Prince of Peace Volunteers Travel to Haiti

A report from MFOF Board Chairman, Rick Martin.

Seven members of Prince of Peace, 3 Adults and 4 college students traveled to Hinche, Haiti from 16 – 22 May.  We can report that the children were in good spirits, eager to engage us, willing to learn and share their culture with us.   The Prince of Peace young adults brought 45 recorders (small flutes), a violin, three types of drums, and a xylophone.  Four of the days we were there, we taught several of the children how to play the recorders and demonstrated the other instruments.  They loved playing the instruments and wanted more education.  We left all the instruments with Jean Louis and hopefully the children will get further opportunities.  We spent two long periods teaching English to the older kids, especially those in high school so that they could improve their writing and speaking.

Over a couple of days we painted the first floor of the leased boy’s dorm.  We enlisted help from some of the boys and in some cases we spent more time cleaning up than we did painting, but it became as much an instructional activity as it was a chore.  We also spent time surveying and sorting what was in the storage rooms.  The 4th floor of the leased boy’s dorm is used for storage of goods and materials that Jean Louis receives from the shipping containers and other donations from other organizations.  We had two nasty storms while we were there and found out that the roof on that building has a huge hole and leaks.  Consequently, three of the six rooms cannot really be used for storage until the landlord fixes the building.  I recommended to Jean Louis that he contact the landlord and get him to fix the roof.

David Rabidoux was able to work on all the computers while we were there, cleaning them, repairing any problems, and helping the children with their computer skills.  Jean Louis was also able to arrange transportation for the Prince of Peace team and Seton Hall team to attend the MFO U-20 football game versus the Seminarians.  It was a great game with the MFO boys dominating the first half, but the game was called in the second half due to rain and flooding of the field (the second storm).  We also enjoyed the culinary arts of the new cook who twice served Pumpkin soup which is a traditional holiday dish in Haiti.

We saw that start of the construction of the dining hall extension and the laundry room.  We also provided Jean Louis with 50 pair of Croc shoes for the children and we were able to take pictures for the newsletter and the Croc Company.   It was an experience of a lifetime for our young adults.  They blogged most days to a Facebook related portal which can be viewed at www.numbersofhope.tumblr.com/.   They all made good friends and pen pals and want to come back for another visit at some point.  It was a very successful trip. You could say we continued the good work of raising future leaders for Hinche and Haiti.

Editor’s Note:  Rick was Vice President during the last fiscal year and will serve as Chairman of the Board during the upcoming fiscal year starting July 1, 2011.