Today’s post is a re-post from The Current.  The full article and more information on the Rotary can be found at: http://www.thecurrentplus.com/news1.html

Illuminating Haiti

Roswell Rotary shines a light on continuing

need in post-quake Haiti.

By Theo Keyserling

Each year, Roswell Rotary embarks upon an international charity project.  The club invests a great deal of planning and consideration in these annual trips, delegating a special International Committee to insure that the process runs smoothly.  Roswell Rotary has previously participated in humanitarian visits to Guatemala, Costa Rica, and several Caribbean islands.  This year, the club’s International Committee, led by Roswell Rotarian Nancy Tolbert-Yilmaz, chose to visit Haiti, because of the destruction resulting from the horrible 2010 Earthquake.
Twelve members from the Roswell Rotary club and two members from the Alpharetta Rotary Club made the journey to Haiti in late January 2012.  “Haiti is an obvious choice because the needs are so vast and it is right in our backyard,“ Jim Coyle, Roswell Rotarian and trip participant said.
Haiti has not fully recovered from the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that wreaked havoc on the country in 2010.
“There are vast areas in and around Port Au Prince that remain in a state of absolute destruction,” Coyle said.
The United Nations Human Development Index ranks Haiti 145th out of 182 nations, with 80% of their population living beneath the poverty line.  Most Haitians have limited access to electricity and clean water.
For this year’s trip to Haiti, Roswell Rotary collaborated with The 410 Bridge, a nonprofit organization that provides holistic community development in both Haiti and Kenya. The 410 Bridge, based in Alpharetta, has extensive knowledge of the country, helping to insure that aid groups are able to safely and effectively serve the needs of people in Haiti.
“Having The 410 Bridge guiding us through the country was essential for the security and overall success of the trip,” Coyle said.
The Rotary group spent the first day of their visit at an orphanage within a mountainous region of Haiti, in the town of Petion Cite.  In this particular town, the club concentrated primarily on providing eye examinations.
“Roswell Rotary invested in a portable, hand-held eye exam machine,” Coyle said. “It has been the centerpiece for each of the past twelve international projects.”
Rotarians give eye exams to both children and adults in order to fit them with glasses donated by the Lions club.
“As we worked within the deaf community in Haiti it was doubly gratifying to see people who are already marginalized given improved sight.  The joy was palpable as they looked in the mirrors with smiles and ‘shopped’ for the glasses that improved their sight with a little style,” Coyle said.
While the traditional focus of Roswell Rotary’s annual trip has been to provide eye exams, the most unique and meaningful aspect of the 2012 trip came from their second stop to a tent community, in which 168 deaf families currently live.  The community, located upon the outskirts of Cite Soleil, the western hemisphere’s most dangerous and notorious slum, was originally designed as a temporary shelter by the Red Cross after the 2010 earthquake.
“The deaf community is what touched me the most,” Coyle stated. “The deaf families are treated as second class citizens because of their disabilities, and the women are doubly marginalized.”
Women in the community are targeted for sex-based crimes, and there are not adequate laws in Haiti to protect them. Many of the deaf in the community, especially the women, are terrified at night, because their ability to communicate in the dark is virtually nonexistent.
While visiting the community, Rotarians met with different families and learned their backgrounds and stories through the use of an interpreter from The 410 Bridge.  One of these stories highlighted how the deaf community was unable to receive aid for almost a week after the earthquake.  Most of Port Au Prince, Cite Soleil, and the tent communities do not have reliable access to running water or electricity.
“Current conditions in the community are still unbearable and unimaginable, but fascinating at the same time – there is trash and debris as far as the eye can see.  Yet, there is hope and early signs of progress within certain communities that are figuring out how to survive and even thrive with little in the way of infrastructure and other resources,” Coyle said.
The third stop for the Roswell Rotary group was the town of Leveque, a permanent community currently under construction that will eventually provide 168 new homes for the deaf.  By car, the community is located roughly an hour north of Port-a-Prince, and it will be a welcome change to the current camp outside of Cite Soleil.  A typical home will feature three rooms made of concrete walls and a simple roof.   In addition, adjacent to each home is a small area which can be used for farming, livestock, or developing a trade.
“Their chances for survival will be greatly improved by getting out of the Port-Au-Prince area.  These are loving, motivated and talented people with skills that will allow them to farm and work in relative safety,”  Coyle stated.
While touring the community, Rotarians were able to witness families arriving in Leveque to see their new homes for the first time.
“It was very exciting to see the expressions of joy as the group exited the bus and saw their community for the first time,” Coyle said.
Rotarians spent the afternoon visiting the town, developing relationships with the deaf community, and painting one of their new homes.
The 410 Bridge was essential for the Roswell Rotarian’s safety and success in Haiti.  While they did serve as a guide to the group over the 5 day visit, the core of the nonprofit consists of bringing in-need  communities to a state of self sufficiency.
“The 410 Bridge is not about parachuting in with relief supplies – they follow the early responders and are on a mission to rebuild communities.  There are no handouts,” Coyle stated.
“We measure our success by what our partner communities do for themselves, rather than what we do for them.”  Dianne Kaseta (pictured on cover), a member of Roswell Rotary and the U.S. Development Director of The 410 Bridge said.
In just 5 years, 410 Bridge has partnered with over two-dozen Kenyan and Haitian communities serving hundreds of thousands through long-term, sustainable solutions including clean water, education, micro-enterprise, spiritual development and health care.
“Our communities must be major stakeholders in every project and in every program developed,” Kaseta said.
Over the last year, The 410 Bridge facilitated the process of creating a leadership council for the deaf community in Leveque.  The council’s purpose is to serve the community, and it is the authoritative body through which The 410 Bridge and its collaborative partners work.  Council members are trusted volunteers and have the ability to unify, influence and mobilize community members.  This strong leadership will help to ensure the basic needs of the community of Leveque are met, while developing a strategic vision and driving efforts towards economic independence.
“The 410 Bridge has facilitated the identification of leaders and is currently providing skills and training to lift people up.  The 410 Bridge has the opportunity to extract the deaf community from a dangerous temporary shelter and give them the chance to build their own houses and integrate into a larger community of both hearing and non-hearing families.” Coyle stated regarding The 410 Bridge’s efforts in Leveque.
While the community has already achieved remarkable progress, the leadership council is seeking outside assistance for one essential need.  Only 12.5% of Haitians have access to electricity, as Haiti has the lowest access to electricity of any country in the western hemisphere. A traditional lighting option for the deaf community is unavailable, but reliable lighting sources are essential for community growth.
“The impact of the lighting in the community is immeasurable,” says Kaseta.  “It will allow residents to communicate and assemble after dark, as well as serve as an important deterrent to unwanted visitors and crime that has inflicted the tented camp.”
To help illuminate their community and homes after dark, the Roswell Rotary is following up their visit with a plan to subsidize the purchase of solar lights that can be used at night for communications and safety purposes in each of the new homes.  Fellow Rotarians and their businesses have already contributed significant funds toward their goal of providing this community with a total of 300 solar lights. Roswell Rotary is also hosting a fundraiser on Thursday, March 29th at the Doubletree Hotel, with local comedian Hal Coleman.  100% of these proceeds will help purchase the solar lights for the town of Leveque.
“We are overjoyed and humbled by the amount of enthusiasm the Rotary trip generated for the people of Haiti.  It is a true testimony to the kind of people who live and work in Roswell.  We look forward to many more taking an interest in this cause,” Kaseta stated.
For those seeking to make a donation to the Haiti Lights Campaign, you may do so through The Roswell Rotary Foundation.  Please reference “Haiti Lights” in the memo field.  Donations may be mailed to the following:
Roswell Rotary Foundation, PO Box 783, Roswell, GA 30077.
For more information on March 29th fundraiser or tickets, please email dmcleary@roswellrotary.com or call 678-318-3647.