Binold Estivene

Binold, June, 2013

 We met Binold in April, 2013 when he was living in a tent city in Port au Prince, Haiti with his aunt.  Binold is 20 years old, the youngest of five sisters and three brothers.    His mother lives on the Island of LaGonave,  where Binold lived until he was ten.  His mother could no longer care for him financially, so Binold's aunt took him in.    Children living with other family members or friends of the family or even with strangers  is not uncommon in Haiti.  It's a matter of survival.  When asked about his father, Binold replied, "I don't have one."  This is not uncommon either.

Binold is a serious young man.  He is serious about his school work.   He excels in mathematics and physics. His goal is to become an agronomist.  His most difficult subjects are English, Spanish, and Literature.  We found these subjects to be difficult for many of the students.  We are learning that there are not be enough qualified teachers to teach these subjects, yet, the students are required to pass government tests at the end of the year.  Unlike here, Haitian students do not have access to libraries, internet, or help from teachers.  Typically, their parents are illiterate and unable to help.  We asked Binold what might help him in those subjects.  His reply?  "A large chalkboard."    Students often go to  schools on the weekends to use  chalkboards.  Binold lives a 45 minute "tap-tap" ride from his school. A chalkboard in his home would allow him to study more at home.  For $20, we were able to purchase a large board, chalkboard paint, and chalk.  Binold will paint and hang the board on the one free wall they have in their home.

Binold's new home, where he lives with his aunt and at least

fiveother family members.   The home has  two rooms, a dining

room and a bedroom, with no electricity or running water. 

 By Haiti standards, this is a very nice home.

This is the second room of Binold's house.  The wall to the

right is where Binold plans to hang the blackboard.

In June, 2013, the tent-city residents where Binold lived were required to relocate.  The government took back the land that had once been a soccer field.  With a small government incentive,  families  were to find other places to live.  Some families moved to a different tent city, some found temporary housing, and others found something more permanent, like Binold's aunt.   She chose to move to a mountainside outside of Port au Prince in an area called Canaan, where the government was offering land for a low cost.     Binold's aunt moved into a two-room brick home that was built by missionaries.  It is not clear if she owns it or she rents it, and it's  not clear  how many people live in the home.   I assume there are at least five people.  There is no running water or electricity, but  the home was immaculate.   They have a small yard where they hang laundry, cook, and bathe.  And in front of their home are two small stands, one for selling grain, and the other where Binold's cousin works as a seamstress.  Binold's aunt sells grain to other residents.  They are resourceful people in a country where two-thirds of the labor force is unemployed.

We are looking forward to visiting with Binold again in June.  In addition to talking with him about his school year, an optometrist will check his vision, something Binold has never had done before -- none of our Love Haiti students have had their eyes checked.  Very few Haitians do.  There are NO optometrists in Haiti, and their are 50 ophthalmologist s -- FIFTY in a country of 10 million people.

Please pray for Binold and all of our Love Haiti students.  If you would like to send Binold a message, you can do so here. We will make sure he receives the message in June.

'We asked Binold what might help him in those subjects.  His reply?  "A large chalkboard."'

Here, Binold carries into his home a portion of the board that he will convert into a chalkboard by using chalkboard paint.  He plans to hang the board on a wall in the bedroom that he shares with other family members.  

Returning From a Three-Week Trip

I just returned from a three-week trip to Haiti.  Joining me during part of that time was Susan Hevalow, John Howard, and Kyle Butler.  While there, we followed-up on the progress of all of our Love Haiti students, including  one-on-one sessions with each student, and an end-of-the semester celebration with the students and their families. We paid second-semester tuitions at four different schools, hired tutors for students in need, and sought medical care for a couple of students who needed it.  In addition, we researched and toured a public school in Port au Prince (there are not many, and we learned that entrance is extremely competitive); we toured a four-year nursing university in Leogane, and an English School in Port au Prince for future reference.  
We stayed at Notre Maison Children's Home in Port au Prince where Love Haiti sponsors a tutor for the children who live there.  We were able to observe his work, and interact with the children, learning more about their needs.
We also visited a Methodist Church in Port au Prince.  They have 4,000 members.  We were able to meet with the pastors, and they were kind enough to allow us to use a classroom to perform eye exams for the elderly.  Before we left for Haiti, Restoring Vision donated 300 pairs of reading glasses with instructions on how to perform eye exams for presbyopia.  Some of our Love Haiti students helped us perform the exams.  It was an opportunity for them to help others.    
This was a productive trip in so many ways.  Overall, the students are doing well.  We will be posting more details about our trip during the next few weeks, highlighting stories about specific students.  If you have any questions, please ask.