August 15, 2021
Dear friends, family and followers of ODO,
The earthquake on Saturday, August 14 has not affected the children, staff or buildings of Open Doorways Orphanage. As of Sunday, August 15, 2021, at 8 p.m. the death toll in the area near the earthquake had risen to 1,297. The area most affected is around the city of Les Cayes which is located about 450 KM south west of Des Chappelles where the orphanage is located. There are many buildings destroyed in the area and about 6000 people were injured. It is proving difficult to rescue or offer aide to the people affected by the earthquake due to local gang control of the roads between that area and the capital city of Haiti- Port au Prince. Hospitals in the area have been damaged and are overwhelmed by the effects of the pandemic as well as lack of space, equipment, medicine and common medical supplies. Several countries are sending aide and supplies and the government of Haiti is doing what it can to help the people. To complicate things, tropical storm Grace is expected to hit the island on Monday night. Please pray for the people of Haiti and the continued safety of the children of Open Doorways Orphanage.
October 21, 2020
Everyone is doing fine well at the ODO.
The COVID affects a very small number of people in the country in general and in Deschapelles in particular. The children resume school in October, no COVID case has been identified yet. Teachers and students are doing well. Widena participated last week in official exams for 9th grade. If she succeeds, she will start High School in November. Churches are opened, we continue to wear face masks and keep our regular Sunday worship but till now no indication of contamination to COVID has been reported.
Haiti was under fire of kidnappings. Many people have been kidnapped, particularly in the metropolitan area of Port-au- Prince. They required a large ransom for releasing the victims. Sporadic demonstrations continue but less violent than they were two weeks ago.
The costs of goods are increased from 40 to 46% in Haiti. You will notice the effect in the September financial report. The Haitian government took financial measures that resulted in an appreciation of the
Haitian Gourde toward the USD. Those measures increase the costs automatically. People or organizations operating in USD are confronting a serious gap in their budget.
April 16, 2020 Open Doorways coronavirus update
Open Doorways Orphanage (ODO) in Haiti will soon be feeling the effects of COVID-19. As of March 31, Haiti has 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19, Public Health Minister Marie Greta Roy Clement told reporters last week. More than 200 people are quarantined while they await test results, she said.
President Jovenel Moïse closed all ports, airports and borders as of March 19 except for goods traffic. All schools, universities, places of worship and industrial parks are closed. Due to lack of sanitation infrastructure and inadequate health care services, the country is bound to be hard hit.”
On March 12, orphanage supervisor Gerald sent an article to the board of directors for the orphanage stating the United States State Department has recommended a do not travel order to Haiti as “there has been a spectacular rise in kidnapping, violent crimes, armed robbery and carjackings,” the article read. “In addition to the spike in crime, often carried out by armed criminal gangs, demonstrations, tire burnings and roadblocks are still frequent, unpredictable and can turn violent quickly. Local police may lack the resources to respond effectively to serious incidents. Emergency response, including ambulance service, is limited or nonexistent. Travellers are sometimes followed and violently attacked and robbed shortly after leaving Port-au-Prince International Airport.”
The article goes on to say Moïse has promised to tackle the insecurity that prevails in the Haitian capital, where kidnapping is a daily burden on the shoulders of the population.
Here in Canada, Open Doorways Orphanage’s board of directors had planned a major fundraising event for April 22. Unfortunately, the board has had to postpone the event due to COVID-19 uncertainty.
To those businesses who have already donated items to the event, please be assured we will hold on to them and acknowledge your company when the event is held. The fear for the board at the present time is operating expenses for the orphanage may increase dramatically in the near future due to government corruption, crime and COVID-19 repercussions in Haiti.
We count our blessings here in Canada that many individuals and companies are still willing and able to help us continue to keep the orphanage operating. At the present time, our children are not able to attend school or church and must stay in the orphanage compound for safety reasons. We pray that they stay safe and healthy.
March 12/20: Everyone is well at the Orphanage. The children are going to school and working very hard to succeed.
Below is an extract of the US States Department warning regarding the situation of security in Haiti. It will give a concrete idea of the situation:
The U.S. State Department warned Americans on Thursday against traveling to Haiti, citing the rise in violent crime, including kidnappings. The travel warning for Haiti was raised to Level 4 -- Do Not Travel -- replacing the previously "reconsider travel" advisory that was issued on June 11, 2019. The new travel advisory for Americans comes as Haiti sees a "spectacular" rise in kidnappings. Violent crimes such as armed robbery and carjackings are also on the rise and the politically volatile country continues to be in the throes of civil unrest.
"Kidnapping is widespread," the State Department said in its advisory. "Kidnappers may use sophisticated planning or take advantage of unplanned opportunities. Victims have included U.S. citizens." As Haiti installs new prime minister without Parliament, U.S. lawmakers express frustrations. In addition to the spike in crime, often carried out by armed criminal gangs, demonstrations, tire burnings and roadblocks are still frequent, unpredictable, and can turn violent, the State Department said. On Thursday, the American Citizen Services Unit at the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince issued a security alert on Twitter, warning that "a sound truck, accompanied by a group of demonstrators, is throwing rocks at passing motorists."
"Local police may lack the resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents. Emergency response, including ambulance service, is limited or non-existent," the State Department said. "Travelers are sometimes followed and violently attacked and robbed shortly after leaving the Port-au-Prince international airport." In recent months, there have been several reports of robbers and carjackers attacking private vehicles, particularly women driving alone, stuck in heavy traffic congestion.
Political Context: Haiti has a new government: The President of the Republic of Haiti, Jovenel Moise appointed as Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe in replacement of the Jean Michel Lapin. Mr. Jouthe was interim Minister of the Economy and Finance, and also Minister of the Environment. He promised to tackle the insecurity that prevails in the Haitian Capital, where the kidnapping is a daily burden on the shoulders of the population. Gangs are operated without fear, they are killing, attacking camions of merchandises, kidnapping people and request big ransom from their families. Every single day people are being kidnapped in Port-au-Prince.
Nov. 12/19: A link to an article from the York Daily Record on the situation in Haiti
Oct. 30/19: Update from our Orphanage
Political Context: Haiti is experiencing a wave of violence for more than seven weeks. Schools have been officially opened on September 9th but closed one week later and till now nobody knows when they will be reopened. Because, their opening is conditioned to resignation of the Haitian President, Mr. Jovenel Moise. Roads all over the country are inaccessible, giant barricades block the ways and secured by men in arm preventing vehicles to cross. In certain areas pedestrians or vehicles are allowed to cross after paying a fee.
The unrest is the result of a long political battle engaged between the Haitian Government and the political opposition. The President and his political party have been accused of corruption, nepotism and incredible. According to two reports published by Superior Court of Administrative Accounts and Litigation the regime is involved in the embezzlement of the Petro Caribe Funds (Oil money owed to Venezuela by Haiti). The opposition requires his resignation and rejects his invitation to dialogue. Mr. Moise refuses to resign, while the opposition in his part launches mobilization to block the country in order to force leaving the power.
Both parties are fighting for their position and the country is paying the price. The economy is about to collapse, the companies do not work, some hotels close their doors or reduce their staff. The misery increases, there is a lack of food in several places, and finally acts of robbery and looting increase.
The ODO activities continue not without difficulty, our maids could not go to the markets at Pont Sondé or Verrettes to purchase food, because the roads were not accessible. The City of Saint-Marc is in the center of the violence. Giant barricades are erected by armed men whom no one can cross. In Deschapelles schools operate timidly, rumors of threats often arrive provoking panic of the parents who invaded the school yard to pick up their children, but they still resist. However, schools are closed in Verrettes, Saint-Marc and in several other cities in the country. Despite the instability our schools are opened and the children of ODO continue to attend their classes.
Shortage of fuel in Haiti: The fuel is available in several gas stations in Port-au-Prince, but not in the provinces. The public and private transportations inside and outside of Port-au-Prince are considerably reduced. We buy and stock fuel (diesel) at home to transport to Deschapelles when the roads are opened. Saturday, October 27, 2019 I went to Deschapelles and spent only five (5) hours the time to unload the fuel and other items that I brought for the ODO and the schools, because the National Road No. 1 would be closed by 6:00 PM.
Gerald
Oct. 17/19: Update from our Orphanage
Everyone is in good shape at the Orphanage. However, for two weeks it's impossible to go to Deschapelles, the roads are blocked with barricades as the unrest continues. The schools in Deschapelles were closed last week because of threats. This week we open the Deschapelles school asking the students not wear uniform to not draw attention.
I am sending the ODO September Financial Report, you will notice the increase of expenses for certain items. Our water pump was broken down, the inverter was broken down during the month, we had to repair them. The cost of fuel was increased due to the sever shortage and the unrest. We had to buy from black market to run the generator. Talking about generator, we rented a 5 kw at $150/month to keep running the water pump and recharge the inverter some times. As you know it the gasoline generator of the ODO cannot run the water.
Gerald
Sept. 24/19: Update from our supervisor of the Orphanage
Everyone is doing well at the ODO. The shortage of fuel continues in the country but is less severe than the past three weeks. I have managed to put a small diesel generator available to run the water pump. I bought fuel at the highest price carrying it from Port-au-Prince to Deschapelles to supply the generator for the recharging the inverter, since it’s raining almost every day.
The insecurity increases in the area. More than three times at night robbers attempted to steal the water pump and penetrated the Orphanage. Sunday night they made another attempt, the new hired watchman alerted people, the robbers ran away. So, it is necessary to reinforce the security for the safety of all the children, maids living in the Orphanage and the school compound.
Yesterday, was high tension day in Haiti after the failure of the ratification session of the new Prime Minister. Many protesters claiming to be of the opposition, launching slogans hostile to the Government, blocked roads all over the Port-au-Prince and other cities in the country. Even at Deschapelles and Verrettes people were affected. Parents invaded the school yard coming to pick up their children due to false rumors that protesters would come to attack the schools in the Commune. Today school activities resume without any problems.
It was very difficult for me to arrive home yesterday after leaving my office: roads blocked, barricades of burning tires, traffic paralyzed and protesters broke windshields of vehicles. Thanks God I got through safely. Today, I work from home avoiding the streets, businesses and banks are closed, protesting the insecurity and the damages suffered during the unrest.
Gerald