Walking, smiling, growing.

Last week we posted a collage of garden pictures on Facebook with a status about how we were entering our biggest month in terms of garden produce.

The pictures we used had actually been taken the previous week, before the splendid 3 nights of rainfall we enjoyed last weekend. When Jenn was making the status I asked naively, "what do you mean the biggest month? Like "big" because all the crops are going to shoot up in all this rain?"

She looked at me like I was crazy and then informed me that this month will be our biggest harvest yet. Well, how 'bout that. Time flies. It seems like just yesterday that the garden workers had worked to clear the land and we hired a few extra hands from the community to get the seeds planted.

Truly it is about to be a "big" month as our garden is now 3 times the size of our last garden and at least 5 times the size of our very first attempt to grow things.

Our garden space spans not only the back two acres of "the land." But also an acre plot just to the right.
We will sell the produce, use it to make meals for the moms and babies, and this season we will make our first attempt to save some seeds.

I took a bunch of garden photos on Friday.

I thought I would give you a little tour of the garden, but I realize now that I completely forgot to photograph the tomoato plants and the carrots. You will have to use your imagination.

cabbage

more cabbage

Cabbage close up... I think the cabbage is striking, and very deserving of 3 feature photos in this blog post.

Haitian "zepina" (spinach)

fields of spinach, okra, and potatoes 

corn and two types of beans

breadfruit tree, beets

Moringa

chaya

green onions

and a bee

On Friday's I'm usually filled with all sorts of warm fuzzies about the week past. So much happens in just a week. We take a lot of pictures throughout the week but on Friday's I find myself snapping away without discrimination. Aside from the healthcare staff, everyone works on Saturday. That includes the gardeners, the cooks, the leadership...etc. But my week of working at the land ends, with the nurses, on Friday afternoon after the moms go home. I'm only going to be away from the land for two days, so why the obsessive picture-taking? I guess it's an attempt to capture everything at the project, as it stands, after another week down in the books. It can be very sentimental. :)

For example (as if the surplus of plant photos wasn't enough)...

Our puppy and director.

The first day of that big harvest I was telling you about.

Okay, maybe not everyone's super enthused about the Friday photo flurry

The chickens.

The teenagers.

I just did some rough calculations and I believe, that last week was our 34th week with mothers and children at the facility. We had 8 moms with 8 children in rehabilitation, and 2 siblings. Several of the kids made huge leaps of progress this week. An 18 month old who has never been able to stand is now walking with her mom's help. A baby that has been with us for a ridiculously long time is now finally making the kind of progress you start to think isn't possible. And a baby learned to breastfeed. It was one of the more remarkable things I've experienced in my time in Haiti. It deserves it's own blog post... although every time I say that about a mom or a situation I hardly ever follow through. Here's to hoping that this won't be one of those times. The story of how a 17 year old girl came to successfully breastfeed her 6 week old baby after having not breastfed since it was 5 days old... well it really is a phenomenal story.

baby Fredline

We've come to find a very special use for the small blackboards that are in each of the rooms. Each room has two beds, two shelves, two chairs, two black boards, two moms and two + babies. For the first time this week, Errod used those blackboards to assign weekly chores. One momma sweeps the education building each morning. A few moms are on morning garden duty, filling watering cans just as the sun rises. There is a mom on breakfast dish duty, another on lunch dish duty. One mom cleans the bathroom. Each week they help in a different way. 

There is rhythm and harmony to the day with the understanding that each child's needs are different, each mother's day will look different, and feeding and caring for one's child takes precedent.

There is even harmony at the end of the week when we must plan for 8 women and children to go to 8 different places. When planning Friday's travel arrangements the moms are affectionately referred to by their home-cities by Jenn, Dadou, and Errod. I promise it's very affectionate. For some, the nickname's have stuck and even the moms call out to their friends with the city-moniker. Like "Milot! It's your turn to leave!" We give the moms the money they will need to travel home and bring them by moto or car to the nearest point where they can catch a tap-tap. Some moms only have to travel a distance of 20 minutes, for others it takes more than an hour. They take their babies with them with everything they will need for the weekend. In the current group of moms there are two children who have cerebral palsy. Friday morning we drop them off at the Baptist Hospital (HHA) where the moms spend a few hours learning range of motion exercises and other techniques they can practice during the week. Haiti Hospital Appeal is the only place we know of that offers a physical therapy service. We are so fortunate that they are located so close to our site. The moms really appreciate the opportunity to learn how to help their kids.

helping mom pack

the "departure schedule"

Two of the kids had diarrhea on Tuesday. Kerline, took the opportunity to make "diarrhea" the topic of the morning's health education session. A hands-on activity, "how to prepare oral rehydration drink" was the cornerstone of the session. The drink was then split between the two children that needed it and the diarrhea was resolved by the end of the day.

                    

Success!

Another highlight this week was the advent of literacy classes for the mothers. I can't tell you what made me smile more..  Was it hearing the certain din at 2:55 pm as the mothers would begin warning each other  "class is about to start," "the professor is waiting!" and "finish your homework!" Or was it watching Ama, a life long teacher, lead the class like an expert conductor, helping each woman advance according to her level of skill and proficiency? Maybe all of the above.

Some moms are more educated than others but none of them have advanced further than the 6th grade, a few had been enrolled in first or second grade while other had never been to school at all. The moms who can read and write are practicing addition and subtraction problems and honing their math skills. This will be helpful when they start their businesses. Moms who have mastered the alphabet have moved on to writing their name. Once they have mastered their own names they will move on to the names of their children. How useful for these mothers. It is a small thing that will make enrolling their children in school, or bringing them to the hospital just an ounce easier.

One afternoon I stopped by the education center to peak in on the class. I arrived just in time to see a mom who couldn't tell the difference between a 2 and a 7, tap the board with her pen 26 times, correctly naming each letter of the alphabet.

There's no such thing as a hopeless case, but between you and me, if you knew this mother you'd be crying tears of astonishment to see her do what she's doing here.

On yet another afternoon I wandered into one of the recovery rooms and noticed an open notebook on the bed. The page was filled with one sentence, written repeatedly in impeccable script.

First name Last name is very intelligent.
First name Last name is very intelligent.
First name Last name is very intelligent.

How long did that take her? Did she leave her notebook out in the open to show off her work? She must be proud. And that sentence... what a fitting choice of words. Either it was her "homework" to copy that particular sentence, in which case Professor Ama has a knack for injecting confidence-building into his classes, or, this mom was just already feeling that empowered.

Kids walking, breastfeeding, smiling, and growing.
Moms learning and helping one another, smiling, and growing.
Second Mile is exactly what we hoped it would be.

Things Just got a little more "legit"

We had a team last week! That's quite rare around here but we really enjoyed this team and we are so thankful all the hard work they put into making the facility more usable. They worked marvelously with the Second Mile employees in a way that gave them ownership of some of the projects (see the deck project below).

The project wish list we set before the team could have seemed terribly daunting, but they completed the tasks with ease and efficiency. Serious, efficiency.

Most mind blowing was the way they tackled the chair project. We borrowed a model chair (desk) from another organization and wanted 20 chairs built to suite. So, in the most sensical of ways they started cutting wood. They sliced and diced 1 x 4s until they had 20 sets of the various chair components. 

The pieces were varnished and assembled.

Loudjina's dad worked with the team all week

I think it's fair to assume that the Ferguson's and Jason enjoyed getting to know Loudjina's dad, Jimmy. He worked at the site for two weeks to earn the money the family would need to go to Port au Prince to meet with a team of neurosurgeons. Jimmy and his mother-in-law left for Loudjina's surgery consult the same day that our team left to head back to the States. I'm sure many of you are wondering what happened.

Based on the January assessment of Loudjina's condition the surgeons had ruled out the possibility of placing a shunt, yet there was still talk of an alternative surgery. Sadly, when the family showed up to the hospital on Friday the surgeons deemed that her pressure sores posed too great a risk that the surgical site would become rapidly infected. We had suspected that... There's always the tendency to gear ourselves up for the bad news, even when at our core we hope for a miracle.

heading to the bus station

At this point, we are at peace. We were able to help the family make three trips to Port where they met with US based neurosurgeons. At least they had a chance. Between those trips they spent a combined total of 10 weeks at our site during which we loved them and stood beside them through some of the scariest,  happiest, and most painful of moments.

Deep down I struggle with how unfair it is for Loudjina to have lived her life like this. Such a cumbersome existence. And her parents... and grandparents, aunts and uncles and the friends that have loved her... it's not fair for them that she won't live as long as she should.

It shouldn't be like this.. but it is.

Acceptance brings peace. And I find comfort in my belief that God, who is love, loves Loudjina in-quantifiably more than myself or Jenn, or her parents, or the surgeons that devote their lives to kids like Loudjina, ever could. That's the silver lining. The other silver lining is that Loudjina has a ridiculously cool wheelchair. On the Wednesday before they left for Port-au-Prince, our friends at Haiti Hospital Appeal called. They wanted to make sure Loudjina didn't miss out on this amazing opportunity.

We quickly loaded up the family in the truck and Jenn took them over to the hospital where Loudjina was fitted with a custom wheelchair, courtesy of Canada Healing Hands. This group worked tirelessly to create the perfect chair for what must have amounted to hundreds of kids in and around Cap Haitien. What a special moment it was for Loudjina and family, and all of the children who were able to benefit.

The next day Loudjina took a spin in her new chair. Can you imagine?

Meanwhile, the team continued working. By this time they were finishing up the tiling project. The two rooms adjacent to the education center have been unused to date but will soon become an office and a sewing room. The tile will help keep the rooms clean and bright.

With a little coaching, Joslin and Verdieu were able to tile one of the two rooms on their own. 

Joslin and Verdieu got an "intro to tiling" during Jason's last trip. Last January, Jason and the guys tiled the space we've cleverly dubbed "the upstairs apartment." It's a second story building where some of our employees sleep. It also has a bathroom, a kitchen, and an area that doubles as Jenn's office. It's also where we make enriched milk. And it's been home to many a spontaneous staff meeting. Thanks to the team, this space has a lovely new chalkboard, made possible by plywood and chalkboard paint.

After the tiling and the chairs, the team built four picnic tables and four table/desks. They also made several more chalkboards. Now the education building is ready for action! 

Well, I suppose we still have some cleaning to do. We will have to move some of these picnic benches out under the mango tree. Then we will line up the desks to give that traditional classroom feel. 

Why are we so excited about chairs and tables?! Well, the education building has given us an opportunity to host community events, although without any benches, we always had to hall out the beds to use for seating. Also, the moms come to the education center for their business classes and some of their health classes and it is used by staff when they want to meet for prayer and worship. The garden employees have always taken their lunch here. Now they will have a wider range of seating choices and an actual place to rest! They will still come into this space for special training seminars, only now they won't have to sprawl out to take notes!

before the new desks

20 desks! 

Ama, is arguably the most excited about these improvements. He gets to teach a literacy class to the moms! As a former school professor, his heart for teaching is one of our favorite things about him. He values education and he loves to learn.

When we spoke with him about the possibility of teaching some basic reading and writing skills he jumped on it. Jenn broached the subject with him and that very same day, after a long 8-hours in the gardens he went home, changed into some "teacher clothes" and headed over to officially enroll the moms in his class. It was very, very official. He made two lists, one with the names of women who could read and write and the other with those who can't. Then he submitted a written request to Jenn. Notebooks, please. 

The last and final project, was a deck that was built with the intention to get some of the cooking up off the ground. It's just the beginning but we are very pleased to see how easily the deck came together.  We plan to add a palm-branch canopy (similar to the one on our chicken coop) which will ensure that every one eats even during the rare, mid-afternoon rain storm. 

Using clorox bottles to make cement posts

a quick lesson on making things level

current cooking area

Between the desk-chairs, and the wheelchairs, I'd say we had a great week. Thanks again team! 

Growth.

This week we are getting a few projects done.

Jason Gigure, the man responsible for designing our septic system, installing all our plumbing components, and teaching us to tile is back! This time he brought some friends (the pastor of his church, the pastor's wife, and their son, a senior in high school). The group comes from Mt. Zion, a church that has been partnering with us through bake sales and silent auctions for all two years of our existence. Jason's wife, Karen, has been leading the church into all things that rhyme with Haiti, and justice, and generosity for the 3+ years that we've known her. Consequently, there's probably more Second Mile jewelry in that 30 mile radius than anywhere else in America. So thank you Mt. Zion for standing with us and sending your people. We are going to get a lot done this week and we are thrilled to be able to share Haiti with pastor and family, who have come to experience this for the first time. They're asking questions, making some brilliant observations, and soaking up the people, the sites, and the sun's rays.

But Jason is not new to Haiti. It is actually his third work trip at Second Mile, and we don't even do work trips. How's that for an extra special record!

Aside from our electrician group and a spattering of close friends and family members who we have occasionally put to work during visits, we haven't had any "work teams" participate in the building of Second Mile. Why not? Well, the answer is simply that we desire to respect the talents and capabilities of the Haitian people who live around our facility. With so many people in need of work to keep their families fed, clothed, and housed does it not seem cruel to ignore their plight while building a facility we say will be used for good? We decided before we even began, that yes, hosting North American work teams could seem cruel and insensitive and in doing so we would be overlooking the needs of our neighbors. We must aim to do good, not harm, holistically, in and through our actions, words, and choices. Sometimes its the choices that speak the loudest. And we want to be heard in a way that says we see you and we care...

That being said. Jason has been our token exception. He usually comes by himself and remains perfectly content to work hard while we feed him his favorite p-foods, pineapple, papaya, pikliz, and plaintains.  He was just what we needed when we were first getting started, back when Jenn needed someone to teach her about septic and plumbing. Jason was the guy. He made the plans and we bought all the materials in Haiti. He was willing to use what we had available to us even if that meant using dehydrated and pressed sugarcane waste instead of fancy mesh fabric in the drainage field.

For this, and for many other reasons, the guys at the land respect him. Although they never quite got his name right (when we said Jason, they heard Jen-son and it stuck), I think they sense that as he works alongside them, teaching them to use pvc glue and cut tile, that he genuinely cares whether or not they come away with new skills. Jenn had a conversation with Jason on his first trip about how it works in Haiti-- how one learns a trade and moves to a place where he or she can exercise those skills as a sought after contractor, mason, plumber, or tiler. She described how hopeful workers must find a "boss," an experienced contractor in their trade, to take them on as an apprentice, to show them the ropes and give them a chance, eventually, to fly. He latched on to that. Jason comes to be a "boss." He works from a place of wanting his apprentices to be able to do it themselves next time, and to do it better.

He even taught himself some Creole. He's a collaborator more than a volunteer. His trips help prepare the Second Mile staff with some all-around useful skills. And that's good for Second Mile's sustainability as a Haitian-operated entity. If we are going to be efficient and sustainable-- then somebody's got to know how to use the pvc glue. And that someone can't be living in Wisconsin when the pipes take to leakin.'

So the guys at Second Mile are working with Jason and team this week.

Truth is before they started working, we only had two benches, a makeshift table which was thrown together one day with some left over pieces of wood, and a few chairs that have a habit of breaking if you even just look at them the wrong way. I won't even bother with the math. That's just flat out - not sustainable at all. Chairs are for sitting and tables are for working and eating. They need to be functional and they need to last.

this place is about to look a whole lot different

The plan for the week is to build four picnic tables, at least 20 chairs (the sturdy kind), several benches, a workbench, two desks, and a deck for the outdoor cooking area. They will also tile the two rooms adjacent to the education center. One is meant to be an office, the other is the "sewing room," a room that will have a variety of creative purposes.

sewing room/office/education center

These three chairs have made their way into a lot of our education photos in the past two weeks.
Truth is, they're borrowed goods, but soon we'll have our own and we can return to lender. 

Some things have moved fast, here. Other things we've taken a bit slower. Everything has it's time and it's moment. Guess what, we can't hold off on the seats any longer. We've raised the money and we've had sufficient time to think about what we need and what we don't. It's time! And we're excited! Jenn's been planning for weeks taking down dimensions, making supply lists, and acquiring materials. They were able to get started almost as soon as they landed in Cap Haitian on Saturday.

Even the garden workers stayed past the end of their work-day to get in on the excitement.

I'm convinced that by the time the week's over if we ever need another chair, table, or bench. These guys will be able to do it. That's growth.

So that's what we've got going on this week. It feels like a milestone. We have 7 moms at Second Mile now and 3 referrals on the way, but it's funny how its the building of a few new chairs that makes it feel like we are growing again. Funny, how new tables makes it seem like we are gearing up for something new on horizon. And you know... benches are meant to seat people, lots of them. Just like making 12 beds last March made it finally feel real that people would soon be sleeping in them, making tables means that soon people will really be working at them. In the next few months our education center is getting re-fitted to be the grand-central station of sustainability and skills training projects.

It's about to look a whole lot different up in here.

note: Jenn wants prayer! She has a lot on her plate as always. She's the mastermind behind the planning and the running. Projects mean she has to do some extra juggling.

the visitors' view

Our last post was about the progress of the children currently at Second Mile with their moms. But what about the people behind the scenes? Second Mile is made possible because of 12  dedicated individuals, present at the land 6 days a week (plus another 3 who come just one day a week). Jenn and I are deeply grateful for these kind and caring people. We've watched them grow into their roles. Most of these people have been around in one way or another since the we first began clearing the sugar cane field to start this project 22 months ago. But enough of the mushy stuff...

I'm just here to tell you what an amazing job the staff is doing handling day to day operations. Here's a quick look at what they've been up to lately.

Our two cooks have begun using more Moringa in the daily meals. Moringa is loaded with important nutrients. It has a high protein content and is touted for it’s many benefits among malnourished children. Magoul and Gigi cook 3 meals a day. It's the best when they can just walk back to the gardens for the food they need for meals. The Moringa trees are flourishing. They simply walk to the back, snap off a few branches and add the leaves to the soup. 

Joslin and Verdieu still handle all-things related to the goats and cows. They take them out to pasture every day, make sure they are eating and drinking well, and bring them safely back to the property at the end of the day. One of my favorite moments during the day is when the cows come home... Joslin milks the cows each morning. And Verdieu often delivers the milk to customers. 

If you think the cows are looking scrawny-- they were-- we experienced a 52 day drought which killed a lot of the cow's foraging material. This picture was taken shortly after a good rain.  The cows are looking much more plush now. 

Joslin and Verdieu

Dadou is still responsible for the business program. He teaches daily classes covering topics that range from managing family dynamics to basic savings and investment to “what to do when your neighbor asks for your help.” He teaches with wisdom and patience. I try to pay attention when he speaks to people. 

He still oversees all employees and works with Jenn to manage operational issues that arise. He’s responsible for all follow-up with moms and dads and their businesses. Many of the women are single mothers, but whenever a dad is involved, Dadou has a way of quickly building a relationship with these men, young and old.

Kerline is still responsible for everything that falls under the domain of health, including admitting children and mothers, monitoring their health and weight gain, and teaching the health education component. She’s a friend and a mentor to the mothers and is responsible for advising them both while they are at Second Mile and while they are in follow-up. She sets follow-up appointments for the mothers so that she can continue to monitor the children's health and progress. And makes decisions based on how the children are doing at home. More often than not the women want to talk to her about things unrelated to health. And that's fine too. She is a great listener and wants what is best for these women in all areas of their life, their emotional and spiritual well-being as important as their physical health. 

teaching a health class

taking measurements

Joseph is still managing the gardens. Not only is he in charge of four other garden employees (Ama, Wesley, Wilsner, and Jean Marie), but together, the garden employees have an extra special responsibility. For the past four weeks, 3 young men (teenagers from Cap Haitien) have been coming out to the land to participate in what we are calling, the “garden internship.” We are partnering with a magnificent organization, Streethearts, to offer a paid internship to some former “street kids” who reside in the Streethearts safe house. These city boys are learning to garden while also learning what it means to show up for a job every day. They are being mentored by some exceptional men (our employees) and they are getting to see the fruits of their labor as they watch food emerge from the land. We’ve enjoyed watching these boys take pride in their contribution to the gardens. It’s an incredible opportunity for these young men and a very special partnership for us.  

In the last blog post I wrote about Errod’s involvement with the chickens. Whenever he is not busy running errands or managing our food supply, Errod helps out with projects around the land. A few weeks ago all the guys, (Errod, Joslin, Dadou, and Verdieu) teamed up to hang mosquito nets above the moms beds. And for the past two weeks they have been working to create these pathways. They are quite lovely...and a good safety measure. It's much harder to twist an ankle when you're walking on solid ground.  The paths should help both pedestrians and vehicle avoid the mud sinkholes that used to form after heavy rains.  

The beadmakers (Dorothy, Louisemene, and Rosenie) are still producing beautiful jewelry. Dorothy, broke her leg last month in an accident. We thank God that she wasn't more seriously injured and that she's having an uncomplicated recovery. We love her for the joy and fun she brings to the team. Her beading sisters, Rosenie and Louismene have been visiting her regularly at home. They bring her paper and sometimes stay to roll beads with her. They even roll beads on her behalf to make sure she can still make the weekly quotas.  Of course we would have made sure that she was taken care of regardless, but it was sweet to see these women step forward with the confidence that she would do the same for them.  The women still roll beads from home and come to the land once a week to complete the other steps in the jewelry making process.  

Last week the bead makers also taught some of the young “Streethearts” how to make a paper beads. The culture of teamwork is incredible and it’s amazing to watch them give back. 

Visitors

Well, I started yesterday's blog post by saying that we had a busy week. One of the events that made it so, was a visit from 3 outstanding guys from Minnesota, and one outstanding young lady. The group’s leader had been out to see us once before-- back before our doors were open, before construction was even complete. This time he brought with him some of his friends. Jenn had been introduced to these guys during her last fundraising trip to Minnesota. She sat with them in board rooms and spent time with their families. It was a joy to be able to reciprocate their hospitality and to show them Second Mile and some of our favorite organizations. 

They said that one of their favorite things about the trip was watching the employees confidently working in their respective areas. Hearing them speak about what they saw in our staff -- is probably what prompted me to write this post. These men and women are doing incredible things day in and day out. They're the best. We don't say it enough. 

Early Friday morning our guests joined the staff’s prayer and worship time and saw how important prayer is among the employees. It’s the glue that holds us all together. We know many of you are praying for Second Mile. As our visitors can attest, we’re praying for you too. 

Ama tends to the cabbage seedlings