Saying goodbye to Meloonda and her family

Port-au-Prince has dried out quicky, and the dust and unending traffic is back. When we arrived, everything was wet.... the floors of houses were wet, the tent cities were a mud pit, and the drainage ditches were overflowing. The Bregard's tent had blown away in the hurricane and their hut was leaking inside onto their beds. The sun and heat of yesterday were welcomed by everyone.

We returned to work with Meloonda -- this time teaching her mother how to do the exercises to stretch her muscles, how to "ring-sit" in order for Meloonda to learn to hold herself up while playing, how to use the "stander" so that Meloonda is not always in a sitting position, and how to transfer the seat from the indoor wheelchair base to the all-terrain wheelchair base. Stephanie and Lauren also worked with her mother about safe feeding and drinking techniques and how to encourage swallowing -- in order to prevent aspiration.

The good-byes were emotional all around.... it is good to see Meloonda back with her family, but all of us at Shenandoah and in Winchester that have worked with her and loved on her are going to carry her in our hearts for a long time.

Meloonda's therapy at SU concludes. The Bregards, accompanied by a team from SU, return to Haiti.

Physical Therapists, Stephanie & Lauren, write:

All the rehab team did an impressively comprehensive job working with Meloonda directly as well as preparing the educational materials and equipment for this adventure. Yesterday at Meloonda's house here in Haiti, we got all the equipment assembled while Meloonda and her mother got reacquainted. It was also very heartwarming to see how Meloonda's sister responded to Meloonda's return. Very sweet.

Those here in Haiti, who knew Meloonda prior to her rehab trip to the states immediately remarked on the improvements in her head control, her ability to open her mouth for feeding and ability to reach.

Today Lauren and I have laid out a plan for education and instruction focusing on safe swallowing (positioning to minimize risk of aspiration), the importance of changing position (prone, out of chair, standing etc) and review of use of the equipment. We will also be making some field adaptions to the seating system.

The hurricane blew away their former tent, but the family acquired two days ago a new (and better) tent and tarp. Unfortunately, most of Mr. Bregard's books were water damaged by the storm.

Good for all here that the rains appear to have stopped today -- this country sure needs a break.

PT faculty members, Karen & Andrea, report from Haiti

This has been an experience of a lifetime. It has been full of emotions that are hard to describe: a beautiful culture in the people of Haiti, the inner strength of the people there, the challenges ahead with rehabilitation for a child who will return to this physically challenging environment, and, pride in our wonderful students as they interact with the individuals in this very unfamiliar setting. As we watch Meloonda smile in Jennifer's lap (with quite improved posture!) as Brian makes her giggle in the "universal language" or Lindsay feed her with the care of a loving mother, our pride in the students of Shenandoah is tremendous.

We have much to reflect on in the coming days. We look forward to helping Meloonda and Mr. Bregard adjust to their new settings and begin the rehabilitation process. We feel so fortunate to have this opportunity.

President Fitzsimmons writes from Haiti

So much to digest... two days easily feels like two weeks in Haiti, as each day is so full of images and experiences. The most remarkable thing about being in Haiti, now eight months after the earthquake, is how much of the city looks the same as it did in the first months following January 12. In the city center, there are still piles of rubble everywhere and roads are partially (as opposed to completely) impassable. There is very little reconstruction evident. And there are still around one million people homeless -- the landscape continues to be dotted by tents everywhere.

The difference is that the tents have a much greater sense of permanence about them. In fact, many tents now have a door -- and actual wooden or metal door -- at the tent entrance and they are secured by a padlock. These tent cities have a complete social and political system, and a fully developed internal economy. There are hair salons, churches, and schools. Babies are birthed and weddings are performed. And an intricate informal sector has grown up around each large tent city to support the needs of those living within.
Is it possible to be "beyond impressed"? That was my reaction upon seeing the temporary school that has sprung up at the College Catherine Flon. Those following this blog in the past know that most of the school's structures either collapsed or were severely damaged by the earthquake. Now, all the buildings, except the one-story one, have been removed. 3,500 K-12 kids are now being educated in makeshift classrooms constructed of wood and thick plastic sheeting. I am attaching some photos to this post for everyone to see. Is the set-up ideal? Certainly not. But it is impressive how well they have used the space to accommodate the maximum number of students.
Today, we were there during a downpour -- with the sound of the rain on the plastic roof, we could barely hear each other. It is hard to imagine how the students can focus on a teacher's lesson between the loudness of the rain and sound of 50 students immediately on the other side of each of the three walls of plastic sheeting (chalkboard is fourth wall). But everyone seems very happy to have the school fully functional again.

Perhaps most aggravating was seeing the plastic sheeting -- it says "US AID" everywhere. My delight at imagining my government at work quickly turned to dismay when I found that the sheeting was initially distributed as a donation, but had been sold and re-sold on a black market before reaching this school - and many, many others. How unjust for them to have to pay to acquire what had been intended as a donation to start the re-building of the educational system!

More Reflections from SU PT/OT students in Haiti

Today we started with a quick stop at a Haitian artisan shop. Colorful artwork decorated the walls and shelf upon shelf held all sorts of handmade crafts. They create things of such color and beauty out of a world filled with gray. It was difficult to restrain ourselves from purchasing more than we could carry, but we wanted to bring back a piece of Haitian culture to share with people at home. After, we visited the College of Catherine Flon (K-12). We were delighted to see that a temporary structure had been erected on the foundation of the original school. There were summer classes going on, so we got to see the school in action, which was a great experience. During our tour of the school, we met two students (brother and sister) who were injured when the school collapsed. Physical therapy faculty and students helped evaluate and recommend leg exercises for the girl, and occupational therapy students helped evaluate and recommend hand exercises for the boy. Later in the day we had the opportunity to visit the home of one of our security guards. He and his family were very welcoming and it was nice to see how proud they were of their home.

Driving through the streets of Haiti is very humbling. Rubble and trash are strewn everywhere, clogging drains and in some areas limiting traffic to one lane. Pedestrians walk in the street dodging cars and motorcycles, hopping on and off tap-taps (modified trucks or vans that carry passengers), selling their wares or just watching traffic and people go by. We ride in relative luxury in air-conditioned SUVs while much of the populace of Port-Au-Prince struggles to survive. When we were stopped in traffic children would come up to the windows and tap, signaling for those inside to give them something, anything. Tent cities are erected wherever there is space, even in the medians of roads. Being here and seeing the daily struggles of the Haitians make our troubles at home seem insignificant.

PT/OT students report from Haiti

Day 1 of our Haiti trip has opened our eyes to how challenging it is to rebuild a life after the January earthquake. On our way to Meloonda's house, we saw everything from tents set up in the medians on the roads to rubble blocking the way. All of the people of Haiti have been more than accommodating and appreciative of us coming down here to meet and bring Meloonda to the U.S. Meloonda is an amazing little girl, with the brightest smile. We are more than excited to start our treatment with her, especially since our ideas for how we can help her seemed endless as we were brainstorming. Although discharging her to her home environment may be the most challenging part, we all agree that she is appropriate for therapy services and will make progress from now until December.

There is nothing more beautiful than a little girl smiling again!

Please know that we are sharing this update and information with the permission of her parents....

When we last saw Meloonda in late April, she was unable to smile, move her head and had very little ability to move her limbs. Yesterday, we went to visit her home so that the therapists could do her rehab with her environment in mind, particularly important as they help move her toward some independence. She and her family live at the end of a road that is accessible only by a four-wheel drive. And then, it is a five minute climb (and climb is the accurate word in this case!) further up the hill to their house. The view is quite beautiful. The place is entirely inaccessible for someone who cannot walk.

The family has been living for the past eight months on the concrete pad that was the floor of their house before the earthquake collapsed it. The pad now serves as a base for a tent and open-air "patio". Recently, her father built a 12 by 12 room out of tin and wood to serve as their sleeping quarters nearby.

What progress since April! Meloonda can now smile! And what a beautiful smile she has -- her whole face lights up. While she still cannot hold her head up, she is now able to turn her head to the left, to the right, and to look up. And she reaches toward the person that she wants! Yesterday, we all celebrated her progress. But she still cannot talk or eat anything, and has almost no control of her trunk or neck.

It is fascinating to be here with PT and OT students and faculty. They notice so much about her abilities, her challenges and her environment that those of us without their training would miss. As the president of a university, it is so inspiring to watch some of SU's students and faculty at work in Haiti -- and essentially to be their student. They are helping me to see Haiti through a different lens and are also teaching me more about the fields of PT and OT. It is, frankly, hard to imagine how any disaster effort or field clinic operates without rehab therapists.

It has been four months since Shenandoah University last sent a team to Haiti. During those two post-earthquake trips, SU committed to three future initiatives: to lead a partnership to raise the funds to re-build the College Catherine Flon (a K-12 school) in Carrefour that had been destroyed by the earthquake; to organize future health profession mission trips to Haiti; and to help a little five year old girl that was crushed by the earthquake under her home.

Those of you who have followed SU's Haiti posts know that this little girl, Meloonda, is largely non-functional and in need of rehab. Finally, Meloonda and her father have received their visas! So, we are now in the airport on our way to Haiti to pick up Meloonda and her father and accompany them back to the U.S. for her treatment. The SU team that is travelling is 2 PT doctoral students (Brian & Jennifer), 2 SU OT students (Lindsay & Carol), 2 PT faculty (Andrea & Karen), and the SU President (Tracy). The PTs & OTs will have the opportunity to see where Meloonda lives, may go to school, and the general Haitian context so that they may focus their treatment of her appropriately. What an incredible educational and professional opportunity for the students. And we all are excited and hopeful that this little girl may have a better life after her rehab.

A new beginning for a school in Haiti!

These past weeks have been powerful ones at the College Catherine Flon in Haiti. Three months to the day after the January 12 earthquake, the school re-opened! Using its remaining one-story classrooms, a courtyard, some open space and an empty one-story building some blocks away, the school has re-opened to serve the first 800 students. Yes, that is a far cry from the 5,000 it was serving before the earthquake, but it is an important first step -- and a testament to the dedication of the headmaster and the teachers, many of whom come to work after sleeping in a tent and do not know when, or if, they will be paid. As they are able to find secure buildings or open land, they will continue to add make-shift classrooms.
The goal remains to re-build the school. Thanks to the generosity of so many - SU alumni, students, Shenandoah Valley residents, Rotary clubs, and folks from as far away as Seattle -- we continue to build the fund to re-build the College Catherine Flon.
And re-building now means nearly all of the school... I am very sad to report that Education Nationale in Haiti demolished the remaining building at the school - even though expert stuctural engineer Ned Cleland had proven that it was a strong building worthy of saving. But Haitians remain paralyzed with fear by any building taller than two stories, and even those buildings still standing strong are now left unused. With the grief surrounding the deaths of many students and teachers across Port-au-Prince who died when their schools collapsed, the Haitian government has decided to destroy all remaining schools taller than two stories. On first blush, it is easy to be angry and judgmental about such a short-sighted decision. After all, for a government that can't afford to re-build the collapsed buildings, it is seemingly crazy for them to destroy the school buildings that are still viable. But such a reaction is a luxury afforded to those of us who were not in Port-au-Prince during the earthquake, and therefore cannot fathom the depth of fear in the population.
Re-building most of the school versus all of the school. Either way, the goal remains the same: to get those 5,000 kids back in school. If you wish to support the re-building, please donate on-line at www.su.edu -- click on "Giving to Shenandoah" in the upper-right, then on "Give Now"; designate your gift to "Haiti school" and 100% of your gift will go directly to pay for the re-building of the College Catherine Flon.

College Catherine Flon starts classes again!

Yesterday, exactly three months after the earthquake, the College Catherine Flon re-opened. Because of the collapse and damage to their buildings, they have had to spread their classes over several sites in Carrefour, holding classes both outdoors and indoors (in one-story buildings only). This arrangement will continue until the new building and renovations can occur.
With nearly everyone in Port-au-Prince still out of work, students are unable to pay tuition, but the school is welcoming everyone back who wants to study. As many students lost their homes in the earthquake, and therefore all of their possessions, students are not required to wear uniforms now. Teachers are working without pay - with the hope that the Haitian government will deliver on its promise to pay teachers at some point in the future.

A "work" day at College Catherine Flon

Yesterday, at the College Catherine Flon in Carrefour, Haiti, our group met with the school administrators, and then with the teachers to hear about their vision and to brainstorm with them ways to re-open the school and re-build the buildings. Rachel continues to be an A+ translator. Later in the day, those groups then met together for a strategy session. Nearly everyday, despite the rubble and the continued school closure, groups of teachers & staff meet to plan for the future. The whole time, we could hear a continuous "clank-clank" and "boom" as the workers chipped away at the rubble.
Job arrived with the bag of medications for people in the tent camp that Anne had seen last month and had been transported to Haiti by a doctor last week.
Dan and Mark had a discussion group with students and recent graduates. Matt, Lee and Tracy took measurements on every square inch of the library building so that the structural engineer, Ned, can continue do final design and drawings of the reinforcements needed for the building. The classrooms, library and computer rooms continue to be filled with dust from the earthquake. The only sign of movement is that someone has erased the date from all the chalkboards. Last month, they all still read "12 January 2010", with the corresponding lesson of the day, as if frozen in time. Perhaps erasing it is a sign of moving forward...
We also saw the little girl, Meloonda, who was crushed in the rubble again. She has a spinal cord injury of some sort and badly needs some expert treatment, according to a specialist she (finally!) saw this month. Clearly, her condition has improved since last month -- that is good news! She can now hold her head up for about three seconds at a time and can faintly squeeze someone's finger. We are working a means of transport, pro-bono medical care and therapy for her.
A good day, with lots of impressive signs of recovery and progress that our Haitian friends are making -- even as we all note that the journey will be so long.

Progress!

Not at all ready to deem anything a "success" yet, but certainly, there are signs of progress everywhere. Throughout Port-au-Prince, all roads now appear to be open and cleared of rubble. There are noticeably more heavy pieces of equipment (bulldozers, front-end loaders, etc) now than a month ago. Street life -- "sidewalk" merchants, traffic, and pedestrians -- seems to have returned to something resembling pre-earthquake levels.
More specifically, at the College Catherine Flon, about two-thirds of the rubble from the collapsed building has been removed by the government-sponsored cash-for-work program -- tens of people in yellow t-shirts breaking up the rubble with pick-axes and depositing it with shovels in dump trucks. All student records, financial ledgers, desks, chairs and chalkboards have been removed from the damaged building that needs to be demolished. Everything is now stored in another building and in a truck container on-site, that is doubling as a makeshift office for the school's headmaster.
Yesterday, there was much discussion and brainstorming about how and when to start school again. Most argued for starting it soon in order to get kids off the streets and give them hope. Others argued that it is too soon and the emotional wounds are still too raw. There is much conern about how to financially operate the school. 80% of schools in Haiti are private, including the College Catherine Flon. If nearly everyone in Haiti is out of work (or working for little or no pay), how will students be able to pay tuition? And if there are no tuition payments coming in, how will schools be able to pay teachers and purchase supplies?
Further discussion was around if and when students and teachers will be willing to re-enter multi-story concrete buildings that have been deemed earthquake-resistant. The psychological trauma is so strong that many cannot bring themselves to enter any building with more than one floor.
While meeting with a group of teachers, we asked how many were sleepeing outside of their homes, in tents or on the street. Every single hand went up. Among a group of students with whom we met, every single one had lost a friend in the earthquake -- some indicated they had lost five or more friends. But there are eager to continue their studies and, as one teacher commented, completing their education gives life and respect to the dreams that their now deceased parents or friends had for them.

Sleeping under a roof

Yesterday afternoon, there was an aftershock. And then last night, I slept under a roof in Haiti for the first time since the earthquake. Admittedly, it took me some time to set aside my anxiety and fall asleep even though Ned (structural engineer) had already inspected Jacques' apartments and deemed them of sound construction and earthquake-resistant. But somehow, the psychological trauma of the earthquake is almost contagious. When so many are still sleeping in a tent or on the street out of fear, it is hard not to wonder while falling asleep under a roof who is the rational one....

The rainy season

As I write, it is raining, and has been for the last fifteen minutes -- absolutely pouring rain. The kind of rain that normally, we all might enjoy listening to as it pelts the tin roof above. Except that now, here in Port-au-Prince, such a downpour means a potentially wet night for the thousands who continue to sleep in make-shift tents or on the street.
Four weeks after Shenandoah's last trip to Haiti, there are already signs of change. The Saint-Fort family has started spending more time in their house, although they continue to sleep outside (in a Rotary Shelter Box tent) -- a sign that the post-earthquake anxiety has yet to go away. But there are obviously others who have now begun to sleep in their homes. This evening as we drove through Pacot, there was not a single tent set up in the middle of the road -- whereas a month ago, there would have been a dozen just in this neighborhood. Some roads are now passable, as the rubble has been cleared. And it seems that on every block, another store has re-opened -- sometimes inside, other times, out on the roadside.
We spent this morning in Deschappelles at the Hopital Albert Schweitzer. Again, their enterprise is impressive. The prosthetics lab is completely up and running, and in its first month, has served 140 people. Lee and Matt did an assessment of the hospital's energy needs, while Mark, Tracy, Dan, Rachel and Willio toured with the HAS director, Ian Rawson.
While we continue to be very security-conscious and are taking precautions (including a police officer with us at all times), all of us have noticed -- and the Haitians have been commenting on -- that the level of lawlessness or insecurity is considerably less than had been expected.
But if the security situation is better than anticipated, the communications and "plan" is clearly beginning to fall short of expectations. The widely-held perception among Haitians seems to be that everyday, the plan for what to do about transitional housing, where to put the internally-displaced, and how & when to re-build what changes. More than ever in Haiti, who you know in the government or NGO community is the only way to get substantial help: whether you want to have the rubble of your home cleared, a large tent to set up a temporary school, or permission to begin re-building.

Death and Resurrection

As Haiti rebuilds this Easter, one-to-one relationships key

---

The following post by university president Tracy Fitzsimmons was published as an editorial in the Winchester Star, Saturday, April 3.

---

This week, Haitian President Rene Preval and senior officials from around the world met at an International Donor Conference at the United Nations to discuss short- and long-term support for Haiti.

Having just returned from Haiti two weeks ago, I can attest that the situation there continues to be dire. More than one million people are still homeless after the earthquake and half a million people are being fed through public food lines. That means that nearly 10 percent of the population is sleeping in a tent or on the streets, and 5 percent have no ability to provide food for themselves or their families.

Even in the face of such immediate human suffering, however, the international community needs to begin shifting its focus from basic humanitarian aid to the re-building of Haiti.

An estimated 4,200 schools have collapsed or been damaged beyond repair. Many churches are destroyed. And nearly every significant government building is in rubble. Quite simply, there is no place to educate, govern, or worship. How can we ever hope for stability and democracy for Haiti without such public spaces?

Yet the Haitian people are resilient and full of hope. They believe deeply that their capital city — and their lives — can and should be re-built. Even as they continue to mourn their dead and sleep on the streets, they are worshipping in outdoor church services, planning to re-open schools in tents, and holding steadfast to the belief that from suffering comes opportunity.

Right now in Haiti, one of the most popular songs (written by a Shenandoah University alumnus!) is called “N’a Leve.” It says, “We will rise, we will stand up, we will dry the tears from our eyes . . . suffering brings opportunity . . . hand in hand, with God guiding us . . . we will make our country beautiful.”

At this time of year, I am mindful that the Easter story of death and re-birth holds lessons not only for each of us, but for how we think of our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

The devastation in Haiti is awe-inspiring. Everyone has a friend or family member who was killed. Yet this is the time to dwell not on the destruction in Haiti, but on the possibilities of resurrection for that country. The global community has a chance to help re-build the country and help its people to emerge with better livelihoods and hope for a stable future.

From death, comes life. Just this week, the only known copy of Haiti’s declaration of independence was discovered in a British archive, reminding the country of its moment of birth.

If Haiti is indeed to be re-built, it will be because international support continues. But it does not have to be done all through governmental support. Nearly half of all U.S. households have donated to Haitian earthquake relief thus far, according to government estimates. Now is the time for American individuals and organizations to take it to the next level. Without one-to-one partnerships, school-to-school and church-to-church, the rebuilding of Haiti will take decades.

Here at Shenandoah University, we are doing our part. The university has committed to help the College Catherine Flon in Carrefour, Haiti reopen and rebuild. Catherine Flon, a K-12 school, was largely destroyed by the earthquake. It serves a mostly low-income population and has a reputation for graduating students who become upstanding citizens employed as police officers, teachers, and mid-level government workers.

Most immediately, we are helping the school secure large tents and supplies with which to start up temporarily while the rubble of its buildings is cleared. As well, we have begun to collect funds to help them re-construct their buildings.

Reaching out to our fellow global citizens is a long-standing tradition at Shenandoah and part of the university’s core values. Our students, faculty, and staff have been actively involved in service projects and mission work for decades, from providing health care to underserved communities in Nicaragua to assisting residents of the Gulf Coast in rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.

For Shenandoah, the connection with this Haitian school is significant because it is the school that our two current SU students from Haiti attended and where their father is the principal.

The goal for the Shenandoah team that traveled to Haiti in March was to listen to the dreams and needs of the principal, faculty, and students of the College Catherine Flon and to understand its role in the community.

As one Haitian man explained to me, “Everyone here in Carrefour is watching what happens with College Catherine Flon. If it rebuilds and opens again, then it will give the rest of us hope. If they rebuild, then so will many others.”

That school has earned a leadership position in the community because of its good work. They don’t need Shenandoah to tell them what to do, but they do need assistance in achieving those goals in this challenging post-earthquake environment.

On one chalkboard in a partially collapsed building at the College Catherine Flon, the quote-of-the-day for Jan. 12 remains: Tant vaut l'école, tant vaut la nation, or “As the schools go, so goes the nation.” Indeed, without a concerted effort to begin to rebuild the schools, places of worship, and government buildings soon, the rainy season will wash away Haiti's best possibilities to come out of this earthquake stronger than before.

I invite local citizens and organizations to join Shenandoah’s effort to rebuild the College Catherine Flon. Whether it is $5 or $50,000, I pledge that 100 percent of any funds donated will go to help rebuild that school and to get those 5,000 kids in Carrefour back in classes. That’s a good investment in their education, and a small step for Haitian democracy. And as Easter approaches, it’s a symbolic gesture of resurrection.

Shenandoah University is collecting funds but will not use operating or tuition funds for this project. To join this effort, send a check to “Shenandoah University-Haiti School” to 1460 University Drive, Winchester, Va. 22601.

Introducing Our New Blog

We launch a new blog this morning, as another Shenandoah-connected group leaves for Haiti for a quick, four day trip. Accompanying SU President Tracy Fitzsimmons will be Mark (an SU trustee who has prior involvement in Haiti), Dan (is experienced with foreign economic affairs), Matt & Lee (both solar power experts). We will visit with the folks at Hospital Albert Schweitzer first, and then go to spend time at the College Catherine Flon in Carrefour. There, we will meet with staff, faculty & student leaders of the K-12 school, and work on obtaining specific measurements of one of the buildings that needs to be reinforced with steel. Ned, the structural engineer who was on the last trip, has already completed the engineering report of that building and has preliminary recommendations for reinforcement. After this trip, he should be able to move toward final drawings for the work that needs to be done. Reinforcing that building means that the Catherine Flon's library, computer rooms and 9 classrooms would be usable again.

On another note, last week, Tracy Fitzsimmons and Chuck Call met with leaders of the Front Royal Rotary to brainstorm ways that Rotary and Shenandoah might be able to work together in partnership with the College Catherine Flon -- what an empowering partnership that would be!

Already, individuals have begun donating to the Shenandoah University-Haiti School fund -- thanks to each of you. Together, we WILL get the 5,000 students of the College Catherine Flon back in school!