NEWS

Living in Haiti as I do is wearing. Politics, poverty, lack of services, human drama, and more make each day something of a marathon. Our new Reforestation Mentoring Program, however, has given me a shot of excitement and enjoyment that I, frankly, wasn’t expecting.

Every child knows that by counting the rings of wood, you can estimate the age of a tree. CODEP folks started planting trees over 30 years ago. We know their age but it remains a thrill to measure their growth – whether by “feet” or inches.

When we changed our name to Haiti Reforestation Partnership three years ago, we wanted our name to speak to our mission of reforestation and our core principle of partnership that was reflected mostly by our relationship with CODEP – the group of rural people in Haiti working to reclaim their mountainsides.

Guyland Brioche is a CODEP Animator who has been working to resurrect fishponds. The idea of creating another food source by raising fish was in vogue over a decade ago…. and then the 2010 earthquake damaged or obliterated nearly all of the ones installed across the mountains.

One of Barbarah Cenard’s earliest memories is helping her parents plant a hardwood tree near their house. She didn’t know much about hardwood trees back then as a wee child. Things are different now.

Young People! Five women and four men are building their forestation chops in our new mentoring program. We are having a ball.

In Haiti there is love. We love our children. We love a garden. We love a festival and all things celestial.

“Oh my.” It was a sigh and a reminder. Our newly minted protégés in our newly minted Mentoring Program were asked why CODEP works so hard to plant trees. Their answer: “For charcoal.”

“Go! Go! Go!” And with that we ended the first Mentoring Program session with the charter class of CODEP protégés. The three hours had been busy.

It doesn’t take long for a CODEP visitor to notice Rene Decime. This isn’t because he is noisy or outspoken. Quite the opposite. It’s because he is extraordinarily quiet and calm.

COVID cases are increasing in Haiti and fear is on the rise. We hear stories of sick people who cannot stay in their homes as communities do not want infected people in their midst.

Outside the gates of the compound where I live, a man is sleeping on the sidewalk. He doesn’t want to be near his family in case anyone has the coronavirus.

When I am in the United States, one of my favorite things is to get a call from Edvy Durandice, one of CODEP’s long-standing leaders. There is always a flurry of business to conduct but it is sprinkled with other messages

This week is a momentous time as we remember the way the earth shook ten years ago and changed life as we knew it in Haiti.

The news from Haiti has been dire. The problems of political corruption and economic strangulation are pushing people into the streets, and the upheaval is growing.

With Venezuelan oil cut off, rising oil prices and economic deterioration have been issues in Haiti for months. In September and November the country experienced various troublesome “manifestations” (street demonstrations).

2019 marks THIRTY years of reforestation work with our Haitian partners, CODEP. It is a time to celebrate!