Water,water everywhere, but not a drop to drink

For the last 12 hours, we've had non-stop torrential rains that have flooded the children's homes and parts of the village. At the same time, our water tanks have run dry and our wells polluted. The river has risen nearly 10 feet and homes are several feet under water. The people I talk to can't remember a time when it rained this hard for this long. Though rainy season can sometimes consist of weeks of heavy rain, it doesn't cause the flooding we're seeing here today. The ground was already saturated from the tropical storm and hurricane we were hit with a few days back.

There is water everywhere. Under these conditions, a normal response would be to run and hide, head for higher ground and stay dry. However, these people have no where to go. Their few material posessions are being swept down the rivers that were main roads just yesterday. Even our children, better off than the majority of the population, have no boots or rain gear to tread through the lake that has become our village. There is nothing to stop the rain from coming into their houses so the children give up their clothing to cover the windows.

The only thing I hate more than seeing these people continue to suffer , is the fact that I'm here to witness it and unable to do anything about it.

Running for Haiti (runningforhaiti.blogspot.com)

Hey Everyone!
Check out my new blog at runningforhaiti.blogspot.com!
As you know, I've been training for the last 2 months for the Cayman Islands Marathon on Dec. 7th. I will be running this marathon both as a dedication to the children I work with and as a fundraiser for the work that I'm doing in Haiti. Pwoje Espwa, the organization I am working with is saving lives daily. You can help contribute by sponsoring me to run by making a donation and/or pledging a dollar amount for each of the 26.2 miles that I’ll be running. Check out my new blog for details.

Stay Posted for Updates! Thanks again!
-Will

Time for a little update

There has been so much happening these last three weeks that I hardly have the energy to write about it all so I will do my best. First thing’s first. I’m back in the states and when I’m not meeting with deans, doctors or prospective volunteers about Haiti, I’m spending as much time as possible with my family. It was just recently my best friend’s, niece’s, mom’s and brother’s birthday. So, I’ve had a lot of celebrating to do. Since being back, I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on my last few months in Haiti and was forced to articulate my experiences to friends, family and others. This is what I dreaded about coming back here. The entire plane ride, I rehearsed what it is I would tell people. I practiced over and over and struggled to find the perfect words to describe what I’ve felt, witnessed and experienced. By the time I landed in Boston, I had a nice size spiel put together that I had planned to use for everyone I was going to encounter on this short 11 day visit. I sit here today, realizing that I’ve yet to say a single sentence from that spiel I’d spent so long practicing. I’ve had no problem talking about Haiti. When the opportunity arises, I can’t stop talking about the country and the people that I’ve fallen head over heels for.

There is so much to say about the “situation” in Haiti. Everyone has their own opinion as to what happened to the country that once had the fastest growing economy in the Caribbean and is now the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. How is it that this story has gone untold for so long? Why is it that billions of dollars later, it remains the poorest country? As of 2006, Haiti had the largest concentration of NGOs (non- governmental organizations) and NPOs ( non-profit organizations) of any other country in the world and also held the record for receiving the most charitable aid of any other country in the world. We’re talking about billions of dollars a year, and nearly 10,000 NGOs and NPOs in Haiti. It goes without saying, but there’s something seriously wrong with this picture.

Still no internet

I just rode into town on the motorcycle to put up a quick post letting everyone know that we still don't have any internet and that I'm doing fine. I'll be leaving Les Cayes on Monday to begin a day-long journey to Deschapelles to visit the Albert Schweitzer Hospital. Providing all goes well, I should be back in Cayes by Wednesday afternoon.

A quick update on Lixier, the baby boy with hydroencephalitis: He was scheduled to fly back to Haiti with his mom today but the plans were canceled because he recently fell ill again. The doctors believe that he's experiencing complications with the shunt that they put in his head and are debating whether or not they need to remove it and replace it with another. I'll continue to spread the news as I get it!

There are no more bed bugs in the 20 children's homes! The malaria project starts on Monday with all of the treated window screens being made for all of the houses. I'm trying to apply for some grants but am limited with internet access. If you can help to sponsor a house for the project, it would be greatly appreciated. The following is the cost breakdown for a single house :

Insecticide spraying every 3 months for 1 year= $20
Insecticide treated screen windows =$150
Rock pathways and buffers around the house to eliminate standing water=$110
Labor costs=$70

For $350, you could help me to drastically reduce the incidence of malaria for the 25-40 children that live in each house.

You can send a donation to

THEO'S WORK, INC.

2303 WEST MARKET STREET

GREENSBORO, NC 27403
Memo: Will's Medical Mission

Donations are tax-deductible in the U.S.

Or

You can donate with a credit card at the website (theoswork.org) and designate the donation to "Will's Medical Mission," and just follow up your donation with an email to inquiries@freethekids.org to confirm that your donation was received!

Thank you so much for your help. I promise to post a more complete update as soon as I get a more stable internet connection!

Going home

While we have had electricity, the internet has been out for the last week after our satellite mysteriously fell out of the sky. I’m in town at a hotel using their wireless now just long enough to let everyone know that I haven’t fallen off the face of the planet. I’ll send out an update as soon as we get our internet connection back.

I’ll be flying into Boston on Aug. 14th for the birthday of my niece, mom and brother. I’ll be staying in Providence from the 15th to the 24th and will be flying back to Haiti on the 25th. This will be a great chance to stock up on needed meds and supplies for the clinic, do some fundraising and visit a few people that I’ve been missing very much. I can’t wait to see my family. I’m counting down the days.

Bringing ballroom to Haiti!

I decided to get a bunch of the kids together to teach some Salsa and Merengue lessons. Seeing as how we were a little short on girls, most of the guys were forced to practice with each other. They didn’t mind much though. For about two hours, the place came alive with Latin music that could be heard from down the road. It didn’t take long, however, until the music changed to hip hop and the kids began to show off some of their own moves! The group quickly grew to several dozen of all ages. It was a great time. It gave me goose bumps watching some of them dance. Once the music comes on, it’s as if they come alive, even the quietest boy.

Now, there are a ton of kids who want to learn more. I'm going to begin working with a few of them to choreograph a ballroom/latin piece that they can perform. Though this may seem a little strange teaching ballroom in rural Haiti, the reality is that Haitians played an important role in the creation of mambo/chacha along with Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Also, have you ever heard of Jean Michel Erole? He's Haitian and a world professional ballroom dancer!

Yesterday, a bunch of us ignored the T-storm warnings and embarked on an hour trip out to see my first waterfall. As you can see from the picture, it was beautiful. There's a 25 ft and a 50 ft jump off point on the rockwall into a deep pool of cold water. It was a great day with great weather. When I wasn't swimming, I spent most of my time just sitting on a rock trying to take note of everything around me. I've never seen such a sight. The river flowed for miles with thick forest on both sides and trees leaning so far in as to cover the river. It reminded me of something out of Jurassic Park.