Month: April 2015

The Annual General Meeting of Konbit Pou Potapiman Inc was held on April 25th, 2015 where the new board of Directors was elected. The elected directors are:

President-          Frantz J Jean (returning)

VP/Treasurer-    Carolle Paul (new)

Secretary-         Geto Dumesle (new)

Director-            Serge Bellegarde (returning)

Director-            Gerald Sidney (returning)

Director-            Claudel Moise (returning)

We thank the KPP members who participated in the 2015 election process. We extend our deepest appreciation to last year’s Board of Directors for their outstanding services

Konbit Pou Potapiman Inc depends heavily on its volunteer leaders who are so giving of their time and so deeply committed to advancing our organization.  

Konbit Pou Potapiman Inc is a 501-c-3 not for profit organization whose mission is to engage in charitable activities beneficial to the county of Port-Piment , Haiti. Contributions or donations made to Konbit Pou Potapiman Inc are fully tax deductible as permitted by the law

Journal-March 2015.- (2)

Since our arrival, it had rained at least 5 times. The farmers of Paskoma were very pleased. They had a chance with their crops. In the mornings around 6 am we walked the streets of Port-a-Piment  from AnbaMango to Figuiers, to Grandpass and  Labeyi. We noticed a few  construction sites at Grandpass and Centre-ville ( rue Marie Jeanne,Rue St.Victor besides the GMJ Welcome Center).

As the sun made its appearance, well dressed students in different uniforms filled the streets. At the GandPass station, the  students  were seen crossing the river. They commute every school day, some of them coming  from as far away as Pernele which is about 2 hours walk from Port-a-Piment. 

We visited the two professional schools of Port-a-Piment: the “Centre de development sur la Cote Sud d’haiti (CDCSH) in GrandPass and the ” Centre Esther Blondin” at Centre-Ville.  It was the opportunity to see the students at work. We delivered sewing materials donated by Mme Livie Magloire and her friends from Belgium.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The administrators and the students were very appreciative of the gesture. We thank Livie and her friends for trusting KPP and contributing to its efforts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also had the opportunity to meet with the members of two local organizations. We encouraged the members to work together toward their common goals and for a better tomorrow.

The Club Synergic is growing fast. The members are young and energetic. We had a chance to learn about their concerns and issues. The meeting gave them the opportunity to voice their opinions, ideas and hopes for the future. They are very conscious of their environment . One of their goals is to embellish their town by planting flowers throughout the town.

 

Our encounter with the members of NOSH was very interesting and fruitful. Nosh’s vision is far reaching and deeply centered on education, sports and culture. We were happy to share KPP’s views on the topics of education and sports. The members were also very receptive to new ideas and the implementation process. KPP  was the official sponsor of their 2015 schools competition called “Genie Scolaire” and has already partnered with NOSH in the domain of sports.

 

                                                                                                                                                  At the KPP Children Library, we saw well dressed kids taking their time searching for books of interest while others were reading studiously, taking notes. Thanks to many of you in Belgium, Canada, US and Haiti, the kids of Port-a-Piment have an opportunity to improve their reading skills.We are hopeful that with your help, the library will open its doors for more hours.

                      We had the pleasant surprise of receiving, on behalf of KPP, a pickup load of books for the Children library. We are grateful to KPP member, Marcelin Emile for the donation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the past four years, Port-a-Piment has been without running water. This situation causes serious health problems for its residents. We have been working with the Columbia University of NY, and as part of a study being done , we greeted a team of doctorate students from the Hydrology DPT led by PHD, professor Wade McGillis. Accompanied by Mr Gedmaer Louis, the DINEPA Technician, they went to Tet Source ( the main source of water in the mountains) to gain more knowledge about the Port-a-Piment water distribution system

 

On March  21st , KPP also held a meeting with the parents of the sponsored children, at the Salle Paroissiale. Most parents attended. We addressed the different issues, concerns and regulations of the Sponsorship Program, as well as the guidelines for acceptance . The parents expressed their deep appreciation for all the KPP sponsors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During our visit we learned about the difficulties that farmers in the valley of Paskoma are having with their crops. As bean  planting season approaches, many farmers are crying out for help. On March 28th, we met with some 30 farmers at Anbamango. The goal was to gain more knowledge about theirs problems and together try to come up with a solution. Their complaints were  about their crops  being destroyed by diseases.  We immediately solicited and obtained a meeting date with the regional Agronomist whose help is essential. Two KPP members agreed to follow up on this issue.

Journal-March 2015(1) by Frantz J Jean

At the “mòn Pè”, the tall and elegant Church steeple appears.We were about to enter Port-a-Piment du Sud, our beloved town.   Within 10 minutes, we were already in Figuiers. Slowly, but surely we were about to reach our destination. Along the way, we slowed down to wave hello to many familiar faces who also greeted us by waving their hands. Many kids were quick to recognize us. The calls to Mesye Milou, resounded loud and clear. Mesye Milou is the nickname given to us by natives of Port-a-Piment. We had made it home, this Sunday March 1st 2015.

A long list of activities filled our agenda for our month long stay.

First, we conducted a KPP-Haiti meeting with all its members present. The goal was to inform them of our mission and also to share their concerns and or opinions.  We also met with the team of the GMJ (Grotte Marie Jeanne) Awareness Campaign. We reviewed the team’s plan to inform the public about the Cave GMJ as a tourist destination, and its ramifications in terms opportunities for the Commune as well as for the state.  Updates were provided and dates were set to begin the campaign after Easter vacation.

We visited the Hospital and met with the acting Medical Director , Dr Antoine and  the hospital Administrator’s Assistant Mr. Evens. We informed them of our traditional KPP-AMH Health Fair of July and discussed measures to ensure a smooth collaboration for a successful activity. We were also briefed on the difficulties facing the hospital.  The hospital was relatively clean. We observed the unfinished construction site of the operating room and were advised that the work has been halted for some time.

March 4th, 2015- At our request, a meeting was held with the “Comité de Pilotage’ of the GMJ at the Hotel Bergerie in Port-a-Piment. Were present: Mr Antonio Perrera and Mr. JeanElie Thys of UNOPS/CSI , Mme Karine Conde, “Directrice departmentale du Sud du Tourisme”, Mme Pauledline Orcel, KPP-Haiti General Secretary, Mr Eliovil Jean Baptiste, KPP-Haiti Board member, Ing. Serge Duquella Cham and Mr. Frantz j Jean , KPP President. On the agenda was the hiring of the engineering firm, Pecos by KPP to finalize the construction of the Welcome Center and to discuss the unresolved issues related to the construction of the parking

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Partnership with NOSH:

NOSH is one of the local associations that KPP supports. Its activities are making headway in Port-a-Piment. We were proud to sponsor the schools competition event called “Genie Scolaire‘. Six (6) schools had registered to participate : 1- Lycee de Port-a-Piment 2- College Stella Maris, 3-College Claudy Damas 4- Ecole Fondamentale d’Application (EFA) -5, Ecole Nationale de Figuiers 6- Ecole Evangélique Baptiste.  The schools selected their best students to represent them. The questions asked covered a wide range of subjects from Social Science, Geography, Chemistry to national and general History. The competition was fierce and watched by students, teachers, parents and the general public. The finale between EFA and the College Stella Maris was won by EFA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KPP also partners with NOSH, in the arena of Sports. The schools Soccer tournament (Ti-kan) will start in the next months, and in a show of our commitment, KPP delivered some sports equipment donated by Mr.Chales Esperance of Ottawa and Mr. Gerald Sidney of Boca Raton including Tshirts, Trophies and soccer balls.

Meeting with the School Directors:

During our stay, we also held a meeting with the local school directors to discuss the various KPP programs and their implementation. Were present the Directors of the Lycee de Port-a-Piment, the College Stella Maris/ Notre Dame du Rosaire, Ecole Nationale de Figuiers, Ecole Evangelique Baptiste, Ecole Fondamentale d’Application (EFA), Ecole Nationale de Potus, Ecole Mixte Tabernacle, Ecole Jardin Vert. We discussed the KPP  Sponsorship Program, the Summer Camp program, the Students and Teachers Awards. We wanted to ensure that our programs requirements are understood and adhered to. We addressed all questions and concerns and were pleased to be among these responsible educational leaders who committed themselves to join our efforts. (to be continued)