7 Birthdays without Britney!!!

What a week at Be Like Brit in Haiti and the USA, with Mr. Jonathan on a much deserved vacation, I’m sharing my thoughts this week.   With lots of relief efforts going on in Grand Goave and in Worcester with building houses and folks dropping off donated food items.  We have never shipped a container to Haiti either, but thanks to Patrick and Charlie, we bought our first container just before Hurricane Matthew that we are now filling for shipment to Haiti.  In Haiti we had our first Britsionary Team since the Hurricane and the name they picked is fitting, “ After Matt “ ! They built a couple houses this week and distributed the food they brought down at St Francois of Assis Parish for the mountain folks of Mount Carmel who lost everything, they are devastated.  These coordinated efforts are happening because of our team in the states being able to communicate with Haiti, and the people on the ground that truly know who has the most need in Grand Goave.   Cherylann and I were told a long time ago, don’t take on Haiti, it will consume you, just do your piece and do it well!  This was sound advice as some of you know who have traveled to Haiti in the past, the need is everywhere and not just in Grand Goave on the mountain of Ricondo where Brit’s Home sits! 

I was in Haiti until Tuesday morning, even though I was supposed to stay until Friday, I had to fly out because of a dental emergency, my temporary implant fell out and even though Dave and Coach took me to a so-called dentist in Ti-Goave, she couldn’t fix it!  Now as most of you reading this are in America, don’t think this was a typical dentist office in the states.  This was a white and green building with no electricity, it was getting dark when we pulled up around 5:30pm and the guy at the desk told someone to start the generator.  Lights came on and they sat me in a very old dentist chair, there was a Sears Craftsman air compressor next to the chair and when the dentist arrived, she flipped on the lever and the drill started to hum as the compressor kicked on.  Now I looked at Dave who did 1 year of Dental School and told him to tell the women that she wasn’t sticking that drill in my mouth!  She LoL and said it was only to clean the temporary tooth, she tried her best to glue the tooth in place, but to no avail, she said she would get better adhesive the next day!  I made a tough decision, to stay or not to go, I opted to go and fly out of PaP the next morning, how lucky am I to be able to just get on a plane and go to the USA, not everybody in Haiti has that ability!   On the flight to Ft Lauderdale a lovely woman with her granddaughter sat behind me, it was Marylin who had just come out to visit Brit’s Home a few weeks ago.  She introduced me to her son, Jean who sat next to me and as we started to talk, he told me he was the 2^nd generation owner of a Shipping and Brokering Business in Port au Prince.  Well, you can guess what the next conversation was about?  Yes, I learned in great detail how to pack the container the so that the Haitian Officials in PaP will allow it out of Port when they check the Bill of Lading!  We call this a God Wink, when you really need something or someone and they just sit down next to you!!!  

This past Thursday was my 56^th Birthday, my 7^th year without Brit, it’s always Bittersweet.  Now I don’t expect you to understand how I feel, unless you have lost a child or sibling.  It never gets easier with that empty seat at the table as a reminder of just how unfair life can be sometimes.  Don’t get me wrong, I count my blessings every day, I love my two sons, Bernie and Richie and I love my 66 Haitian Children, but these days that we are supposed to celebrate, like a birthday or holiday, are just reminders of the pain and suffering we have persevered!  A lot has changed over the past 7 years, I am blessed with many good friends, but lost 3 people very close to me over the past few years, my Brother in Law and friend of 38 years, Steve Penka.  My lifelong Best Friend John Cassidy I lost 16 months ago and my nephew Tommy who lost a 10 year battle with Pancreatitis, like Brit, they all died way to young and it makes you question not only your Faith, but your purpose on this earth as well?  They say that God only gives you as much as you can handle and with my Loving Family and Friends, I’m still standing, thanks be to God!!!  

I would be remiss If I didn’t thank our team on the ground in Haiti, Mami Love has been incredible with her commitment to helping those in need.  Dr. Rev. Deb Kaiser Cross who lead her first team into Haiti and is now part of our team in South Florida has been Amazing, I love her spirit and determination to get the houses built, even though she has a cast on her foot!  Davidson who now wants to be called Dave has gone far above our expectations, he is thirsty for everything I teach him and his desire to do it right the first time is on a level above the rest.  Madona and Francky are learning and working really hard to make our Britsionary’s experience memorable.  Gina, Coach, Willman, Walter, Farah and Peterson do an amazing job everyday with our Children!  We never can forget our vision for our children at Brit’s Home, to “ Raise the next generation of Leaders in Haiti “ !!!  This past week I got the best gift ever, my children made a 10 second video in English, telling me how much they Love me and wish me a happy birthday!  Like many Americans after the earthquake, I went to Haiti thinking I was going to help the Haitian People, but it was the Haitian People that have helped me survive the most horrific loss a parent can live thru…  

We continue to Keep the Faith in Haiti and the USA and Thank You for helping us help the Poorest of the Poor in Haiti… 

Papi Len

Keeping the Faith

We are now almost three full weeks post-Hurricane Matthew here in Haiti, and the real work is just beginning. While we're so fortunate to have the support of so many of you both in in-kind donations and in financial commitments, today we will be welcoming our first Britsionary group since the Country Bank group evacuated just a day ahead of the Category 4 siklon that has ravaged the southern peninsula of Haiti and beyond. While it looks to be a typical work week, we know that this group is especially driven to do more. We're happy to announce that we'll be building a standard house, and also completing repairs on other homes in our area throughout next week! As we develop our community, we are doing so with foresight and planning. Our road is starting to look very nice!

If you haven't heard "how it's going" in terms of the response to those hardest hit by Matthew, the answer is, unfortunately, not great. Many of you saw those infuriating images of a Dutch ship carrying over 35 tons of relief by way of food, water, medicine, and shelter forced to abort their landing at the Port of Jeremie due to security concerns. I watched in horror on social media while people from all over the world remarked at how "savage like" the survivors were and how "out of control" their behavior was. I ask you: If you hadn't eaten in 2 weeks and saw the equivalent of a floating restaurant coming ashore, what would you do? Likely, you would do anything and everything in your power to provide for your family and your friends - secure whatever provisions you thought you could get, as after two weeks with no cavalry, who could know when they might come again?

In the absence of any real, organized, government response, it's those organizations, NGOs, missions, and good-hearted people who are really carrying the brunt of the relief effort. Tons of food may be shipped in, but people on the ground are the ones who are delivering it. Water and medicine makes its way to distribution centers and whatever homes might be left standing not because foreign militaries are bringing it to them, but because missionaries and volunteers or aid-workers are here - traveling over land and air to reach the most remote areas of devastation.

I think we should take a moment to recognize the tragedy that happened just this past week, when a small plane ferrying aid to Haiti from the Dominican Republic, with Canadian Humanitarian worker Benjamin Cole Brown, along with American couple Chuck and Candy Ritzen, crashed (presumably) into the sea near Puerto Plata after returning from Jeremie. The work they were conducting by use of the seaplane they piloted was so important, as they were able to land off the coast - working runways are few and far between. Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with their families as they work through this loss...

As the region struggles to recover from the storm, we've recently been pounded with heavy rains, only adding insult to injury. Just yesterday, when stories in the press broke about the American Marines leaving Haiti as the bulk of their work (the "heavy lifting") was completed and roads were passable, we received a notification from the American Embassy, warning that the rain waters had flooded National Route 2 from Petit Goave to as far as Port Salut. Ironic, the same government issuing two entirely conflicting notices. Perhaps a tiny example of the complexity of these enormous, bureaucratic agencies and entities responding to these types of crises.

Our work continues here on the ground, as we roll into this final week of October. We're also keeping our eyes focused on the south for another reason: Cholera. Conditions like flood waters and heavy rains are ideal for the contamination of drinking water, and as the water rise, undoubtedly, so will the number of cholera diagnoses and deaths. People immediately think of these types of serious illness, and that's of course important, but there are other deadly, less-visible diseases that can wreak havoc on this still-reeling population. Even still, we're working hard at reinforcing good hygiene and talking all about cholera prevention with our children, staff, and our neighbors.

We're hearing some troubling news from health workers in the southern peninsula, and even from as nearby as neighboring Petit Goave - only 10 minutes to our west. People who are developing symptoms of cholera are resistant to going to local clinics and hospitals, largely because they already are skeptical and have trouble trusting foreign aid workers, who, in many ways, they cannot separate from the foreign soldiers who introduced cholera back in 2010. Others believe it's just too late (cholera kills very quickly), or in many other cases, there's just no help. I've heard and read extensively about how Haiti is uniquely complex. The historical context, the dynamics of religion and beliefs, faith, voodoo, etc. Now, I see it. The storm having peeled back the layers - people are dying of cholera not just because of Hurricane Matthew, but because of a lifetime of decisions made for and imposed upon this struggling nation of revolutionaries and heroes. It is the great tragedy of our time.

I have to share with you my own personal medical scare this week. I share this with you somewhat embarrassed, because what I thought was becoming a serious issue really never was - but I think it's revealing in that given the current situation and state of medical care here in Haiti, even the smallest medical issue or concern can become problematic and can really become an emergency with little or no warning. Imagine being someone entirely cutoff from the outside world because of this natural disaster, added rain, flooded roads, and aid shipments forced to abandon their mission for security concerns. Imagine how desperate and panicked you might feel if you were in that situation. I was (and am) fully connected to the outside world, have access to medicines, emergency evacuation insurance, telemedicine equipment, and direct lines to some of the best health care providers in the United States.

Still, when I woke up on Sunday morning of last week with what appeared to be an aggravated hair follicle on my side, I was a little concerned. It felt different. It was "angry" - and it got progressively worse and more painful as the day went on. By Monday night, I was literally writhing in pain, my entire side inflamed from the middle of my back down to my waist. I couldn't sit up, I couldn't lay down. A drive from Port-au-Prince back to Grand Goave was the most pain I've ever felt in my life - every bump in the road and every turn sent what felt like burning fire and shooting pain through this area.

What appeared to be a simple cyst turned in to a decent size infection, inflamed under the skin. In the midst of it, I reached out to our good friend, Steve, with Mass General, and he talked me down a bit. Through sharing pictures with him (I'll spare you those, here), he was able to recommend treatment and lead me in the right direction. In bed for 2 full days, three antibiotics and some painkillers later, I am almost back to normal. What was, and is, nothing serious, the idea that it could be was terrifying. The ideas that ran through my head - the whole what would I do if really shook me for the first time in my almost 4 years here. It was an overwhelmingly helpless feeling. And so, when I see images of thousands of people rushing an aid ship that has aboard it life-saving supplies for people who've been largely abandoned and forgotten, I can certainly understand how and why the situation unraveled rapidly.

What I cannot understand, however, is how millions and millions and perhaps billions of dollars in aid and supplies and manpower pouring in to this country wasn't able to put in to place a system to receive this kind of aid, nor a system to manage it. On the heels of the lessons that surely should have been learned just over six years ago in 2010, it just doesn't make sense. And while there will be plenty of time for blaming organizations and governments and entities later, one thing is clear. The lack of collaboration and leadership at the highest of levels during this most recent crisis is clear, and the results are nothing short of catastrophic and criminal.

I may be one of the least religious people I know, but sometimes I can find a verse in the Bible that resonates (at least I think this is a Bible verse!)

"For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’"

We are Keeping the Faith in Haiti and the USA.

Staying Focused

We've all been shocked by the images coming out of Haiti over the course of the last two weeks, since Hurricane Matthew ripped through the southern end of the country bringing total devastation and despair. Many people, myself included, have felt compelled to act as we've sat by feeling helpless for those who are enduring the worst of the suffering in towns like Les Cayes, Jeremie, Port Salut, Coteaux, Les Anglais, and undoubtedly hundreds more small communities with rural populations far away from any of the first responders with thousands of people stranded; cutoff from the rest of the world.

Yesterday, Madame Love traveled to the south with our good friend Alan Roseberry to bring clean water to an area south of Les Cayes called Coteaux. A quick Google search reports that Coteaux is a coastal community with a population of around 20,000 - but really, who could know? Formal census data hasn't been collected I suspect in more than a decade. Alan purchased a 200 gallon water tank, and we filled it here at Be Like Brit with our nanotechnology filtered water. We packed it into the back of the F350 and together with a priest friend from Port-au-Prince, two security personnel, and our driver Boss Harold, they made a four hour journey along Haiti's southern coast. When I messaged Alan by SMS to ask him how things were going, his response was quite simply:

"we gave out 300 gallons of water in 10 minutes. So many people in need here. Port Salut. Coteaux. Gone. There's nothing left."

Alan reported that they were the only people there with aid. No military. No UN. No World Food Programme. No Dominican convoys. Nobody. One road in, one road out, and they never saw another vehicle. 

As sad as this is and as frustrating as it is knowing there is so much need just a bit farther to our south, several colleagues in Haiti have had to convince me that this just is not within our scope. In a disaster, there are two responses. There is, of course, the emergency relief and response - delivery of life-saving aid like food, water, medicines, shelter. It is (supposed to be) a quick response. It is supposed to be temporary. 

Then, there comes the rebuilding - the development side of things. For Be Like Brit, because of our Mission as an organization and our commitment to our community here in Grand Goâve, we're focusing on the latter. We simply don't have the capability to respond to the emergency crisis in the hardest hit areas of the south. Yesterday, for example, required 10 hours of time on the ground, of which only 30 minutes was spent in the actual delivery of water. While 300 gallons of water sounds like a lot, it is a drop in comparison to what people really need there. At one point, Alan described a situation where our security agents had to put themselves in between he and the crowd, as desperation causes people to act in desperate ways. It simply isn't safe, and we're simply not equipped. Even still, I feel like I'm watching the Titanic sink from the comfort of an empty lifeboat...

What we can do, and what we are good at, is building homes. Entirely because of Len's background as a builder, we're operating within the scope of our own capacity, and in that scope, we're building homes for people who either lost their own in the storm, or quite frankly, never had one to begin with. By doing this, we serve two immediate functions: We get people into safe housing and we better prepare our neighbors to weather the next storm as best possible. We're proud that none of our 60 homes were destroyed during Hurricane Matthew. 

We're even more proud of our incredible community of Be Like Brit back in Worcester - of all the hard work Team BLB has undertaken under Cherylann's great leadership.

I think it is important to explain something to you all about the houses we build here in Haiti. We understand that many of you have never been to Haiti, and many of you don't have insights into the daily lives of people living here in our rural, mountainous community. We understand that some of you may see a photo of one of the homes we build and think, "That's it? One room?" To be honest, I used to think the same way, too. The truth is, however, that for our neighbors and friends, the house is just that - a house. A physical structure in which to protect against the elements. The elements here being primarily the sun and rain. 

We've asked our neighbors if they want bigger homes, and they say no. The fact is, Haitians in our community prefer to spend their time outside. People here do everything outdoors - everything! They cook outside, they bathe outside, they work outside. They even sleep outside under whatever shade they can find. The fact that our homes include a small, shaded area on the front is a design that was added only after people expressed that as something they wanted. The house is for sleeping - almost exclusively. We're not talking about families sitting around watching TV all afternoon. There is nothing for a family to do inside their house. 

Their lives are in the community, working in gardens and on farms. Their social events are focused around things like church and community events. Kids play soccer barefoot - even when you give them cleats - on a piece of flat terrain in the mountains. Life is simple. Women hum church hymns or sing loudly together while sitting outside washing clothes in a big metal cuvette. Men sit outside under the shade of a mango tree and play dominos for hours, talking loudly and telling jokes. Indeed, our neighbors have everything that we think of when we think of "home" - but they have it all outside of the actual structure. It is just one of the examples of why I believe that our neighbors are far richer than any amount of possessions could reflect...

It's important to know, too, that in our post-Hurricane development and in our response, we're being strategic in our planning, too. Len is drawing on a lifetime and career of experience in development, and so when it comes to areas here that flooded, roads that washed out, etc., we're addressing those problems in our work. Heavy equipment is on site, and we're building houses up on higher terrain, designing drainage systems to carry water away from homes where water now flows through them. This all matters. This is all life-saving work in a proactive sense.

So, while it continues to be a challenge for me to feel like I am just sitting idly by while thousands of people are in need just a few hours to our south, I know that I am doing what I can do to be most effective in the here and now. I feel good in the fact that we as an organization have built great relationships with organizations operating elsewhere in the country, and so we can connect people with those types of organizations when asked. We can share our resources with others who are working in those areas, and we can have a bigger impact in working together with those who are well equipped, experienced, and prepared to do so. 

Early on in the days after the earthquake in 2010, while Len and Cherylann were planning to build in Haiti, someone gave them a great piece of advice. 

Do your part, and do your part well. Do not try to take on all of Haiti. It will consume you.

This is our part, and we are indeed doing it well, thanks to the thousands of people who have responded to the needs of our friends, our neighbors, and our community.

There is still time to give, and any amount helps! Please visit the link below to donate now.

http://bit.ly/1cDtfPH

Hurricane Matthew - What's Next for us at Be Like Brit?

On Sunday, October 2, 2016, I wrote to you concerning the storm that was headed our way - Hurricane Matthew (Matye in Creole). I spoke largely of our preparations here at Be Like Brit, and of our concern and worry for our neighbors and community - and of course, for anyone and everyone in the path of this enormous storm. Not knowing what was going to happen here, we enacted our Emergency Action Plan here at BLB. We prepared for the worst, while hoping for the best...

While we anticipated the wrath of Matthew late Sunday, the storm had its own path in mind. Stalling several times south of us over the Caribbean Sea, zig-zagging between Jamaica and Hispaniola, the delayed arrival of Matthew at times, to be honest, was a bit annoying. Perhaps that's not the best word. Restless comes to mind. We knew that this massive storm was going to hit us. Waiting for it to come became an exhausting and emotional ordeal. While sitting in the office on Sunday evening, windows boarded up, food, water, blankets, medicines all stockpiled, I turned to Madame Love and said, "I just wish we could get this over with." To be honest, I was scared. I had no idea what to expect. While I knew that our building was strong and would withstand the 145mph winds that the storm was packing, I did not have the same confidence and comfort concerning things like landslides, civil unrest, and security issues. The responsibility for the well-being of 66 children is massive in isolation. In a disaster, it's overwhelming.

When we wokeup Monday morning, the rain was starting and the winds were just slightly more than a breeze. It was clear that the storm was nearing, and as we served breakfast in our media room/library-turned shelter, we had some 20 or so members of the community with us. Evacuation in Haiti hardly looks like evacuation in the US. There is no shelter; no formal directives reaching the people of our mountain community. Indeed, when the storm was at our doorsteps, the only formal communication received was a simple text message from the local carrier, warning that Matthew was imminent and to take shelter. For people with no electricity, cell phones aren't charged. For people who are illiterate, text messages don't matter. For far too many, this message would come too late, and lacking in an urgency we would soon realize.

One of the most frustrating parts of weathering this storm was the challenges in making people in our community even believe that it was coming. "God won't do that to us" was a common response to our urgent pleas to get people to come to BLB for shelter from the storm. Faith that God would protect them, or spare them, especially if they didn't "deserve it", kept people from believing a major storm was coming, and in many ways, put them at risk, too. How on earth is one supposed to engage in that kind of an argument? Frustrated, we rolled into Matthew with far fewer people than we expected, and far fewer people than we should have had...

That would not be the case for long, however. Monday night as the storm intensified and the effects began taking their toll on makeshift housing and temporary shelters, people came running to our gates for refuge. Even in the height of the storm, while our security gate (a 20' wide steel gate) was bent in half like a toy by the winds, families descended on us at Be Like Brit in droves. Among the faces were many of the skeptics - those who had simply disregarded our warnings and our pleas to seek shelter with us. One of those looked at me as he ran inside our building, baby wrapped in a blanket in his arms, "you were right." As their homes crumbled and blew away around them, families found safety in our sturdy walls.

Throughout the night and in to Tuesday, the sounds of roofs being ripped from their homes filled the air, while the driving winds screamed like a locomotive. Amazingly, our children were almost without exception calm and relaxed. Our incredible caregiver staff stayed with them and with us for more than 48 hours straight. All hands were on deck to weather this storm, and I've never been more proud to be a part of a Team who performed so well under such stress and pressure.

We emerged relatively unscathed here at Be Like Brit - mostly because of the construction standards that Len and Cherylann insisted on when building here. We're a certified earthquake resistant building, rated for up to a 9.0, and built to the same seismic standards as any construction in quake-prone areas like California or Japan. Unfortunately, our neighbors, many of whom were still living in temporary shelters, did not fare so well.

We've circled the wagons here at BLB, and all of you - our incredible supporters - have stepped up in an incredible way. Our focus moving forward is of course immediate relief, but also in forward-thinking and planning. We don't just have to get people back to where they were before Matthew hit - the rule of thumb in crisis intervention. We have to get people to a better place than they were before Matthew. Our commitment to our community and to a grassroots response, including local labor and professionals, is clear.

Many of you have written and have asked if we need you here. The answer is, no. Not now. We will need you, but right now, we are relying on our resources already in the community, on hiring laborers locally so that we can provide jobs and a means to begin to rebuild. I imagine our Britsionary program will now, more than ever, be focused on getting people in to safe housing in which to weather future storms unharmed.

We are proud to report that none of our homes sustained major damage. Roofs came off in some instances, which is to be expected with winds like Matthew. Possessions were destroyed in driving rain and water. Foundations, however, are strong, and our reinforced walls stand firm. Now, we must bring this standard of housing to more and more.

To help us in our relief efforts for our community here in Grand Goave, please follow the link below. We at Be Like Brit are proud that 85 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to helping the people we serve.

http://bit.ly/1cDtfPH

Thank you for helping us help the children of Haiti at Be Like Brit.

Hurricane Matthew

Good Sunday morning to all of our friends and family, from Grand-Goave, Haiti. This morning, we woke to the news that Hurricane Matthew had moved away from Jamaica, and now appears to be making a more direct path towards Haiti. We in the Department of the Ouest (West), including Port-au-Prince and all areas south and west, are preparing for the likes of a storm that Haiti has not seen in nearly a decade.

We've been overwhelmed with our friends and family reaching out to us. We appreciate the prayers and the well-wishes, and we ask that you continue to send those not only on our behalf, but for the thousands of people in our community and in this country who are not so fortunate as to have the type of facility we do in which to weather the storm.

As I write you now, our staff who is mostly off on Sundays, has reported to work. We are preparing our building, our staff, and our children for the coming storm, and we are so blessed to be able to prepare confidently and comprehensively. We are opening our doors to as many people as we can who work for us, along with their families, where appropriate. While we expect a lot of wind and a lot of water, we know that our building is secure and our foundation is strong. We are preparing.

Our generator, which was so graciously donated to us through a successful fundraising effort, is positioned and ready to carry us through the storm. More than 220 gallons of back up diesel are on site and ready, allowing us roughly 4 days of energy if we were to need it 24/7. This is because of people like you who support us in ways that reach much farther than you could ever imagine.

We have on reserve more than 3000 gallons of treated water. Our nanotechnology water filtration system operates in tandem with the well, both of which require power. Our reliance on our generator is more important than ever! Even still, we will be able to access this stored water with or without power.

Our dedicated kitchen staff is  working hard to prepare food that we can easily store with or without refrigeration, and keep on hand in the various rooms we've identified as the best options in which to ride out the storm. Thanks to our good friend Mark Leff from Salem 5, our library serves a dual purpose - as the largest enclosed area in Brit's Home, it is our shelter-in-place-area. Mark and his Salem 5 Family were here just last week, having built a home for a family in need in just two days. We are grateful to people like Mark and our Britsionary Family who collectively have constructed 58 homes with hurricane bracing and hurricane straps on the roof. This storm will surely put our buildings to the test, and we're waiting anxiously to see how they weather. This is a mighty storm, and while we pray for the best, we must prepare for the worst.

The donations that come to us at the Operations Center also serve a dual purpose. In a storm like this, we can't be guaranteed the ability to cook. Peanut butter and jelly, tuna, chicken salad, all of this is in stock and in great quantities so that we may prepare food while sheltering in place here inside Brit's Home. The significance of these kinds of donations resonates more now than ever, as we prepare to come together as a family and as a community to ride this storm out.

Our Britsionary Group is flying out of Haiti this morning, safely ahead of the storm. In just two days, our friends from Country Bank, along with Cherylann, built two houses in two full days. 

Finally, thanks to our good friend Pastor Scott Johnson and St. John's Church in Kenton, OH, we have on site a satellite phone which will keep us connected no matter what happens to local cell and digital networks. We are grateful.

Please hold us and everyone in Haiti up in your thoughts, prayer, and intentions over the next few days. We will do our best to keep you updated as the storm moves through. 

With all that you do, thank you for helping us help keep our children and our family in Haiti safe.