Family ties

During this terrifying event of the January earthquake in Haiti, I have learned extensive details about my friend. After 17 years of friendship I had no idea that my friend did not know her father until age 18. It's heart breaking to know that a young woman missed out on having a relationship with her father because her mother's family didn't approve of him. According to her mother's family, her father was "only a cop" he was a general or captain in the army service. Several families deny young children of building a relationship with their father because of this nonsense. My friend is currently trying to reconnect with her father and is in the process of trying to get him a visa to live in the US. Her father was severely affected by the earthquake, he is currently ill and is living in front of what used to be his home. This is a valuable lesson that a child should not be purposely kept away from his/her father.

Adoption

Several people have asked me regarding adoption in Haiti. Personally I do not have any connections with any agencies in Haiti or the US, but I can provide some websites where individuals who are considering adopting can search. CNN.com; haiti.adoption.com; rainbowkids.com; achildshopefoundation.org CNN has done an outstanding job in linking foster parents with children, and parents who were already in the process of adopting. Some of the website I mentioned are the top ons that I some people is/have used in the past. I encourage individuals who are seriously thinking about adopting to think thoroguhly before making a decision. Do not make any rushed decisions, a child will not make him/her feel better or make a relationship work.

Relieved

Who are the faces of Haiti? The faces of Haiti are you and I. The person at work, your neighbor, friend, a child, husband, wife and so on. These are the people who are feeling the after math of the earthquake that ravished Haiti on January 12. As the journalists and camera crew pack their equipments to leave the images of crying babies and amputees behind, Haiti will slowly disappear from the media. But those who have direct connections there won’t easily forget or the images won’t slip away from their mind. The people who were fortunate enough to be blessed with their lives are the ones who will be calling you and I. Whether it’s a friend, a family member or someone trying to relay a message to their friend or family member, they will call. When they call this is what some of the conversation may sound like:
“We thank God we’re alive. Today wasn’t so bad they came to pick up some of the dead bodies in front of the house”
“The kids are ok, but they haven’t eaten in three days. We can’t get to the food when it comes. I’m too old to be fighting with these young guys who are stronger and faster”
“They found… today. …She looks peaceful”
“The kids are home now, they’re not able to go to school just yet. ….From up the street have lessons for the children in the neighbor”
“I got the money you sent, thank you. We really appreciate it, but I wasn’t able to get it for three days. Every time I went to CAM the line was too long and there are people standing online waiting for you to pay them so they can let you get to the front”
“Thank you for the $50 you sent, but the people at the transfer place only gave $40”
“We didn’t want to tell you so soon, but …died too. They found the body the same time they found… we thought it was too much to tell you at once”
“We have the money, but we’re not able to buy anything. 98% of the street vendors are not working and the ones that are, their prices are sky high”
“The smell is unbearable…”
"I have nightmares every night, sometime I see people that aren't there"
These are some of the conversations I have had personally and some are from friends and other people. It is crucial for anyone who has endured these thoughts and images to digest them. Make it your business to see a professional therapist/counselor to help process these feelings. If someone can’t afford to see a counselor or doesn’t believe in the power of therapy, I recommend reaching out to friends and family members just to get together. Getting together will provide a sense of normalcy and a feeling of “I’m not alone”. The cheapest way to start letting out all of your anger and frustration is by writing. Get a pen and notebook and begin writing your feelings away.
Francelene

NGO

How many non governmental organization (NGO)are in the US? How many are in Africa? How many are in Haiti? Must people wouldn't know the answer to this question. There are approximately over 200 NGO's in the United State. Some of these NGO are in collaboration with universities such as Penn State and other christian universities. Africa is the largest continent in the world yet it has less NGO's than Haiti. There are approximately 10,000 NGO's in Haiti. What are these NGO's? Who are they? And what are they doing? For the amount of NGO's that are in Haiti one would assume that poverty situation would be improving. Yet the people of Haiti are far more worst off then they were prior to the NGO's. One has to wonder what are these organizations doing. I stumbled on this fascinating article about a lawyer who claims to have information pertaining to the true reason why there are so many organizations in Haiti.
http://open.salon.com/blog/ezili_danto/2009/10/13/oil_in_haiti_-_economic_reasons_for_the_unus_occupation
I would like for the followers to read this article and make up there own mind.