Shades of the 2010 earthquake danced through the heads of our friends, neighbors and partners in Fond Doux when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit along the fault line of South Haiti about 8:29 AM August 14^th. The Haitian Civil Protection Agencysaid (8/20/2021) 2,189 people were killed and 12,268 people injured and up to 130,000 homes damaged or destroyed. Major damage to Fond Doux did not occur, but people were afraid to sleep in their homes according to our Executive Director Emile Maceus.

Makendy Lazard, head of the Simple English School in Miragoane where our English scholarship students attend, said, “We were just traumatized, but outside of that we are fine.” But there was some major damage nearby — just 20 miles west of Fond Doux. An aftershock of 5.0 magnitude hit Miragoane about 1:05 PM. Makendy explained that the public hospital that serves the rural community was overwhelmed with the injured. They did not have enough medicine or food for the injured

Funds for relief were immediately raised and plans laid to help not only those that were directly hit by the twin disasters, but those affected by their aftermath. Our Executive Director wanted to take some supplies from Petit Goave to Les Cayes (the center of the destruction), but because of the threat of violence and the difficult roads, the board reluctantly did not approve the request.

Instead the board forwarded some supplies to Les Cayes through the Paulos Group that is organizing in-country relief in the fashion which Emile proposed. The Paulos Group opened up two soup kitchens between Les Cayes (the hardest hit large city) and Camp-Perrin, with a goal of serving two thousand meals a day.

Matt McCormick, Paulos Group partner, said, “While our logistics team is at work on this, we have another team scrounging the island’s importers and warehouses for tarps and tents.” The truck needed to go through an area infested with gangs. Matt, continued, ”We contract with Haitian drivers who drive these routes on a near daily basis. They know the geography, hot spots, what to watch for, how to negotiate, and maybe most importantly—they blend in.”

One of our translators now lives in Dame-Marie, Haiti. His house was destroyed. The Foundation provided him some money to help him with food and provisions and also the means to help others.

This is what he told us.

“Thank God I am safe in Dame-Marie, but the damage is truly catastrophic. Hospitals, churches, schools have been damaged, no death. This is the same region that was devastated by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. I woke up that morning. I ran out. It was about 8:29.

This house which I lived in shook so bad, roof and door, wall collapsed. All around people ran out.  Few of them were harmed. Many houses were damaged. This could not have come at a worse time for this country that is reeling still from the assassination of President Jovenel Moise and then the tropical storm Grace has just knocked in the door. The quake comes at a time when the government is in the throes of crisis and civil unrest and gang violence are plaguing the country. Hospitals have been overwhelmed with a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases . . .

We had been sleeping on the street. Now I am living in a shelter surrounding with old sheet metal. The road from Jeremie to Dame-Marie was blocked. In the area food has become very expensive.  Our needs are food, water, clothes, a laptop (a friend let me use his) . . .

It’s unimaginable that families forced out of their homes because of the earthquake are now also dealing with a tropical storm and the risk of flash floods and landslides. Everything you can do with your compassionate and generous support to bring relief to many of us who are suffering is welcome.”

The board has authorized or spent $3350 on direct and indirect relief including $1000 provided by the Outreach Committee of Epworth Church designated for food and disaster relief. We received several other sizeable gifts to be used at our discretion as well. We profoundly thank them and all donors for their support. We authorized spending over $1000 for direct relief through the Paulos Group and through our translator William Burke. We also aided our translator Burke himself. The board through the efforts of the FDFC is purchasing and arranging for distribution tarps and food (beans, rice and oil) for local relief for those in Fond Doux and Platon that were mostly indirectly affected (but still affected) by the twin disasters. They are in perpetual need.

Do you know your neighbors? For ten years, the people of Fond Doux, Haiti have been receiving visitors from Epworth Church, Durham. They are our neighbors, “our far neighbors,” just as surely in the Christian sense as the people in Durham are “our near neighbors.” You now have the opportunity to learn to know them. The Fond Doux Foundation just published a book on these Haitian Partners.

Learn to know Emile Maceus. He is the chief translator for the interviews and also serves as executive director for most of our work. Now at age 31 is completing his college education — this year — a man whose father died when he was 9 years old and put himself through school. He explains, “I made most of my classical school without even having a book. I had to borrow books from my friends, which was not always easy.”

Learn to know Schneider Saint Surin, our most recent university scholar. He is now studying Spanish in the Dominican Republic in preparation for taking up the study of computer science. He has a great story to tell including how the study of English changed his life.

Learn to know Madam Gabriella of Platon, the village midwife. She is self-taught. Hear her tell her story, “I have been doing this work since 1992. Yes, since 1992! At that time, there was a woman that was about to give birth to her child, but there was no one to help her. Then, I assisted her with the birth of her baby; I helped her to deliver and I cut the umbilical cord.”

Learn to know Faédra Olivier, who is the first person in her family to obtain a job — all because of a Foundation scholarship. Learn the life of a sand miner, a fisherman, a school teacher, a farmer, a school principal, a pastor, a homemaker, a church deacon, a widow. They are all here. Listen to their struggles. Listen to their dreams. Hear how the Foundation has affected their lives. Hear what they have done to improve their community in face of malaria, Covid, typhoid, earthquake, hunger and political unrest. Hear how young adults are changing and will change their community in the face of formidable obstacles.

The author is the Rev. John Clausing, an associate member of Epworth United Methodist Church and a retired pastor of the United Church of Christ. But most of it is told by our Haitian partners and neighbors themselves.

If you would like to order a book, please email info@fonddouxfoundation.org, or you may click on the Donate button on the top right of this page, make a $22 donation ($2 for shipping), in the notes of the donation form enter your mailing address. When this is received a book will be mailed to you.

Partway by Motorcycle

On Friday October 11^th after consulting with our English-speaking partners in Fond Doux, the Foundation sent some money to buy food for the neediest of the families. The Fond Doux Foundation Committee had expected to buy the food at Lamadeine but the store didn’t open. They needed to go to Vialet! There they paid a truck to haul the food to Fond Doux. Unfortunately, the truck ran across a barricade from the demonstrators before they arrived in Fond Doux; so, the truck couldn’t get through. They then needed to hire some men with motorcycles to go around the demonstrators to get the food the rest of the way– twelve 55lbs-bags of rice, six 44lbs-bags of beans and 3 gallons of oil. From this they helped 51 families — about 17 pounds of food per family. The food was distributed on Sunday October 13 after worship at the Primitive Church of Fond Doux. Emile Maceus, who engineered the distribution, said, “the transportation was not easy, but what made my day was the happiness that food gave to my fellow citizens! Everyone was overjoyed. Please let everyone know how happy the people in Fond Doux were because of that distribution!”

Food for distribution

Demonstration in Port-au-Prince 1

Political turmoil in Haiti is not new, but its effects are now being felt in Fond Doux.  College student Emile Maceus has returned to Fond Doux and is unable to attend classes. One professor keeps in touch via WhatsApp. Medical student Dieuseul Istache is not attending classes in person, but the students of his class are receiving instruction via the internet.  College student Faédra Olivier has also not been able to attend classes in Ti Goave. Universities are closed.

“The current political paralysis and growing unrest in Haiti has shut down schools, hospitals, transportation, businesses and other services throughout the country, sending prices skyrocketing and raising the prospect of an imminent humanitarian disaster, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) warned today.”2 

When work stops, people are not able to buy food even if available. Because 60% of the people earn less than $2 a day and about 25% receive about $1 a day, much of the country is in a perilous food situation.

The demonstrations are aimed at ousting the President Jovenel Moise, who took over in February 2017 during a turbulent election year following the resignation of Michel Martelly. A probe by the Haitian Senate in November 2017 resulted in charges of Jovenel Moise’s participation in corruption with his predecessor Martelly.  Moïse, who owned a company named in the investigation, has denied all corruption allegations. He urges dialogue and says he will not resign. Political demonstrations caused the resignation of the Prime Minister in February; now they are aimed at the President.

The strength of the protests seems not so much to stem from the charges of corruption, however, but from   rampant inflation — the high cost of gasoline and rising food cost.

To illustrate, Schneider Saint Surin of Fond Doux got his motorcycle in August of 2018.  He purchased gasoline for 45$ht (45 Haitian dollars) a gallon.  During the February protests (also partly about high gasoline costs), he paid 120$ht and now he is paying 200$ht — thus going from $2.50 a gallon to $6.67 to $11.11 per gallon.  The result is a staggering blow to the economy. The results for the nation’s poor are catastrophic. 

Pastor Brucely, said that the markets are open in the mornings, for 2-3 hours, but then close as the disruptors come about and start blocking roads. “The fuel availability/cost is the biggest driver of the unrest; if only they could resolve this, it would help tremendously.   Cost of goods has basically doubled.”

Nurse Gernite Bonhomme said, “Food is hard to get and each day it takes more money to buy (something) than it did yesterday. There is no fuel … There is no school. People are getting killed. Many doctors that come from Port-au-Prince cannot come because of the situation, so people are not getting good care and some die before they get to the hospital. The situation is terrible.”

1 By Voice of America

2 Nikki Gamer Catholic Relief Services — Report from Catholic Relief Services, October 17, 2019

Health Kits from Epworth Sunday School

When we get a small cut or injury, we just run to our medicine cabinet and grab the box of band aids and don’t think much about it.   That’s not the case in an impoverished country.  Access to health care and supplies is always a challenge for the people of Haiti.  It is acerbated by the fact that Haiti is a tropical country and the people live more out of doors than we do.  Dust, dirt and sweat get into an open wound. Without proper care a small wound can become infected, which can then lead to a medical crisis.  That is why bringing health care supplies is a part of each of our mission trips to Haiti.

Recently on Pentecost Sunday, the youth of Epworth United Methodist Church spent their Sunday School time assembling first aid kits. These are small kits that will be given to children in Fond Doux to have available for small wounds. This may not sound like much, but for people that have little to no access to health care this is important.  These kits include gauze, surgical tape, antibiotic ointment and band-aids. 

Thank you to the Epworth United Methodist Church youth for taking time to pack these kits and helping in this important ministry.