Just like any aid workers, doctors and humanitarian helpers, American, French, Canadian families are learning Haitian Creole in order to reach out and help rebuild the country. There is an urgency to connect and understand Haitian languages and cultures. Right in their living room, they witness the risks faced the Haitian orphans. They want to help one way or the other. They want to be able to say they are sorry for the devastation brought by the quake and its aftershocks.
Through words of mouth and social networks, most of these future adoptive parents and aid workers turn to one source: http://haitiancreolemp3.libsyn.com to brush up their language skills. Haitian American, Adoptive Parents and Haitian Adoptees Language Consultant, Educator Mr. J. Charles created free Haitian Creole lessons on this site.
Due to the high demand for more Creole lessons, he posts new lessons on a regular basis. So far, all the large files use up lots of bandwith. Even though the lessons are free, he would appreciate receiving some donations to keep the service free at http://haitiancreolemp3.libsyn.com. He has to pay the bills every month. So keep HaitianCreoleMP3 Free for ever!
Learn Haitian Creole from a native who completed his studies in Haiti, then came to the United States of America to pursue and obtain his master's degree.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Why Not You: You Too Can Sponsor a Haitian Child Affected by the Jan. 12 Earthquake
Why not You? You Too Can Sponsor a Haitian Child Affected by Jan. 12/2010 Earthquake: Just Select a Need to Meet among the Sea of Unlimited Needs
Many of you have called and written to me (sponsorachildemail@gmail.com), asking whether you can sponsor a Haitian child, a Haitian family, a Haitian church or a Haitian school. You have been wondering about what you can do to help. Let me just tell you that I have good news for you. No matter how small your contribution to a Haitian child or family may be, it will be highly appreciated and welcome in these dire times. Just imagine that for the amount of change you spend at Starbucks and McDonald's, you can help feed a hungry child and give hope to a Haitian family who lost everything in the rubbles of the quake.
SponsorandFeedaChild Program gives you the opportunity to meet the needs of the families and children living in outlying areas affected by the quake. These communities are outside of Port-au-Prince. The relief agencies workers may not know them. No wonder they concentrate their relief efforts on Port au Prince only. According to my sources on the grounds, the food distribution you see in the ravaged, devastated areas of Port-au-Prince has not reached them in the provinces. Knowing the country and taking into account the various infrastructure barriers that exist right now, I can tell you that people living in Carrefour, Leogane, Gressier, Carrefour du Fort, Fauche, Grande Ravine, Thozin, Morne Tapion, Jeanty, Gwo Dlo, Tete-a-Boeuf, Ti Paradi (Petit Paradis), Papette, Petit Goave and beyond will continue to be without food and water for some time to come.
SponsorandFeedaChild Program was created by a group of close friends in June 2008 after my trip to the country and after having spent close to 18 years in the United States of America. That was before the 4 hurricanes and destructive floods of 2008 hit the country. The needs were unlimited then. After the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake, multiply them by 100! Now you can understand the urgency that drives and motivates our actions. Our roots are deep in the rural areas of Haiti.
SponsorandFeedaChild relies on its network of concerned local correspondents, residents of these various regions and members of the rural communities to assess the needs and reach out to the very needy people among them. I have heard from them all. Their situation is very serious and dire. Depending on the availability of funds in "Haiti Rural Development Funds," SponsorandFeedaChild plans on working with the various rural development groups that are looking forward to rebuilding potable water cisterns or wells, rebuilding schools, clinics and orphanages that were destroyed by the quake. So your donations are all the more urgent and important.
SponsorandFeedachild Program is also interested in long-term sustainability projects encouraging entrepreneurship, incubating, and sparking microbusiness development with and for Haitian women. This way, they can reach self-sufficiency in the near future. After all, the Haitian women are the glue that keeps the family together.
For now, we will focus on stabilizing the situation by meeting the primary needs!
Now, set your priorities straight. Make up your mind and decide to sponsor one of these groups:
1.) For a monthly commitment of as little as $30 or as much as you want to contribute per month, you can sponsor a Haitian child. You will receive news of the child and his/her family. Once our volunteers are equipped with digital cameras, they will be able to take a picture of your sponsored child. We'll send it to you!
2.) You can choose to sponsor a Haitian family with more than 4 mouths to feed for as little as $50 or as much as you want on a monthly basis. The outcome of your donations is that a family will be kept in tact. The children will be able to find shelter and food. SponsorandFeedaChild is aiming at stabilizing the living conditions of such families.
3.) School Rebuilding: With a one-time or more donation to SponsorandFeedaChild, you can help rebuild a school that will educate Haitian children.
4.) Medical Care and Clinics: You can choose to help heal the broken bodies of Haitian children affected by the quake. Help meet their primary needs with your donation.
5.) If you are a religious person, you can sponsor a religious group, a missionary etc.
6,) If you are thinking about addressing major problems affecting Haitian rural communities such as lack of job creation and economic investment, you may want to donate to "Haiti Rural Communities Fund." Go to http://helphaitiquake.blogspot.com to see what you can do.
Many of you have called and written to me (sponsorachildemail@gmail.com), asking whether you can sponsor a Haitian child, a Haitian family, a Haitian church or a Haitian school. You have been wondering about what you can do to help. Let me just tell you that I have good news for you. No matter how small your contribution to a Haitian child or family may be, it will be highly appreciated and welcome in these dire times. Just imagine that for the amount of change you spend at Starbucks and McDonald's, you can help feed a hungry child and give hope to a Haitian family who lost everything in the rubbles of the quake.
SponsorandFeedaChild Program gives you the opportunity to meet the needs of the families and children living in outlying areas affected by the quake. These communities are outside of Port-au-Prince. The relief agencies workers may not know them. No wonder they concentrate their relief efforts on Port au Prince only. According to my sources on the grounds, the food distribution you see in the ravaged, devastated areas of Port-au-Prince has not reached them in the provinces. Knowing the country and taking into account the various infrastructure barriers that exist right now, I can tell you that people living in Carrefour, Leogane, Gressier, Carrefour du Fort, Fauche, Grande Ravine, Thozin, Morne Tapion, Jeanty, Gwo Dlo, Tete-a-Boeuf, Ti Paradi (Petit Paradis), Papette, Petit Goave and beyond will continue to be without food and water for some time to come.
SponsorandFeedaChild Program was created by a group of close friends in June 2008 after my trip to the country and after having spent close to 18 years in the United States of America. That was before the 4 hurricanes and destructive floods of 2008 hit the country. The needs were unlimited then. After the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake, multiply them by 100! Now you can understand the urgency that drives and motivates our actions. Our roots are deep in the rural areas of Haiti.
SponsorandFeedaChild relies on its network of concerned local correspondents, residents of these various regions and members of the rural communities to assess the needs and reach out to the very needy people among them. I have heard from them all. Their situation is very serious and dire. Depending on the availability of funds in "Haiti Rural Development Funds," SponsorandFeedaChild plans on working with the various rural development groups that are looking forward to rebuilding potable water cisterns or wells, rebuilding schools, clinics and orphanages that were destroyed by the quake. So your donations are all the more urgent and important.
SponsorandFeedachild Program is also interested in long-term sustainability projects encouraging entrepreneurship, incubating, and sparking microbusiness development with and for Haitian women. This way, they can reach self-sufficiency in the near future. After all, the Haitian women are the glue that keeps the family together.
For now, we will focus on stabilizing the situation by meeting the primary needs!
Now, set your priorities straight. Make up your mind and decide to sponsor one of these groups:
1.) For a monthly commitment of as little as $30 or as much as you want to contribute per month, you can sponsor a Haitian child. You will receive news of the child and his/her family. Once our volunteers are equipped with digital cameras, they will be able to take a picture of your sponsored child. We'll send it to you!
2.) You can choose to sponsor a Haitian family with more than 4 mouths to feed for as little as $50 or as much as you want on a monthly basis. The outcome of your donations is that a family will be kept in tact. The children will be able to find shelter and food. SponsorandFeedaChild is aiming at stabilizing the living conditions of such families.
3.) School Rebuilding: With a one-time or more donation to SponsorandFeedaChild, you can help rebuild a school that will educate Haitian children.
4.) Medical Care and Clinics: You can choose to help heal the broken bodies of Haitian children affected by the quake. Help meet their primary needs with your donation.
5.) If you are a religious person, you can sponsor a religious group, a missionary etc.
6,) If you are thinking about addressing major problems affecting Haitian rural communities such as lack of job creation and economic investment, you may want to donate to "Haiti Rural Communities Fund." Go to http://helphaitiquake.blogspot.com to see what you can do.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
How Much Does It Take To Sponsor a Child? Not Much; Only a Commitment to Helping a Needy Child
If you want to participate in our Child sponsorship program, we will ask you to make a one-year commitment of $30.00 or more per month to sponsor a needy haitian child. (You can give according to your financial position.) $25.00 of this amount goes directly to the family to provide food, clothing and shelter for the sponsored child. This amount will help contribute to the overall stability of the home environment. Sponsorships are renewable.
If you are interested in sponsoring one of these precious Haitian children, please contact us at sponsorachildemail@Gmail.com
If you are interested in sponsoring one of these precious Haitian children, please contact us at sponsorachildemail@Gmail.com
What's SponsorandFeedaChild all About? Interested Sponsors Find Ways to Help Needy Haitian Children
Updates on Jan. 12/2010: Haiti is the land of unlimited opportunities -i.e.- opportunities to reach out to needy Haitian children made orphans and shelterless by the earthquake's devastation
Read on....
Answers to your questions: How Much Does It Take to Sponsor A Haitian Child? Short answer: As much as you can contribute on a monthly basis without feeling pressured.
Here is the long answer to the above question.
Thanks for contacting us. If you look in our archives, you will find some of the children who are seeking sponsors. We only published a few of them. However, we have a whole list of children who have not been matched with a sponsor yet.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself so we can match you with a child. We can always send you a picture of a needy Haitian child and related information. You can choose to sponsor the child by contributing as much as $1000 or as much as you want or as little as $25 per month. Frankly, most of our sponsors are not rich people. They are regular people like you and me. They make small contributions. We like steady small contributions. If you had the large one, it would be OK too.
You can make your contributions by using Paypal or Obopay on http://sponsorandfeedachild.blogspot.com
Or you can decide to send us a check which will expedite the transaction. Once we receive the funds, we deposit them and pay the transfer fees to make sure the money is in the hands of your child's parents the same or very next day, but not later than a week. (Well, Founder and servant leader, Mr. Charles, pays the transfer fees out of his pockets!!!!).
None of your contribution goes to administrative overhead costs. Our volunteer field directors and agents make sure that the family spends some of it on the child's education needs and food. Some of our sponsors occasionally make a substantial contribution to a specific project. For example, a few sponsors sent money to their child's parents so they can repair their home destroyed by the recent hurricane season or for specific holidays.
SponsorandFeedaChild Program is a startup for good network founded by a group of American professionals of European, African, Asian and Caribbean descent. We believe we can make a differece in one child's life at a time. With your support, more than 6 children can be reached and lifted up from the grips of dire poverty that Haiti has known. Our small group reflects such a rich diversity. Among us, we have so many college degrees. What will all these degrees be worth if children are still dying not too far from our borders, if we can not even help feed or clothe them?
In our pursuit of money and prosperity offered by our country, a few of us have stopped to look back at those we left behind a long time ago. They want a helping hand from us. After all, they are our forgotten neighbors! We are ready to form a grassroots organization to help them. Together we, the people of the United States and other countries of the world, can bring change to Haiti one child at a time thanks to SponsorandFeedachild Program!
Since the inception of http://sponsorandfeedachild.blogspot.com, change is dripping to Haiti. Joy, laughter, and smile are brought back to the few fortunate sponsored children's faces. We want this organization to continue to reach out to these needy children.
SponsorandFeedaChild is a project from the heart. Once you join us, you will feel the need to tell your friends or enemies, co-workers and other family members about us. The occasional updates you will receive from your kids will be worth all the efforts.
If you can not join us to help a kid now, please pass on the message to somebody else who may sponsor a needy child.
Write to us at sponsorachildemail@gmail.com
Thanks
Servant Leader, Founder, Mr. Joseph Charles
sponsorachildemail@gmail.com
Adopted Haitian Girl Starts a New Life with French Family:
If you can not adopt a Haitian child, consider sponsoring one!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Celebrity and Superstars Help Haiti: Hope for Haiti Now Major Telethon for Haiti Relief Efforts
Tell us what you are doing to help Haiti. How about deciding to help a child? You can sponsor a needy child today. Or you can contribute to any of these organizations.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Haitian Orphans and Restavek May Be Adopted by Foreign Families After Quake If Haitian Judges Sign Paperwork
After Tuesday's quake, I continue to be haunted by the pictures of children who witnessed their parents' crushing death. A young boy was finally rescued from the arms of his dead father. Even when the rescuer reached him, he refused to let go of his dead father. He wanted to stay with his dead father. Tears ran down my cheeks. I also heard horrible stories about fathers singing their daughters to bed. This story was reported by a young woman who was finally rescued. She said that some of her family members died on her knees in the rublbles.
The pictures that stay with me up to now are those of two kids (a boy and a girl) covered with dust, barefooted and crying over the loss of their family. They were alone among the piles of debris. They had nobody to hug them. They were alone and lonely. They had no family member to shield them from the cruel deaths that cheated them. I wanted to reach out and feed them. I wanted to comfort them and tell them that the following nights will be better.
In good times, Haiti had a lot of orphans. Most Haitians had some restavek who may now have to fend for themselves when they were never taught how to live freely. These are some of the Haitian kids who need to be rescued from the streets. Haitian Street Kids are also a problem.
Why would Haitian judges take so long to approve some adoptions?
Haitian adoptions used to take a long time.
After CNN's Anderson Cooper broadcast the plight of Haitian children waiting for their papers to be approved, we saw what happened to their cases. Many of these kids are now living with their American parents in the US. We also saw a senator piloting his plane to pick up or rescue some Haitian children and their American caretakers.
The Netherlands sent a plane to pick Haitian kids who were being adopted by Dutch families.
"The 109 children include nine who were in the process of being adopted but have not yet been assigned Dutch parents, Mikkelsen said. Those nine will be placed in foster families until permanent parents can be found.
Fifty-six children were awaiting travel documents when the quake hit. The remaining 44 already had been matched to parents but were still waiting for a Haitian judge to approve their adoptions..."
The pictures that stay with me up to now are those of two kids (a boy and a girl) covered with dust, barefooted and crying over the loss of their family. They were alone among the piles of debris. They had nobody to hug them. They were alone and lonely. They had no family member to shield them from the cruel deaths that cheated them. I wanted to reach out and feed them. I wanted to comfort them and tell them that the following nights will be better.
In good times, Haiti had a lot of orphans. Most Haitians had some restavek who may now have to fend for themselves when they were never taught how to live freely. These are some of the Haitian kids who need to be rescued from the streets. Haitian Street Kids are also a problem.
Why would Haitian judges take so long to approve some adoptions?
Haitian adoptions used to take a long time.
After CNN's Anderson Cooper broadcast the plight of Haitian children waiting for their papers to be approved, we saw what happened to their cases. Many of these kids are now living with their American parents in the US. We also saw a senator piloting his plane to pick up or rescue some Haitian children and their American caretakers.
The Netherlands sent a plane to pick Haitian kids who were being adopted by Dutch families.
"The 109 children include nine who were in the process of being adopted but have not yet been assigned Dutch parents, Mikkelsen said. Those nine will be placed in foster families until permanent parents can be found.
Fifty-six children were awaiting travel documents when the quake hit. The remaining 44 already had been matched to parents but were still waiting for a Haitian judge to approve their adoptions..."
Monday, January 18, 2010
Pittsburg Welcomes Haitian Orphans; France Ready to Fly Haitian Children Adopted by French Families
Pittsburg parents were happy to welcome their Haitian children
The orphans were allowed into the country under an emergency humanitarian program announced Monday. The Homeland Security ruling allows orphaned children from Haiti to enter the United States temporarily on a case-by-case basis.
The decision applies to children who have been legally confirmed as orphans eligible for intercountry adoption by the government of Haiti and are being adopted by U.S. citizens.
France is to fly all Haitian children adopted by French couples out of the stricken country, Development Minister Alain Joyandet said Monday. "We will accelerate the (adoption) procedure for all the children with documents, for those where no questions remain," Joyandet told Europe 1 radio.
Since last week's devastating earthquake, prospective parents of Haitian children have demonstrated in front of ministries to demand that the government make it a priority to fly their adopted children to France.
But Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Monday that France is concerned about all Haitian children, not only those adopted, and that priority would be given to those injured in the quake.
France is by far the most active country in the adoption of Haitian children. According to figures by the French Adoption Agency, of some 1,300 Haitian children adopted around the world in 2006, 591 came to France.
The orphans were allowed into the country under an emergency humanitarian program announced Monday. The Homeland Security ruling allows orphaned children from Haiti to enter the United States temporarily on a case-by-case basis.
The decision applies to children who have been legally confirmed as orphans eligible for intercountry adoption by the government of Haiti and are being adopted by U.S. citizens.
France is to fly all Haitian children adopted by French couples out of the stricken country, Development Minister Alain Joyandet said Monday. "We will accelerate the (adoption) procedure for all the children with documents, for those where no questions remain," Joyandet told Europe 1 radio.
Since last week's devastating earthquake, prospective parents of Haitian children have demonstrated in front of ministries to demand that the government make it a priority to fly their adopted children to France.
But Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Monday that France is concerned about all Haitian children, not only those adopted, and that priority would be given to those injured in the quake.
France is by far the most active country in the adoption of Haitian children. According to figures by the French Adoption Agency, of some 1,300 Haitian children adopted around the world in 2006, 591 came to France.
Partial List of Dead Grand Goave Residents: Help Grand Goave's Quake Survivors; Its Children Need You Now!
SOS, SOS, SOS, SOS S O S SOS SOS FOR GRAND GOAVE, HAITI!!!!!!!SURVIVORS OF QUAKE NEED HELP NOW! HUNGRY, THIRSTY, STARVING CHILDREN AND ADULTS CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!
Partial List of Dead People from Grand Goave:
1. Yvette Jean Julien (Rue Chemisette)
2. Nahomie Esperance (Rue Chemisette)
3. Denièse Joseph (Rue St François)
4. Volcin Rose-André
5. Myrtho Saintus (Pitit Klaris)
6. Guyto Lovelace
7. Geraldine Metelus
8. Jean Marie Emelia
9. Fadline St Jean (Deye Calver)
10. Sandra Leubrun (Rue St Francois)
11. Mme Fritz Milord (Zou) et son fils (Rue Artiste)
12. Jeannine Mathurin (Fauche)
13. Jean BienAime (Papette)
14. Kerby Alexys (Fauche)
15. Marie Ange Louis (Fauche)
16. Carmelo Saintine (Fauche) Francois)
17. Milord Shakina (5 ans, Rue St. Francois)
18. Marie France Zephyr (Daughter of late Boss Nelio)
19. Raymond...died at the City of Canadians (Cite des Canadiens) near the beach. Large numbers of Canadian tourists and retirees died all over Haiti, including Grand Goave.
Countless sisters of the Catholic church died too. More names will be posted later!
According to the Association of Grand Goave journalists, the needs are unlimited. They are asking for assistance in these areas.
"....There are many injuries that are very extremely difficult for us to treat. We have no hospital in this town because the only one we had have been transformed into an Integrated Diagnostic Center which is not yet functional. Many people have broken legs, broken arms, and severe heads injuries. We were able to get some medical attention from the American missionary doctors of the Lifeline Christian Mission, Cuban and Haitian doctors, as well as the Haitian community but we are still in desperate need of an orthopedist. We need gloves, masks, antibiotics, Tylenol, Ibuprofen 600 - 800mg, Diclofenac inj, inj Dipirone, Ampicillin 500, Amox co, alcohol, pliers and wire sutures, linen, gas, peroxide, Betadine, cotton, lidocaine, sterile water, bandages, paracetamol 500mg Co, and catheter. We also need fuel for the generators, medical staff transportation, the city police, and the victims in order to get everyone to a safe location...."
Please contact the association to see how you can help this beautiful town with the best and most beautiful beaches and proud citizens.
Their email address is grandgoaveonline@gmail.com
If you are here in California, want to help this city and want to contact me to inquire about this community, email me at helphaitiquake@gmail.com. After all, Grand Goave is my hometown too!
Partial List of Dead People from Grand Goave:
1. Yvette Jean Julien (Rue Chemisette)
2. Nahomie Esperance (Rue Chemisette)
3. Denièse Joseph (Rue St François)
4. Volcin Rose-André
5. Myrtho Saintus (Pitit Klaris)
6. Guyto Lovelace
7. Geraldine Metelus
8. Jean Marie Emelia
9. Fadline St Jean (Deye Calver)
10. Sandra Leubrun (Rue St Francois)
11. Mme Fritz Milord (Zou) et son fils (Rue Artiste)
12. Jeannine Mathurin (Fauche)
13. Jean BienAime (Papette)
14. Kerby Alexys (Fauche)
15. Marie Ange Louis (Fauche)
16. Carmelo Saintine (Fauche) Francois)
17. Milord Shakina (5 ans, Rue St. Francois)
18. Marie France Zephyr (Daughter of late Boss Nelio)
19. Raymond...died at the City of Canadians (Cite des Canadiens) near the beach. Large numbers of Canadian tourists and retirees died all over Haiti, including Grand Goave.
Countless sisters of the Catholic church died too. More names will be posted later!
According to the Association of Grand Goave journalists, the needs are unlimited. They are asking for assistance in these areas.
"....There are many injuries that are very extremely difficult for us to treat. We have no hospital in this town because the only one we had have been transformed into an Integrated Diagnostic Center which is not yet functional. Many people have broken legs, broken arms, and severe heads injuries. We were able to get some medical attention from the American missionary doctors of the Lifeline Christian Mission, Cuban and Haitian doctors, as well as the Haitian community but we are still in desperate need of an orthopedist. We need gloves, masks, antibiotics, Tylenol, Ibuprofen 600 - 800mg, Diclofenac inj, inj Dipirone, Ampicillin 500, Amox co, alcohol, pliers and wire sutures, linen, gas, peroxide, Betadine, cotton, lidocaine, sterile water, bandages, paracetamol 500mg Co, and catheter. We also need fuel for the generators, medical staff transportation, the city police, and the victims in order to get everyone to a safe location...."
Please contact the association to see how you can help this beautiful town with the best and most beautiful beaches and proud citizens.
Their email address is grandgoaveonline@gmail.com
If you are here in California, want to help this city and want to contact me to inquire about this community, email me at helphaitiquake@gmail.com. After all, Grand Goave is my hometown too!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Help These Organizations Help Haitian Children, Orphans and Street Kids
The following organizations are accepting SMS donations in the US only:
* SMS text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts
* SMS text “YELE” to 501501 to Donate $5 to Yele Haiti’s Earthquake Relief efforts
* SMS text "GIVE10" to 20222 to donate $10 to Direct Relief.
Here is another organization that you should consider helping: Good Samaritan Project
You can sponsor a child for only $20 dollars a month. These children are counting on us to help them. What we in America consider to be "pocket change" could be used to pay for clothes, education, housing, Bibles etc.
Send checks payable to:
Grand Goave, Haiti
6524 SW 8th Place. North Lauderdale. Fla. 33068
(954) 977-2938
Contact By Email:samaritanproject@yahoo.com
* SMS text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts
* SMS text “YELE” to 501501 to Donate $5 to Yele Haiti’s Earthquake Relief efforts
* SMS text "GIVE10" to 20222 to donate $10 to Direct Relief.
Here is another organization that you should consider helping: Good Samaritan Project
You can sponsor a child for only $20 dollars a month. These children are counting on us to help them. What we in America consider to be "pocket change" could be used to pay for clothes, education, housing, Bibles etc.
Send checks payable to:
Grand Goave, Haiti
6524 SW 8th Place. North Lauderdale. Fla. 33068
(954) 977-2938
Contact By Email:samaritanproject@yahoo.com
Learn Haitian Creole to Effectively and Efficiently Help Haitians Rebuild Haiti
Haitian American man, from California, has the brilliant idea of using his expertise in French, Creole, Spanish and English to teach Creole in No Time to aid workers who will eventually depart for Haiti.
As people are rushing to help Haitians entombed in their own homes or stuck under piles of debris and rubbles after the 7.0 quake hit the country, Mr. Charles is using his knowledge of Spanish, English and Creole in a very social media and iTunes, iPod-savvy way. He realized that he can not be there with the first responders, but they can listen to him wherever they turn in Haiti. Equipped with an MP3 player, these first responders can connect with the mass of Haitians who only speak Creole. They can learn to converse with them in the only language all Haitians speak. Creole is the main means of communications among the mass.
For Mr. Charles, there is such an urgency. After watching the US news media and networks such as CBS, ABC, NBC and CNN, he came to the conclusion that a fast crash course of Creole is needed for the millions of rescuers and helpers who will continue to go to Haiti.
Mr. Charles is not charging anybody for the course. He only requests donations to help defray the high costs of bandwith.
He welcomes any assistance in getting this project started. He also added that missionaries will be able to use this tool long after Haiti has been rebuilt and that the last rescuers and builders leave the country.
Using the Internet, Twitter, Facebook, podcast, blogs and any other ways, Mr. Charles is contributing to the rebuilding of his country where his parents are homeless these days.
Visit HaitianCreoleMP3 Project Now
As people are rushing to help Haitians entombed in their own homes or stuck under piles of debris and rubbles after the 7.0 quake hit the country, Mr. Charles is using his knowledge of Spanish, English and Creole in a very social media and iTunes, iPod-savvy way. He realized that he can not be there with the first responders, but they can listen to him wherever they turn in Haiti. Equipped with an MP3 player, these first responders can connect with the mass of Haitians who only speak Creole. They can learn to converse with them in the only language all Haitians speak. Creole is the main means of communications among the mass.
For Mr. Charles, there is such an urgency. After watching the US news media and networks such as CBS, ABC, NBC and CNN, he came to the conclusion that a fast crash course of Creole is needed for the millions of rescuers and helpers who will continue to go to Haiti.
Mr. Charles is not charging anybody for the course. He only requests donations to help defray the high costs of bandwith.
He welcomes any assistance in getting this project started. He also added that missionaries will be able to use this tool long after Haiti has been rebuilt and that the last rescuers and builders leave the country.
Using the Internet, Twitter, Facebook, podcast, blogs and any other ways, Mr. Charles is contributing to the rebuilding of his country where his parents are homeless these days.
Visit HaitianCreoleMP3 Project Now
Friday, January 15, 2010
My Personal Connection to Haiti Earthquake's Devastation and Suffering
If you want to read the whole story, go to HelpHaitiQuake: Help Rebuild Haiti
I realized that nobody is immune from the effects and suffering caused by the magnitude 7.0 quake that hit Haiti. Some of my friends and former colleagues are still unaccounted for...
Here is what I found out this morning (1-15-10)
Thanks to Digicel, the telephone company whose headquarters is based in Jamaica, my nephew (Frandy) was granted a few free minutes to call me to give me the news of my parents and neighbors. My parents are OK. However, my father barely escaped death as the 1st story of our house fell on the area he used to sit at. Knowing that he has difficulty moving fast due to the aneurysm and subsequent stroke he suffered a few years ago, he would have just stayed there. Fortunately, my nephew was getting him ready to give him a bath.
As the earthquake hit the country, he was on his way to take a bath near the other house on the property. My father fell on his face and sustained some scratches. Frandy promptly picked him up and carried him to safety in the brush around the house. As for my mother who was preparing dinner, she almost got burned. The violent shake of the quake spilled the meals. A small fire got started. My nephew ended up coming back for her, walking her to safety. The earth was shaking under their feet. None of them fully understood what was going on in the few seconds or minute the earthquake lasted.
With more than 100 aftershocks taking place even at the time of this phone conversation with me, people are scared in Haiti. My parents and their neighbors are currently sleeping in open air, on a Soccer field. They are afraid of going inside what remains of the house. Needless to say they lost everything. My nephew informed that my parents escaped with the clothes on their back. It has been raining in my hometown. My father is having a lot of difficulty sleeping outside.
With great pain, I learned of the death of a good family friend, Guito Lovelace. My brother, sisters and I went to primary school together in our hometown, Grand-Goave. He became a successful accountant and leader of his family. Two of my sisters got their job thanks to his efforts and recommendation. As a family, we lost a great friend and a smart man. And his family lost a great son.
Our neighbors did not fare well either. Hotel Villa St Georges owned and operated by a former French UN worker, collapsed. It was very important to the Chamette area as it provided access 24/7 access to the Internet. It also made use solar panels to meet its electricity needs. At the Cite des Canadiens, three Canadian retirees died. Their homes, built on the side of the hills, were completely destroyed. Some of the workers survived by jumping off the tall walls and hanging on electrical cords going into the house. Frandy said that they were subsequently rescued by family members and friends.
My uncles and aunts lost their homes. The only good news is that they ran out of their homes with their children.
They are now spending nights in open air, on a nearby Soccer field.
In our community, beach-front homes either collapsed or received irreparable damages. Homes built by Haitians living and working overseas also crumbled. Many plans for the community got destroyed. They have to go back to the drawing board.
The pastor of my parents' church reported that the newly renovated church crumbled. Eglise Baptiste de Thozin is no more. His own home was destroyed. His immediate problem is to figure out how to provide shelter to the orphans who live in the first floor of his home. Their school was on the second floor of the home. Pastor Enock Deroseney needs all kinds of help to rebuild the church and an orphanage. For now, he is sleeping on the nearby Soccer field with the orphans under his care and many church members from the nearby areas.
If you want to sponsor one of these orphans and make donations toward this cause, contact Brother Enock Deroseney at Good Samaritan Project.
My condolences go to the family of Raymond who perished at the Cite of Canadiens compound alongside the Canadian retirees. Raymond went there to sell his goods to them.
If you wan to read the whole story, go to HelpHaitiQuake: Help Rebuild Haiti
I realized that nobody is immune from the effects and suffering caused by the magnitude 7.0 quake that hit Haiti. Some of my friends and former colleagues are still unaccounted for...
Here is what I found out this morning (1-15-10)
Thanks to Digicel, the telephone company whose headquarters is based in Jamaica, my nephew (Frandy) was granted a few free minutes to call me to give me the news of my parents and neighbors. My parents are OK. However, my father barely escaped death as the 1st story of our house fell on the area he used to sit at. Knowing that he has difficulty moving fast due to the aneurysm and subsequent stroke he suffered a few years ago, he would have just stayed there. Fortunately, my nephew was getting him ready to give him a bath.
As the earthquake hit the country, he was on his way to take a bath near the other house on the property. My father fell on his face and sustained some scratches. Frandy promptly picked him up and carried him to safety in the brush around the house. As for my mother who was preparing dinner, she almost got burned. The violent shake of the quake spilled the meals. A small fire got started. My nephew ended up coming back for her, walking her to safety. The earth was shaking under their feet. None of them fully understood what was going on in the few seconds or minute the earthquake lasted.
With more than 100 aftershocks taking place even at the time of this phone conversation with me, people are scared in Haiti. My parents and their neighbors are currently sleeping in open air, on a Soccer field. They are afraid of going inside what remains of the house. Needless to say they lost everything. My nephew informed that my parents escaped with the clothes on their back. It has been raining in my hometown. My father is having a lot of difficulty sleeping outside.
With great pain, I learned of the death of a good family friend, Guito Lovelace. My brother, sisters and I went to primary school together in our hometown, Grand-Goave. He became a successful accountant and leader of his family. Two of my sisters got their job thanks to his efforts and recommendation. As a family, we lost a great friend and a smart man. And his family lost a great son.
Our neighbors did not fare well either. Hotel Villa St Georges owned and operated by a former French UN worker, collapsed. It was very important to the Chamette area as it provided access 24/7 access to the Internet. It also made use solar panels to meet its electricity needs. At the Cite des Canadiens, three Canadian retirees died. Their homes, built on the side of the hills, were completely destroyed. Some of the workers survived by jumping off the tall walls and hanging on electrical cords going into the house. Frandy said that they were subsequently rescued by family members and friends.
My uncles and aunts lost their homes. The only good news is that they ran out of their homes with their children.
They are now spending nights in open air, on a nearby Soccer field.
In our community, beach-front homes either collapsed or received irreparable damages. Homes built by Haitians living and working overseas also crumbled. Many plans for the community got destroyed. They have to go back to the drawing board.
The pastor of my parents' church reported that the newly renovated church crumbled. Eglise Baptiste de Thozin is no more. His own home was destroyed. His immediate problem is to figure out how to provide shelter to the orphans who live in the first floor of his home. Their school was on the second floor of the home. Pastor Enock Deroseney needs all kinds of help to rebuild the church and an orphanage. For now, he is sleeping on the nearby Soccer field with the orphans under his care and many church members from the nearby areas.
If you want to sponsor one of these orphans and make donations toward this cause, contact Brother Enock Deroseney at Good Samaritan Project.
My condolences go to the family of Raymond who perished at the Cite of Canadiens compound alongside the Canadian retirees. Raymond went there to sell his goods to them.
If you wan to read the whole story, go to HelpHaitiQuake: Help Rebuild Haiti
Carrefour and Leogane, Haiti, Considered the Epicenter of the Quake
According to eyewitnesses based in Leogane and Carrefour and according to one of my sisters, Leogane and Carrefour were heavily impacted by earthquake. The schools, churches, and hospitals were either destroyed and received significant damage. Some roads are impassable. Those who still have a car to drive are having trouble finding gas. From Carrefour, Gressier, Leogane, L'Acul, Dufort, Fauche, Grand Goave and Petit Goave, most houses were either flattened or rendered uninhabitable.
Some orphanages were also damaged. Some casualties were recorded too.
More updates later.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
How to Help Haiti: What You Can Do To Help
You can do so many things. As long as you can motivate people, you can do things to help Haiti.
You can talk to your senator or congressman about the plight of Haiti. You can send help. You can contribute your money, time or sponsor a missionary in Haiti. There are a lot of people who are willing to go, but they do not have the money to pay. So you can help send them there.
Anything and everything are needed in Haiti right now. If you have some other creative ideas, let us know here at sponsorachildemail at gmail.com.
Look at the side links to find a way to help out!
You can talk to your senator or congressman about the plight of Haiti. You can send help. You can contribute your money, time or sponsor a missionary in Haiti. There are a lot of people who are willing to go, but they do not have the money to pay. So you can help send them there.
Anything and everything are needed in Haiti right now. If you have some other creative ideas, let us know here at sponsorachildemail at gmail.com.
Look at the side links to find a way to help out!
Updates: Leogane, Fauche, Grand-Goave and Petit-Goave Were Affected: Casualties and Destruction of Property
Picture Updates of the Areas Noted below: Posted on 1-14-10
According to some of my friends who have established contact with their family members via digicel, the very southern part of the country was not heavily affected. However, the effects or impact of the quake will be felt all over the country. If the head is sick, the rest of the body is also sick. Haiti has a centralized system of government. Everything happens in Port-Au-Prince. People travel from all the country to come to P-A-P.
The businesses, churches, orphanages located in Gressier, Leogane, Fauche, Grand-Goave, Petit-Goave were affected as those located near Port-au-Prince.
Updates and Comment as of 1-14-10
According to eyewitnesses based in Petit-Goave, the hospital suffered damages just like any other buildings around town. From Leogane, Grand-Goave, Petit-Goave and Miragoane, mostly coastal cities, damages are recorded. We still do not know the extent of the damages to private residences and public hospitals, schools and churches. In Leogane, Grand Goave, and Petit-Goave, some casualties are recorded. Churches and private residences collapsed.
According to some of my friends who have established contact with their family members via digicel, the very southern part of the country was not heavily affected. However, the effects or impact of the quake will be felt all over the country. If the head is sick, the rest of the body is also sick. Haiti has a centralized system of government. Everything happens in Port-Au-Prince. People travel from all the country to come to P-A-P.
The businesses, churches, orphanages located in Gressier, Leogane, Fauche, Grand-Goave, Petit-Goave were affected as those located near Port-au-Prince.
Updates and Comment as of 1-14-10
According to eyewitnesses based in Petit-Goave, the hospital suffered damages just like any other buildings around town. From Leogane, Grand-Goave, Petit-Goave and Miragoane, mostly coastal cities, damages are recorded. We still do not know the extent of the damages to private residences and public hospitals, schools and churches. In Leogane, Grand Goave, and Petit-Goave, some casualties are recorded. Churches and private residences collapsed.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
List of Haitian Buildings Destroyed by the 2010 Earthquake
Le Palais National or (Haitian White House) suffers major damage
Commerce Ministry heavily impacted
Casernes Jean Jacques Dessalines reportedly crumbled
Hotel Montana, a major haitian Landmark is in ruin.
Haitian hospital and various schools
UN peace-keepers' buildings are affected
More to come
Commerce Ministry heavily impacted
Casernes Jean Jacques Dessalines reportedly crumbled
Hotel Montana, a major haitian Landmark is in ruin.
Haitian hospital and various schools
UN peace-keepers' buildings are affected
More to come
The Resilience of the Grieving Haitian Grandma: Knocked Down but Not Out of the Fight to Live Yet!
The Haitian Grandmother
Dizzy and covered with dirt and sweat,
The Haitian grandmother does not give up
Au contraire, she is thinking about her next move
She wants to dig with her bare hands
She wants to cry, but there is no time
There is so much work to be done
Her neighbors are still entombed in their own homes
The Haitian grandmother is thinking about her grandchildren
Some of them are beneath her feet
She has to summon her courage to cry for help and rescue
Other grandkids are far away.
The Haitian grandma is like a bamboo flattened by the monsoons
She is like a coconut tree whose trunk is bent by the hurricane forces
She gets twisted by life's ups and lows,
Yet she recovers and is full of joy again
Haiti's history flashes back in her memory
The Haitian grandma survived Papa Doc, Baby Doc and the Tonton Macoutes
She survived the Zenglendo and the fast and furious gang members
Surrounded by devastation, the Haitian grandma will rise again
She will look for her family members just like a mother hen, her chicks
Scared by a the nearby hawks of tumultuos weather patterns
A witness to history, she is the queen of the Haitian household
Her gaze will motivate all of us to focus on the future and rebuilding.
Dizzy and covered with dirt and sweat,
The Haitian grandmother does not give up
Au contraire, she is thinking about her next move
She wants to dig with her bare hands
She wants to cry, but there is no time
There is so much work to be done
Her neighbors are still entombed in their own homes
The Haitian grandmother is thinking about her grandchildren
Some of them are beneath her feet
She has to summon her courage to cry for help and rescue
Other grandkids are far away.
The Haitian grandma is like a bamboo flattened by the monsoons
She is like a coconut tree whose trunk is bent by the hurricane forces
She gets twisted by life's ups and lows,
Yet she recovers and is full of joy again
Haiti's history flashes back in her memory
The Haitian grandma survived Papa Doc, Baby Doc and the Tonton Macoutes
She survived the Zenglendo and the fast and furious gang members
Surrounded by devastation, the Haitian grandma will rise again
She will look for her family members just like a mother hen, her chicks
Scared by a the nearby hawks of tumultuos weather patterns
A witness to history, she is the queen of the Haitian household
Her gaze will motivate all of us to focus on the future and rebuilding.
Twitter.com Shows Impact of Haitian Quake Disaster: Social Networks and Twitter Beat New York Times and Other Media
Once again, Twitter beats the major networks in the reporting of the Haiti earthquake. It beats the likes of ABCNews, CBS, NBC, the New York Times and others. Twitter and the social networks put the first pictures of the devastation of the quake in front of Haitians living overseas and the world. Twitter is always there.
Yele.org director Jean Wyclef is using it to move the Haitian diaspora and the rest of the international community to set up a huge relief effort to benefit and rebuild Haiti. For now, the international community is focused mostly on rescuing the countless number of Haitians that are trapped in their own homes all over Port-Au-Prince.
Haitians Living Overseas Are Watching Quake Development: Bolosse, Matissant, Carrefour and Fontamara Heavily Impacted
According to two bank workers, friends of mine, the areas that go from L'avenue de l'exposition, Bolosse, Matissant, Fontamara and Carrefour are heavily impacted. The streets are cracked. Some of the houses are leaning over the streets. Those which were built in the hills suffer significant damages. The worst thing that happened is that many people are buried alive in many of them. Haiti lacks equipment to deal with this large scale disaster. Many observers only have to go back to 2008 when a school collapse required the intervention of foreign help to rescue them.
Considering how many shantytowns exist in Port-Au-Prince, it will be hard to go from house to house to rescue trapped Haitians.
According to two reports coming from Fontamara and Carrefour, the buildings which were built recently or in the last few years withstood the forces of the quake better than others. Obviously, there were many collateral damages as the buildings were built close to each other. In Fontamara, some residential homes fared better than others.
2010 Haiti Quake Will Bring Back 2008 School Collapse Memories and Highlight Hatian Chidren's Plight
The memories of the 2008 Haitian school collapse are flooding our mind. That incident reminds us that many lives were lost due to the lack of equipment and wrong building codes. This earthquake will have caused far more damages. Haiti does not really have a good emergency force. Yes, the peace-keeping troups are still in Haiti. With the destruction of roads and their own equipment, there is not much they can do.
Haitians used their bare hands to rescue their kids and neighbors.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has been struggling to recover from widespread riots over rising food prices, a string of hurricanes and tropical storms that killed nearly 800 people.
Thousands of Haitian menial laborers live in collapse-prone hillside slums around the capital, Port-au-Prince, to be near the mansions of the foreign diplomats, U.N. staff and wealthy elite for whom they work.
Parents said they toiled endlessly throughout the year to afford the school's $1,500 tuition in hopes of empowering their children to someday escape poverty.
Haitians used their bare hands to rescue their kids and neighbors.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has been struggling to recover from widespread riots over rising food prices, a string of hurricanes and tropical storms that killed nearly 800 people.
Thousands of Haitian menial laborers live in collapse-prone hillside slums around the capital, Port-au-Prince, to be near the mansions of the foreign diplomats, U.N. staff and wealthy elite for whom they work.
Parents said they toiled endlessly throughout the year to afford the school's $1,500 tuition in hopes of empowering their children to someday escape poverty.
2010 Haitian Earthquake Death Toll Estimate
According to various local sources, the Haitian quake death toll will be high. When everybody wakes up tomorrow morning, the reality of this powerful earthquake wll be felt all around Port-Au-Prince. From Carrefour to Petionville, a suburb in the mountains above the capital, the cries for help and rescue will be heard.
So far, President Preval and Ban KiMoun are talking about more than 70,000 people who lost their lives. Among the foreigners, there is a large group of Canadians. (More updates will follow here)
Right now, rescue troups and helpers have been going to most of the affected areas to try to rescue people trapped under tons of debris. From Hotel CHristopher, UN headquarters to Hotel Montana and countless other private residences and publich residences, the rescue mission -but not the recovery phase- continues to find surviors. The chances are minimal, but the rescuers do not seem to stop easily. As long as the rescue dogs and sophisticated instruments indicate there are signs of life, the search continues. Rescuers went to Leogane, located on the west side of Port au Prince for students and kids at two large schools.
There have been some 13 or more aftershocks. Each one of them causes as much fear as possible to the survivors. While neighbors are trying to rescue their neighbors by digging with their bare hands, they are running away from the near-collapsed buildings. But they do not want to give up. They want to rescue a mother and her children. They know they are still alive underneath the rubbles. They can hear their cry for help.
So far, President Preval and Ban KiMoun are talking about more than 70,000 people who lost their lives. Among the foreigners, there is a large group of Canadians. (More updates will follow here)
Right now, rescue troups and helpers have been going to most of the affected areas to try to rescue people trapped under tons of debris. From Hotel CHristopher, UN headquarters to Hotel Montana and countless other private residences and publich residences, the rescue mission -but not the recovery phase- continues to find surviors. The chances are minimal, but the rescuers do not seem to stop easily. As long as the rescue dogs and sophisticated instruments indicate there are signs of life, the search continues. Rescuers went to Leogane, located on the west side of Port au Prince for students and kids at two large schools.
There have been some 13 or more aftershocks. Each one of them causes as much fear as possible to the survivors. While neighbors are trying to rescue their neighbors by digging with their bare hands, they are running away from the near-collapsed buildings. But they do not want to give up. They want to rescue a mother and her children. They know they are still alive underneath the rubbles. They can hear their cry for help.
Massive Haitian Earthquake Pictures and Videos: 7.0 Magnitude Quake in the Tropics
A 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti this afternoon. An earthquake hits the tropics. There is a fault that runs right through the Dominican Republic and Haiti. That is why the earthquake happens. Yes, for the first time, there is an earthquake in the tropics. Will there be an earthquake in Miami?
According to a World Vision International worker, there is a lot of wailing going on and coming out of the shantytowns such as Cite Soleil. All the houses are flattened and crumbled. Even the best buildings, the new modern constructions suffer major damages. According to family members, many family homes, schools and hospitals crumbled.
Back in 1984, there was a 6.84 earthquake in Haiti according to some sources. So this one may not be the first one that hits the country.
According to a World Vision International worker, there is a lot of wailing going on and coming out of the shantytowns such as Cite Soleil. All the houses are flattened and crumbled. Even the best buildings, the new modern constructions suffer major damages. According to family members, many family homes, schools and hospitals crumbled.
Back in 1984, there was a 6.84 earthquake in Haiti according to some sources. So this one may not be the first one that hits the country.
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