Reflection: Emily Sobeck

 

Today is Saturday and we had the privilege of getting a tap-tap ride over to the IDADEE orphanage. IDADEE houses children that are between newborn and about 3 years old. Talk about a lot of diapers! There are currently 28 orphans at IDADEE. Our team was able to play with them on the front porch, feed them, climb on the playground equipment with them, and spend a lot of time holding each child. The immediately cling to you and want to be held. They were adorable children. During meal time I spent some time in the cafeteria with the kids. They eat spiced rice…no matter if you are 5 months old or 3 years old. I was given the opportunity – along with several other team members- to help feed some of the infants. One caregiver was trying to keep an eye on 15 kids eating at the kid table, while feeding 6 infants alone on a bench, while 3 of them were crying … so we joined in to help her feed them infants. After a lot of sweat, spit up, food thrown on the floor, and tears – the kids were fed. It was a wonderful experience. Although the help is minimal, it was great to see these kids being cared for.

There was a woman living at IDADEE named Monica. She is from Lancaster, PA. She moved to Haiti 9 years ago and worked as a nurse. Along the way she adopted 11 children from Haiti and the Dominican Republic who had lost their parents. She also met her husband, Jean-Claude, while serving Haiti. She and her husband, along with their 11 children live at IDADEE. They care for their 11 kids and help out with the other kids. They are currently working on building a house right down the road from IDADEE. I believe she said that their house is being built based on donations. How awesome.

EBAC is located on the outskirts of the town. IDADEE is located in a way more rural area- more into a wooded area. While riding to and from IDADEE our team was able to see what life is like for those families living out that way. There were a lot of shacks and huts made from tin, bamboo, trees, clay, and scraps. I saw several women cooking by a fire pit, carrying food/water on their heads, and people wearing barely any clothes. There are no words that could describe how these people live day in and day out.

One thing you notice when you drive through the streets of Cap Haitian is the amount of emaciated animals. There are so many malnourished cows, oxen, dogs, and horses. You can always see their bones, their skin is sucked in, and some animals just lay there because they can’t stand. Some people have these animals tied to a tree to most likely use them for food, while others are just wild. I have been doing ok handling such animal disparity, until the dog at the IDADEE orphanage. There was a dog tied to a metal pole right on the backside of the orphanage. He had about 2 feet of leash, no water, no food, and no place for shade. He was a very friendly dog- definitely a puppy, maybe 10-12 months old. He was truly malnourished and his muscles were not forming all the way because he does not get an activity. He could stand- but his legs were very flimsy. He was just laying there panting in the sun. I carefully approached him and learned that he was such a sweet, sweet puppy. I grabbed a bowl in the grass and gave him all the water out of my water bottle. I then went inside and picked up the cheerios off of the floor from the kids at breakfast and gave them to him. He was so grateful! I got a little tail wag! As I knelt beside him he curled up in my lap just like my two dogs at home do. It made me so sad to know that he will most likely die on that 2 foot chain, in the sun. I asked around as to why this dog would be chained up- as most Haitians do not want pets because they would be another mouth to feed. I was told that they most likely have him chained as he probably provides a good “alarm system.” So sad. I took a blue tarp that was lying in the grass and created a little place of shade for him. He immediately climbed under the tarp and laid down. I loved on this puppy for a while, filled up his bowl one more time, and then had to walk away.

While at IDADEE today most of the team members spent some time climbing up the big hill in the backyard to get a spectacular view of Haiti. It was so beautiful. The scenery and mountains of Haiti are so humbling. As you stand on top of the hill you are able to see mountains, a part of the ocean, and several different villages. Each village has its cluster of shacks and huts, fire pits, clothes lines, and wild emaciated animals. Taking a moment to stand on that hill and look out into Haiti makes you think how a place so beautiful can be so broken.