Hey guys!
First of all, I just want to say sorry again that our internet was so messed up because now you all must be thoroughly confused about our itinerary with the bizarre order of our posts.
So on our first real day at Sonje Ayiti with Gabie, we took a tap tap to the Cima school (Cima tent, really) so the education team could get an idea of what they were working with. It was really disappointing to see the moldy, shabby tent that was the only response Unicef made to Gabie's proposal for aid to build a school. One thing that persists throughout Haiti (and I can definitely attest to this from last year) is the enduring positivity of the people who encounter these difficult obstacles. The teachers were incredibly welcoming and were truly happy to have us visiting and working with them. They work every day to give the children of their community an opportunity for a better life outside of their small, hot little tent that can't even keep out the rain. Another inspiring part of the school were the tiny little wooden chairs that were scattered around the room, which Gabie told us the parent's of the community had made with their own resources on their own time.
After the tour of the school, we headed to RAFAVAL's cocoa factory (f.y.i. RAFAVAL is a women's co-op aimed at empowering women by giving them jobs that bring a sense of dignity and sisterhood). To welcome us, the women sang songs that they had written which described their struggle and their perseverance through this struggle. It was really fun to see their passion and their vibrancy, and it was even funnier when Timmy, Nick and Taylor danced one-on-one with one of the women (expect videos to come).
Our team split into our two teams (education and business, me being with the business so I'm going to apologize now for the one-sided perspective of the day) and set off to work on the agendas we had established with Gabie a few months ago. To me, the business meeting, though overwhelmingly abundant with information, went well. We discovered that they not only sell cocoa for hot chocolate but also a ready-made cold chocolate drink that was delicious (the great thing about working with a food business is you get to taste all the merchandise haha). We definitely had a lot of work to do after the meeting, but I felt like there was a lot of promise in the women and their motivation to make their business more successful.
Side note: One of my favorite parts of this trip is the fact that Gabie gives us a truly authentic Haitian experience, from the food to the tap tap and even the fact that we're allowed to just walk around the small village near the factory. It's good to be a part of environment we're working with instead of just observing it and just saying "peace out" at the end of it.
Well, I apologize once more for the lateness of this post. We miss all of you and are having a great time here!
Peace out (see what I did there?),
Katie
Glad to hear of all your successes and, quite honestly, many of your struggles as well. Even for the hotel, being uncomfortable with privilege is a learning process indicative of everyone's progress in thus far; it also gives tremendous insight into the kind of cross-cultural understanding that needs to be fostered amongst groups like ICC working on the other side. Experiencing a clash of expectation not only continues to help us refine our own mission, but through feedback, theirs as well.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoying this interesting posting order, and glad you're all safe. Brian F