Konbit Pou Potapiman

Back in April 2020, we had posted on the KPP website about our efforts to help the population of Port-a-Piment cope with the Covid-19 pandemic. At that time, schools had closed and our efforts had targeted families and patients at the hospital. When schools were scheduled to reopen on August 10th, 2020, the Board of Directors of KPP decided to complete the program with a distribution of masks to school children.

The mask distribution program took place in two phases. On August 10th, masks were distributed to students and school teachers of 9ème Année Fondamentale and the class of Philo.

 On August 17^th, the date when classes resumed for primary and secondary students, face masks were distributed to the remaining students of the commune. A total of 3065 students attend school in the town of Port-a-Piment and the villages of the commune and will benefit from the program.

Students were educated on the course of the virus and the purpose of the masks. They were advised on washing them daily. Students were also encouraged to practice frequent hand washing.

Our special thanks go to the KPP-Haiti members: Paule-Edline Orcel, Jean Jules Musac, Phebe Jean, as well as all the school administrators for their tireless efforts to make this program a success and ensure the safety of the population. With the assistance of local skilled professionals, they were able to produce enough masks to meet the demands of the community. KPP also thanks all of its supporters for their kind donations.

The Haitian Board of Education has mandated that all students must wear a mask to attend school. We hope that this program will allow the school system in Port-a-Piment to comply with that mandate.

JM Florestal

 

        

 

         

 

On behalf of the KPP Board of Directors, we hope this update finds everyone in good health. And you are finding creative ways to adjust to the demands of Covid-19.

2020 started with a bang. Our first luncheon for year-end 2019 was a success. In March 2020, a new board of directors was elected. Several projects were ready to go or in the planning stage in addition to our regular activities. We were flying high, excited, and full of enthusiasm. One of our exciting projects was the School Garden.

This project was submitted for funding to the non profit organization One World Group Oxted of London, and in February 2020, the funds were approved. Four (4) schools were chosen for the project: Ecole Nationale de Figuiers, EFA de Port-a-Piment, Ecole Nationale de Potus, Ecole Notre Dame du Rosaire, as they all have access to land not currently in use. By March 20, 2020, much work had been done such as, lecture sessions, field preparation, enclosures of the fields, planting of different seeds, watering… The work was performed by the students accompanied by Agronomist Gerdy Francois and Agronomy Student Laurent Parollo, all under the supervision of the schools’ principals.

               

Then without warning, the world was blindsided by Covid-19. As we all know, Port-a-Piment was not exempt; all schools had to close their doors and the commune was officially on lockdown. And the goals of this project to impact the lives of the children in the areas of education, economy and nutrition came to a screeching halt.

Discouraged, yes! but temporarily. Defeated, never!

As the saying goes, we were down but not out. And this spirit was exemplified by 7 individuals who refused to accept the verdict that all was lost.

At the Ecole Nationale de Potus, the gang of 7: Boasze Hyppolyte (Principal), Jean Jules Musac (Teacher), Gerdy Francois (Agronomist), Laurent Parallo (Agronomy Student), Carl-Henry (Student), Sheevenson (Student) and Kensley(Student) stepped forward and said defeat, “not on our watch.” They took it upon themselves not to allow all their collaborative efforts to go to waste. That decision led to tremendous challenges because of the precautions necessary in dealing with the virus. The number of student participants was reduced from 73 to 3. And to make matters worse, nature was not cooperating. The area was experiencing a drought.

Again, Hooray for the team.

To irrigate the fields, the gang of 7 rolled up their sleeves and hauled countless buckets of water from the river which is about 1 to 2 miles away. They had to sprinkle the water by hand on each plant to keep the heat from scalding them. That process had to be done for 2 fields; one is 360 square meters and the other 350 square meters.

As of this writing, the gardens are growing relatively well. Already, tomatoes, sweet peppers and other crops are starting to show. Before long, the other crops (corn, eggplant, beets, bananas, okra…) will be ready for harvesting.

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

It can be said, the gang of 7 “snatched victory from the jaw of defeat.” The date to re-start this project hopefully is right around the corner. Once the authorities give the OK to reopen the schools, we hope to restart the project as we take the precautions necessary to deal with Covid-19.

Excitement is in the air again. As the gang of 7 has demonstrated, “where there is a will there is a way.”

Covid-19 is on the rise again, especially in the Americas. When possible, Stay Home! Follow the official guidelines of the authorities. Keep Safe!

 

Y. Sidney

 

By now, we all know what the experts have been saying: COVID-19 will not be going away anytime soon. Faced with this dilemma, we have no choice but to adapt. As we follow the guidelines to protect ourselves from this virus, life must go on. We all need to find ways to protect ourselves when we must leave the safety of our homes. When we are home, we must find ways to keep in touch with our loved ones, friends and also find innovative ways to keep our minds busy so we can keep our sanity.

No matter how this new lifestyle has impacted us, most of our brothers and sisters in Port-a-Piment do not have the luxury of staying home on lockdown for a prolonged period of time. And for their lives to go on, they must leave their homes to find the means to survive. They cannot work from home; they cannot file for unemployment benefits or wait for a government stimulus. They must rely mostly on themselves and/or hope for assistance from a helping hand.

In order to help mitigate some of their risks, the KPP Board of Directors, together with KPP members on the ground, have taken 2 initiatives:

1- Face Masks: Six (6) local seamstresses were contracted to fabricate 1,000 face masks. On April  24th 2020, KPP members started distributing the masks to the general population. In addition, another 1000 face masks were ordered for patients and visitors use at the hospital. Materials have been purchased and provided to the workers.

   

 

2- Hand Washing Stations: Five (5)Buckets with water and soap were placed strategically throughout the town to encourage hand washing.

   

These initiatives were funded from donations made in honor of the late Dr. Roger Malebranche. 

In our last update of March 29, 2020, we had announced that, with funds also donated in honor of Dr. Roger Malebranche, KPP had purchased needed supplies for the Radiology Department of the Hospital of Port-a-Piment. A 17×34 cassette, 500 X Ray films , 4 Laser Toners and 5 Cartridges have been delivered to the Hospital Administrator and Medical Director in Port-a-Piment

           

  

Our special Thanks go to the family, colleagues and friends of Dr Roger Malebranche for their invaluable contribution.

KPP would like to take this opportunity to also thank all the first responders, medical workers, essential workers all over the world who have sacrificed so much to keep all of us safe. Every day, they walk out of their homes, they put their lives and the lives of their loved ones on the line to make sure that at the end of this nightmare, we  still have a world to live in. Also, our special thanks go to our supporters and KPP members who are part of this distinguished group.

Stay Home (when possible)! Follow the guidelines of the authorities. Keep Safe!

Y. Sidney