M’ap sonje ou anpil

Today I held a baby… for the first time in months, only this baby was plump, blue eyed and beautiful. It felt awkward a first… like it was my first time trying to comfort a baby. She looked up at me with a sceptical look and immediately turned her head to scan the room for her mommy. Was I no good at this anymore?

Then I remembered those long days of baby loving… those days I began to take for granted. Those days I sometimes complained about the amount of diapers I changed or the droll I endured.

Those days I would give ANYTHING to have back.

Holding that baby this morning made me long for those snuggles, the unconditional love they poured into me. My babies didn't scan the room for someone else- they looked for ME, they wanted ME, they smiled at ME when I walked in the room.

And as I held that baby it made me miss them even more, not a day goes by that I don’t think of them, but as I sit here tonight with the first quiet time all weekend I cant help but relive those little moments…

• The mornings when JR spent our time alone together on the balcony, he wasn’t interested in the toys or games he would crawl up on my lap and fall asleep. Just the two of us.

• When W pulled herself up in her crib all by herself and found my face with a huge smile- just waiting for the congratulations and big kisses to come her way.

• When E took his first steps… for ME! one… two… three.. plop! followed by a GIANT smile, a bump scoot and a squeeze

• When B smiled from ear to ear with a little love and encouragment.

These are the moments I will remember for ever.

Dear JR, W, E, and B:

M’ap sonje ou anpil – I remember you, I miss you very much.

Tonight these are my hopes for you,

I hope tonight someone comforts your cries, I hope someone kisses your forward and makes you feel loved. I hope someone tucks your powdered little face into bed with a promise of a good day tomorrow. I hope someone plays your favourite games with you tomorrow and awards your naughty behaviour with even more love and affection. I hope you know that you ARE loved and you are in my thoughts tonight.

Bon nuit timoun, bon nuit.

Haiti Elections this SUNDAY

My heart hurts tonight for Haiti.

19 Presidential candidates running…. which one of them is going to make the right choices?

which one is going to take people out of these tent cities?

which one of these are going to curb the cholera epidemic that has already killed more than 1300 people in 1 month?

which one of these is going to make a sizeable difference in the social climate of this hurting country?

which one of these is going to lead an accountable, transparent government?

which one of these is going to bring these people forward?

Rene Preval  (current president) is one of 2 presidents voted in democratically. He is also one of few to have finished out his entire term.

What does the future hold for Haiti?

Bom Bom Tere

I have watched as woman rolled dirt and flour in water to make mud cakes… a snack that would taste horrible…. but fill their stomach.

What are you eating for dinner tonight?

A whirlwind weekend….

has come to an end.

This is a weekend I have been looking forward these last couple weeks for a couple reasons.

1. 2nd Annual Starvathon- connect with the trip participants whom I will be leading to Haiti in March and facilitating some activities that I had been preparing for quite some time!

2. Connect with my “Haiti people”, friends I have made over the years that share the same passion as I do which makes for an incredible connection. Especially seeing the faces of those who returned from Haiti after a turbulent week!

3. Getting HOME to visit my family.

The 2nd Annual Starvathon was a GREAT success, everything went smoothly… considering! and we received great feedback. We have yet to hear how much we raised for Rayjon (TBA).

The excitement for my upcoming trip is mounting!

 

 

Thank you to ALL who made this such an incredible success… until next year :)

 

A visit home always has a way of grounding me… OH! how I enjoy those excited smiles, hugs and kisses upon my return…. the excited puppy greeting me with his own love and affection and the laughs and entertainment that comes with getting caught up on all the “new” happenings and developments around the house!

Much Love,

Brittnei

The situation in Haiti heats up!

Rioting has swept Cap-Haitien in response to the outbreak, which has killed more than 1,100 people. Access to the area by humanitarian groups and aid workers has been severely curtailed by the violence. The UN has said the riots were instigated by political factions in the run-up to a presidential election..

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/denies+accusation+over+Haiti+epidemic/3841456/story.html#ixzz15ZqD50PV\

A team from Rayjon is currently stuck in Cap- Haitien because of these roadblocks and unrest, please pray for their safe and timely return!

Vow of Silence this FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19th

Join forces with the thousands of people who will be giving up their voice for 24 hours in solidarity with those children that are silenced by poverty and exploitation.
Give up YOUR voice, that means- no texting, no facebook, no tweeting!
Check out the website below.

http://www.iamsilent.com/new/

Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be….

Everyday I am standing in front of young people talking about the person I used to be and the person I am today, everyday I reflect on this very point in the hopes that I encourage some of those young people to make a change.

I wasn’t a trouble teen, I wasn’t causing trouble, .. the problem was I was doing NOTHING. In high school I was more concerned with getting good grades, spending time with friends and getting to soccer practices and games… that I spent very little time giving back.

We all have our triggers, those motivators that spark us to move in a direction that we want to go and need to go but haven’t pushed ourselves. For me that spark was a presentation I saw back when I was in grade 9….nine years ago now.

This presentation was a  grade 12 student describing her trip to Haiti! As she described the communities she visited, the culture she learned about and the poverty she witnessed and I knew that was something I wanted to do. Here was an opportunity to challenge myself to grow and experience something that was way outside of my little world.

Those 10 days in Haiti would make me question everything I knew. I saw a little girl that was wearing shoes two sizes two big so that she could share with her siblings. I saw homes that were made of sheet metal and rock and I watched as kids rolled dirt and flour in water to make mud cakes. A snack that would taste horrible but fill their stomachs.

I came home from that first trip with a new sense of appreciation for what I had. For the first time I felt lucky to have a grocery store stocked full of my favourite foods, I looked forward to family gatherings rather than dreading time away from friends. And I took note of the simple things, the clean bed, the nice house and the safe neighbourhood. And I began to realize the power that I now had to make positive change that was so desperately needed.

So many people have asked me WHY HAITI, WHY YOU, WHY STILL? And this is my story, this is what I share with youth everyday and this was my start. Its been 5 years since that first trip, and I have returned back 2 times with another trip booked in 5 months time.

My hope is that over the next 5 months I can prepare enough to be the leader I want to be. I hope that the 22 sets of fresh eyes waiting eagerly for that first trip will feel comfortable in my hands.

My new goal is to learn more Kreoyl, I always struggle with the language barrier and this is something I am taking very seriously. I cannot wait to try out my new found language skills in 5 months time. If anyone has any suggestions/ tips/ resources please pass them along :)

And tonight like every night I am thinking about those babies I left behind 4 months ago now, those babies that left such an impression on my heart it hurts to think about them. I know someone is giving them each the love and attention they deserve, but I wish I was me!

B,W,E,JR and all of the other Angels I am thinking about you tonight!

Much Love,

Brittnei

60 Minute Special on Haiti

Cholera reaches Port Au Prince tent cities

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/11/2010111023475117420.html

Pick Me Up’s

 

 

Walk the Talk- Aid Facts in Haiti

So many of us with connections to Haiti know that transparency and accountability are often lacking with "development" and international involvement. Reliance and depedance should be avoided; however in light of recent events- hurricanes, earthquake, Cholera, Tomas etc. internatonal assistance and pledge has proved NECESSARY. Unfortunately, we continually fail to walk the talk. In fact we are ALL talk and very LITTLE action.
I wanted to share some recent statistics that I have come across.

• US$6.036 billion was pledged for Haiti in NYC on March 31, 2010, for the following 18 months in all fields of spending—government, international agencies, charities and ngo’s. Of that, $886 million is for debt relief.
• As of September, $1.940B has been pledged for 2010. That’s 32% of the total March 31 pledges. Of this amount, $1.317B has been disbursed or committed. That’s 22% of total pledges. The U.S. has committed zero for 2010.

Canadian funding
• In NYC on March 31, Canada said it is committing US$632 million to Haiti for 2010/11. This includes funding already promised to Haiti in Canada’s pre-earthquake, CAN$555M aid budget for the years 2006-2011. CAN$150 million was spent up to March 31, 2010; none of this went to the Haitian government.
• Of the US$199M promised for 2010, Canada has disbursed $44M, or 22%.

Who is demanding transparency? Are we too trusting? What is the solution here?

Dear: Thomas - Please slow down!

Please continue to keep Haiti in your thoughts and prayers as Tropical Storm Tomas threatens to hit Haiti on Friday. At this time the storm has been downgraded to a tropical depression but there is some debate over whether it could move into a Category 1 or 2 Hurricane by Friday.

Their problems did NOT disappear with the spotlight.

January 12th Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake, an earthquake that last 35 seconds but left the Haiti I knew literally unrecognizable.

7 months post quake- a presidential election is announced- let the unrest begin! Haiti has a long history of political corruption and instability- much turmoil and anguish surrounds the democratic process.

http://www.guatemala-times.com/news/world/1789-haiti-the-stakes-of-the-post-quake-elections.html

http://www.rttnews.com/Content/GeneralNews.aspx?Id=1460112&SM=1

Nearly 10 months post quake and 1.3 million people are still living in unsuitable living conditions- homemade tents, sheets propped up on sticks, dirt floors. Rainy season lives on!

Nearly 10 months post quake Haiti makes the news yet again- A Cholera outbreak- it is estimated that there have been over 330 deaths with thousands infected.

Why?

• Lack of Clean Water
• Lack of Sanitation
• Lack of Treatment
• Lack of Suitable Living Conditions
• Lack of Action

Haiti will make the news yet again as a tropical storm “Thomas” threatens to ravage this devastated island. Please keep the Haitian people in your thoughts and prayers.

http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFN0123899920101101

http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/11/01/haiti-braces-for-looming-storm/

I am not sharing this information so you feel guilt, I am sharing this information so that you feel RESPONSIBLE. Responsible to care, responsible to act, responsible to stay knowledgeable. We are not citizens merely within our own communities, we are global citizens- responsible to our neighbours to the North, South, East and West of us.

Please do something, within your own means, to help! It could be as simple as spreading the word- share the link to this blog post, share the to the various articles. Haiti needs our help- now in crisis and our partnership for years to come.

Their problems did not disappear with the spotlight.

Tomorrow’s Starting Now….

“If you’re out there”- John  Legend

If you hear this message, wherever you stand
I'm calling every woman, calling every man
We're the generation
We can't afford to wait
The future started yesterday and we're already late
We've been looking for a song to sing
Searched for a melody
Searched for someone to lead
We've been looking for the world to change

If you feel the same
Then go on and say
If you're out there
Sing along with me
If you're out there
I'm dying to believe that you're out there
Stand up and say it loud
If you're out there
Tomorrow's starting now
Now, now
No more broken promises
No more call to war
Unless it's love and peace that we're really fighting for
We can destroy hunger
We can conquer hate
Put down the arms and raise your voice
We're joining hands today
Oh I was looking for a song to sing
I searched for a leader
But the leader was me
We were looking for the world to change
We can be heroes
Just go on and say
If you're out there
Sing along with me
If you're out there
I'm dying to believe that you're out there
Stand up and say it loud
If you're out there
Tomorrow's starting now
Now, now
Oh now, now
If you're ready we can shake the world
Believe again
It starts within
We don't have to wait for destiny
We should be the change that we want to see

If you're out there
Ooooh
If you're out there
And you're ready now
Say it loud
Scream it out
If you're out there
Sing along with me
If you're out there
I'm dying to believe that you're out there
Stand up and say it loud
If you're out there
Tomorrow's starting now
If you're out there
If you're out there
If you're out there
If you hear this message, wherever you stand
I'm calling every woman, calling every man
We're the generation
We can't afford to wait
The future started yesterday and we're already late