Healing and Home for Quake Survivors

This blogpost and photo come to you from Coleen Higa, MBB Office Manager, who visited our Haiti projects recently:

It was such a delight to visit our scholars in Haiti last month! 

The slender young scholar who shows us into her home is vivacious, with lively, intelligent eyes and a quick smile.   Christelle is eager to introduce us to two of the cousins with whom she lives, and to her aunt, the matriarch of this apricot-walled home.

Many people returned to Gros Morne after the 2010 quake which devastated Port-au-Prince.  Like our young scholar and her cousins, tens of thousands lost loved ones in that disaster:  parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers. Those who managed to survive remain haunted by memories of being buried in rubble or hearing the cries of those not quite so fortunate. 

Christelle’s aunt  exudes warmth and solidity and strength.  Like so many others throughout Haiti, without hesitation she gathered up the young after the disaster, gave them refuge, made them safe.  With the support of people like you in the Mercy Beyond Borders network, girls like Christelle will learn to FLY!

"Vending your vay" through life...

A few sweet potatoes. A handful of onions. Seventeen little tomatoes. Spread them out on a mat in the shade. Sit beside them all day. Sell them or barter them to feed your family. 

This scene plays itself out around the globe, every day, in places where the poor have never seen or even imagined a “supermarket.”  To vend is, quite simply, to live.  If you ask an MBB scholar (lucky enough to still have a mother) in South Sudan or in Haiti, “What is your mother’s occupation?” she will likely respond, “My mother  sells in the market.”

Where in the World is Gros Morne?

Guest Blog by MBB supporter Julia Shepardson:

Accompanying Sr Marilyn on a short trip to Gros Morne, Haiti, we visited the new dormitory for girls from remote areas, family homes of scholarship recipients, a school, as well as a hospital, markets, and a housing facility for the old and unfortunate. It is energizing to see how donations touch the lives of young women who, with an education, can have promising futures that will help Haiti help itself.

Gros Morne is a small town in the northern part of Haiti.  It is rural, extremely poor, with scenic beauty, and great human potential. From the International Airport on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, the ride was supposed to take 3 hours.  On the outbound trip, we ran into a roadblock (locals protesting the lack of electricity) and the trip took 5 hours.  Our return trip had a different complication.  The villagers said “the bridge has fallen more than usual” due to heavy rains the previous night.  Inspecting our chances of getting through, we found huge holes in the bridge.  On both sides of the bridge, there were long lines of vehicles unwilling to chance a crossing. Unimaginable that anyone could make it through safely... Yet our driver expertly navigated between the abysses, one tire on the rim of the bridge and the other precariously hanging over a gaping hole.  Soon we were zipping back to Port-au-Prince, with these photos to back up our story!

Our Linguist in Haiti

Mercy Beyond Borders has had the great fortune to be assisted in Haiti by American volunteer Jennifer Prillaman, who spent the past year in Gros Morne as a volunteer in the Quest Program, which in turn allowed her to work part-time mentoring the MBB Coordinator. Jennifer has a natural gift for languages; fluent in French prior to coming to Haiti, within 2 months she was also proficient in Haitian Kreyol. She is pictured here with Danicka, one of MBB's Scholars.  

Only the well-educated speak French in Haiti. For MBB's daily work, therefore, our Coordinator functions in Kreyol and writes her reports to MBB in French.  When Sr Marilyn and others visit Gros Morne, Jennifer interprets Kreyol and French to English--seemingly without effort!  She radiates warmth, respect and obvious love for the Haitian people.

Thank you, Jen, for the many ways you freely helped MBB get established in Haiti.  We wish you all the best as you head to DC this Fall for graduate studies.

Seeing Eye to Eye

In a bush just outside my hut in Narus, South Sudan, I spotted this long slim brown snake. I grabbed my camera and crouched down so that we were eye to eye. I have no fear of snakes; they do not have 8 legs.

Only later, when showing the photo to a Sudanese man who froze at the sight, did I learn that this was a dreaded BOOMSLANG (tree snake), one of the more venomous reptiles in all of Africa. I liked the name.

Back home, I researched it on Wikipedia: Male boomslangs are light green with black or blue scale edges, but adult females may be brown. Averaging 3 to 6 feet in length, boomslangs have excellent eyesight and will often move their head from side to side to get a better view of objects directly in front of them. (That object would be ME holding the camera a few inches from its large beady eyes. Now I know why she was swaying.) The boomslang's fangs inject a highly potent venom which prevents clotting. Victims bleed to death. I was lucky; we parted friends. I still like its name, which carries a decidedly inner city hip-hop feel, or maybe even a winning high school cheer: "Gimme a Boom, Gimme a Boom, Gimme a BOOOOOM-Slang!"

The Scoop on Poop

We humans may believe we rule the world. We're at the top of the food chain. We build skyscrapers. We fly to the moon and back. We have iPhones.

But for an unsettling indication of what lies literally beneath our feet, go to South Sudan. Check out the towering termite mounds (obelisks, actually) that rise from the sun-baked earth, taller than most trees and solid as concrete. Think about how these monuments were created: millions of tiny termites munching their unseen way through life, generation after generation depositing their poop into communal skyscrapers of their own making.  We're definitely outnumbered. You've got to admit, it's a bit sobering.

Business not as usual

MBB supports S.Sudanese women's micro-enterprise groups in 4 locales. Pictured here with Sr Marilyn are some of the women entrepreneurs of Narus.  Their small businesses continue though some are struggling due to external changes: the population of Narus has plummeted over the past year due to inter-tribal fighting and also the natural migration of residents to the bigger towns where more opportunities exist for commerce. The main reason that people stay in dusty Narus, it seems, is because the St Bakhita schools there have such a good reputation.

Poko fini, deja tonbe.

 Poko fini, deja tonbe.  That's Haitian Creole for "Not yet finished, already collapsed."  Haitian proverbs communicate a certain wry humor amid the suffering that has so often been their lot in life.

I’m currently reading Amy Wilentz’s latest book on Haiti, intriguingly titled FAREWELL, FRED VOODOO. It’s a post-quake meandering through complex realities: the tortured history of foreign interventions on the island, the resume-building do-gooders flooding Port-au-Prince now alongside the seasoned development experts, the resilience of ordinary Haitians, the humor and the horror of reconstruction gone wrong.  Some are questioning where all the money has gone, 3 years after the quake, when so many remain homeless and jobless.

MBB believes its decision NOT to work in Port-au-Prince, but rather in the rural mountains half-a-day’s drive to the north of the capital, allows us to have greater impact. Ask the 53 girls currently on MBB scholarships there: they will tell you that MBB is the best thing ever to come into their lives.

I'll be returning to Haiti  for the week of May 20th to meet with staff and Scholars and to make certain that your donations are being well-spent! 

Night of the Jackal?

David, an extremely tall and very regal Dinka who lives in Mapuordit, South Sudan, can tell you a lot about the danger of guarding cattle and goats. As a young teen he was keeping watch over his family's cows when he was attacked from behind in the darkness by a wild animal that gouged out both his eyes.  He does not know the English word for the attacker: perhaps a jackal, perhaps a hyena, or a rabid wild dog. For sure, something vicious.

David has not let his total blindness--in a country where there are no services for the blind--prevent him from living a full life. He is the de facto leader of a simple compound for disabled persons. He is strong and upright and deeply gentle; his smile creases his whole face.  He walks with great dignity, even when being led by a small child.

Once you meet David you never forget him.

Gate 46

This morning I am sitting at Gate 46 in the Delta terminal at SFO. There is nothing unusual about this. Today, I’m headed to Minnesota to give several presentations about Mercy Beyond Borders. Next week, it will be Michigan.  Then Ohio. Then Haiti. In between the trips, I spend a few days in California, working at the MBB office , catching up on correspondence, meeting with colleagues--or doing laundry.

 In truth, I am not what you would call a good traveler: My stomach doesn’t like “weather.” The dry recirculated air in the planes causes bouts of sneezing sufficient to alarm my seatmates. And sitting is my least favorite position. Despite this, I am happy. Every trip means more people hearing about our MBB mission . Every new listener is a potential ally.  Every new ally brings resources to improve the lives of women and girls in S.Sudan and Haiti. What’s not to like? 

Local Pharmacy

Since independence 21 months ago, commerce has picked up inside South Sudan. More and more goods and services--mostly imported from Uganda and Kenya--have become available, at least in the major towns.  However, this is not to imply that the needs of the people, particularly the poor, are being met.
Here we see a pharmacy on the main street in Rumbek, the 3rd largest town in the country. It's not exactly well-stocked and didn't inspire my confidence; but for people who have lived without any medical care for so long, this represents welcome progress.

Thrown!

Frisbees have come to St Bakhita School in South Sudan!  Here the girls enjoy "being thrown a curve."  Never mind the blazing sun or the hot sand. Keep your eyes on that aeronautic marvel, the fluorescent yellow spinning disc!
Females who do not go to school never get a chance to play, never know the sheer exhilaration of exerting oneself in team sports like (volleyball) or futbol.
For me it is real joy to see girls freely enjoying themselves during their school break times.  It never happens out in their home villages, where girls know only tedious manual work, work, work.  So besides gifting these young women with scholarships for education, your support of Mercy Beyond Borders literally gifts them with the fun and freedom that children everywhere deserve.

The Reason for a Flower

This young girl at St Bakhita Primary School in South Sudan was mesmerized by the content and color in this book from the school's new library, established by an MBB volunteer. 

While she learns how and why flowers blossom, we see all the students here blossoming through the gift of education. Education opens their eyes to the world. Education opens a path for their own gifts to develop. Education opens a future for them -- a future that will sidestep the dangers and drudgery of early marriage.

[Photo by  librarian J. Lynch]

"Like a Troubled Bridge Over Water..."

One of the major challenges to ground travel in S.Sudan is the fact that there are many rivers but very few bridges.  In the rainy season--8 months of the year--a swollen river or even a fast-moving stream means that travelers must either turn back or wait (hours? days?) until the water subsides.  

There was immense public jubilation, therefore, at the completion of this bridge outside of Rumbek town shortly after S.Sudan's independence. Once the parade had marched and the ribbon had been cut and the festivities had died down, the government sent a convoy of military tanks across the bridge in response to bombings further north by Khartoum.  Alas, the bridge buckled under the weight of the rolling tanks and has been usable only by the brave since that day.  Vehicles daring enough or desperate enough to chance a crossing must first let all passengers off, then inch slowly across to the uneasy tune of creaks and groans from bending timber and steel.  I've walked across it twice myself but would never attempt to cross it in a vehicle.  With a nod to Simon and Garfunkel, I've dubbed it the "Troubled Bridge Over Water."  A bypass is currently under construction....

Not a tow-truck in sight...

Question:  What's one thing S.Sudan has plenty of ?
Answer:    Miserable roads!

Here we see the road on which our Scholars' vehicle became mired in a muddy swamp en route to the December Scholars' Leadership Training week.  September is supposed to be the dry season, but global warming seems to be scrambling the weather patterns. A day of rain was enough to create this mess. Luckily for our Scholars, a passing UN vehicle winched them out of the quagmire.  Road travel anywhere in S.Sudan, however, remains pretty much a white-knuckle affair: if it isn't the mud, it's the bandits with their AK-47s, or the rising rivers (sans bridges) that make the way impassable.  Even on the best of days, the bone-jarring ruts, punishing heat, and overcrowded vehicles make trips long and, well, memorable!

"Even if you're nobody, here you are somebody!"

Sr Mary Mumu, organizer of the women's literacy classes sponsored by MBB in South Sudan, visits the women in Maleng Agok.  The weather is oppressively hot, the roads miserably rutted, the housing nothing but thatch-and-mud.  There are no 7-11's along the way to get a refreshing drink. There are no stationery stores to pick up class supplies.  Yet she manages not only to find and hire good teachers but also to motivate the women to participate in these late afternoon classes as a "break" in their long workdays.  Even more important than learning the alphabet, the women learn here that they are human beings with dignity and gifts, equal to their husbands, and with talent to contribute to the new nation.  As one of the women said, "Even if you are nobody, here you are somebody!"

Have Chair, Will Learn...

MBB's literacy classes for women in half a dozen rural villages of South Sudan are generally conducted out in the open, beneath a shade tree.  

The rule of thumb is BYOC: Bring Your Own Chair (or sit on a log). It gives new meaning to the phrase, "Take a seat...."  

Here we see two Dinka women at the end of class, carrying their plastic chairs back to their thatch huts after an hour of practicing the alphabet.  The women come to these classes in the late afternoons, after working hard all day, and enjoy the respite and companionship before returning home to pound the maize and boil the water to prepare ugali for their families.

"Plized to Meet You"

While in the town of Rumbek, South Sudan, I chanced upon this restaurant sign.  Though I don't deduct for spelling--somehow the sign did not promote any confidence in the meals that might be prepared there. I walked on by....

Wow! I'm in a book!

Who among us doesn't enjoy seeing ourselves in print?  Mercy Beyond Borders recently printed a few copies, via the magic of internet publishing, of a soft cover booklet containing pictures taken at St Bakhita Girls' Primary School.  Those books now reside in the school's new library.  The girls are fascinated to see themselves and their teachers in living color, looking official and important!

Pillowcase Pageantry

What has 10 fingers, 10 toes, and wears a big smile and a pillowcase?  Each lucky girl at St Bakhita pre-school who received a sundress fashioned from a donated pillowcase!
Sewn by volunteers in the US and carried to South Sudan by Sr Marilyn in December, these brightly colored shifts were an instant hit with the girls, who vied with one another to have their picture taken in their new finery.

Friends Forever

One of the hoped-for outcomes of the 2012 MBB Leadership Training week in South Sudan was the formation of new friendships among the Scholars from various parts of the country, different ethnic backgrounds, and a variety of academic interests. Nurses-in-training met peers who want to become pilots, surgeons,  agronomists, and ambassadors. They laughed and learned and studied and played together. Here they show off their MBB t-shirts as they prepare to head homeward after the workshop ended.

Supporting the MBB women scholars

As evidenced by this photo, Sr Edvine Tumwe-sigye related easily and warmly with the MBB Scholars during the 2012 Leadership Training Week.  In her role as MBB Scholarships Coordinator for S.Sudan, she is tasked with visiting all of them at their various high schools and colleges throughout S.Sudan, advising them on their studies and career choices, coordinating their placements with the Administrators at their chosen schools, and implementing all policies for the Scholarships Program. Clearly the program is in good hands!

Local Butcher in Narus

Fresh goat meat--a rare and real treat for the participants in the MBB Scholars' Leadership Training week--gets chopped by a butcher with a panga (machete) in the outdoor kitchen of the workshop compound.  The chopping board is, well, literally a chopping board: a conveniently placed tree branch!

Adding Fuel to the Fire

Toposa women arrive at the Narus compound, bringing wood that they have laboriously cut by hand, carried on their heads for several hours from a distant forest, and then proffered to the cooks at the MBB Scholars' Leadership Training site. The staff purchased it as fuel for the fires that they built outdoors each day to cook the meals for the 55 participating scholars and staff.

Cyber-Master Emmanuel

Besides having nearly 20 years' experience working in S.Sudan, speaking 5 local languages, having a master's degree in finance administration and a strong background in IT, Brother Emmanuel Dan demonstrated during the 2012 MBB Scholars' Leadership Training week that he is also an accomplished teacher. After setting up 21 laptops in the learning hall, configuring them all, installing typing software, wiring them elaborately to work via generator, and then covering them with bedsheets to keep away the dust and the bugs overnight, Emmanuel unveiled his learning lab on the first morning of the workshop. The participating Scholars gave their full attention despite the heat and the crowded conditions, eager to learn. For many it was their first time to see a computer up close or touch a keyboard. For all it was their first organized exposure to lessons in Windows, Word and the internet. Even after their daily 3-hour session, the scholars didn't want to leave--the highest compliment any class can give a teacher.  Amazingly, teaching computer skills is merely Brother Emmanuel's side job: his full time role is to coordinate MBB's Women's Micro-Enterprise programs in S.Sudan.  MBB certainly has expert staff!

Women can do THAT?

In the shade provided by a lorry parked in the hot, dusty Narus compound, two MBB Scholars consult the profile cards of famous women. As one element of their Dec 10-15, 2012 Leadership Training, each participant gave several presentations to the whole group, practicing the skills of concentration, reading comprehension, summarizing of main points, projecting one's voice clearly, and speaking confidently in public.  In the process they all learned about women inventors, thinkers, and leaders like Marie Curie, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Sirleaf Johnson.

S.Sudanese Scholarship Recipients Enjoy Leadership Course

On December 10th, forty-nine excited MBB High School and College Scholars and 2 chaperones met  in the town of Narus, South Sudan for the first-ever MBB Scholars' Leadership Training course. Getting there was the hard part; some traveled 3 days on dangerous roads, braving bandits, floods, and vehicle breakdowns. Being there was the fun part:  Bro. Emmanuel Dan taught computer classes; Sr Edvine Tumwesigye organized the team-building activities, and Sr Marilyn Lacey introduced the leadership exercises.  The interactive learning style was completely new to the participants, who are accustomed only to rote learning.  During the late-afternoon free time, most of the young women flocked back to the computer room to practice 10-finger typing via animated software. By popular demand, MBB will host the training again next year.

Madonna with Child

Wishing warmest Christmas blessings to all, and the gift of peace to war-ravaged places in our hearts and in our world.

This Toposa mother and child remind us of the hope that comes with the birth of any child: hope for a better world, hope for lasting community, hope for resources freely shared that all may have enough for a decent life, hope that forgiveness can overcome violence, that love may be stronger than death, that we can embrace our common humanity and rise above whatever divides us.

Merry Christmas. A joy-filled New Year.  And deepest thanks for all the ways you support Mercy Beyond Borders in South Sudan and in Haiti!

Waste not, want not...

Carpenters in Haiti resourcefully recycle and re-use everything!  Here we see the nails being used in the renovation of the Scholars’ Lodge in Gros Morne, Haiti.  Upon seeing this bucket of rust, a construction worker in the US commented wryly: “Those nails already look fully depreciated to me!”

It Takes Two to Tangle

When you’re a preschooler, it takes two to tangle with a water pump at St Bakhita’s.  Both girls jump to grab the lever as they imitate the older girls in working the pump arm. Their body weight isn’t enough to bring it down; only a trickle of water emerges.  Soon enough they will become adept at the hard labor of hauling water for daily use. For them, the pump is a luxury. Most villages do not have one, and the women must walk long hours to find and bring home the precious water.

Finishing Touches

Workmen balance on ladders and oil drums while renovating the Scholars Lodge in Gros Morne, Haiti. The residence, located on a quiet street behind the all-girls’ primary school (St. Gabe’s) and not far from the several high schools that MBB Scholars attend, contains 6 bedrooms, each with hand –crafted metal bunk beds that can sleep up to 20 girls along with the supervising House Mother. A smaller structure in the yard of the Lodge is being transformed into the MBB office and a dining area for the lodgers.  

Not Quite Door-to-Door

Heavy rains drench S.Sudan for 7 or 8 months each year, flooding huge swathes of land and rendering all travel both difficult and dangerous. Roads, where they exist at all, degrade into mud and quicksand. South Sudan is home to The Sudd, the world’s largest swamp. When the rains come, crocodiles run. Flash floods kill.  When the dry season arrives and the water disappears, detritus from the wet season becomes visible.  Here we see a tanker truck that didn’t quite live up to its company name, having been sucked into the mucky riverbed halfway to its destination, like a rusted dinosaur doomed by its own weight. 

Who's that?

Sylvie Dieckmann, the MBB tech volunteer/webmaster who accompanied Marilyn to South Sudan in 2011, returned on her own in October to teach computer skills for several weeks to the girls at St Bakhita’s in Narus.  Here she is in the village of Nacipo, not far from Narus, surrounded by Toposa fascinated by their images on her digital camera. For many it is the first time they have seen a picture of themselves, and they do not know whose image it is until another person says, “That’s you!”

Someone to Look After Us

During September, Mercy Beyond Borders formally opened its "Scholars' Lodge" in Gros Morne, Haiti (and yes, it's painted a bright Pepto-Bismol pink). Pictured here is Jeanine Sterlin, the newly-hired House Mother at the residence. 


Looking at the strength and calm resolve of her face, we can all be confident that Jeanine will be a steady, competent and caring supervisor for our young Scholars.

"For All the Saints..."

November 1st is traditionally ALL SAINTS DAY, a time for honoring those whose radiance lights their corner of the world and whose other-centered living inspires us to greater goodness.  This year Mercy Beyond Borders salutes BRIGITTE DECRE, a wonderful, longtime volunteer and MBB supporter who died several months ago, much too young. Born in France, she was a pixie of a person with a huge heart. Always sparkly-eyed. Always interested in others. Always generous with her time and treasure.  Brigitte loved the outdoors: hiking, biking, gardening, swimming.  She avoided the spotlight herself, but stayed busy behind the scenes making good things happen for others.  And this she did while battling cancer for more than a decade.  Even death could not stop her magnanimity: during her funeral in France, her family and friends collected over a $1,000 in donations for Mercy Beyond Borders. Love is truly stronger than death!  Brigitte, thank you, thank you, for gracing us with your presence.

Some things you never forget

Some images stick in your mind for a long time. This is one of them. When I was walking through the hospital at Mapuordit--one of the best hospitals in S.Sudan, by the way--this patient stared at me. Desperately thin and malnourished, motionless, with unblinking eyes that seemed to cover half her face, she stared at me.  I did not speak her language. I could not offer any cure. I did not know her life story. I could not imagine the depth of her suffering. I could only hold her hand for a while and murmur a prayer and resolve to work harder for Mercy Beyond Borders in raising scholarship funds to enable young Sudanese women to become nurses in this struggling new country.

The Joy of Cooking

Never mind what Julia Child said: in my life "cooking" and "joy" don't honestly go in the same sentence. Many a day I come home a bit tired after work and wish I didn’t have to cook dinner. Of course, dinner at my place usually consists of about 10 minutes of micro-waving, chopping up a few raw veggies, and throwing together a salad from  mixings already chilling in the fridge. 

Preparing a meal in South Sudan takes considerably more work.  Haul the water. Find Firewood. Build a fire (dust off those Boy Scout skills!). Boil the water. Grind the grain. Stir. The process takes hours. Looking at this photo of the cook at St Bakhita Girls' School preparing the one daily meal for 400 girls, I resolve once again never to complain about my paltry domestic chores….

What's my name?

OK, all you budding ornithologists out there: what kind of bird is this? Julie Lynch, MBB volunteer, snapped its picture in Narus, South Sudan. 

I’d call it a ravishingly attractive, delicately long-tailed, strikingly colorful, gracefully balanced, azure-blue-breasted, white-cheeked, dusty-orange-backed, blue-necked, short-beaked, black-eyed beauty…. What would you call it?

A Study in Orange and Blue

If I were an artist, I’d call this photo “A study in orange and blue.”  Look at how beautifully the women’s body wraps, headbands and jewelry match the colorful clinic wall behind them in Kuron, South Sudan.  Look at the composition, the lines, the balance. Look at the beauty of these two patient patients! Where is Gauguin when we need him?

Better than an Umbrella

No umbrella to shade your infant?  No problem!  Just use an empty gourd placed over the child’s head while slung papoose-style on mom’s back.  The Toposa women of South Sudan are endlessly inventive with what little they have.  

Spirits, anyone?

The practice of Vodou religion is widespread throughout Haiti, often co-mingled with practices from other religious traditions such as Catholicism.  Pictured here is a small roadside restaurant operated in Gros Morne by a local Vodou priest. Children from the nearby Catholic school are stopping by for a snack. Such sites fly a flag from a bamboo pole to signify the type of priest who lives there and who will (for a price) offer prayers or intervention with various spirits, for good or for ill.

On their way

Pictured here with Sr Marilyn are a few of the 67 Southern Sudanese young women currently studying on MBB scholarships. They gathered to say thanks to all of YOU who have donated to Mercy Beyond Borders. You've changed their lives and given them resources to pursue their goals of becoming journalists, agronomists, nurses, lawyers, engineers and yes, politicians. All of them speak of their desire to use their new skills to improve their fledgling new country.

Being with these young women, and knowing full well that without MBB Scholarships they would no doubt have already been given away in marriage by their parents, seeing their determination to make something better of their lives--well, these windows of opportunity are just HUGE!  

Breakfast of Champions

By the time a visitor like me wakens at dawn, the local South Sudanese women have long been stirring: gathering firewood, hauling water, starting cooking fires, preparing breakfast.  With our sleeping huts and tents in the background, this photo shows the cook at Kuron Medical Clinic fixing our breakfast of “ugali.”  It’s made from ground maize and water, boiled to a polenta-like consistency.  Not much taste, but it fills one’s stomach for the day.  And I'm always grateful the preparation didn't depend on me!

“I do!”

Each summer brings a new cohort of 7^th graders into MBB’s Girls’ Scholarship Program in Haiti.  The program enrolled 32 new students this month, bringing the Haiti 2-year total to 48. Most come from very isolated, small schools in the mountains.  Being on scholarship means coming to the main town, Gros Morne (literally, big mountain) where they will sit in large classrooms and compete with dozens of others for perhaps the first time.  This photo shows the enthusiastic response of a 6^th grade class in a remote Haitian school when asked, “Who wants to win this year’s MBB Scholarship?” 

Marilyn with a Haitian vendor

I am always impressed by the resilience  of women. In Haiti I see them tilling fields, hauling water, selling their home-grown mangoes or yams on the side of the road, holding their families together, and on the weekends, walking proudly to church in their glittery Sunday best.

I don't know if they ever fall prey to depression or feel like giving up. What I have seen is remarkable hard work, day after day--which of course is unremarkable for them. And that inspires me to do more for them and for the future of their daughters.  As the next step, Mercy Beyond Borders will be opening a Scholars' Lodge in Gros Morne, Haiti, this month to house the young women who live too far in the mountains to get to the high school where they are on MBB scholarships.

Sudden Banana Death

While in Haiti recently I learned, much to my city-born-and-bred surprise, that a banana plant in Haiti takes only 9 months to reach maturity, at which time it bears armloads of fruit. Then it DIES back into the underground rootlike rhizome! Who knew it gave its very life for Chiquita?  

Ah, but here’s the Darwinian twist: before it reaches that fateful moment of sudden banana death, four or more banana sprouts have cleverly risen from the soil around the base of the dying plant to become thriving banana children themselves.  Nine months later, these offspring repeat the cycle. Amazing!  

And here are 2 more wondrous facts: botanically speaking, the banana plant is an herb, not a tree--and bananas themselves are actually berries! I’ll never look at a banana quite the same again.  

The cooking rocks are still cold

During a June trip to Haiti, Sr Marilyn visited the homes of many of the MBB scholarship recipients. After 90 rugged minutes in a 4-wheel drive vehicle followed by a 20-min hike up a steep trail, we reached one home around noon. There we were welcomed warmly by the scholar's mother, older sister and younger siblings. At one point, our interpreter pulled me aside and said, "These children are hungry. Can't you see? Their cooking rocks are still cold."  Happily, we had brought trail mix and sweets to share.

Toposa Beauty

Life is not easy for the Toposa people of South Sudan, whose culture is semi-nomadic; they herd goats and cattle and build their homes as they go. Most of the children--and nearly all of the girls--remain unschooled. Yet they possess an almost royal dignity and beauty, even when dressed only in a blanket thrown over their shoulders.
This young girl was friendly and curious about my camera, flashing a delighted smile at seeing her own digital image. I was left wondering: What is she thinking?  Where will she be in 10 years? Will her daughters go to school?