From the Garden to the Table

One of H.E.R.O.’s goals is to create a residence for orphans that is as self-sustainable as possible.  To reach this goal we seek to engage in activities that promote sustainability including rainwater collection, the use of solar power, and agricultural production.  In a small, but important, step towards this goal, yesterday we enjoyed the fruits of our labor, fresh lettuce from the H.E.R.O. garden.

Our work started in the month of February.  We started our seedlings in starter cups using soil that we had composted for over six months.  Using a ditch compost system we were able to dispose of all of our fruits and vegetables in an ecologically sensitive manner.  Our first batch of seedlings consisted of two types of lettuce, yellow squash, and broccoli.  During this time, our children were also heavily involved in the process.  Every week a child was selected to take care of the seedlings, which included taking them out every morning into the sun, watering them appropriately, and replacing them into a covered shelter in the evening. 

During this time Rob, a H.E.R.O. volunteer, generously blocked off a large section of our yard that would eventually become the raised garden bed.  He worked feverishly in the scorching sun to build a beautiful, rectangle shaped bed made out of cinder blocks.  After Rob left and right before the seedlings were ready to be transplanted, the children and I dug out the rest of the composted soil and placed it into the raised garden bed.  The result was a large raised garden bed filled with healthy, vitamin-enriched soil that was ready for planting.

One month ago we transplanted the seedlings into the raised garden bed.  What I failed to mention thus far, is that not all of the seedlings made it.  At the end of the day, we successfully transplanted 10 lettuce plants, 1 squash plant, one broccoli plant, and 2 pineapples (last minute addition to the garden).  Additionally we have some wild pumpkin that has also started to grow in the garden, but we have to keep an eye on it so that it does not take over the entire space.  We learned a valuable lesson from this first round of gardening.  Our seedlings should have been started during the months of October/November, and then transplanted into the garden during February.  We started our seedlings too late this year, which resulted in them suffering from too much heat.  Furthermore, by the time we planted them in the garden the rainy season had stopped, meaning that instead of being able to use rainwater to help our plants grow, we were forced to use water that had been brought to us via a water truck.  We are ready now for our second season to start in October, with the hopes of having more success.

It was with great joy that at the beginning of this week our lettuce plants were sufficiently developed to pluck our first leaves of fresh lettuce.  After being washed thoroughly and paired with some tomatoes our children were able to enjoy H.E.R.O.’s very first harvest!  I look forward to the day when our children are able to successfully grow their very own garden, a skill that is truly important in Haiti.  We are one step closer to self-sustainability!

I spent the morning with Jason McGaughey of J/P HRO and Dan Kasnick of Union School learning about educational programs and how best to help the children of Haiti achieve academic success!

A Day of Games!

Hi Everyone!

School was out for today, and our House Mother was off for two days, so I was left in charge!  Thankfully, our kids are super respectful and for the entire day they have been enjoying UNO, Chess, Legos, and Trouble!  It sure makes my day easier when they sit quietly and place nicely together!  These are truly some great kids!  Take a look!

I'm Back!!!

I recently completed 1.5 months of being absent from my blog!  I was quite disheartened that I didn’t receive any e-mails stating, “Where are you Steve, we miss your blog!”, or “Your blog was the best, why have you stopped writing?”  Alas, tears have been shed, and life must go on!

So much has happened in the past month that it is impossible to share it all here.  What I can tell you is that Haiti is steadily moving forward and making progress.  Partners in Health has nearly completed their teaching hospital in Mirebelais, the new 107 room Best Western is on its way to completion in Petion-Ville, and the Be Like Brit orphanage in Grand Goave has nearly completed the roof of their building that will house 66 orphans!  Despite all the negative media I am sure that you have heard over the past month, the reality is that great things are happening in Haiti, and I want to make sure that the positive message gets to the rest of the world!  Haiti is making progress!

At H.E.R.O. we are preparing for the final trimester exams that will take place the third week of June.  Our kids will take part in a rigorous summer program that will include learning English, Culinary Arts, Chess, Tailoring, Tennis, and Technology.  It is going to be a very busy summer for us and we are truly excited at all that we are able to offer our children.  Additionally, we recently enrolled 2 new orphans into our program.  Woldison and Woldjimy are 7 year old twin boys from the region of Artibonite.  It was a heartwarming experience watching our older boys help the younger ones acclimate to the H.E.R.O. House.  Makes me proud!

On a personal note, I have been hobbling now for the past 2 weeks.  I have injured my Achilles tendon and despite rest, ice, and lots of pills it has failed to heal properly.  As a result I have not been able to enjoy my morning tennis, and instead have succumbed to containers of freshly baked cookies.  Robenson put it best, “When Mr. Steve came here in 2010, his stomach wasn’t big like this.”  Thanks Robenson, he always knows the right words to make me feel better!  That’s it folks!  Until the next blog!

Sincerely,

Steven Kirby

Working Together for a Better Haiti

There is no doubt that within the culture of NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) that work in Haiti there is a sense of competition, disharmony, and perhaps even outright disdain for one another.  In a country that needs cooperation and collaboration, many of the NGOs choose to participate in activities that serve their own interests, or even worse, increase their bottom lines.  Fortunately, there are organizations on the opposite end of the spectrum that want to do everything in their power to work with others, share ideas and best practices, so that true, sustainable and impactful development can take place.

I had the pleasure of visiting two amazing organizations this past week.  The Hands and Feet Project is an organization founded by the members of Audio Adrenaline and based out of Nashville.  They currently operate two orphanages, one in Jacmel and another in Grand Goave.  You can read more about their work on their website at http://www.handsandfeetproject.org/.  I showed up unannounced at their orphanage in Grand Goave and was warmly welcomed by Andrew and Angie, an American couple that is heading up this particular site.  I was truly impressed to see that the grounds were immaculate, the children quietly and respectfully eating lunch, and the order and organization of the place.  They currently have 24 boys and 7 girls, and are planning to build a more permanent, larger site, not far from their current location.  After the tour I was talking with Angie and Andrew and they mentioned that just up the road from them was another orphanage being built called Be Like Brit.  If you have not heard about the tragedy that befell the Gengel family during the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, then you must take a moment and visit their website at http://belikebrit.org/.  It is a story filled with sadness, hope, and a family trying to make a difference in the lives of orphans in Haiti.

Brit Gengel was on a volunteer trip to Haiti in January of 2010, staying in the Hotel Montana.  The earthquake struck just a few minutes after she had texted her mother explaining how she had been to an orphanage that day and wanted to stay and help the orphans of Haiti.  Hotel Montana was completely destroyed by the earthquake, burying Brit and several of the other students and teachers that were on the trip.  After losing their daughter, the Gengel family decided to complete Brit’s dream of building an orphanage for the children of Haiti.  In the shape of a B for Brit, the new residence will house 66 orphans, include a full medical clinic, and host short and long-term volunteers. 

Len Gengel, Brit’s father, happened to be in town the very day I was in Grand Goave, and as I reached the stupendous building he is creating, I was able to connect with him by phone and he said he would be more than happy to meet with me.  It was such a privilege for me to meet Len and hear his story and his vision for helping the orphans of Haiti.  What impressed me the most was his willingness to partner with other organizations, like the Hands and Feet Project, to share his resources so that not only the children in his orphanage will be able to thrive, but all of the children and community of Grand Goave. 

We need more organizations like the Hands and Feet Project and Be Like Brit in Haiti.  Only when we realize that by sharing our resources, our best practices, our successes and our failures, will we learn how to best help the people and country of Haiti.  I was truly fortunate to visit both of these places, and I hope that you visit both of their websites so that you can see the great work that they are doing in Haiti.  If we all come together, we can truly make a difference in a country that has seen way too much failure by the NGOs that are supposedly here to help.  Let’s be different.  Let’s help be the change that Haiti needs.

Sincerely,

Steven M. Kirby, Ed.D

A H.E.R.O. Volunteer Experience In Pictures!

During the past few weeks H.E.R.O. has been blessed with the presence of dedicated volunteers committed to helping the orphans in our care.  Check out these amazing photos of Carol and Rob, our most recent volunteers, as they do everything from painting chairs to playing with the kids!  Let us know when you want to come to Haiti and visit the H.E.R.O. House!  Our doors are always open!