Haiti Politics--Good News for a Change

We have reported to our supporters about the tenuous political situation in which Haiti has found itself in the last eight months.  Despite some initial successes, the process of elections, which were nearly five years delayed, has been chaotic and very difficult.  The result has been daily demonstrations on the streets of Haiti's major cities.  While the majority of these demonstrations have been relatively peaceful, they have caused problems for us and our ministry by forcing us to change travel plans and cancel events.  We do have good news to report, however.  The outgoing president, Joseph Martelly, signed a negotiated settlement with the opposition in which he agreed to relinquish power on the constitutionally-defined date (6 February).  The agreement set up a process for the nomination of an interim President and final elections to be held, supposedly, on April 24.  The new interim President is Privert, a former member of the most powerful opposition party called Lavalas.  Since Lavalas was organizing the demonstrations, its partizans have "laid their rocks and burning tires" aside to see what kind of election Privert can organize.  Martelly's party, called "Tet Kale," seems to be holding its peace as well.  We give thanks for this temporary settlement.  It has been wonderful to circulate in the streets of Port-au-Prince without having to follow reports of demonstrations on our cell phones.  Pray that Privert's administration will be able to faithfully and fairly hold elections on 24 April.

What's the Deal with Zika?

The high density urban and tropical environment is the perfect place for mosquito-borne infectious diseases to spread.

For those of you who have not heard, there is another epidemic with a funny name traversing Latin America right on the heels of Chimichanga Virus (I meant Chikungunya), the Zika virus.  The Zika virus is part of the same family of viruses as Dengue, Chikungunya and Yellow Fever.  It is transmitted in Latin America by the bite of the female Aedes Aegypti mosquito (very common in cities and homes in tropical environments like Haiti).  Like Chikungunya, it originated in African primates.  We are pleased to say that Zika is no where near as painful as the dreaded Chikungunya virus which gave Sharon and I a six-month-long case of rheumatic arthritis in 2014.  It does not cause hemorrhaging and extreme fever like Dengue.  However, the Zika virus is thought to cause birth defects (specifically, microcephaly or undeveloped heads and brains) in fetuses of infected pregnant women.  In fact, in Brazil right now, many are counselling women not to become pregnant for the foreseeable future until a vaccine can be found or a causative link ruled out.  Zika is now present in Haiti, though it is difficult to find a blood test for it currently.  Thankfully, this virus, whose symptoms are relatively mild in comparison with its big brothers Dengue, Yellow Fever and Chikungunya, is not a big threat for our family.  It has, however, wreaked havoc with our children's education as many of their young, female and married teachers from Quisqueya School have unexpectedly fled to North America in order to avoid possible Zika infections.  Please pray for our school, Quisqueya Christian School, as faculty manage under very difficult circumstances.  Pray also for our children, a few of whom have been very troubled by the unexpected departure of teachers and the ensuing educational challenges.  While the link between Zika and microcephaly has not been proven, we have several Haitian colleagues who are expecting in the next few months and are very concerned.  Pray for health for their wives and unborn children.

Important Project Fighting Headwind

The steel frame will hold roof trusses and foam panels which can be finished with mortar to give a masonry-like look without the heavy weight.  We are struggling to find a distributer which sells these foam panels (though they were stocked in December, 2015)!

In order to enlarge our office on the roof, we needed to pour a weight-bearing beam on the footprint of the addition.

Haitian construction workers mix the cement used for the concrete beam.

A year ago, our combined ministry team in Haiti (World Renew, Christian Reformed World Missions, and Back to God Ministries International) prayerfully made the decision to move Perspectives Reformees (BTGMI's French-language ministry in Haiti) to the small office that houses the rest of the CRCNA ministries.  The goal was to increase collaboration and make natural connections between the work of our agencies.  This decision was made by faith, since at that time we did not have resources to enlarge the office building to accommodate PR.  WM staff immediately started recruiting teams to help raise the funds to enlarge our building by adding an addition on the roof.  During their visits, the teams would provide some of the labor, though the majority would come from Haitians.  By November we had three teams in the pipeline, extra funds WR and BTGMI, and a snazzy home-made set of construction plans designed by Larry Luth, our colleague.  In December we (providentially) discovered a structural defect in our office by accident, sending us scrambling to redo our construction plans and budget.  In January the first team, Second CRC of Allendale, MI, helped us initiate the project.  Then widespread shortages in specialized construction materials threw another wrench in the process.  Finally, at the end of January, one of the teams that planned to come to Haiti was cancelled by our home-office because of instability in the Haitian Presidential elections (see post below).  Right now we are prayerfully considering how this project can move forward through these significant headwinds.  One need is to recruit another Service and Learning team for 12-20 March made up of anyone who is willing to work on and raise funds for the project (contact segaarking@yahoo.com if you are interested).  Second, we need to locate a special construction product in Haiti (foam panels for the walls).  Finally, Haiti needs increased stability for the sake of its elections, its economy, and ultimately, the well-being of its people.  Please remember these items in prayer.

Segaar-King January Ministry Report

The team from 2nd CRC of Allendale works on a beam for the construction of the addition to our Sous Espwa office building.

After the 2nd CRC team left, our Haitian team of construction workers actually poured the beam.

Shared lunches with the 2nd CRC team and the Haitian construction workers are always a highlight.

Dear Friends and Family:

Greetings from a tumultuous Haiti.  On 24 January Haiti was slated to have its final round of Presidential elections.  However, because of allegations of fraud by opposition parties and attacks on voting centers (including the destruction of ballots), the government’s election committee indefinitely cancelled the elections.  Opposition parties have taken to the streets calling for the resignation of the current president and election committee.  Pro-government demonstrators are marching for the reinstatement of the elections.  Average Haitians are frowning in disbelief that this whole twisted political drama is playing out again.  While so far the instability has only resulted in some vandalism and destruction of property, it has caused plenty of damage to the struggling Haitian economy because of lost productivity and tourism.  Please pray for wisdom among the political actors who are trying to negotiate a solution to this crisis.

Please join us in giving thanks for:

1.   A successful visit from three teams in January: 2^nd CRC of Allendale (MI), Lakeside CRC (MI), and four-person team with World Renew.

2.   A successful beginning to our newest construction project, an addition to our Sous Espwa office to allow for the Perspectives Reformees team to join World Missions and World Renew.

3.   The successful completion of two new church buildings in the Thomassique area through funds provided by Lakeside CRC of Alto, MI.

4.   Good health and a good start to the New Year.

Please join us in prayer for:

1.   Stability in Haiti.  Lord willing, an interim government will be assembled to organize new elections in the first half of 2016.

2.   The visit of a team from Goderich, ON, in the second half of February, to help us with our office construction project.  If you are interested in this project personally (or just want to see our ministry in Haiti), we are receiving an “Open Team” on 12-20 March made up of volunteers who want to participate in this project.  Please respond to this e-mail if you are interested.

3.   Zach’s final push to finish his Ph.d.  The final draft is due on February 15.

4.   The completion of metal trusses for the Oumamenthe church.  The Haitian vendor is over three months late after receiving full payment

Thanks for your prayers and support,

Zachary, Sharon, Hannah, Vivian, Isaiah and Esther Segaar-King

Missionaries to Haiti through Christian Reformed World Missions 

A Permanent Water Crisis

Because of El-Nino related shifts in precipitation, Haiti is currently suffering from a multi-year drought.  This reservoir should be 150 feet higher now.

Wells can be dug in the valleys of Haiti where there are many natural springs and the water table is nearer to the surface.  However, in Haiti's high deforested mountains, it can be very difficult to find water despite drilling deeply in the substrata. 

The water crisis situation in Flint, MI, that has garnered national attention is certainly one of the most lamentable human-made disasters to affect the US in the last several years.  The worst part, of course, is that the damage wrought by high concentrations of lead in Flint's water supply cannot be undone.  As discouraging as this situation is, it draws attention to another permanent water crisis which continues to go completely unpublicized--the water crisis in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  Port-au-Prince, a city of 2.5 million residents (as opposed to Flint which has less than 100,000), has NO municipal water supply.  Note that I did not write no potable water supply.  The majority of Port-au-Prince residents actually have no access to a municipal water supply at all.  There are no water treatment plants, no pumping stations, no desalination plants, no sewers, etc.   How then do its people live?  The vast majority of water consumed comes from wells that are used to fill water trucks (holding about 5000 gallons each), which in turn empty their cargoes into the underground reservoirs of resident-clients.  Such reservoirs are also supplemented by rainwater collection from roofs and other exposed surfaces, which was probably one of the ways Jesus got his water 2,000 years ago.  However, rainwater collection means that filth, dust, and cockroaches find a home in reservoirs as well.   Since reservoir water cannot be drank, those who have resources purchase commercially-available purified drinking water at a substantial cost (a few dollars per five gallons).  Others, such as ourselves, pump reservoir water through sediment and UV water filters at a substantial savings since the $400-$500 USD purification systems more than pay for themselves in the long-run.  But what about the average Haitian?  Every year untold millions of Haitians are infected by water-borne parasitic and bacterial illnesses (giardia, dysentery, worms, flukes, schistosomiasis, and every other manner of parasite and bateria).  Many of these, especially children, never receive anti-parasitical treatments because their parents cannot afford them or are unaware of the need.  Many Haitians contract cholera which in some cases can lead to death in 48 hours or less.    Since no one tests drinking water, the existence of chemical pollutants like lead is assumed but unknown.  Perhaps what is more scary is that because of its dependency on water trucks, Port-au-Prince's water supply also depends on the availability of diesel fuel, which is often in short supply.

On the Other Side of the Tracks

Jean-Philippe in front of a local boutique in Souray.

Only inches above sea-level, Souray is a very dangerous place to live in an area where frequent flash-flooding can kill and destroy without warning.

Jean-Philippe is an average looking Haitian man living in a very extraordinary place called Souray.  Souray means "on the rails" since it was built over the site of Haiti's former railroad line used to transport sugarcane.  When the sugar business soured, squatters began to build their homes across the rails in Port-au-Prince's densely populated Carrefour municipality.  Souray is only inches above sea-level and is made up of everything from one-room masonry houses to shelters made from plywood and tin.  Instead of roads, paths run through Souray and water comes from several hand-dug open-air wells.  Despite being in the middle of the capital city of Haiti, Souray has no electricity, no sewage, and no potable water.  Souray's residents are vulnerable to floods and gang activity.  Several years ago Jean-Philippe attended a deacons' training program we funded through our ministry partner, the Program for Diaconal Formation (PWOFOD).  After three years in the program, Jean Philippe and his community "graduated," meaning that they successfully completed training in micro-credit, literacy, and poverty-awareness.  Despite our best efforts, many participants in training programs forget the lessons they learned and return to "business-as-usual."  This, however, was not to be the case with  Jean-Philippe.  He was convinced that God had called him to make a difference in Souray.  Jean-Philippe responded to the call by moving his family out of their small home and turning it into a school for the disadvantaged in his community.  Today his wife and children teach in and administer the school, while living and sleeping in what Jean-Philippe characterizes as "yon ti kwen" or "a small corner."  Jean-Philippe has been working tirelessly to find sediment water filters for the residents of Souray since they are afflicted by numerous water-borne ailments.  Jean-Philippe led Zach and a group of visitors from Lakeside CRC through Souray last week.  We wouldn't be surprised if we are some of the only foreigners ever to see this community.  Despite Souray's physical poverty, we saw evidence of God's grace in the smiles of the residents, in the joy of the children playing in the alleys, and the efforts of seamstresses and merchants in the to provide for their families.  Most obviously, we see God's grace in Jean-Philippe's passion for his neighbors.  However, the question still haunts us--"How can we as foreigners show God's love to the people of Souray?"  This is a question which bears much prayer and consideration in a context where good-intentions are not enough.

What's Going on In Haiti?

The vast majority of Haitians have been turned off on voting because of instability and allegations of voting fraud during the last few months.  Now the political partisans are organizing pro and anti-government rallies until a decision is taken about the future of Haiti's government.

Meanwhile, life goes on in Haiti--children go to school, parents sell their wares on street-corners, and the beautiful Caribbean sun shines.

Now that the American election cycle is fully underway, many people are experiencing fatigue from political commercials and ubiquitous coverage on the TV and Internet.  As much as politics puts us off, Americans and Canadians can be thankful that they do not have to endure politics in Haiti.  The final run-off presidential election in Haiti was scheduled for Dec. 27,....then Jan. 17,...and finally Jan. 24.  Under pressure from the opposition and because of attacks on voting centers, on Jan. 24 Haiti's electoral committee indefinitely postponed the final election.  Since the current president's term expires on February 6 according to the Haitian Constitution, the country is facing a full-fledged political crisis.  The reasons for this crisis are many and varied and do not make good public blog material for a missionary trying to keep his head down in his host country.  In summary, however, neither the president nor the opposition parties were able to organize an election in the last five years.  The result was that no official had a mandate to govern since early 2014 except the President.  Now that the President's five-year term is expiring, Haiti will no longer have a legitimate executive branch.  Haiti's politicians are now in eleventh-hour negotiations with the international community about the shape of a transitionary government whose mandate will be to hold elections.  In addition, many Haitians (especially the government opposition) see last fall's elections for the parliament as tainted, meaning that there will have to be a negotiation as to whether the entire election cycle will need to be redone or whether some results will be allowed to stand. In the midst of all this uncertainty, partisan political demonstrators have been marching en-masse up and down Haiti's main streets, blocking traffic and commerce.  Starting to get a headache?  You're not alone!  Please pray for a compromise so that Haiti can enjoy peace and stability.