Haiti Relief Project

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WFWP women involved with the Haiti medical service projects concluded 2012 with a meeting to reflect on the past projects and to make plans for 2013. They chose Mrs. Joan Pierre-Severe, an elementary school teacher, to be their leader. The women decided to work on several projects that will benefit the Haitian people, such as visiting hospitals and orphanages, and working to beautify streets and homes. They also want to continue the family educational programs that WFWP brought through the Haiti Summer Service Project, including health education and character education for youth. The Haitian women are reading and discussing Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon's speeches, including "The Central Role of Women in the Ideal World." Several of the women have been appointed as Ambassadors for Peace.

The Women's Federation for World Peace, USA partnered with the International Relief Friendship Foundation (IRFF) to sponsor two weeks of service and learning in Haiti from June 15 – 30. Fourteen students and volunteers from WFWP and the University of South Florida were joined by 23 others, including representatives from the Coalition of Haitian Doctors. Haitian native Evelyne Drake has been working to set up this Summer Service Project for the past three years. (See WFWP-ENews for Spring 2008). She worked with national and regional WFWP leaders, students and teachers at the University of South Florida, Tampa, as well as with Rev. Theodule Paul, a personal friend working in Haiti. The group arrived in Port-au-Prince on June 15th and was greeted by Rev. Paul and many of his young church members. Introductions were made and the Haitians entertained their guests with songs and skits. The following day, the visitors went to local schools to see what they could do to improve them. They decided to focus on painting the Antoine Georges Izmery Secondary School. Dressed in IRFF and WFWP t-shirts, they began their task on Tuesday morning, June 17. The gate and the school walls had to be scraped and washed before the painting could begin. That part of the job was finished on Wednesday, so they spent the rest of the week touring. They met with the mayor of a suburb of Port-au-Prince, and they toured the St. Lourdes private hospital and orphanage with Dr. Marie Josephe Rene, a WFWP representative in Haiti. On Saturday, June 21, the enthusiastic visitors boarded a public bus and traveled to Haiti's second-largest city, Cap-Haitian, located in the north on the Atlantic Ocean. As they looked out their bus windows, the natural beauty of Haiti was on full display. They rode over high…

Building a culture of heart and service in Les Cayes, Haiti our service project this year was focuses on building a culture of heart and service. We focused our energies on building the relationships between Haitian students and American students for the purpose of learning each others cultures, traditions and life styles. This journey that was foreign to all of us was embarked by 30 people form both countries. The vision for the service project was to realize one family under God. We would go to Platon, Les Cayes, which is located near the Peak of the Macaya Mountains in order to plant Moringa trees near the peak, to offset deforestation. We would also serve the medical needs of the inhabitants of this region. Arrival We arrived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on the 15th of June 2009, to begin the most incredible adventure of our lives. At the airport, we boarded a school bus that was arranged to pick us up and take us to the center for orientation where we met our group leader and other members of our group, than we headed south. After a three hour ride we finally arrived in the city of Les Cayes on the 16th of June. We held our orientation and meeting to discuss the plans for the next 10 days which consisted of the planting of 1000 Moringa trees donated by IRFF under the direction of Mr. Richard Sapp and the medical service project with the medical group ALMEDHA (Alliance Des Medicins Haitian). In the morning we met with the Mayor of Les Cayes Mr. Pierre Yvon Chery and the Les Cayes city delegate Mr. Abou Yves Mary at the Delegate's office. We shared about our project with them. They were very interested in our project and stated that they would like…

In 2008, the chapter at USF had weekly meetings each month and volunteered at a local nursing home every second Saturday of every month during the school year. During the weekly meetings we discussed ways to help the community, especially the nursing home. During our monthly visit at the nursing home we were able to do arts and crafts programs, reading, and visitations. During the school year we had two sisterhood ceremonies. The first one was between Jewish, Christian and Muslim students and women. The second was a multi-racial ceremony. In the summer of 2008, 15-30 June, we had a service project in Port- Au- Prince and Cap- Haitian, Haiti, to bring unity between the American and Caribbean students. The service project's mission was to promote deeper understanding, to improve and heal relationships among the two counties. This was done by the working in partnership of university students of Haiti, which was able to bring new hope to the island, and the young people of the Youth Federation who had opportunities to share ideas that would benefit Haiti and work towards the inner restoration of the island. In partnership and support of Dr. Richard Sapp we were able to accomplish the project with great success. The service project in Port- Au- Prince consisted of the painting of a government school. Usually these types of schools are neglected after they are built. This project was able to get the school ready for the students for the next school year. While we painted and cleaned the school, the people within the community and associated with the school came and participated. This service project opportunity moved the heart of the community so greatly that they came together for this work effort. The next service project was in Cap- Haitian which was focused on…

I left Miami on Monday, February 1st, together with Dr. Ron Patterson, executive director of Christian Disaster Response, and fourteen volunteer doctors and nurses who were giving two weeks of their time to help victims of the earthquake. My main role was as a translator for the team. To get to Haiti, we first had to fly into the Dominican Republican and then travel by car for seven hours. At the Haitian border, we were met by Lunise Perard, secretary to the mayor of the city of Cap-Haitian, who helped us gain entry into the country. After we paid for our exit visas from the Dominican Republic, Ms. Perard, the mayor's son, and Mr. Fritz, member of the mayor's staff, accompanied us on a passenger bus that had been sent by the mayor for our two-hour journey into Cap-Haitian. Once in Cap-Haitian, we were met by the mayor, Mr. Fritz Joseph, with whom I had worked in 2008 on our first WFWP service project. Since we knew each other well, I was able to make this personal connection for the medical team. The next morning, Mayor Joseph briefed us over breakfast on the situation in Cap-Haitian. As many as 150,000 people had streamed into the city from Port-au-Prince and they were overwhelming their resources. The mayor said they didn't have enough food and water for these people, nor adequate doctors, nurses or medicine to tend to their needs. He expressed his deep gratitude for our volunteers. After breakfast, we met with the United Nations Chief of Police for Cap-Haitian, and he and two other U.N. officers offered their full support for our work. From this encouraging meeting, we went to the Cap-Haitian airport to pick up the medical supplies that had been sent from the USA. With a truck loaded…

This year's Haiti Summer Service Project took place from June 21st~June 30th. Once again we traveled to Cap-Haitian and worked with Mayor Fritz Joseph. This project was naturally more intense and serious than our past service projects due to the Jan. 12th earthquake. Cap-Haitian is normally a city of 190,000 but 150,000 have relocated there, so the need is great. The Women's Federation for World Peace (WFWP) and International Relief Friendship Foundation (IRFF) joined together once again to serve the people of Haiti. Based on the hard work of Lunise Perard, WFWP was able to secure a 5-bedroom house for one year at a low price. Through this, our women's group of five volunteers from the United States could join fifteen volunteers from Haiti to begin a most needed work. Monday, June 21st Our first day of service began on Monday June 21st. In the morning, we had an orientation. We then met with the Cap-Haitian Mayor Joseph in his office to go over the details of the project, which included a plan to meet with some of the leaders of 150 women's organizations from Northern Haiti.. After meeting with the mayor, we went to a local gymnasium, the "Gymnasium de Champs de Mars", to set up our first medical project. Once again, we joined forces with ALHMEDA, a volunteer doctors organization. Dr. Jean-marie Colin and Dr. Monique Jean, the president and secretary respectively, worked with us. We had sixty men, women and children register for care. Each of them spoke with the doctors and were given free medication that had been donated by WFWP. This was important as many of the adults as well as the children were malnourished, were suffering with numerous infections and even had malaria. After that, we went back to the mayor's office. That evening,…

This year's project was our fourth annual service project in Haiti, the second one since the 2010 earthquake. Our focus to help those suffering from diverse health situations and poverty became more vital and intense following the outflow of earthquake victims who came to Cap-Haitien, the second-largest city in Haiti (where we have concentrated our most recent efforts). Cap-Haitien was already straining to care for its citizens. Last year, based on the people's request, we promised Cap-Haitien Mayor Fritz Joseph we would return this year and provide a Health Education Seminar and a mobile medical clinic with ALHMEDA, the volunteer doctor team we have worked with since we began our projects in Haiti. Arrival in Cap-Haitien This year, I was joined by 11 outstanding volunteers from across the United States. Beatrice Abbott, a registered nurse at the Veterans Administration in Tampa; her husband Earl, a registered nurse as well; and their daughter Joelle, a student at the University of South Florida, all did a fantastic job of supporting the project and gave excellent presentations. Lydia Martin, a friend of the Abbotts', another RN, brought her deep knowledge of dental hygiene. Gudrun Gavin, an RN and Minnesota Universal Peace Federation leader, brought with her a most needed character education program. Margaret Brewster, an RN and chairwoman of WFWP in Boston brought her expertise in homeopathic medicine. Julia DePauw, an RN, an expert in midwifery, and WFWP assistant chairwoman in  Jacksonville, Fla., shared her great knowledge. Manasa Kanithi, a student at the University of South Florida and president of WFWP at USF, was very enthusiastic, as this was her second year in a row to go. Huong Phan, another USF student, is studying dentistry and is an officer with WFWP helping Manasa. There were also Robin Baldwin, an education student at USF…