They're Graduating!!!

By: Norka Avignon

It all started with a dream, one classroom, 3 teachers and 33 students

 

“We may be weak individually, but together we are strong.” This is something the people of Lougou say often and yes, together they are strong.  It is sad to ponder that had PAL not started many of the children now graduating would probably have been given into domestic servitude at a very young age. They would have spent their lives caring for others and neglecting their own.  The children of today are our future…how many times have we heard that statement? It is that exact thinking that led the community of Lougou to act. They built the school wanting to invest in the future of their children. Together they invested their time, sweat and tears to build their school. They stood by the students encouraging and pushing them to move forward. Each year a class was added and over the years the confidence of the students multiplied.

 

There is a national exam that all 6^th graders must take in order to go on with their education. In Haiti it is more than an exam…it is a rite of passage.  The 6^th graders have long prepared for this exam, and it is taken over a period of two days. Today, the 18^th of June was the final day.  Our driver Kessaire and I along with COFHED field directors Nick and Madeleine Avignon met with the students early in the morning to give them a ride to the location of the exam. The children joked and laughed along the way, and any sign of nerves was indecipherable. Their confidence was high and their energy even higher. Upon arriving at the testing grounds the 6^th graders amazed bystanders. They held their heads high, and as though a small army preparing to go into a battle, they marched into the gates. Ready. Prepared.

Please keep the Lougou 6^th graders in your prayers.  We also thank every one of our supporters who have kept the village of Lougou much in their hearts and minds over the years.

Please join us in congratulating the first ever graduating 6^th graders of PAL!

 

A special day in Raymond

The people of Raymond welcomed the Woodland Hills medical team with beautiful songs, poetry and dance. After words of hospitality were shared, drums began playing and bodies set to dancing. The fun didn’t last very long, for shortly after the team began to set up for pharmacy and their upcoming week. The week went by in a blur and as I am sure of all prior years the last day is always the hardest; it is emotional, hectic and absolutely wonderful!  There were a total of 4 days of clinic and 954 patients were seen. The Raymond logistics and health committees did an excellent job of organizing and directing the traffic flow making it very easy for the team to remain efficient.

Clinic days in Raymond VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

  A special thank you goes to Nicolette (nurse), Mislène (nurse) and Melicile (medical student), all Lougou natives who accompanied the team to Raymond to offer their services. We would like to thank Dr. Jehu for all his help as well as all the interpreters (Wandy, Anderson, Bazelais, Marco) from Les Cayes;  thank you for all your help!  The team in Raymond did an excellent job organizing before the arrival of the team and while the team was there.   Last but not least, a big thank you goes to Woodland Hills Church for their ongoing support of the medical mission trips and thank you to the professionals who signed on for this task and blessed the people of Raymond in such an amazing way! May God bless you! Mark your calendars... We cannot wait to do it all over again next year!

Local resources VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

A special week in Lougou

By: Norka Avignon

The Woodland Hills Church (WHC) medical team arrived in Camp-Perrin, Haiti on Saturday the first of March. The group consisting of 3 doctors, 6 nurses, and a nursing assistant dedicated a week to serving the medical needs of the people of Raymond and neighboring communities. This was the first year since partnering with COFHED that the team has not centered their mobile clinic operation in Lougou. However, on the second of March the team set out early to partake in Lougou’s dedication of their newly constructed clinic building and their thanksgiving service. The ceremony was extremely buoyant and incredibly moving. Many tears were shed as members of the Lougou community expressed their gratitude towards the medical team’s past years of service (8 to be exact). The people of Lougou were saddened that they would not be hosting the team’s clinical visit this year, yet they are grateful that it is because they are now in a position where they can find medical aid within the mountains of their own village.

 

Clinic Dedication Day VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Enjoying Lunch at Le Jardin des Rossignols in Raymond

 

Lunch time VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Le Jardin des Rossignols (The Garden of the Nightingales) School

By Norka Avignon

School is now in session in Raymond! And “Le Jardin des Rossignols” is its name!

On the 3^rd of December 2013, Le Jardin Des Rossignolsl was officially open. The brand new school of Raymond with 3 classes of kindergarten (ages 3-6), three staff members and 41 students has been the talk of the community. People gathered outside the school building peeking in and marveling at the new establishment. The young children looked beautiful in their new uniforms and seemed proud to wear them. For the majority of these kids it was their first time away from home. There were tears, tantrums and a few seemed upset wanting to be rejoined by their parents. However, as toys were brought out the kids realized this was an environment where they could make friends, play, learn and just be kids. They then began to relax, laugh and have fun.

Children at Le Jardin des Rossignols VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

    I sat with the kids helping them to use building blocks as their small hands explored the techniques; it was incredible to see their still developing minds at work. For these children this was a completely new experience. Most of them don’t have toys at home other than what may be handmade by their older siblings or parents.

One little boy joined me on the dry erase board and burst into laughter every time he drew a line. He drew short little lines over and over, each time growing more intrigued. A little girl held a baby doll in her hand pretending to rock the baby to sleep. One class recited for me their ABC’s. It wasn’t perfect, I think they only mentioned 24 letters, but like what a proud mom would do, I clapped my hands and told them they were so intelligent and how proud I was of them. The kids sang songs and overall enjoyed their new school. One parent upon arriving at the end of the day told me her little girl woke up at the crack of dawn and began doing her hair adding little barrettes to her braids, set on getting ready and not wanting to be late for school.

 

Construction of the school VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

As the school day drew to an overwhelming yet fulfilling end, I realized this school building is so much more than just an institution of learning for these kids. It is a place of refuge where they feel safe and free enough to begin to spread their wings and get ready to take flight and soar like young eagles into the vast and limitless sky of their passion and imagination. Something new and great has seen the day in Raymond. But none of it would have happened if it were not for our loving and caring supporters who sacrificially gave to help make this community dream become reality. We thank you and we will always be grateful for what God has done in the midst of our people in Haiti.

Petite Académie in Pictures

Laughter and Smiles VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

MOFADEL or Active Women for the Development of Lougou (in English)

By Franthiel Fifi, COFHED Staff

It has been four years this year that MOFADEL (the Lougou microcredit organization) has been in business in Lougou. It has not become yet a big financial cooperative, but with the means at its disposal it has begun to meet the needs of the micro entrepreneurs enrolled in its program. Some women who now possess some cows, pigs, goats and sheep achieved so with money borrowed from MOFADEL.

 One of the biggest things MOFADEL has done in the last four years is to sponsor a young woman from Lougou by sending her to Les Cayes to study Bank and Technical Operation Services at a business school in Les Cayes. Her name is Ausianne FIFI. The goal is for her to return to the village after completion of her training and work with the Lougou micro entrepreneurs through MOFADEL. This makes Lougou people proud.

We believe that if MOFADEL has more capital, things would move a lot faster for many. This year we have had a lot of requests for loans, but we do not have enough financial resources to meet all of them. Many other women want to join the program for a better life. Please find below a statement from Liliane, a woman not enrolled yet in the Lougou microcredit program.

“I am a woman from the Lougou community and I have two children. I used to live in Port-au-Prince, but I came back to live in my own community. I have come back to participate in the development of my own community. I come to realize that in Lougou almost all the basic need areas are being addressed. I feel that I can now live well in my own locality. I am a member of the MOFADEL cooperative. My mother is also a member, and she has borrowed before from it. According to her, things are going well for her. I hope the time will come for me too to borrow because I love to engage in microbusiness. That can help with the education of my kids, and my life will be better too. I am planning to borrow $345.00 USD. This microenterprise activity has done a lot of good to many Lougou women, that way they are always busy at work. I would love to get busy as well. I would love for MOFADEL to have enough money to lend to other women that are outside of the Lougou community because women in other villages are also asking and waiting.”

Stories from the Lougou Microcredit Program (part 1)

 

My name is Ste Almène I have been with the microcredit program since 2009. My first loan was about $37.50 USD. With that loan, I purchased rice, sugar and oil to sell. Even though the loan was small, it was beneficial for me and I was able to reimburse on time.

My second loan was about $100.00 USD. I continued with the same activities as before. I was able to invest more and get more benefits, and I worked hard to reimburse the money on time.

I received an increased of $375.00USD for my third loan. I bought a goat and it died during hurricane Sandy. I also purchased a sheep but it too died from an infection. With the rest of the money I purchased food staples to resale. I was able to make some profit, help my household and reimburse all my payments on time.

My biggest loan now is about $650.00USD. I was able to purchase a freezer and with the rest of the money I increased my food supplies and added soft drinks for resale. I am the first woman in Lougou to purchase a freezer. I am able to sell ice now in the village. People living in my community are very happy about this progress because they do not have to go to other villages to buy ice during the hot weather or for a special event.

My community and I are very proud to have a place right in our midst where we can get loans to help change our lives economically. I want to say thank you to MOFADEL and thanks to all those that have invested into our microcredit program. My dream is to be able to borrow more so I can increase my supplies and sell wholesale merchandise to others in my village and other surrounding communities.

Maggie and PAL Students

The students and teachers at Petite Académie de Lougou (PAL) were very happy to receive Maggie in their midst for almost 3 months.  Maggie helped the students from preschool to 5th grade with basic art and craft lessons.    
Maggie demonstrated intercultural understanding and competency during her time in Haiti.  She made friends with both kids, young people , and older adults.  She is greatly missed by everyone. 

Housing in Lougou

The Lougou small housing project is moving along slowly but surely. The last layer of paint to the forth home is done, with doors and windows awaiting. It is a partnership between the community and families in Lougou where beneficiaries participate in this project by providing some building supplies, transporting materials, and supporting the workers.
We give thanks to God for this provision for families in Lougou . We also want to thank all of our partners, both Haitian and international, who have given of their time, expertise, and money to support the Lougou Housing Project. A brand new Lougou home costs between $2,800.00 and $3,000.00 USD to build.

The Woodland Hills Church (WHC) Medical Team in Lougou, Haiti

 

We thank the Lord for his love, mercy and goodness shown to us every day in every way!

These words can sum up the days the medical team worked in Lougou, Haiti. The team spent their first and only Sunday in Lougou. It was a very special time for the people of Lougou and for the team members as well.  It was a time of worship and prayer and sharing with one another mutual feelings of hospitality, grace and gratitude, and love.

In the afternoon, a party was launched by the villagers to inaugurate their new bridge and celebrate at the same time the presence of the WHC medical team in Lougou. A group of men were playing drums while others danced for joy and gratitude because of God’s blessings.

We want to say thank you to every team member, Woodland Hills Church and its missions department, and many others who donated their time and finances to make the medical mission trip to Lougou a big success. Jesus-Christ cared a lot about the health of people and we just walked together as his body in his footsteps.