Let us now delve into my first trip to Haiti a little deeper. I visited in December 2018 to lead CAN's Haiti Orphan Care Trip. I was very excited to meet the sweet kiddos that I had heard so much about!
Traveling to Haiti from the United States makes you realize just how small the world really is. Living in Texas makes my journey to Port-au-Prince pretty quick and painless, but you also see how underdeveloped a country can be that's located so close to one of the richest nations on earth.
When I arrived in Haiti, I was greeted by several friendly Haitian faces, as well as a blast of humid and tropical air. The PAP airport is interesting to me because the pickup area is extremely chaotic. It's not like American airports where cars systematically pickup and drop off passengers as quickly as possible. In PAP hundreds of people stand around to greet their arriving guest or family member. This makes my experience of waiting for Orphan Care participates quite entertaining when it's airport pickup day! After leaving the airport I was taken to a lovely guesthouse located relatively close by and in a safe neighborhood. I will say that I was quite impressed with the armed guard that protected the compound gate outside of the guesthouse. I think that some guests are concerned as to why there needs to be an armed guard standing watch. My reasoning is that Haiti is not the safest country by any means, but it's also not uncommon for a building hosting foreigners to be guarded. It can also demonstrate status in a country like Haiti. If you can afford to have a guard, you have one.
The next morning after a hardy breakfast consisting of fresh mango and boiled eggs, I was ready to tackle my first work task! Being new to the Haiti adoption world it was important for me to fully grasp the concept of a creche. For those of you who are not familiar with that word, a creche is an orphanage in Haiti that participates in international adoptions. I had never seen a creche at that point, nor had I ever interacted with orphans. This was going to be an emotional day. I did not necessarily know what to expect, but I will say that a couple of the creches were in very good condition. In fact, they were cleaner than my own home! The kiddos also looked healthy, were smiling, and greeted me upon my arrival. However, I cannot say the same for every facility I visited. I can remember very vividly walking into the nursery of one particular creche. I was excited to see some youngsters because who doesn't love babies? As I walked through the doorway something to the left of the room immediately caught my eye. It was a sweet, baby girl named Abigail. Abigail was 1 1/2 years old and was a twin. She was also rocking back and forth violently in order to self-stimulate. I reached out to touch her back in an attempt to calm her, and then I noticed that her eyes were practically rolled back into her head. She was basically in a trance-like state. Children self stimulate for many reasons, but I assume that Abigail was doing so because she wasn't held enough. Human touch is incredibly important for children that young. It ensures healthy development physically, psychologically, and emotionally. I do not blame the nannies in any creche for the troubles the children face. 9 times out of 10 there are not enough nannies in a creche to give every child the love and attention they deserve. That is why there are children like Abigail. This was the moment when I realized that I needed to be brave and that this was only the beginning. Despite being brave, I had to leave the room because I did not want the babies to see me cry. After wrapping up that first day the main question I was left with was, 'why?' Why are these children born into such conditions? Why does this baby have to self stimulate in her crib while I live such a comfortable life? I think many who visit Haiti leave with the same questions.
Traveling to Haiti from the United States makes you realize just how small the world really is. Living in Texas makes my journey to Port-au-Prince pretty quick and painless, but you also see how underdeveloped a country can be that's located so close to one of the richest nations on earth.
(Overlooking Haiti)
When I arrived in Haiti, I was greeted by several friendly Haitian faces, as well as a blast of humid and tropical air. The PAP airport is interesting to me because the pickup area is extremely chaotic. It's not like American airports where cars systematically pickup and drop off passengers as quickly as possible. In PAP hundreds of people stand around to greet their arriving guest or family member. This makes my experience of waiting for Orphan Care participates quite entertaining when it's airport pickup day! After leaving the airport I was taken to a lovely guesthouse located relatively close by and in a safe neighborhood. I will say that I was quite impressed with the armed guard that protected the compound gate outside of the guesthouse. I think that some guests are concerned as to why there needs to be an armed guard standing watch. My reasoning is that Haiti is not the safest country by any means, but it's also not uncommon for a building hosting foreigners to be guarded. It can also demonstrate status in a country like Haiti. If you can afford to have a guard, you have one.
(Haitian art)
The next morning after a hardy breakfast consisting of fresh mango and boiled eggs, I was ready to tackle my first work task! Being new to the Haiti adoption world it was important for me to fully grasp the concept of a creche. For those of you who are not familiar with that word, a creche is an orphanage in Haiti that participates in international adoptions. I had never seen a creche at that point, nor had I ever interacted with orphans. This was going to be an emotional day. I did not necessarily know what to expect, but I will say that a couple of the creches were in very good condition. In fact, they were cleaner than my own home! The kiddos also looked healthy, were smiling, and greeted me upon my arrival. However, I cannot say the same for every facility I visited. I can remember very vividly walking into the nursery of one particular creche. I was excited to see some youngsters because who doesn't love babies? As I walked through the doorway something to the left of the room immediately caught my eye. It was a sweet, baby girl named Abigail. Abigail was 1 1/2 years old and was a twin. She was also rocking back and forth violently in order to self-stimulate. I reached out to touch her back in an attempt to calm her, and then I noticed that her eyes were practically rolled back into her head. She was basically in a trance-like state. Children self stimulate for many reasons, but I assume that Abigail was doing so because she wasn't held enough. Human touch is incredibly important for children that young. It ensures healthy development physically, psychologically, and emotionally. I do not blame the nannies in any creche for the troubles the children face. 9 times out of 10 there are not enough nannies in a creche to give every child the love and attention they deserve. That is why there are children like Abigail. This was the moment when I realized that I needed to be brave and that this was only the beginning. Despite being brave, I had to leave the room because I did not want the babies to see me cry. After wrapping up that first day the main question I was left with was, 'why?' Why are these children born into such conditions? Why does this baby have to self stimulate in her crib while I live such a comfortable life? I think many who visit Haiti leave with the same questions.
(A sweet orphaned boy that was diagnosed with
cerebral palsy. He also had rotting teeth.)
(A bedroom in a creche for young children. This room would also convert into
classroom during the day. The teachers would push the beds to the edges of the
room to make space for tables/chairs for the children.)
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