AndroAyiti

During the difficult times, Haiti has been facing recently, I thought it would be better if I wrote something more positive.

Today’s article is about a group of young Haitians who started a project called “CLUB ECHO DES ENFANTS”, in 2009, precisely May 29th. They are located in an old garbage sorting center, situated in Carrefour-Feuilles, Port-Au-Prince. 

The idea is from a young man whose name is Ackimberly Barthelemy, an educator aware of the situation of children at school, not being able to afford extracurricular activities and this situation keeping them from developing certain skills.

The project is all about teaching them different kind of Arts and Crafts like bracelets, necklaces, sandals, additionally theatre and dance. 

Teaching them courses like English, French, basic computer knowledge and etiquette classes.

They always have a “day of recess” every February and a Christmas party at end year, where they exchange gifts. 

Since schools can′t finance the materials and provide the time to perform the handmade works.

Mr. Barthelemy created this with nine other volunteers to help the kids, protect them from violence, in hopes of helping them in becoming respectful, responsible young adults in the community.

The children are invited to come to their first class with their parent's permission, they are registered for free. The organization receives kids from 4 to 17 years old. They monitor around 110 kids. 

I’ve had the opportunity to speak to one of the volunteers and he says:

“The children are very excited about the activities, some of them come before the time, they are very eager to learn.”

Opening hours are every Friday from 3 PM to 5:30 PM.

Every craft the kids do is kept by the staff, so they can organize cultural activities in their honour.

“We are planning to help the children with school supplies, every year they have to start with school; it’s a long-term project because we are looking for partners, so we can help more.”

They don’t have help from any other organizations yet, they are open to any kind of support.

“We don’t have assistance, so we collect from our staff to buy materials.” 

This is a very beautiful initiative and I don’t understand how they are not getting more help from the government. It should be THEIR job to provide similar opportunities to our kids.

They finance all kinds of Bulls*** but they cant finance necessities like this one. 

In Danemark, the government established a law where for 25 HOURS every week children from a certain age and background are taken away from their parents (whether they want it or not). During this time, they are given basic education, etiquette classes and so on.

This was the method they decided was better in order to give those kids a fair chance to grow up as honest citizens, regardless if they are from the “ghetto”.

Education is such an important tool in society, the Haitian government should care about the population that doesn't have access to one. Don’t they know that if half of the population was educated, ALL OF THEM wouldn't act like the “savages” the media, rich people and others are trying so hard to portray them to be?

But I guess this is a conversation for another day.

If you wish to help you can get in touch with AndroAyiti by the following ways:

Facebook page: Clubecodesenfants 

Instagram: @clubechodesenfants

E-mail: androayiti@gmail.com

Or their main platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube: @androayiti

I thank you all for reading this article, I thank AndroAyiti for agreeing to do this article and sharing all these pictures to be featured in the post.

Here is the creole version on this post, enjoy.

This was “AndroAyiti”, written by Tiff.

Opinions, Opinions

The World Cup (WC) is some kind of distraction for haitians. For a couple of hours, they forget their problems, cheer for their teams, kick back with friends and so on. 

Brazil is one the favourite teams in Haiti and Brazil losing their chance to win the WC was not well taken for sure. Now add the gas price potentially going up, all of this just reminding them that once again, life is hard and someone decides to make it even harder.  

Contrary to popular beliefs, and may I add, denial from the people that know the real issues. This was not just protests for the gas price, one of the biggest problems in our country still exists. This was the protests of the “have-nots” against the ones that do.

There's no “middle class” in Haïti, they've been trying to instore one for years but the reality is, it’s either people are really really poor or really rich. Those that should fit in the “middle class” are just considered rich because they still are able to afford the same basic education rich people get, also they almost can afford the same lifestyle. They have to work twice as hard but its possible. 

When I say lifestyle I'm talking about the basics.

If we get into properties, travel destinations, etc you'll see the difference.

Bottom line is, in Haïti, its either you have money or you don't.

Social class in Haïti is defined by last name, hair type, skin colour, proprieties etc. 

I, for example, is considered a bourgeois because of my last name and the other factors that define it. However, I know I’m in the “middle class” because my parents are not rich, both of them went through a lot and made many sacrifices and efforts to reach a certain position in life but still, they are not bourgeois.

Try explaining this to people that believe if you can afford the bare minimum, well you’re “rich”. 

With the slave system that still resides in people’s mentality,  skin colour, hair type and so on sure doesn't help the situation.

Can you imagine? There are actually people that think that they are better than others just because they have lighter skin. (Hysterical laugh)

Even worst, this is the part that breaks my heart, many people think they are lesser than someone else because they have darker skin.

How do you erase a system that's been rooted in people’s minds for hundreds of years?

I blame the rich people of the country honestly, they went to the best privates schools, lived the most exciting travel experiences, met so many foreigners, witnessed peoples reactions when they said they were Haitian and come back to the country just to look down on their people because of SOCIAL CLASS. At this point, my question is

“Sa edukasyon nou an sevi’n si se mantality kokorat sa nou genyen?”

Like really? What’s the point of being so well educated if at the end of the day acting like a complete low life is all you do? They know this social sh** only matters in Haïti 

because if they moved to other countries they would be considered as HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS and yet they 

continue with this fake idea of being better than the rest of the population. 

In a way, that's what the population has been trying to fight against for years and everyone pretends to care for a second then get back to their life. The truth is, we cant blame rich people for being rich, someone worked to get where they are today. What we can blame them for is not denouncing the social injustice, feeding off poor people and not knowing when to stop and start giving back. 

I hope they understand that one day they’ll be the ones to pay for those years of silence. When the population will finally put two and two together and realize they are the majority and they can destroy that 5% if they want, it’ll be too late! 

I keep telling people to open their eyes and take action but hey what do I know right? It's just my opinion. 

I've had the opportunity to talk to Rudolf Roux a civil engineer who took footage of the riots and I asked him a couple of questions. 

Instead of reading my opinion over and over, here’s his. 

Where were you when the riots started?

Had just gotten home when I received the messages of the tires burning near the old Pétion-Ville cemetery.

How did you take the videos?

I have a drone and used it as a tool to see what was happening nearby. 

Care to share your position on what happened?

My position:

No matter who you are, or social standing, having access and securing the basics (Electricity, water, roads/transportation and security) is an everyday struggle in Haiti. #Fact

I'm convinced that good intentions or good will aren't sufficient to actually deliver results; let alone make you qualified to run a country. Otherwise, we'd be having a much different conversation today.

In any business, vision and accountability go hand in hand, and running a country is no different. However this evades many, and it's a process of repeating the same procedures and expecting a different outcome.

It doesn't take a Ph.D. in economics to know that any government that subsidizes food, electricity, and fuel coupled with an aggressive currency inflation rate is sitting on a time bomb.

What do you think can be a solution?

Compared to many problems that other developing countries face, I don't believe Haiti's issues are complex. 

We all want change but are unyielding to change.

1) vision, perseverance and continuity

(instead of always having to destroy to start over)

2) Accountability.

(Result driven, and zero tolerance for "se pa fot mwen"-“it’s not my fault”)

I thank Mr. Roux for answering my questions and allowing me to share the videos he took of the riots.

Next week, I’ll do an overview of what was damaged and how we can help. 

Thank you for reading this article and I thank my faithful readers for always staying updated with my posts.

This was “Opinions, Opinions” written by Tiff.

Wake The F* Up.

*sigh*

I don't even know where to start, honestly, if you read my previous post about what's going on in Haïti, you know what happened yesterday.

Little recapitulation, protesters have blocked most of the roads of the city of Port-au-Prince because gas prices have gone up. Last week, the President voted to raise gasoline prices. Regular gas will go from 224 Haitian Gourdes (HTG) to 309 HTG, meaning this price went up 38%. Diesel will know an increase of 47%, the price being 179 HTG will now be 264 HTG. Let’s not even mention Kerosene which increased by 51% going from 173 HTG to 262 HTG, in all the gas stations.

Source: Roberson Alphonse, Le Nouvelliste.

Even if gas prices have been going up everywhere, the situation is different in Haïti. The way the news was announced was all wrong, people are protesting because the minimum wage in Haïti is 300 HTG and a gallon of gas is 309 HTG. 

How are they suppose to survive? It's hard enough going to work for 300 HTG per day, feeding a family, saving to send kids to school. 

Life in Haïti is getting more and more expensive but salaries are not going up.

The President's answer was that prices are still less expensive than the ones in the Dominican Republic, our neighbours.

Today, the Prime Minister posted a letter saying that the new prices are suspended, asking authorities to help and protect the population, asking protesters to stay peaceful after they’ve been rioting for almost 24 hours. 

Markets, hotels, tires got burned, business windows have been shattered with rocks, protesters are shooting and threatening civilians, they are stealing food, people are still blocked and still can't go home.

They want the President and the Prime Minister out of office and unfortunately, they have all their reasons. Not saying their method is right, but riots are usually the only way less fortunate get to be heard.

Everyone is asking for a solution and no one knows what to do so here is my opinion.

This situation is the result of corrupt governments and the silence of the generations before the “90’s babies”. They stayed silent every time riots happened before because things always got “fixed” but not really, now things have reached a point of no return. They stayed silent even when the population SCREAMED that they were starving and wanted to have fair chances like rich people do. They stayed silent when foreigners came and stole from us. They stayed silent WAY too many times.

“90’s babies” need to stop ignoring these issues, let’s open our eyes and not make the same mistakes our parents did. For those of you raising young children, even if they don't need to struggle like YOU did in the past, TEACH them to understand that some people are still struggling. TEACH them to respect everyone regardless of what they do for a living. TEACH them that even if they have all the privileges in the world thanks to your efforts, they have to understand that some people are still working to get there. TEACH them that someone is not better or worst because of their skin colour, their hair type or what they own or their F**** last name.

One of the biggest problems of this country is making the MAJORITY feel like a MINORITY when the percentage of “rich” people is barely 5%. We kept the slave system where dark-skinned people are lesser than people who have pale skin. 

This 5% refuse to acknowledge this issue because nothing really affected them until this day. Now protesters are robbing their businesses and they are no longer safe in their houses in the mountains. Protesters are coming to them now.

WAKE. UP.



For those of you that will take over your parents businesses soon, stop feeding off poor people and start investing in the Haitian community.

Listen to the population and find common ground. It’s time we take action since obviously, the government can't.

I know it all seems like I'm all talk and I’m not doing anything but my blog is the first start and I'm looking for ways to provide some help. If you care about the country I suggest you do the same too.

And to all the people with a voice that can be heard. I am talking about RAPPERS, MUSICIANS, don't just make a song and not do anything, this is your country too you need to do something and know that your fans follow you for a reason.

Thank you for reading, Tiff.

ATTENTION, ATTENTION

“Ujans nan peyi a, tout bagay BLOKE!”

“Emergency in the country, everything is BLOCKED!”

Today Friday, July 6, 2018, after the Brazil vs Belgium World Cup match many riots started in Port-au-Prince. People thought it was because Brazil lost and some Haitians are huge Brazil fans.

Turns out, it was another day protesting against the President's choice of raising the gas price in the country. I am not sure of the exact number but I understand that the new price is around 85 gourdes more.

Understand that it's about one dollar and couple cents, however, the majority of the Haitian population CANNOT AFFORD these new prices.

Because of these riots, people ARE STUCK in markets, restaurants, work, etc. Those who were lucky enough to be home already are giving friends shelter for the night because their house is close to where they were stuck.

Protesters are burning tires in the middle of the streets, breaking car windows, attacking people. The whole town is BLOCKED. People are obligated to leave their car somewhere safe and have to WALK home.

These riots have been going on for days and the President needs to do something about this, I hope you understand the SEVERITY of this situation. If you are in Haiti right now PLEASE STAY SAFE. If you are not PLEASE CHECK on your loved ones.

This is the only information I gathered tonight, I'll give you guys an update when I'll have further details.

My readers know I'm against posting negative pictures of the country because I find them unnecessary,

BUT I WILL POST PICTURES OF TODAY.

  

Source: @ogunation

I will add that they are planning to do the same, FIRST THING TOMORROW. 
PLEASE BE CAREFUL.

Thank you for reading, Tiff.

Té’m Ba’w On Nouvel

 Every football fan knows the ”FC Barcelona Club”, some of them make it their life’s mission to be enemies with the supporters of other clubs. In the spirit of the 2018 football World Cup (WC) going on this month, I thought it would be time for me to talk about this subject.

”Pa Gen Fot, Jwe Boul”

”There’s no foul, Play Ball”

Many players of this WC are signed in the Barcelona club, for example:

Lionel Messi, captain of Argentina, they are disqualified and that makes me extremely happy.

Luis Suarez from Uruguay, I don't feel any particular way about his team, however, I do find him attractive.

Philippe Coutinho from the Brazilian team, which is now my only hope of winning the WC, since Germany got eliminated.

Before I get carried away, let's get back on topic. The Barcelona club collaborated with the ”Fondacion Marcet” (FM), which is a foundation that organized a recruitment camp last year, in December.

Their goal was to recruit young football players from different football school in many Haitian towns, such as Port-au-Prince, Saint-Marc and Petit-Goâve.

Last month, FC Barcelona technicians chose eight lucky players to participate in a two week trip in Spain.

Those eight footballers are:

1. Liska Steffi Ambroise
2. Jorensky Augustin
3. Alexandre Noë Bernier
4. Maudwindo Germain
5. Jeff Kerwin Louis
6. Baguidy Tristan Scott
7. Johny Stanley Zamor

The information was announced by Beatrice Lauture, on Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Mrs. Lauture is the creator of the event and a member of the FM.

With the help of sponsors like ”MaltaH” ”SOGEBANK” and many more, she was able to create this event at the ”Saint-Louis de Gonzague Highschool” and also raised $60 000 US. Mrs. Lauture managed to provide the Spanish visas to all the chosen players.

Parents only paid for the plane fare, however, housing, food and others were provided by the ”FC Barcelona” club for the two weeks.

During the press conference she held to announce this great news, she also pointed out that some of the players are already practicing within team's which play D1 and D2 National championships.

There are different levels in the D1 & D2 leagues, like Junior and Senior, both can be amateur or professional.

The footballers with this opportunity are:

Jeff Kerwin Louis (goalie) and Maudwindo Germain (left position), both from the Haitian ”Violette AC” club.

Jorensky Augustin (middle field), from the ”Saint-Louis” club.

Jonhy Stanley Zamor, only 18 (middle defence), in the ”FC Petit-Goâve” team.

I'd like to take the time to congratulate these Haitian players.

Congratulations to Mrs. Lauture and I'm thankful for all the efforts she put in order to get this project going.

Hopefully, this event will be able to grow even more in the next couple of years.

Source: Legupeterson Alexandre, Le Nouvelliste

Thank you for reading my article, once again, I appreciate my readers ”tuning in” every Wednesday for the news articles.

This was ”Té’m Ba’w On Nouvel”, written by Tiff.
”Pa Gen Fot, Jwe Boul” edition. 

You will find attached the creole version of this article below.

Everyone say ... “Fwomaj”

“Fwomaj” is the creole translation of  “cheese”, so Everyone say Cheese because, today, we are talking about photography.

We all love a good picture, mainly because it’s a great way to keep memories of wonderful times. Secondly, with social media being a big part of our everyday life, it’s hard to fight the urge of taking pictures of our clothes, our hair, our food and so on, just so we can show our followers. Taking into account that our social media is nothing without followers, just like a blog, readers and followers are very important.

When I was starting my blog, it was suggested that I use my own pictures, apparently it is frowned upon to use other people’s material. Now, why would I do that, when there are plenty of Haitian photographers looking for ways to show their work?
I think it’s time we break some blog rules and do things our way now.

The two photographers I will be talking about today are very talented. Look around the blog, you will see their work on each corner. Both of them have been extremely supportive since the beginning of my blog journey. They were the ones who wrote me and offered to feature their work on my page. I think it is a great way to promote their talent and it saves me the hassle of taking pictures myself (insert embarrassed laugh).

The first artist is Jonathan G. Charles, 35 years old, born in Haïti, live in Queens, New York, at the moment. Jonathan went back to the country after several years and took amazing pictures of the locals. He says and I quote “I just wanted to capture my country through my eyes” . Seems like Jonathan and I have something in common. He is planing on going back soon and maybe live in Haïti one day, which I encourage strongly. In the mean time, you can check out the material on his website. It is beautiful work.





https://t.co/YYdaxlF3TA?ssr=true. 

Taken by @jgcphotography

You can also follow him on IG @jcgphotography

Taken by @jgcphotography

The second artist we will talk about is Fatherson Dérozena, born in the city of Léogâne in Haïti, where he went to school. Afterwards, he moved to Port-Au-Prince to finish his studies. It was after he obtained his diploma, in Electricity and Telecommunication, that he started taking an interest in photography. The year after, Fatherson then studied at KUPRODUCTION, where he learned videography techniques. Our lovely photographer is now 27 years old and juggling with two very different careers. I can only wish to be as accomplished as he is.

“Street Art”
Taken by @Fatherd5 

“Overview”
Taken by @Fatherd5

You can find Fatherson on Instagram @Fatherd5. Most of his posts are very personal. I encourage him to create a website for his pictures or an IG page dedicated to his work. That way, he will be able to put some kind of emphasis on his work and make it easier for people to take a look at his material. Of course, I’ll keep my readers updated on this little “mission”.

I hope this article encourages other artists  to come to me with their work so I can promote how talented Haitians are. Hopefully, the next article on photographers could be about female ones (fingers crossed).

I thank Jonathan and Fatherson for their amazing support, once again, I thank my readers for taking the time to read this article and looking forward to write for you soon.

This was, “Everyone say ... “Fwomaj””, written by, Tiff.



Fun Fact: Port-au-Prince is the capital of Haïti and Léogâne is 45 minutes away, really not that far, could be a nice little road trip.

Té’m Ba’w On Nouvel

Before I start this article, I apologize for not posting it yesterday as planned. Knowing that my personal issues should not affect the blog, understand it’s hard to keep the motivation when other things seem to not go your way.

However, once I start writing, every little negative things just flots away and I remember why I love doing this so much.

Today’s article will be much lighter and positive than the previous weekly news posts and I’m very happy about that.

“SOS Villages d’Enfants, 40 years later”

“SOS Children Villages”

Saturday June 23rd, 2018, marked the 69th year of the “SOS Villages d’Enfants” organization. On the same day, they celebrated their 40 years of services, in Haïti. The Organization has been in the country since 1978, in the community of Santo, Croix-des-Bouquets.

Many ex “villagers”, parents and other guests, who benefited from the different programs of the “Village”, participated in the festivities marking both their 69th Birthday internationally and their 40 years in our country.

On that meaningful day, the national director, Céligny Darius, stated that the “Village” worked in the reinforcement of 9 023 families registered in their programs. They also helped many victims of the Hurricane Matthew, which mostly struck the south of Haïti, in 2016.

Today, the “Village”, founded by Hermann Gmeiner, counts 3 villages in Cap-Haitien, Cayes and Port-au-Prince. Their main goal is to help kids that were abandoned and orphans. In the same spirit of helping children, the 
organization has three elementary schools, which welcomes 2 636 kids, eight technical schools and they also contributed in training 785 young adults.

Giving children a safe and protective environment is very important. In 2021, the representatives of the “Village” plan on helping 18 014 kids and young adults and with their different programs, they want to help 3 296 more families.

The task will not be easy, however we surely can wish them luck and hope they keep up their good work.

Source: Caleb Lefèvre, Le Nouvelliste.

This was “Té’m Ba’w On Nouvel”, writen by Tiff,
 “SOS Villages d’Enfants, 40 years later” edition.