October 25, 2007 at 6:36 pm
· Filed under Haiti
John Aeby, Director of Communications
Holt Fontana Village, Montrouis, Haiti—Two men and a little girl arrive at Holt Fontana Village one afternoon. 
The girl, about 4 years old, wears a pink party dress and shabby shoes. After their initial interview, the men stand outside the office and talk with members of the Holt Fontana staff. The little girl tries to occupy herself, walking around and twirling, like she’s trying out her dress. Was it purchased just for this visit? I try to fathom what the little girl is thinking as the adults talk. She seems oddly oblivious of the serious discussion. The men claim to be cousins of the girl’s mother, and they ask if Holt Fontana can take in the little girl so she can be adopted. Her father has died, they say, and the mother can’t care for her any more. The staff is helpful, earnest about the girl’s needs, but they are cautious too. Yes, Holt Fontana staff want to help, but they can’t do anything until they meet with the mother. Also the mother must bring the father’s death certificate. Read the rest of this entry »
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October 24, 2007 at 5:17 pm
· Filed under Haiti
John Aeby, Director of Communications
Montrouis, Haiti—“Welcome to paradise,” announced the pilot after our plane bumped down hard on the airstrip seemingly in the middle of a vast tropical village. Paradise is an apt description… when you view Haiti from a distance. North of Port-au-Prince it was truly spectacular: an azure sea laps lazily on a white, curving shore; deep green mountains soar in the background; palm trees, bougainvillea and other lush tropical growth overflow nearly everything. Up close though, Haiti presents a harsh reality.
Our drive on the coastal highway (a narrow two-lane road) was a gauntlet of washouts, rubble, wicked speed bumps and crater-size potholes. The third poorest country in the world, Haiti’s inability to provide adequate opportunities for its people is evident in the shanties jumbled together, sellers struggling to hawk a vegetable or two from a scant basket, people wringing a few pieces of laundry washed in a mocha-colored flood. In rural areas of Haiti, four out of five households live below the poverty line, over 60 percent of children 1 to 4 years old are underweight, only 38 of every 1,000 children who enter kindergarten will complete secondary school. The country’s stability appears to depend upon the UN forces patrolling in jeeps with soldiers carrying guns at 
the ready. Armored personnel carriers positioned at strategic intersections projected a contradictory message: they’re here making it safe, but they’re here because it’s not safe. Read the rest of this entry »
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The girl, about 4 years old, wears a pink party dress and shabby shoes. After their initial interview, the men stand outside the office and talk with members of the Holt Fontana staff. The little girl tries to occupy herself, walking around and twirling, like she’s trying out her dress. Was it purchased just for this visit? I try to fathom what the little girl is thinking as the adults talk. She seems oddly oblivious of the serious discussion. The men claim to be cousins of the girl’s mother, and they ask if Holt Fontana can take in the little girl so she can be adopted. Her father has died, they say, and the mother can’t care for her any more. The staff is helpful, earnest about the girl’s needs, but they are cautious too. Yes, Holt Fontana staff want to help, but they can’t do anything until they meet with the mother. Also the mother must bring the father’s death certificate. Read the rest of this entry »
