Our Little Superstar

If you don't recognize this face- WAKE UP!!

This is Platel. Our little superstar singer/songwriter. He is 11, and wrote an absolutely beautiful song about his country. It is on YouTube, so check it out if you haven't. (I would attach it but the Internet won't let me.)

Platel has so much talent that he has even turned a few heads in the States. My dear friend Mikey is working on teaching his music students his song, and also composed the music to go with the song. We are trying to get his song to turn some major heads... Usher? Wyclef?...

My only requirement for this to happen- he is not allowed to become a child pop star and forget about the country he wrote about.

Copy and Paste this link to see his video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8crkfR5fNg

Website Update

Many of you know, and some of you don't...

Amanda and I started our own non-profit organization last year- EDUplus Inc.
Our main purpose is to assist Pwoje Espwa Sud, especially in the areas of education and transitional youth.
We are still small, and hope to stay that way for the time being, but we are proud of it.
We have some amazing friends, and friends of friends, that are supporting our cause and helping us launch our new endeavor.

I updated the website today- please check it out, and make a donation if you wish. ALL of the money goes to support the organization we know and love- Pwoje Espwa Sud.

www.eduplushaiti.com

xoxo

Unwanted.

I am going to take a minute to piggy back off of Sandey's latest blog post (www.sandratenutoblog.com) about the prison and Baby Doc.

Honestly, I am confused... and I don't think I am the only one. I am confused about why Baby Doc is back in the country. I am confused about why he decided to come now. I am confused about the positive reaction he is receiving from some people. And I am confused about the non-reaction he is receiving from even more people.

Like Sandey said, there are thousands of prisoners right now rotting away inhumanely in the prisons all over the country, serving an unknown sentence for crimes that don't even compare to his, and Mr. Baby Doc just waltzes right back into the country like Haiti actually missed him... and the thing is... some people act like they have! I don't get it.

Take a look at the picture above. Look at the beauty Sandey captured in setting sun in Haiti. Think about the beauty in the setting sun right outside your own door. Imagine if someone took that away from you. Took away the simple pleasure in enjoying the fresh air and the sunset. Or what about the sunrise? Imagine someone took that away from you. Baby Doc did that to tens of thousands of people during his regime. He took away the sunrise and the sunset. He took away life. And life is still being taken away right now, as we speak, while the prisoners slowly die inside a box.

I love Haiti. I love the people. I love the countryside. I love the food. The music. The work. But sometimes, I just don't understand it.

But it doesn't mean I won't stop trying to understand.

Upcyclin'

Want to help these guys... (pretend I'm not in the picture)

transform these containers...

into housing for our young adults? Make a donation at www.eduplushaiti.com and 100% of your donation will go to the Upcycle Living Container Houses at Pwoje Espwa Sud.

Jason and Ashton, business partners in Upcycle Living have committed to building permanent housing for our young adults at Pwoje Espwa Sud. They just spent the past few days here surveying the land, getting to know the children and Pwoje Espwa, and are excited to get the process rolling! I will keep you posted on progress.

TOMS at Espwa!

Lots and lots of happy little feet this past week.

We finally launched our distribution of TOMS Shoes here at Pwoje Espwa Sud. Close to 400 Espwa preschoolers (residents and outside students) received a new pair of school shoes. This is a huge gift, as many of you know from past posts, because shoes are a very costly expense, and not all of our children own a pair of shoes. With this wonderful gift, children are guaranteed to at least have a pair of shoes to wear to school.

This was a family effort- distributing to the Espwa preschool.

Here is Father Marc finding just the right fit for one of our little guys.

Berthony, our Executive Director, puts a new pair of TOMS on Estanley.

Here I am trying to get one of our neighbor girls properly fitted.

Gifts from the Heart

Oftentimes the most meaningful gifts are not extravagant, expensive, and they can fit in the palm of your hand. But they are the most meaningful because they come from the heart.

When I was in college I taught preschool at a little center in Ahwatukee, Arizona. I made quite a few little friends there, but over the years, through no fault of our own, we lost touch. Well, while I was home for Christmas, I was so blessed to be able to reconnect with a couple of my little students- who are not so little anymore. Emily and Claire were 3 and 1 when I last saw them, and now they are 10 and 8, and have become even more beautiful and thoughtful over the years.

Over dinner with the Caviolo family, we talked about Haiti, and my new little friends. Emily and Claire were both so moved by the fact that our little girls here don't really have any toys to play with. They both jumped out of their chairs, ran to their rooms, and returned with handfuls of "Squeenkies" (the next Beanie-Baby I am told). They insisted that I take their cherished Squeenkies (even a couple sparkly ones) back with me to the Espwa girls. They assured me they would be a hit. They were right.

The joy our little ladies felt when they got their small little pets was priceless, and what made it even more special was that they came from little friends in Arizona.

Thank you, Emily and Claire. I promise you your Squeenkies are in good hands. :)

January 12, 2011

On January 12, 2010 I was in Arizona, but my heart was in Haiti, breaking alongside the rest of the country.

One year later, both me and my heart were in Haiti, grieving, remembering, and celebrating the trials, tribulations, and successes of the past year.

Unlike 2010, January 12, 2011 passed with family and friends gathered close to one another praying and giving thanks to the life we, the human race, have. Yes, we cried. How could we not? Haiti as we knew it forever changed one year ago on that day. Lives were lost, lives were changed, and hearts were broken. But life went on.

Not one person was left untouched by the day that put Haiti on the map. And not one person has forgotten the suffering felt in the months that followed. Still, our brothers and sisters suffer.

But they also live. We all do. And we forever carry the tragedy with us. But even as we carry that tragic burden on our backs- we grow.

On January 12, 2011, Pwoje Espwa Sud gathered as one. We grieved and celebrated together. We felt the spirits and prayers of our loved ones lost, our friends and families around the world, and Him with us all together in that room as one. We were all moved to tears.

As the years go on, and we continue to grow and live, we will never forget that first anniversary of the day that changed Haiti.

Nou pap jamn bliye'w.











Photos beautifully done by Sandey Tenuto.