Stories of Transformation -- Community Health Evangelism (CHE) programs in Lospinit, northeastern Haiti

Noël Anisia, committee member

For me, before CHE came to Lospinit we had so many things ravaging the community. For example, we had kwashiorkor, children with bloated bellies. We learned a lot about nutrition, and now the children are more well-nourished.

Also with cholera, God really extended grace to us through the CHE program – the trainers taught us great lessons. They taught us to wash our hands before we eat, to make a Tippytap to wash our hands. They taught us to make a dish rack, to make latrines, keep our yard good and clean, and gather up the trash. Oh, man, this was really good.

The trained a committee and community health evangelists (CHEs). The CHEs started doing home visits. Whatever house we go to, people are really glad and they tell us not to get discouraged and to keep visiting them. After we learn something we show it to our family.

Something else we teach people is to sit down once a month to share. We meet the fourth Sunday of every month – the trainers, committee members, and CHEs. We gather funds into a pool, we call this a “mutual.” We loan the money to each other, and for every 100 gourdes you borrow you have to pay back an extra 10 gourdes. It's for when one of us has a problem, this augments what we have. Once I had a need and at our monthly meeting everyone gave me 100 gourdes. . . I resolved the problem. In two months I repaid the loan.

In terms of what we learn in CHE about wisdom: even if it's not easy, because of the training we learn -- even if we are the loser in a situation we control ourselves, we use wisdom, we measure our words.

Do you have any more spiritual brochures that we can leave with people? We do the lessons with them, but particularly the ones that have Bible verses in them people say they would love to have them at their house so that they can read them again. [Someone else added: Yes, yes! They always say they would like this!]

(c) copyright Noël Anisia. Used with author's permission.

François Jean, committee member

CHE has taught me many things. I have learned how to have better hygiene. I have learned SODIS [solar disinfection of water]– we do this quickly and we see it's a really good way to treat water. Before I treated water with chlorine but that's difficult because you have to buy the chlorine. SODIS is easier.  Also, we help people built latrines so that they can protect themselves against bacteria. 

 CHE also teaches us how to evangelize better and in a way that is more brief. We don't talk on and on like we used to. With what we learn in CHE we learn we should speak briefly and simply. We shouldn't talk on an on, brief is better. I like to use the brochure “Peace with God,” we teach a lot of people how to use it.

Once I was walking down the street and I came across a person who was evangelizing. He was talking a lot and made people tired. I looked for him later on so that I could teach him this method. He thanked me, saying that he thought the brochure was really good. He asked if I could get one for him and I said I would look into it for him.

(c) copyright François Jean. Used with author's permission.

Amelie Jean-Baptiste, Community Health Evangelist

What I like about CHE is the Bible teaching. When you see a portion of Scripture, that really helps you. If you have a disagreement with someone we have learned we shouldn't yell at people. We have changed this and really behave better with people within the CHE group and with our neighbors. We even tell the children they should live like brothers and sisters and not argue or hit each other or throw stones and hurt one another. When there is fighting the children suffer and their parents suffer, too. They listen to us, and even though they still fight sometimes it's gotten better.

(c) copyright Amelie Jean-Baptiste. Used with author's permission.

A week in Mombin Crochu (northeastern Haiti) -- Day 3

Continuing my posts from a trip I took last year to collect stories.

Wednesday, July 17

No communities to go to this morning. I went to bed with a headache and woke up with one. I've been told that perhaps I'm tired, so I take a nap. I wake up and there's a crate filled with mangos and pineapple in my room.

In the afternoon we walk a short distance up the road to the community of Lospinit.  As we wait for people to gather these three children come over to play.  

Next post:  stories from Lospinit.

Encouragement

This morning in church the priest said that we would do something special for Mothers Day (celebrated today in Haiti).  He said that mothers give us life – that they cannot do so without men, of course, but that we must recognize the role of women as essential to life.  He then said that instead of the regular “passing of the peace,” the mothers should all sit and we should greet them with a kiss.  I went around to women who were seated  and I greeted them with a “Bon fèt” and a kiss on the cheek.  A man I’d never met before came up to me and kissed my cheek.  I said, “Oh, I’m not a mother.”  He said, “It doesn’t matter.  Life comes from women.”  He stepped away, then came back a moment later and said, “Also, I don’t know what you do here [I am clearly a foreigner, which means I likely work for a mission organization], but if you give your life to help others, you are a mother -- more than a mother.”

I thought that was very sweet – and very much in keeping with what we’d heard in the sermon from the intern just a few minutes earlier, who'd said (better than this, but I didn’t take notes):  When you receive someone in love, you [?].  When you respond to others with sweetness, you are allowing the Holy Spirit to work in you.  When you encourage someone, you are true to your baptism.”  Thanks for the encouragement today, Holy-Spirit-by-way-of-a-stranger guy!

On the Road Again

Depending on how you count the moves, you could say that I have moved six times in the past eight months:

• From Haiti to Arizona -- although I was only there for a few weeks, that is where I moved all my things back to (and where I still have many boxes!)
• From Arizona to my aunt's in Minnesota
• From my aunt's to a friend's in St. Paul, MN -- I thought I would be there for several months but it turned out to only be weeks
• From St. Paul to a now-friend's house in southwestern MN -- where I thought I would only be a few weeks but it turned out to be several months  :-)
• From that house to a furnished apartment in the same town, waiting for another place to be renovated
• From the furnished apartment to my own apartment in the same town -- got the keys last week, move in tomorrow!

Why so many moves?  What's the plan?

Ever since moving overseas in 2007 I've been planning to come back to the US to prepare for my every-10-year family medicine board exam (taken two days ago).  See, after completing my family medicine specialty ten years ago I worked in a prison (mostly men, with very few women and children and no hospital work) and then worked in community health and development overseas (administrative and teaching work).  I'd been away from full-spectrum family medicine much longer than I'd been in it.  After starting the process back here in the US last fall it soon became clear to me that would take much more than just a few months to get back up to speed.  But there was still no one with the language and cross-cultural skills available to fulfill the role I played in the continually growing ministry in Haiti, so I also wanted to stay involved there.

So here's the plan:  for the next several years I intend to continue working half-time as a physician in rural Minnesota, taking one day off per week to work administratively with the Haiti team and several US partners (via phone, e-mail, and Skype), as well as spending several months per year in Haiti.  After having my things scattered between several states and countries for years (I have lists of what is where), I am very excited about having one place where I'll have my home and my home office, so to speak.  I will admit that last fall I had hoped to not move anywhere new again (sigh) but this situation has turned out great -- my colleagues have been very supportive about mentoring me and I've met a lot of really friendly people.

Today was my last official day at the clinic before spending a few months in Haiti.  One of our hospital administrators stopped by with a card and had written,  "You truly 'Bloom where you are planted' and we are grateful that your roots are growing here."  I am feeling blessed tonight.

More community stories: from Dèyè Gad, Venbal, and Lagwamit

The ministry tools of Community Health Evangelism (CHE) encourage people not only to come to a living faith in Jesus, but also to work out their faith on a practical level.  Just like in the United States, in Haiti it is challenging to walk as Jesus walked, to love our neighbors and give of our time and our efforts to bless them, to be people of peace and reconciliation in our communities. 

Unlike in the United States, a majority of people in Haiti struggle to meet their everyday, basic needs (in large part because of policies that keep the U.S. and other countries rich -- but we can talk about systemic injustice another time).  Many people walk long distances every day to get water for their household.  They do not have consistent water purification systems to remove the cholera and E. coli from the water.  They do not have latrines.  Our volunteers teach some very simple methods that help with these daily needs, including teaching about the Tippytap -- a simple system that allows people to wash their hands using a minimal amount of water (remember, they spent a lot of effort to get that water) and also be able to wash their hands without having to call another person over to pour the water for them.  We also teach gardening techniques and help people find seeds to help with the daily challenge of feeding a family in a very food-insecure environment.

Here are some more stories from three communities in northeastern Haiti: Venbal, Lagwamit, and Dèyè Gad.

Edouard André, committee member in Venbal

I haven't been with CHE long but the little bit that I've been involved with has really been good for me, both physically and spiritually. When they talk about washing hands after we leave the latrine, not walking barefoot. I'm not perfect at it but I'm trying. Also with trash cans, not leaving trash on the ground, raised cooking fires so that children don't get burned.

We also really have seen resolution of some problems in the neighborhood, we have started to talk together.

(c) copyright Edouard André. Used with author's permission.

Philius Fils-aimé, community health evangelist in Lagwamit

We did a survey – there were people that didn't raise up their cooking fires, but I left my house to help them to do so. We also learned how to make Tippytaps, something we'd never seen before. It doesn't cost any money, it's something you can do for free. I really applaud CHE for this.

A lot of people now live in peace because they participate in a savings program in CHE and can get advances from that. . .

On Sundays before going to church I visit five to ten houses.

There are some people that are interested in starting vegetable gardens when they see how nice my garden is.

(c) copyright Philius Fils-Aimé. Used with author's permission.

Cheristen Renellus, committee member in Dèyè Gad

I was kind of lazy – I didn't do anything at home all day. I didn't dig a hole for a toilFrançois Jeanet. But the trainers explained all of this and really set me in a good direction. I see that I've become a different person. And I want to keep moving forward so that I can change completely.

The trainers come and pray with us. We used to have division among us but now there is peace.

I have a lot of children at home – eight kids plus my wife and me makes ten. Almost everything is completely changed: we have a Tippytap, we have a raised cooking stove.

I go to church, and now I have the skills to change my life so that I am stronger and live in God's presence.

(c) copyright Cheristen Renellus. Used with author's permission.

Pierre Jacsen, vice-president of the Dèyè Gad CHE committee

Those of us in our community, we really weren't living well in a physical sense.  Those of us on the committee wanted to choose our worst problem.  We decided to work on the problems of dish racks and latrines.  We started with latrines.  One of our neighbors, he had a lot of children.  He never dug a hole for a latrine, we saw him go to the bathroom a few inches from his house.  We wanted to help him get out of that situation.  We chose a CHE [community health evangelist] to go to his house, but the man wouldn't let him talk to him.  After two or three different trips the CHE made, some of us committee members went secretly to see how the work was going.  We saw that he had started to dig a hole!

People were putting their dishes on the ground and all sorts of animals, dogs would walk over them.  We brought people information, we explained to them how to build dish racks.


(c) copyright Pierre Jacsen. Used with author's permission.

Life is Messy

Last night I was called to the hospital to assist a C-section. I haven't been first assist in a surgery in over 10 years. It was fun – surgery is fascinating, from the organization and orchestration of it all to the privilege of seeing the inner workings of the human body. It was also challenging – I didn't always know how to best help the surgeon and I didn't have all the moves down (my non-dominant left hand had partially forgotten how to unclamp forceps, I wasn't always sure where to suction, etc.). The surgeon was one of my family physician co-workers, and he was nice about everything. He and I also discussed a few patients I've had recently that were challenging for me. I'm in my 40s now, so it's much easier to accept imperfection in myself – but in this profession it can be a head game trying not to perseverate over shortcomings.

I’m so far
away from my home
all out on my own.
Hang my tired eyes
on a clothesline in the sky. . .
Strong and stable
I’m capable
and my life
is still and yet haunted.

Those are lyrics from a song by Joy Kills Sorrow, a band I first heard today. Yup – “I'm capable . . . and yet.” And, “far away from my home”?   No kidding – for the past 17 years I've moved to a different state or country every one to three years. I also have "tired eyes" today – I've noticed that head colds require lots more sleep and coffee than they used to, one aspect of getting older that I don't appreciate. :-)

Except for one move back to St. Paul (where'd I'd lived for eight years just prior to all this craziness), all of my moves have involved making new friends and finding new communities. During these years of moving I have found great joy in following Jesus. My relationship with and understanding of Jesus have changed over the years, and I suspect will continue to do so.  Blogger Benjamin L.Corey posted today about some things that have been helpful to him as he left fundamentalism – which for him was a mental assent to Jesus plus some rules – and started to follow Jesus in a life-giving, life-changing way:

This isn’t a situation of “I used to like apples but now I prefer oranges.” Instead, when you have a paradigm shift within the Christian faith, it is more like: “I think I’ve misunderstood the beauty and complexity of apples. I am now going to begin a journey to discover a new and better way of understanding, appreciating, and enjoying apples“.

Yes!  See, I hear a lot about other gods that use the same name as Jesus.   The Jesus that will provide for everyone -- a job, the means to survive.  Stability, marriage, and kids -- you can have those, too.  But you know, I heard another Jesus say that in this world you will have trouble. I've learned not to buy into theology that isn't applicable for everyone, everywhere.  I'm trying to follow the Jesus who -- despite death being all around -- is the very author of life, the visible image of the invisible God, the one who says he'll give us rest and who calls us to imitate him in sacrificial love for others.

I've only recently (finally!) read Wendell Berry – he's a farmer, poet, activist, and fellow Jesus-follower. In his book Hannah Coulter, the protagonist says, “I began to trust the world again, not to give me what I wanted, for I saw that it could not be trusted to do that, but to give unforeseen goods and pleasures that I had not thought to want.” Indeed. Great literature and music, intellectual and character challenges, friends in unexpected places and times, a game of tag with children after a hard day's work – life is still messy and full of sorrow, but also beautiful and filled with joy.

More community stories!

In my last post I shared stories from the communities of Venbal, Birèl, and Derrière Garde.  Three other communities also sent representatives that same day to our meeting place in Bois de Laurence to tell their stories about the changes they've been a part of through Community Health Evangelism (CHE).  In this post I've added one brief story from each of these communities:  Lagwamit, Sylvestre, and Mapou.

Click on this link and scroll down to see Bois de Laurence, then zoom out to see where exactly these villages are located in northeastern Haiti.

 is

Soulvenie Succeda, community health evangelist in Lagwamit

Before CHE started we didn't have any training on hygiene or on lots of other topics.  Women died in childbirth.  Now not many women die, and children aren't sick very often.  There aren't so many cases of diarrhea.  We train the children, too, so that when they leave the latrine they wash their hands with soap and treated water so they don't get sick so often.

We also train people so that they don't get in fights on the street.  We say, “A village is a family.”  We should work together and get along.  We should help each other.  Neighbors used to not get along with other neighbors.  We did two or three trainings and people saw that what they were doing wasn't good, and now they don't fight anymore

Many of us started planting vegetables and we are much healthier now.  We started home vegetable gardens.  We invited everyone to plant, and 14 people decided to make a community garden – so we call our group “The 14 Organization.”

(c) copyright Soulvenie Succeda. Used with author's permission.

Davilus Montimer, trainer in Sylvestre

We started with CHE in 2003. When cholera came in 2010 we were really proud because we were able to teach others. As far as physical topics, we taught people to wash their hands before eating and after leaving the latrine. We taught people to drink treated water. We taught people to use better hygiene so that their children would have fewer parasites and less diarrhea. We taught them that every person should have a place where they go to the bathroom. We taught people about a spiritual life and gave people training so that they could walk with Christ.

So then, when cholera came, other organizations came in to train us. This is when we all felt proud, because when people came with the training they say that we already had all the information! No one involved in the CHE program died, thanks to God, thanks to the information everyone had.

Thanks to CHE. . .we have done perinatal training, and thanks to this we have fewer people die in childbirth.  Once I was in bed and I heard someone knocking at my door. It was someone coming to tell me that Madame Jiwani had abdominal pains. I asked when this started, and we found someone who had a bicycle and who could go get her. He put her in a truck and went to the hospital in Pignon. If she wouldn't have gotten there either she or the baby would have died. She always talks about CHE and says that it's thanks to CHE that she has her baby.

I went to a house where the people there didn't ever go to church. I took my Bible and went and tried to share some verses with them. I continued to talk about how Jesus loves us, John 3:16, he gives us hope. . . The woman of the house used to go out and sell things on Sundays, but now goes to church! . . She stays strong, she is continuing to follow God.

(c) copyright Davilus Montimer. Used with author's permission.

Junimode, trainer in Mapou

We were in darkness. We see CHE as a grace God gives to us, it is like cool water for us.

During the time cholera was ravaging the country, thanks to God we didn't lose a single person.  Mapou has become a beautiful mapou tree! [The community is named after the mapou tree.] We didn't know how to wash our hands, and the children played on the ground. Now when you see a child with a mango you'll hear someone shout: Hey, go wash that mango before eating it!

We had a problem with our road. We sat down together and we decided to come up with a plan to get there faster. No one from the outside helped us, we did it ourselves. Unfortunately, we weren't able to finish before the rainy season started. But thanks be to God, we began. We will get there.

(c) copyright Junimode. Used with author's permission.