The BBC reports this morning that the death toll from Cholera in Haiti has climbed to over 1,000 with over 16,000 infected. News is also breaking that there are confirmations for the disease having originated from the Nepalese UN peace keepers (M&C News). The people of Haiti are understandably shaken, scared and angry as they deal with this invisible terror while continuing to reel from the trauma of the devastating quake earlier this year that claimed over 230,000 lives, leaving at least 1 million homeless. As we talk with our friends in the Port au Prince environs, they are fearful for their lives and grateful to us for the much needed support that we are providing. This week we have ordered and are shipping (by various methods) 4 water purifying units. Thank you so much to so many of you who have given to this cause--YOU have made this possible!! We would like to see at least another 4 units shipped out within the next 2 months.
Samantha
Displaced residents of Sarthe
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
CHOLERA OUTBREAK SPREADS TO PAP
BBC reports on 11/11/10 "Cholera is spreading quickly in the Haitian capital of
Port-au-Prince, as the death toll rises across the quake-hit country.
More than 80 people have died in the last 24 hours across the country, according to the health ministry, taking the death toll to 724."
Wonderful REYISI Supporters:
Thank you all for donations of money and goods that have been coming in since my last update. As the Cholera outbreak hits Port au Prince, members of REYISI are pulling out all the stops to get more water purifying units & hand sanitizers to the communities we support in the area. I learned today that my Dr. is not allowing me to travel to Haiti at this time, so we are working with all of our contacts to help us to transport these goods (via check-in luggage of people flying to Haiti asap). Thanks to those of you who have sent money & supplies. The money donations will be used to pay for additional water purifying units & their shipping costs to Haiti as this is the biggest immediate concern for saving the most lives.
If anyone is aware of people flying to Haiti in the near future from the US, please find out if they'd be willing to take an extra check on luggage for us (we can pay for the airline's additional fee if necessary). Likewise, if you have other connections that can help with shipping the items quickly via a shipping company, please let me know.
Blessings, thanks and peace to you all,
Samantha & members of REYISI
Sunday, August 1, 2010
June/July 2010 Trip
July 19, 2010
First of all, a HUGE thank you to all of you who are supporting Nerlande and I and the work we are doing in Haiti. You gave in a myriad of different ways for this recent trip and really made this grassroots work we are involved in down there possible. Due to your generous responses to my SOS emails for funds to support the food distribution project (see receipts attached) we were able to provide even more food than we had initially envisioned & I contacted some of you to confirm that I could use some of the funds for other needed items (such as mosquito nets).
We personally brought aid in the form of food, clothes, shoes, non-battery powered flashlights, school supplies, and medical supplies (including essential oil healing blends) to 6 communities (2 in Leogane, 1 in downtown Port au Prince, 2 in the La Pleine area close to the PAP airport, and one other community in greater PAP). We cargo shipped and brought with us what seemed like a huge quantity of items! As you’ve probably seen from some of the media coverage, the need is so great and some of the larger organizations just aren’t following through with getting the aid to the people, so our supplies were in great demand and we can’t wait to return and bring more.
We also followed up with using your donations of cell phones and jewelry to help set up 7 individuals with goods to start their own small businesses in hopes of them becoming self-sufficient. On my final day there, I had the joy of observing a couple of women in the community excitedly brandishing 3 colourful pairs of sandals which had been donated by a local company (Deals & Steals of Northampton, MA) to help set up some of our friends in La Pleine with their own business. Our friends had already begun setting up their stand to vend them and their first customers were encouraging other women to go and purchase the sandals too!
Another one of the women in La Pleine who had worked hard at teaching me Kreyol on my trip in March, was excited to show me exactly how she had put to good use some of our support money we had sent down to help her and her family. She had purchased food items and containers and explained how she got up around 4.30am to haul the goods out to the local streets and set up a charcoal fire to cook breakfasts and lunches for people so that she had sufficient funds to send her children to school. This was also the woman who received the laptop computer, which was donated. She had never used a computer before, but she and her children were quick studies and were already navigating the program I’d downloaded for them to learn English by the end of my first evening there!
There are so many other stories to tell. I will attach a few visuals from the relief work this month. Look closely and you’ll find items that you personally donated/funded. Future plans and dreams are focusing more in the La Pleine area of PAP, as we enter into further discussions with individuals and other groups in regards to community rebuilding efforts. There are approximately 250 displaced families in the area of La Pleine where we’ve been staying (called Sarthe) who are living in makeshift tents. We hope to go back down for further planning with community leaders in October. We have been meeting with UNESCA (an established Haitian organization in this community) to provide them with medical supplies and discuss possibilities for connecting medical workers from here to run clinics in Sarthe. Others of you have contacted me with great ideas for running jewelry making workshops and ESL intensives. All of this is very exciting and possible. Keep your ideas and support flowing. Blessings and peace to you all!
Samantha Mjenzi
First of all, a HUGE thank you to all of you who are supporting Nerlande and I and the work we are doing in Haiti. You gave in a myriad of different ways for this recent trip and really made this grassroots work we are involved in down there possible. Due to your generous responses to my SOS emails for funds to support the food distribution project (see receipts attached) we were able to provide even more food than we had initially envisioned & I contacted some of you to confirm that I could use some of the funds for other needed items (such as mosquito nets).
We personally brought aid in the form of food, clothes, shoes, non-battery powered flashlights, school supplies, and medical supplies (including essential oil healing blends) to 6 communities (2 in Leogane, 1 in downtown Port au Prince, 2 in the La Pleine area close to the PAP airport, and one other community in greater PAP). We cargo shipped and brought with us what seemed like a huge quantity of items! As you’ve probably seen from some of the media coverage, the need is so great and some of the larger organizations just aren’t following through with getting the aid to the people, so our supplies were in great demand and we can’t wait to return and bring more.
We also followed up with using your donations of cell phones and jewelry to help set up 7 individuals with goods to start their own small businesses in hopes of them becoming self-sufficient. On my final day there, I had the joy of observing a couple of women in the community excitedly brandishing 3 colourful pairs of sandals which had been donated by a local company (Deals & Steals of Northampton, MA) to help set up some of our friends in La Pleine with their own business. Our friends had already begun setting up their stand to vend them and their first customers were encouraging other women to go and purchase the sandals too!
Another one of the women in La Pleine who had worked hard at teaching me Kreyol on my trip in March, was excited to show me exactly how she had put to good use some of our support money we had sent down to help her and her family. She had purchased food items and containers and explained how she got up around 4.30am to haul the goods out to the local streets and set up a charcoal fire to cook breakfasts and lunches for people so that she had sufficient funds to send her children to school. This was also the woman who received the laptop computer, which was donated. She had never used a computer before, but she and her children were quick studies and were already navigating the program I’d downloaded for them to learn English by the end of my first evening there!
There are so many other stories to tell. I will attach a few visuals from the relief work this month. Look closely and you’ll find items that you personally donated/funded. Future plans and dreams are focusing more in the La Pleine area of PAP, as we enter into further discussions with individuals and other groups in regards to community rebuilding efforts. There are approximately 250 displaced families in the area of La Pleine where we’ve been staying (called Sarthe) who are living in makeshift tents. We hope to go back down for further planning with community leaders in October. We have been meeting with UNESCA (an established Haitian organization in this community) to provide them with medical supplies and discuss possibilities for connecting medical workers from here to run clinics in Sarthe. Others of you have contacted me with great ideas for running jewelry making workshops and ESL intensives. All of this is very exciting and possible. Keep your ideas and support flowing. Blessings and peace to you all!
Samantha Mjenzi
History and Goals of REYISI
Reyisi is a grass-roots organization that came about immediately after the January 2010 earthquake which devastated the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. The founders of Reyisi, after being bombarded by the horrific news reports and personal accounts from friends and family members residing there, felt compelled to rise and make a difference. In March, the mission work began where the founders partnered with the community of Sarthe, La Pleine in Port-Au-Prince to help with initial relief efforts providing necessary goods for basic human survival. In June, the founders expanded their relief efforts in the community and began moving toward development projects.
The long term goals of this grass-roots organization are to help the community members of Sarthe to become self-sufficient and to empower them in ways in which they can thrive against all odds. The vision is to have the community be involved in the rebuilding of permanent homes for the displaced, creation of safe community space with a focus on women and children for the purposes of education, medical and child care, counseling support, and the development and enhancement of natural talents. Additionally, we aim to help the community become more self-sustaining via the support of local agricultural projects such as community gardens to provide fruits, vegetables and herbs for food and medicinal purposes.
Nerlande Anselme & Samantha Mjenzi
The long term goals of this grass-roots organization are to help the community members of Sarthe to become self-sufficient and to empower them in ways in which they can thrive against all odds. The vision is to have the community be involved in the rebuilding of permanent homes for the displaced, creation of safe community space with a focus on women and children for the purposes of education, medical and child care, counseling support, and the development and enhancement of natural talents. Additionally, we aim to help the community become more self-sustaining via the support of local agricultural projects such as community gardens to provide fruits, vegetables and herbs for food and medicinal purposes.
Nerlande Anselme & Samantha Mjenzi
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