Preparing for Haiti

Dear Friends and Family,

As you may already know, we are headed to Haiti for a spring break “vacation with a purpose.” We will be spending three days serving at the Power of Education Foundation school in the Fontamara neighborhood west of downtown Port-au-Prince. Our group consists of two families: the Lortons (Christopher, Juli & Ben, 17) and the Swains (Steve, Kathy and Eli, 17). We met several years ago at our church’s community camp and have enjoyed creating memories together ever since. Thanks to Kathy’s parents Paula and Glen for

staying with Gabe (14), Ruby (9) and the pets while we are away. We leave Seattle on Saturday, April 8th, arrive in Haiti on the 9th, return to Miami on the 13th, and return back home on April 15th.

The School: http://www.powerofeducationfoundation.org/
The Power of Education Foundation (PEF) School in Fontamara, a neighborhood of Port au Prince, Haiti, educates over 240 students from Kindergarten to 9th grade. The school opened in October 2010 with grades 1st - 3rd and has grown each year. The school provides free access to high quality education, primary medical care and daily food support to students who otherwise would have no access to an education. PEF families are highly engaged with the school staff. They attend bi-monthly parent-teacher meetings and have been involved in focus groups to help shape the future of the school. Juli took these photos when she was there in 2010.

The Principal (pictured in the white shirt below):
Joseph Geordanie Fleurant (Jordan), Principal and Director of Operations in Haiti, has been a community leader and educator his entire adult life. He grew up in the Grand Ravine neighborhood of Port au Prince, known for its extreme poverty and gang violence. His work experience includes interpretation services for Project Medishare (a large medical missionary group that responded after the earthquake), a teacher of English classes, facilitator children’s groups to keep them “off the streets” and principal at a school prior to the Power of Education Foundation. When Juli left in 2010, he asked her to return with her family one day. Little did he know she would return with two families!

Our Tentative Plans - when working overseas, flexibly is a must!
The morning brings many eager elementary learners to the school. One of Juli’s favorite memories from 2010 was listening to the

students sing hymns in the courtyard to start the day. When we discovered a pediatric ophthalmologist was visiting last October (the first visit from someone with this specialty), Kathy took the lead to explore how we might bring glasses to the students with the most need. Her job fitting glasses equips her to meet this need. With photos of handwritten prescriptions, she worked with doctors and vendors to prepare glasses. Part of our time will be fitting glasses for students at school. We know finding replacements will be difficult, however groups of doctors and educators visit throughout the year and we may be able to provide replacements over time. We will also be spending time with kids at recess and likely reading with individuals and small groups. Juli, Steve and Eli all have some experience speaking French, although the younger students are now learning in their native Kreyol. In the afternoons, we will be teaching middle school math lessons using geoboards, which allow students

to investigate shapes, angles, measurement and other geometry skills. The boards offer a three-dimensional grid where students use colored rubber bands to create shapes around the raised pins. Thanks to her Googling skills, Juli even found math “géoplans” lessons in French to leave with the teachers. Steve and Chris may also investigate ways to more easily export test score information from the Haitian software to share with PEF leaders. Currently the task is tedious and we’d rather have Jordan spending his time with students.

On a Hill Guest House: https://www.facebook.com/onahillguesthouse/
When Juli visited the school in 2010, the team stayed at the school because there were many extra rooms. Now, we needed to find other accommodations given the growth of the school. Thanks to the internet, we found a wonderful B&B run by an American couple about

15 minutes from the school. The owner put us in contact with reference who happens to be a youth pastor. Here is her review of the house: “On a Hill Guest House is one of the best places in Haiti that we have ever had the pleasure of staying. The hospitality and care for their guests is genuine and feels like home. The views from the balcony are an incredible display of God's creation. We look forward to our next stay!” Here’s what her husband had to say, “As far as the guest house, they have 24-hour electricity (a combination of solar and city power). They provide 2 meals a day (breakfast and dinner) and the meals are always a good combination of Haitian and American food. There is no AC but the do provide personal fans for each bed. The main reason we like On The Hill is because Rocky

and Meliana the owners. Staying with them feels more like family. They share a lot about living in Haiti and you can learn a lot from them if you want to. They also are people of faith so we have some good spiritual conversations. But most of all, I completely trust them. Rocky handles our transportation most of the time and does a great job.” This couple has been a wonderful resource as we’ve planned this adventure.

While nobody can guarantee our safety, PEF provides resources and guidance designed with safety in mind. We will have an off-duty, plainclothes police officer with us while traveling to/from the airport and each day at the school. Juli felt completely safe under Jordan and others’ care in 2010 and we expect to have the same experience in April. We are registered with the US Embassy and will have travel insurance should any emergency arise. While discussing our trip, our missions pastor quipped, “There’s no guarantee of safety driving down the freeway in the US.”