a view from the road
January 30, 2009
Last Day of Class
January 30, 2009
Biblical and Theological Study Group
January 30, 2009
Terri Baxter
1/27/09
During lunch on Friday, January 23 much of our group met with three leaders of a Bible Study taking place throughout Haiti. Their goal has been to lead and teach an ecumenical/interfaith Bible Study that focuses on individual spiritual development alongside community social action. Anjé, a teacher for 12 years and a minister for 8 years explained the logo on their three study books. The picture depicts a circle of children and adults holding hands and at the center, an illuminated Bible. This logo is not only for the books, but also the format for each Bible Study. The three books guide members through personal reflection, theological interpretations, and self-evaluation. Anjé stated that the goal is to “make the Church to think more deeply about spiritual life and social action”. The Bible Study groups also participate in or lead various social service projects such as assisting those affected by the hurricanes and training on health and good sanitation. For many of us, their ideas and growth was both educational and inspiring. Since starting five years ago they have networked with Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, and Episcopal members. During our time in Haiti, we heard from other religious leaders that ecumenical gatherings do not happen as often as they would like. It was wonderful to meet and talk with a group that has made this one of their main objectives. To conclude our meeting we shared in a brief study. After reading Colossians 3:14-17 in both Creole and English, we each shared a part of the passage that stood out to us, explained why, and then prayed together. After only a brief encounter, I could easily identify how this work has been able to touch and attract those who feel called to this work.
the folks we studied with
January 29, 2009
The next to the last class is over. So I thought it would be the right time to write a bit about the members of the two classes Susan and I taught for the past two weeks, both after having spent the time with them and while impressions are still fresh.
The members of the two classes are the same. Everyone has taken both classes.
There were just short of 30 Haitians taking the courses (we expected 15-20). Within these, there were three basic kinds of “students”: 1) about ten actual seminarians, mostly from the seminary here in Port-au-Prince and two from the seminary in Cuba; 2) not quite as many university students doing pre-seminary theological degrees; and 3) the rest were Episcopalian priests. Of the priests several were senior members of the almost 50 Episcopalian priests in Haiti (including the only ordained woman in the history of this diocese). Of the seminarians two were women, and of the university students two were women. (During our first week of class there were four Union students and three Union staff members; in the second week, one student and one staff member beside myself.)
As a collective these people are a very impressive bunch. They are motivated and mature. Quick witted and keenly analytical, they also have a fine sense of humor. The measure of their courage is very high, and they bring with them an amazing range of experience. The older priests have both a toughness and grace about them, reflecting their impressive track record of service under very difficult circumstances. The younger priests are energetic and serious minded, with a number of them already carrying huge responsibilities. With one exception, the students are all in their 20s. There are over 100 others on the waiting list to be admitted to the seminary, which does not have enough funds to accept any more (the seminary has no paid faculty, a small dormitory, and one combination classroom and chapel). The students and younger priests defer in many things to the older priests, but are not inhibited from participating actively in class discussion.
There is a very strong commitment to working for social justice at the parish level in every person in the class. Almost all of the parishes already have very impressive educational and health projects in place. The class members’ sensitivity to social justice issues at the local level is impressive, and the courage to take on new projects at great personal cost very impressive. These people are deeply devoted Christians, and generally overworked (one particular priest is responsible for 19 churches). Macro-analysis of socio-economic problems, including Haiti’s devastating poverty, is not strongly articulated, however. And, although their analytical abilities are superior, their theological acumen is inhibited by the lack of availability of current literature and scholarly resources. It could be that the long national history of political oppression of activist clergy also acts as a drag on explicit articulation of theological macro-analysis. And/or their deep spiritual devotion and long experience of being embattled on several fronts also may discourage theological experimentation. In this group, however, I can see very little of the cynicism, depression, imperiousness, and territorialism that is exhibited in some segments of U.S. clergy.
The group as a whole exhibits strong Episcopalian loyalties, and has a refreshing mix of high and low church orientations. These people are proud of being Episcopalian. And, although I myself am not Episcopalian, I too am proud of them as Episcopalians. The Episcopalian church in Haiti has an impressive record in almost all sectors of its life at least equal to anything I have seen anywhere churchwise. This denomination has a nationwide reputation for its commitment to social justice. It is a primary funder and promoter of Haitian arts. It is a leading force in both education and health throughout the whole country. In a country with one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, the Episcopalian church here has large and impressive job training projects. The connection these churches have to American Episcopalians is strong, but the self-governance of the Haitian church is complete and impressive. 
Episcopalians here are leading advocates of women’s ordination, and a recent national church figure attacked homophobia in a major national newspaper. The participants in these courses were comfortable and energized in their Episcopalian-ness.
It has been an honor to work with this group. Their thirst for additional theological resources is strong, and could certainly precipitate another step in their own contributions to the empowerment of their people.
Hal Taussig
Until We Meet Again
January 29, 2009
Terri and Troy offered some closing reflections to the class on Friday January 23rd before they returned to New York on Sunday.
Terri – I was sitting here thinking about this week and this classroom environment. And how we all came in with our different roles. I started to realize that over 5 days, and I don’t know how it happened, we became each other. All week at some point, we all were a seminarian, we all were a priest,we all were a student, we all were a professor, we all were a native to this place, we all were a foreigner and we all were a son returning home… And it made me realize that this goes along with my theme of life- that with or without our determination, flowers grow in any environment. I was doodling a minute ago during class – and I drew a flower to start with. Normally we think of flowers growing from the ground to the sun with water falling on us. But on my picture, I drew a flower growing out of the sun, with the grass above us and the water protecting us. But the flower was still there, still growing. I don’t know how to fully express how grateful, how I’m gonna miss you, how I hope to come back one day – how to convince you this is true.
So what I’m gonna do, which is hardly what I ever do - I never sing in front of people because I‘ve gotten to a point in this phase in my life that it’s a private language between me and God. Cause sometimes when I don’t know what to say – I can sing.
I’m gonna sing a prayer for you, for me, for everybody that I was actually singing for myself yesterday. I’m gonna ask Margarette to read it in French and then I’ll sing it in English.
May his peace be with you – til we meet again.
May his peace be with you – til we meet again.
Til we reach that distant shore,
and we shed a tear no more,
may he give you strength to endure
Til we meet again.
Troy: I wanted to say a couple of things to you beginning with some of the things I’ve experienced here with you that I take back with me. First, the spirit in this room as we’ve been here this week. Beginning on the very first morning. I got to tell my call to one of the priests and got to hear such a moving story of his own call as well. This was such an incredible gift to me. Second, a sense of your connection to many other places. In 4 days of worship that I’ve been with you this week – we’ve had Eucharist in English, Spanish and French. And morning prayer in French. We were just saying this morning we should take this model into our chapel and worship in other languages. Because this is sign that the body of Christ is always much bigger than the group of people in the room. Third, I thought about how what we’ve been learning this week connects to the work I do in teaching worship. We begin by understanding the context in which we work. Much in the way that Prof. Taussig is peeling back the layers of Mark’s context in our Bible study this week. We bring that context together with a sense of presence that Dr. Cole is talking about. In doing so, it’s something of a dance between form and freedom. It’s like jazz. The melody is always there – just like the prayer book, but doing it each time is new in a particular context. It requires us all to be fully present in the moment like each of you have been this week. You have brought that kind of awareness to know when to sing and when to pray. Whether we gather with the prayer book in worship or somebody’s home, this attention to the moment is essential. Thank you so much for a chance to be with you to pray, to share, to study, and to begin what I hope is a longer and even deeper conversation.
a drumming lesson
January 28, 2009
Zanmi Lasante (Partners in Health)
January 28, 2009
Charon Hribar/Liz Theoharis/Troy Messanger
1/25/09
Zanmi Lasante (“partners in health” in Creole) was founded in 1983 when the local priest in Cange, Father Fritz Lafontant, was joined by first-year Harvard medical student Paul Farmer and 18-year-old Ophelia Dahl. Together they formed a community based health clinic. Now Father Lafontant continues to pastor the Episcopal Church here in Cange, Dahl directs the international work of Partners in Health, and Farmer continues to work here and in hospitals around the world.
We at Union know Farmer and Dahl because they were awarded Union’s highest distinction, the Union Medal, in 2005. Many of us had a chance to meet them and hear about their exciting work. The Poverty Initiative organized a special session with them, community leaders and seminarians when at Union and invited Tracy Kidder, author of Mountains Beyond Mountains, to speak in preparation for the Union Medal Ceremony. Little did we know we would be visiting the beautiful complex a few years later. PIH’s pioneering work in treating drug-resistant TB and HIV/AIDS in poor communities has now been extended to sub-Saharan Africa, Peru, Russia, and elsewhere.
The scope of Zanmi Lasante is stunning. The beautifully landscaped grounds include a 104-bed hospital with operating rooms, adult and pediatric wards, infectious disease center, women’s health clinic, ophthalmology clinic, blood bank, school, housing for workers and staff, and the chapel. We spent almost five hours with Ali Lutz, Dr. Léandre, Dr. Raymonville, Dr. Joasil, and a local priest (Father Lafonant was actually in Sewanee, TN receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of the South) hearing about their work, walking the grounds, and sharing wonderful Haitian food.
What we saw:
Students in their final year of high school– gathered in two classrooms – Saturday afternoon – complex trigonometry questions filled the chalk boards – preparing for upcoming national tests.
A pediatric ward where an abandoned little girl – about a year and a half years old – cried for a moment of attention – Terri held her for a little while before returning her to her crib for a nap. Three incubators filled with tiny premature babies. A little girl, maybe 5 years old - swollen belly (had I not looked up to see the child’s face, I might have mistaken it for a pregnant woman’s stomach). Three young children from the same family – all being treated for Typhoid. One small boy sick with meningitis because his family had no access to a vaccination.
In front of one building – local workers carefully separating beans in preparation for a product they make to treat severe malnutrition—a “peanut butter” made with peanuts, rice, beans, vitamins, and oil.
The program is an excellent example of their community-based approach. It employs local people on its own peanut farm and in addition guarantees to purchase all the produce of 50 local peanut farmers.
An arts and crafts center filled with colorful fabric, baskets made with recycled rope, dolls crafted out of recycled water bottles, and metal work – a traditional form of Haitian art. 
A spirit filled chapel with one crucifix depicting a black Christ over the altar and another metal crucifix toward the entrance to the chapel which we were told was an artistic inspiration of Father Lafontant.
Trees – everywhere! The region of Cange 20 years ago had been severely deforested. The beautiful trees that shade the complex today make it nearly impossible to imagine the barren, dusty plateau that existed when Father Lafontant first arrived in the 60’s.
What we learned:
That PIH/ZL employs 3000 people in Haiti, 1500 of them as community health workers to be a first line of defense. They have also established reforestation, agricultural, water and other social support projects. In addition, they work with the ministry of public health to support clinics throughout the country. Last year, Zanmi Lasante recorded more than 2 million patient visits.
ZL believes that everyone should have access to health care. As a condition of working with the Public Ministry, ZL is required to charge for it’s service. There solution to this requirement in a country where a majority of the population makes less than $2 a day: They charge 25 Haitian goudes for lifetime service (about 60 cents US). Oh, that is, except in the case of infectious disease, pregnancy, emergency, inability to pay,…. If one of these exceptions apply to you, the service is free.
The philosophy of PIH/ZL is that we all have the human right to health. Health care includes adequate living conditions like access to water, housing, education, food, and all forms of health care services. At the same time that they meet immediate needs, they are working to get at the root cause of poverty and build up sustainable solutions.
Resources recommended by Ali Lutz (Haiti Project Coordinator):
Damning the Flood: Haiti and the Politics of Containment, Peter Hallward
“Wòch nan Soley: The Denial of the Right to Water in Haiti” can be found at www.pih.org/inforesources/news/IDB_Haiti_report.html
Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor, Paul Farmer
Infections and Inequalities: The Modern Plagues, Paul Farmer
From Outrage to Courage: Women Taking Action for Health and Justice, Anne Firth and Paul Farmer
Aids and Accusation: Haiti and the Geography of Blame, Paul Farmer
The Uses of Haiti, Paul Farmer, Jonathan Kozol, and Noam Chomsky
Haiti in paint – art museum and cathedral murals
January 28, 2009
Sunday Pre-Carnival Parade
January 28, 2009
Connecting with Local Community Groups
January 27, 2009
Charon Hribar
1/25/09
On Thursday afternoon, we met with three men from local organizations here in Haiti that are associated with Beyond Borders. Johny Saint Louis, Marc-Orel Lindor and Ulrick Denis spent their lunch hour talking to us about the work they are doing with communities in Haiti to get at the root causes of poverty and suffering.
While explaining the reasons for the extreme poverty that exists here is a daunting task – between the political instability; the suspension, reduction, and delay of foreign aid for political persuasion; economic blockades against Haiti; and the ever changing effects of U.S. foreign policy – the people we met with Thursday were clear that on the opposite end of these imposing peripheral forces lies the lives of every day people.
Johny, Marc-Orel, and Ulrick explained that the goal of their work is to work with people to change the lives and lifestyle of a community. There were 5 program areas that the men introduced to us: 1) the Campaign to End Child Servitude, 2) Child Education, 3) Adult education, 4) Circles of Change, and 5) Schools Alive.
Campaign to End Child Servitude: Works to educate people both here in Haiti and abroad about the problems of child servitude. They work within legislative structures in Haiti to petition for children’s rights. And, they work to develop model communities – focusing on providing education in poor communities as a means to prevent children from being placed into servitude.
The problem of child servitude is vast in Haiti. Official estimates from UNICEF suggest that 1 in 20 children are in servitude. However, most Haitians agree that the number is much higher.
The other program areas that the men spoke about during our meeting were their work on education. The overarching principles of their work were to develop participatory teaching styles and to create life-giving learning environments.
Overall, the approach of these local organizations is to emphasize the importance of the participation of people in the community. Marc-Orel explained that in working to develop a model community they ask the people to assess – what are the problems and how we can address them. He said that it’s a bottom up model – that the communities themselves must choose what gets done. Even with the problem of child servitude, the community must find ways to prevent their children from ever having to become child laborers. The communities must draw on their economic and human resources and organize for change in their community.
We concluded our meeting with Johny, Marc-Orel, and Ulrick by explaining a bit about the work of the Poverty Initiative. Resonating with the Haitian men’s emphasis on leadership development, education, and recognizing the resources that exist within the community, we discussed the potential that exists for continuing to build a relationship between Haitian networks within Beyond Borders and the Poverty Initiative. We agreed that poverty is a global problem and will require us to build relationships around the world to develop a social solution.
