HAITI (KFVS) -
It was a mission to empower women designed by Zonta International. The hope: Give the women of Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, the tools they need to provide a better life for their families and generate a better tomorrow for all the women, children and men of the country.
"If we can start with a dozen women and they touch a dozen others, that's the idea," said Cheryl Mothes, of Cape Girardeau's Zonta Club.
Laura Wibbenmeyer and I were among seven women who traveled to the Port Au Prince area to make a difference.
Along with Mothes, Polly Holten, Chelsey Lindstrom, Mary Ann Burgess and Cheryl Proulx rounded out our team.
Ranging in age from late twenties, to early seventies, the seven of us discovered a society so much different than ours in the United States. There's no Starbucks, no shopping malls, no personal trainers or even reliable electricity.
The trip was the second to Haiti for me. I also traveled to Thomassique in 2011 to visit a school in the process of being built by Skip Wrape and the group 'Out of Poverty Thru Education.'
For Zonta, this was also the second trip.
"We got to see a lot of our work in progress," said Mothes. "All the groups we've teamed with are thriving and evolving. That's so exciting."
We took hundreds of pounds of goods in suitcases. As Mothes and others experienced with trips to Haiti explain, if you want something to get to where it is intended to go, you must hand deliver it yourself.
"You just can't ship it there," said Mothes. "We take the donations ourselves so we know they are in good hands."
Some donations aim for better health, like materials for a Postpartum Room for Heartline Ministries funded by Zonta International. Heartline Ministries runs several programs in the Port Au Prince area aimed at giving women a better life and opportunities for work and better health.
"It was so good to see that room completed," said Mothes. "Now we know those moms and babies have a better connection."
We also delivered birthing kits with simple items, but critical pieces in the country where health care can be primitive.
"The supplies in those kits mean the women won't be cutting their umbilical cord with tin cans," said Mothes. "So sad."
We also delivered sewing machines and other items to a program at the Haitian American Caucus. HAC is a program with a holistic approach to turning Haiti around. Programs include not only sewing, but school programs, English classes, micro-lending programs for women with businesses, gardening, and more.
"That greatly expanded our program thanks to Zonta," said Laura Papago of HAC. "Once we got those new machines the women can't get enough of them. They've stayed as late as we will let them to sew. Because of this they can learn how to make simple clothes for their children and households."
"We want to give them the tools to be sustainable," said Mothes. "We want them to be able to take care of themselves.
HAC also includes a school that provides classes for 85 children.
We learned that HAC is looking for funding to feed these children each day one meal at school.
"If we can do that we can extend the school day, we can keep them interested, we can be sure they get to eat at least once," said Papago. "We sometimes don't know if they get to eat or not. Their parents work hard but we know they may or may not get to eat."
Our team decided feeding these children would be key once we returned to the states.
"You see them and you just fall in love with their enthusiasm to learn," said Mothes. "We are looking for donors to find a way to provide meals for the next six months. It costs about $1500 a month. Right now we are up to two and a half months of funding and looking for more."
At HAC we also learned more about a goat breeding program.
"They use the goats for meat, or milk, or to sell," said Papago. "A $60.00 donation provides a goat for the program. We need about 200 to keep it sustainable. We give a family a pregnant goat and through the breeding they are responsible for eventually giving back two baby goats to the program."
During our time in Haiti, we also toured two programs that give women jobs.
First, The Apparent Project where they are making beads out of paper boxes.
"It was amazing to watch their skill and see them make the beads in front of us," said Lindstrom.
In the year since Zonta had visited, the boutique had grown considerably.
"It used to be one room," said Mothes. "There's so many more artisans as well."
We also learned some high profile designers are taking interest.
"Donna Karan has taken a big interest and has picked up some designs," said Shelley Clay, of The Apparent Project. "Macy's also has plans to carry it."
Mothes and Holten noted Haitian Creations has also taken off since their first trip.
"We had them make purses out of some fabric donated from Cape Girardeau," said Holten. "They're beautiful!"
Besides purses, the women of Haitian Creations also make beads out of fabric.
"They are pretty amazing you can't even tell they are fabric," said Mothes. "These programs actually give women a chance to have a job and that's just so important for them to feel strong and take care of their children."
Laura Wibbenmeyer and I agree it's hard to sum up a trip that changes your life. We shared incredible experiences, from holding sick babies desperate for nourishment, to new baby goats eager to find their legs. We got lost several times, often with drivers who spoke no English, and yet we found our way ... and feel we came home better stewards of our own community.
We realized whether in Haiti, or the Heartland, helping others offers blessings all around.
Online:
www.outofpovertythrueducation.org
Copyright 2012 KFVS. All rights reserved.
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