mission trips I had shared with youth at Trinity. These scouts had not only deepened their own community though this experience, they had developed a real commitment to environmental work in Haiti.
When all had returned to St. Thomas, there was a brief gathering to offer thanks and allow for questions and comments. The overall theme of this time was the enthusiasm over what the scouts had done during the past two days and the eagerness to continue the work. Of course, identifying funding sources is going to be critical. I offered some suggestions. The scouts also have a few ideas. Certainly, anyone reading this blog who wishes to offer support can contact me. This assistance can be provided by individuals, churches and organizations.
I returned home dusty, sweaty and filled with a sense that the intergenerational, community based approach to reforestation is the ideal model for sustainability and capacity building. I was also excited to see the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti take a major step in Arcahaie toward being good stewards of God’s creation.
