May Updates from Kelly
Dear Family, Friends and Supporters of Greater Good International: Haiti
Hello from my Shelter in Place space. I hope that all is well for you and yours.
There are three main focuses in this update: Covid 19 response, Earthship Build, and what’s been happening at Lekol Pi Gwo Byen.
Covid 19 Response
In these strange and difficult times, I am tasked with giving you an update as to how we continue to serve our community in Haiti.
First, please know that I am in contact with our Haitian staff every other day, sometimes to simply check in, give and get supportive messages, helping to manage facilities repairs and upkeep, to give direction about sending funds, and generally helping in decisions which need my attention.
Haiti is on Lockdown. There are no flights in or out, though there have been some exceptions.
The Coronavirus is active in Haiti. As of May 4th there were 100 cases of Covid-19 reported and 10 people have died. There are, however, no reported cases on the island of La Gonave. The island is literally self-isolating. There are no public transport ferries traveling to the mainland from La Gonave, only weekly boats to fetch food, and other needed supplies for the island communities.
As you may be aware, part of what we do for the students in our program is ensure that each child has bread and cheese every morning and a hot mid-day meal every school day. Since the onset of the Haitian version of sheltering in place, and the shut-down of schools, we became concerned for the well being of our students. Many of the families in our school community are food insecure. To that end we have shifted the funds for the lunch and morning snack toward providing each member of the Pi Gwo Byen Community, families of students, teachers and staff with a weekly $10 food stipend. We have also redirected an additional $800 from GiftKids, a nonprofit which has supported our annual field trip to the Haitian History Museum, to use those funds toward the emergency stipend funding since there will be no field trip this year. We are sending $440 weekly which is the total amount needed in order to send the weekly $10 stipend to families of the Pi Gwo Byen Community.
During normal school months, Greater Good International sends baseline funds of $1,570 for payroll and the food nutrition program. Now with the crisis food stipend and payroll, which we continue to send, we are sending $2,590 each monthly: an increase of just over $1,000.
We are aware that such support is needed worldwide and in our own communities. If you are inclined to donate just a bit to help us maintain an already fragile community, it would be so appreciated by many.
I think it may be of interest for you to read excerpts of the public service announcement issued on April 19 by the Haitian Government as published in “The Noulvelliste,” a Haitian newspaper. Of course this is a translation of that announcement.
A public announcement from the Government of Haiti:
The Jouthe government will renew for another month the "state of health emergency" in Haiti on Monday, April 20, announced exclusively this Sunday to Le Nouvelliste said the Prime Minister.
The main restraint measures will be maintained. Schools, universities, voodoo peristyles or temples, churches, mosques and other generally unsealed places of worship, international airports, land and sea borders will remain closed...
This April 19 brings it back to a month since the discovery of the first two cases of coronavirus in the country. It has also been a month since the government declared a national state of health emergency to take the necessary measures to limit the spread of the virus in Haiti.
"We will renew for another month the state of health emergency in the country. The decree will be published on Monday," the head of government told Le Nouvelliste. "There will be virtually the same provisions," Jouthe said.
The head of the Primary said the country is also in a "state of food emergency." Joseph Jouthe announced that the state of food emergency will be inside the state of health emergency. COVID-19 is expected to lead to a further increase in food insecurity across the country due to a rise in food and agricultural inputs prices and a decrease in the purchasing power of most rural households.
The Prime Minister has indicated that arrangements will be made to encourage the cultivation of short-cycle foodstuffs.
One month after the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country, Haiti officially recorded 44 cases of contamination, three deaths and zero patients declared cured, according to health authorities. A month later, the authorities are struggling to keep their promises of support to the population. A month later, people did not change their behavior. Most of them continue to believe that the government is lying to them about the existence of the disease in the country.
An Update on the Earthship Build of Classrooms.
You may have been aware that due to civil unrest we were obliged to postpone our building plans from January of 2020 until August of 2020. Now once again plans have been postponed from August 2020 until January of 2021 due to the Coronavirus.
I spoke with Phil Basehart of Earthship Biotecture on April 20th and he confirmed the January 2021 plan. Keep an eye out for the new flyer, which will be posted on our website as soon as it is ready for publication. If you are interested in joining us for any part of the build, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Happenings at Lekol Pi Gwo Byen
As you may know school has not been in session since Monday, April 20. There has been no update from the government about when school might resume, or if we may start fresh in September. Teachers are seeing students and families weekly, a side benefit of dispersing the weekly food stipend. The reports are that students are missing their friends and being at school learning.
We are taking the opportunity to build a much needed wall at one end of the property. Previously there was a dilapidated chain link fence which stray goats, pigs and dogs were entering and causing many problems. So, since things are slower on the island at this time, we thought to occupy idleness and help stimulate the economy a bit by building the necessary wall.
When I was last in Haiti from mid-February to mid-March, a wonderful professional videographer/photographer, joined me. Kirsten J. Aguilar managed to take more than 2,500 photos and hours of video content. We are busy putting together social media content using this wonderful and amazing bank visual media. Keep a look out on our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts, as well as here on the website.
Also while on site this past winter, we finally replaced our old and decrepit gate. Our new gate is sturdy and beautiful. We have already painted our name on the front and added contact information. What with the new wall and the new gate, we are totally secure from all animals which were entering and uninvited people too. Though we will always open the gate to people who come to visit, volunteer or simply check out Pi Gwo Byen.
I am currently planning on returning to Haiti in late August. This is of course subject to change depending on circumstances around the Corona-Covid 19 situation.
Be well and as always THANK YOU for YOUR SUPPORT.
Kelly Kobza,
Executive Director
