I have done as much as I can during this trip and in a few hours, it is time to fly home. It appears a good deal was accomplished and hopefully a solid foundation has been laid. A venture does not succeed without a great team. Fondespwa fortunately has this. First and foremost are Lex and Renee without whom Fondespwa does not exist, plain and simple. An American, cannot accomplish anything of note in Haiti, unless you have a Haitian contact and not only a contact but one who is respected and also has a high level of integrity. These two people epitomize those traits. I have been so fortunate to have met them. Now back to the States, to see if we can raise the money to water this seed. That work, will be mundane and classic knocking on doors, and could be fairly prosaic. It remains to be seen, if there is even any need to continue this blog on a daily basis or only when there is something of note, to add. Most likely the latter. I will conclude with this. Tonight, we had our usual biweekly meeting in St. Etienne (with the mountain women), where we introduced Venante, who will soon be taking over from Martine. Jeff taught and then at the conclusion, for the snack, we passed out what was left of this large birthday cake from last evening. As I was helping handing out a piece of cake on a napkin, I looked over and saw Jeff and Renee tear the napkins in half so as not to use them up so quickly because they cost money. Everything is rationed here. Also I noticed, that no woman, when she received her piece took a bite. Rather, they each carefully wrapped up their piece in this napkin and carried it home, for guess whom?

Lex and Renee decided we should go to Jacmel, which is on the southern shores of the western side of this country, to take a little break after the fairly intense prior 15 days. We left around 11 and began the ride up the mountain to Jacmel, which is on the other side. I had already seen the scenery half way on the trip to Jacmel due to my travels to St. Etienne, where our second Fondespwa group started. Once past there, we kept going higher up the mountain with the road becoming windier, and the drop off to 100s of feet below more and more dangerous. It is even more dangerous, at least to me, due to the seemingly erratic driving on this island. It is just short of being terrifying. There is no speed limit and drivers are incessantly cutting each other off, with often times, three cars side by side on the two lane highway, with one going one direction and the two in the other, with barely inches separating themselves, as they pass. There is the constant honking which at least announces I am about run you off the road. You are always swerving from one side of the road to the other. On any trip, you will spend equal time in the oncoming lane. In addition, you will be spending similar amount of time driving on the shoulder. It is in general tough enough to handle, but doubly so when climbing these winding hills. We continued, at this pace careening back and forth until we came to the small villages where on the side of the roads, you saw the marketplaces similar to what I described in an earlier blog. Saturday, is the other national market day, so in each village we drove through, women were selling their hats, mops. mangoes, grapefruit, juices and clothes, etc. All very, very colorful with their fruit and clothes. They are hustling for sales and as soon as we slow down they are quickly walking to our car. On the side of the road, as you move up the mountain are goats meandering about, cattle munching on grass, men riding on mules, dogs darting across the road and myriads of people walking. And as always, there are the imaginative and vibrant tap-taps with semi trucks flying past you. Somehow though, it all seems to work out, as there are less serious accidents than one would imagine, though every vehicle and I mean every vehicle is plastered with big dents and massive scratches. By the way, there are no ambulances in the rural areas of Haiti so when an accident occurs either someone picks you and puts you in their truck or you die on the side of the road. Americans are told when they come to Haiti and they come upon someone lying on the road, they must keep going for if you stop and help, others may come upon you, think you have done this and will frankly, kill you. Lex, as I noted before who is Haitian came upon a massive accident a few years ago. It was a group of Americans whose bus had overturned and were very seriously injured. No one had stopped to help because no one can really help you any way but he decided to stop loaded 10 injured individuals into the back of his half ton, one on top of the other like so many bags of rice and on the way to the hospital one died due to bleeding. Moving on, the sights looking into the valley and onto the ocean is pretty impressive. We stopped at the nicest hotel in Jacmel for a few minutes, as Lex and Renee wanted to prove to me there was such a thing, because I to that moment had not seen a building that I would call a hotel, as we know them. This convinced me, however, it was colored white and blue, three stories and the main entrance and restaurant looked out and down to the ocean which here was clean. It was beautiful, and they told me this is where we had our reservation for 6. We then rode to an orphanage in Jacmel, called Hands and Feet that has about 40 orphans. Here is where I met Kirby the deaf two year old. I went into his room and as his nanny picked him, as he had just woken up, he took his two pudgy little fingers from each hand, pressed them against his thumbs, raised them together placing them to his mouth. Sign language for "I want more food." A little cutie. We then spoke with Michelle, who helps run the orphanage and she discussed the circumstances of why some of the children were here. Two of their stories very much struck me. I was going to detail them in this blog but it would come across as just to sensational so I am going to pass and say they are horrible, horrible. The systemic reason, however, of why so many orphans exist in Haiti, is due, as Michelle said, to their mothers being "dirt" poor. This is one of the reasons Fondespwa exists, so that these women can climb out of poverty, have enough for their children and not feel compelled to give up their kiddos. When Fondespwa helps one woman you are affecting not just one person but automatically at a minimum, 4 to 8 people, a family. It was soon time to return to Jacmel. It was now dark, when we arrived to the the hotel, for supper. We were told to go upstairs where our tables were reserved and where we could also look out and easily see the stars. I climbed to the top and when I hit the landing, I saw a large table in the middle of the floor filled with a number of people, which for a moment was confusing to me, until it registered, they were all the staff of Fondespwa, plus a few friends. It was a party for me! Today, is my birthday.

For today and tomorrow, there most likely will not be much to write in this blog. I attended most of the day to the necessary paper and organizational issues. These need to be in place prior to my departure on Monday. Now comes the execution piece and attention to detail. All critical to succeeding and not letting these entrepreneurs down. We will formally have 5 people on our Fondespwa staff. So responsibilities, reports and plans need to be established. Everyone appears to be excited as we have grown somewhat quickly and they all believe in our mission: Developing Independent Women Leaders. To date, they have seen some positive returns on our efforts so that has been encouraging. So in short, today, I just put the infrastructure in place. Tomorrow, we are going to the opposite side of the island, about 2 hours away to supposedly a nice beach, for a little relaxation, sight seeing, and a good meal. Probably rice with something, I'm sure. I'm looking forward to seeing another part of the island. It is Friday night at 8:45 and this evening is no different than every night in Haiti. In the US, kids stay up late, watch TV, have sleep overs, go to a mall, play sports, go to movies. Parents hang with friends, take their kids out, also watch TV, go to movies, or go to a restaurant. Here, there is no difference between Monday night and Friday night. Kids play in the streets till 8, go home and sleep. Parents, talk to one another in the street till 10 and then sleep. No TV, no movies, no restaurants, no sports, no reading ( no electricity) each and every night. Up at 4:30 and the routine begins again. Long, long working days for the women and not much different for the kids. You realize there are no organized sports for kids till about 15 or 16 and even then, it is isolated to larger towns and only one sport is played, soccer. For girls, there is nothing except to be sure her brothers have their clothes washed and food cooked. Boys are treated royally by the family members. Girls are raised to support the brothers and mothers. So tonight, the girls sweep the house, pick up the clothes, wash the dishes and clothes, and in the morning get the water and bring it back in a large pail. They grow up to become the back bone of this country. When I first began interviewing women, here in Haiti I would ask the question: When did you start your business? They looked at me with a fairly surprised expression because the answer is obvious and always the same: "Since I was a young girl". I no longer ask it. The women have worked their whole lives. The majority of boys, when they become men will do what they did when they were young. Play.

At nine this morning, we met with our first graduates of Fondespwa. The meeting, was held in our usual place, a small room above the orphanage where missionaries visiting Haiti stay. To make room for the group, we moved out the 4 beds and placed them on the roof of the orphanage. These 20 women who are our initial group were now given a loan of $1000 ( $125 US). For 4 months, these entrpreneurs attended all the meetings, and made all their repayments. The materially poor always pay back! So knowing, that they were moving up the ladder this was a festive occasion. We did our standard practice of collecting their monies with their savings, prayed, sang, had an inspiriing teaching from Jeff about business and then after 1 1/2 hours we handed out the $1000. Then the dancing and singing began. It was hilarious, as these women sang one of those interactive songs where there is a continuous chorus but you make up short verses along the way and all the women added something. They were sashaying back and forth, pointing fingers at one another, raising their hands made into fists, clasping each others hands as they danced, intentionally bumping each other with their hips and this went on and on. They were shouting, clapping, one lady stood on a chair and swayed back and forth. When they finally finished, we had refreshments and crackers (our standard snack at all our meetings). It was time to end the meeting, but they just hung around continuing to enjoy each other. A distinction of Haiti, pointed out before in this blog, is their desire for community. In the afternoon, we replicated what we did on Monday, with sessions at 12 with 39 women and at 2:30 with 31 where they sign their contracts and receive their first loan. We bring a group (5-7) up to the front of the room, to sit on benches and as before, they sign the document with the Group Leader co -signing. Today, it was much slower than before, as so very few could print their name. Many of the groups were cracking up as they made fun of each other on how bad even some of their crosses were as they signed their name. Each group chooses a Group Leader based on their having integrity, kindness, an encourager, responsible, supportive and the ability to read and write. Well the latter is relative. In this one group, the Group Leader could not complete printing her name but yes she could print. So, one of the members of another group would do the signing and filing out of the biweekly passbook for them. There was also plenty of screaming in disbelieve as they looked at their Fondespwa ID cards which had their photo. You know how bad drivers licenses are, these were worse because i did quite a poor job taking these particular pictures and then we could not size them properly in time. They passed them around and howled and screamed with embarrassment. Some of them called each other demons which in Haiti means your, ugly. For some reason, the atmosphere was not quite as heavy as on Monday. This time when they received their loan they were smiling, joking and laughing. However, one woman caught my eye as I saw her take her passbook, ID and loan and place it in the center of a white wash cloth where she then ever so gingerly folded the cloth around it. Protective and special. It was hers. The first step up the ladder. Another woman, when we asked if there were any questions stood up, looked at her 6 members and said, " I sweat working every day and I will not sweat more because of you. So if you think you might miss one payment ( which means she and the others have to make up for it), then I want you out of my group right now." No fooling around here. This is as they say, serious business. Relative to teaching we will be having classes in reading and writing in sessions that are not tied directly to our biweekly meetings. We are in the process of getting such a teacher. The women will pay for this as they do for everything. No charity. They are survivors, they are resolute, throw a difficulty at them, they'll be fine. Set high standards, they are capable of meeting them. On-going charity causes dependence and shame, they want to be as do most people, independent and self reliant. So after 13 days, with many meetings and interviews, Fondespwa established our final group and gave out all the loans, at least for this trip. Today, was gratifying.

After so many meetings and interviews over the course of the last 11 days, today fortunately, was spent primarily in the office catching up on the necessary administration responsibilities. At this juncture, what is needed are contracts and position descriptions for the new staff members, creating the curriculum for our three teachers for the next 12 months and establishing the calender of events also for the next year. In order to be able to stay apprised of how Fondespwa is progressing once I return to the States, we also have to establish dates for reports and Skype sessions. All these reports need to be translated from French to English which takes some time. If only I had paid attention in French class when I was a kid in Canada. It would have saved everyone a lot of time. What a regret now. I will be learning Creole a mixture of African and French that the materially poor speak. Sitting in my room, I could hear the sounds from outside: children saying their lessons from the kindergarten across the road, two women yelling at each other for some reason I don't know. On occasion, I stood on the porch and looked down the street and saw an older man pulling a very large cart (like a rickshaw) which carried charcoal and a myriad of women with baskets balanced on their heads carrying a variety of goods to the market, as this is market day. They were walking by at 4:30 AM. So there was lots and lots of activity on the streets as everyone, merchant or consumer made their way to the center of town. No one seemed to be laughing or smiling, as this day is serious for the women. They must make money on this day. The market, which covers many acres consists of hundreds of machete hewn wooden stalls with corrugated aluminum roofs. You will find everything: shoes, sandals, clothes for men, women and children, mops, potatoes, corn, rice, beans, mangoes, oranges, bananas, charcoal, peanuts, lotions, shampoo, pans, chickens, pigs, goats, mules. Also you can find ready made food like rice with bananas, rice with ochre, rice with tomatoes, rice with onions, rice with corn, rice with mangoes, rice with fish, rice with chicken, rice with beans, also fried rice, baked rice, boiled rice and burnt rice. You get the picture? The noise is loud, loud. People yelling about their products to get customers, others aggressively negotiating, all coupled with the sounds of bleating goats (a little lower than sheep), squalking chickens, barking dogs, the whinny ending in hee-haw sounds of mules, incessant honking of tap-taps, gutteral yet thunderous retort of motorcycles and the constant chatter of women discussing their children, their husbands, their lives. You think its bustling at the mall Christmas week? No contest. Its getting dark outside at 6 PM and as I look down the street the expressions of the returning women this time, are varied. Some are laughing, singing, smiling, chattering, while others look solemn, some with heads bowed, some angry, and many bent over from the exhaustion of the day. Tonight, some mothers will have food for their children, while other mothers....

Fondespwa is committed to providing three services to our members: low interest rates on the loan, a high savings rate and excellent training/education. At some point, we will expand to providing other financial services such as health insurance, life insurance and housing. With respect to education, Fondespwa will focus on teaching business/finances (accounting, marketing, customer service, etc.), family healthcare ( cleanliness, proper use of medication, sexually transmitted diseases, wife abuse, etc.) and self- improvement (speaking up, self confidence, business ethics, respect for others, etc.). The end game of Fondespwa: developing Independent Women Leaders. To accomplish this, we need excellent teachers. Fortunately, we have found them. Olannne, a very experienced Head Teaching Nurse, who we hired today, Jeff a successful business man in Port au Prince and Lex a highly respected Haitian, and as you know, the Founder of Mission of Hope. With these three teachers, we will be able to confidently accomplish our vision. As time goes on, we want our all our teachers to emerge from within Fondespwa. We were visited today, by a Caucasian woman and man who run an orphanage, in the southern part of Haiti. Michelle, told us of a 2 year old boy, Kirby, who was born deaf due to an infection his mother had during child birth that he contracted. Kirby, had been to number of Haitian and American doctors to determine, if this was a brain issue (no real soft spot on his head) or solely an ear problem. As there are no advanced devices in Haiti to do the proper testing, the doctors said he would need to go to the the US, ASAP. Well in Haiti, ASAP meant 6 months from now, not the next few weeks, as that is how long it would take to complete the paper work. It just takes an inordinate amount of time to get any type of government documents completed.. And then, because his illness is not life threatening, it was highly likely, in the end, he would be unable to receive the required authorization to be allowed to go to the States. So, in essence, Kirby, who is highly intelligent and personable and possibly could have this rectified, will never have that chance. Larry then told us of a little girl who was hit by a car. He took her to the hospital and told them he would return with the money to pay. When he returned 3 hours later, she was still bleeding on the bed and had not even been attended to. Many hospitals frankly, do not have a concern for those in need. It is truly a sad situation for the materially poor when they have an illness or severe or even minor accident. And with children as we know, that is almost a daily occurrence. It is tremendously difficult for these mothers, watching their little ones suffer.

We had two major meetings today with the primary goal of literally providing the entrepreneurs with their loans. Our first session, was at noon for 42 of the women and then at 2:30 with 41. Martine, went through the process of how we collect the repayments biweekly and then they each signed their contracts which was cosigned by their Group Leader. They then received their loan plus a picture ID card. We always put the women in a semi circle, so they know that we are all equals and Fondespwa is the members not an organization. It is a movement. not a company. Decision making is democratic. They are involved in these decisions. The majority does hold sway. Fondespwa is committed to developing independent women leaders. We want to empower women that historically have been diminished by the culture and often by their men. These women must sign a contract, as I said, however, most cannot write. So, it was poignant to see some print their name, so very very slowly as that is all they can print and there is never any other need for them to print. Others, who could not print their name made a cross not an X and a good number were unable even to make a cross so the Group Leader gently placed their hand over the woman's and made a vertical and horizontal motion. I was watching the reaction of the women, when they received their loan, and you saw some laugh and smile, others were somber knowing this is not a gift and that this loan carries a substantial responsibility and some were expressionless. There is zero doubt. they are cognizant of their obligations. What these entrepreneurs need is the opportunity to lift themselves. Fondespwa provides the ladder, they must pull themselves up. They will. One woman, dressed in a floor length shiny white dress with a white head covering, took her loan and walked to the front of the church (we hold our biweekly meeting there as we need a fairly large space). She knelt down, in front of the pulpit, outstretched her hands and for over 4 minutes, gazed to the heavens praying, thanking God for the loan. She then stood up, turned quickly around, looked straight ahead and with a resolute expression, walked right out. Yes! We also hired a Loan Officer for St. Etienne. She is a part time elementary teacher who has had a business in the past selling in the market. She is bright, serious and has a warm, inviting personality. We need someone who is kind but tough. You know, a brick in a velvet glove. These women are far from push overs. The work load of Martine is becoming somewhat overwhelming with the new members plus she has to travel 30 minutes on the colorful, packed taxis called Tap-Taps. We now need someone in that area who knows the women and can conveniently meet with them in a support role. Fondespwa is growing

Sunday in Haiti is a quiet day. All businesses are closed, in Port au Prince, as are most in the rural areas other than the occasional roadside stands. Many Haitians go to church. I had the opportunity, to attend two services, one in Grand Goave and the other in St. Etienne where we established our initial two Fondespwa groups. This is the day, the women of Haiti dress up in their very best. They dress in gowns, that one would wear to a ball or to a black tie dinner. They look outstanding. Their hair is done perfectly, their clothes are immaculate. Really, they are beautiful. I often wonder why they dress in this fashion for church and I believe it is for two reasons. One is most likely tradition and the second, this frankly, is the only time they get to dress up. For these women, there are no date nights per se, no dinners at restaurants, no movies, no concerts, no plays, no dances, no nothing. So this is the one time they can be as feminine as each possibly can. I have been here enough to see also that all though they look impressive, I have seen these "Sunday Best" many times. They have no dress up selection. One, and that's it. But, they do it up fine. At church, they sing for about an hour and a quarter and they do it with enthusiastically, energetically, hands raised and bodies swaying. They do love singing and they genuinely enjoy themselves. As I have said before, the women are only materially poor. They have a priceless faith that believes God will protect them and be there for them if they work hard and stay true to Him. A ruthless trust. Immediately, after the Grand Goave service, we rode 30 minutes to St. Etienne, which is in the mountains where we have 47 Fondespwa members. There are spectacular views looking over the valley , onto other mountains and out to the ocean. I had spent 4 days, on my last trip, interviewing all the women in their homes. Houses, that we reached by foot on narrow paths where immediately to the left or right was a 100-200 foot drop. These women have their homes in little plots on the side of the mountain. One would have difficulty finding them until you make your way into the bush where out of seemingly nowhere one pops up then another. How their children do not fall over the cliffs is a mystery to me. Here you tell your child to look to the left, to the right, and, down. An interesting note, is the differences in the services. In Grand Goave, the music that is song is contemporary Christian while in St. Etienne it is the old, old hymns that were traditionally sung in the Baptist churches. What also stands out in the two churches is in St. Etienne the women sit on one side of the church and the men on the other. However, what they do have in common: heartfelt singing, joyfulness and they look, radiant.