Sur la Route des esclaves du Bénin à Haïti

Sur la Route des esclaves du Bénin à Haïti
Pour tous ceux qui veulent comprendre Haïti et la richesse de son histoire, l’occasion d’un voyage au Bénin permet d’appréhender le sort des esclaves envoyés depuis le royaume de Dahomey (Bénin actuel) dans les Caraïbes, leur culture et les rites qui perdurèrent de l’autre côté de l’Atlantique, comme le vaudou. C’est attirée par cette Histoire que je posais mon sac à dos à Ouidah, sur la côte béninoise, à 40 km à l’ouest de Cotonou.
Nous étions au mois de juin et l’année scolaire touchant à sa fin, les cars d’écoliers affluaient de tout le pays pour les habituelles visites historiques. Ouidah, ville autrefois négrière, est une étape obligatoire sur leur parcours. Le musée d’histoire et la Route des esclaves, mise en valeur avec l’aide de l’Unesco, sont propices aux éclairages historiques, dans un profond silence tant le parcours est poignant.
La Route des esclaves débute par sur la place des enchères, où les hommes et les femmes étaient rassemblés pour être vendus ou échangés. Ce marché fut organisé par le puissant roi d’Abomey, le roi Ghézo, gourmand en marchandises proposées par les colons français, anglais et portugais. Quand les prisonniers et les ennemis ne suffirent plus à faire face à la demande, il fit capturer beaucoup d’hommes et de femmes dans son propre royaume.
En sortant de la ville, les hommes tournaient neuf fois et les femmes sept fois autour de l’Arbre de l’Oubli, symbolisant l’état amnésique des esclaves devant oublier leur passé pour devenir des êtres sans volonté, et donc sans aucune velléité de rébellion. La case de Zomaï était l’étape suivante, où les esclaves étaient enfermés dans d’effroyables conditions et dans un noir total. Zomaï signifie sans feu ni lumière. Cet enfermement était destiné à ne garder que les esclaves les plus robustes, afin de les préparer à la traversée dans les cales des bateaux.
Le mémorial Zounbodji se dresse sur l’ancien cimetière des esclaves, où étaient ensevelis ceux qui n’avaient pas résisté à ces mauvais traitements. Des ossements et chaînes découverts lors d’une fouille de l’Unesco en 1992 sont visibles au musée d’histoire de Ouidah.
Contrairement à l’Arbre de l’Oubli, l’Arbre du Retour est resté intact depuis le XVIIe siècle. Les esclaves devaient en faire trois fois le tour pour retrouver leur mémoire. Aujourd’hui, des danses des revenants se pratiquent régulièrement autour de cet arbre sacré.
Le long de la Route, des bas-reliefs en retracent les étapes, et témoignent également de la lutte pour l’indépendance et l’abolition de l’esclavage. Haïti y est mis en avant avec deux faits majeurs : - le pacte de Bois-Caïman, pacte d’origine vaudou conclu par les esclaves révoltés qui menèrent l’insurrection contre l’armée de Napoléon, dont la lutte se solda par l’indépendance d’Haïti en 1804 ; - L’arrestation de Toussaint Louverture par l’armée du Général Charles Leclerc, transféré au Fort de Joux dans le Jura où il mourra en 1803.
La Route se termine sur la plage de Djegbadji où les esclaves étaient embarqués dans les bateaux pour Haïti, mais aussi Cuba et le Brésil. 20% d’entre eux allaient mourir durant la traversée.
La Porte du Non-Retour a été érigée en 1992 pour témoigner de cette ultime étape. Des fétiches se dressent de part en part de la Porte afin d’accueillir les esprits revenus sur leur terre, symbolisant le lien qui demeure entre l'Afrique et les pays où les esclaves furent envoyés.
La notion de retour est très forte au Bénin, et ne concerne pas uniquement les âmes des ancêtres. En attestent les «Brésiliens», surnom des descendants d’esclaves affranchis revenus en Afrique dès le XVIIIe siècle qui forment une solide communauté.
A l’évocation de mes liens avec Haïti, tous m’expliquèrent que les Béninois étaient majoritairement pour un droit au retour des Haïtiens qu’ils considèrent comme «leurs frères».
http://haiti.blogs.liberation.fr/cooperation/2014/08/du-b%C3%A9nin-%C3%A0-ha%C3%AFti-la-poignante-route-des-esclaves.html

Radio Ponzi scheme targeted Haitian Americans

By DAVID OVALLE, Miami Herald

Updated 10:31 pm, Saturday, August 30, 2014
MIAMI (AP) — In the world of Florida's Creole-language talk radio, where hard-working Haitian Americans tune in by the thousands, Philippe Bourciquot pitched the lure of easy money.
He boasted that money "loaned" to him would be plunged into foreign trade markets, 18 countries in all, for massive returns. "You give me $20,000, it is guaranteed that for the year you will receive 60 percent," Bourciquot told listeners in one July 2013 broadcast.
On another show, Bourciquot invoked civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, then asked listeners to dip into their retirement funds: "You bring that money, I will make it work."
And in all of his broadcasts, Bourciquot appealed to a deep national pride, invoking the names of Haitian revolutionary heroes, promising profits that could rebuild a nation battered time and again by tragedy.
"Apple, that's worth several billion dollars, we can do that too," Bourciquot said in one October 2013 broadcast. "If every Haitian embraces what I'm doing, other nations will say Haitians have a business that's worth several billion dollars."
The grand plan, authorities say, was nothing but a sham — a Ponzi scheme that sucked $3.1 million from the wallets of his countrymen and women. For two years, the Lake Worth businessman paid investors with money from new investors, all while using a huge chunk of the money to pay for a house, luxury cars, hotel stays, airplane tickets, car repairs and restaurant meals.
Newly released evidence in the criminal case against him offers a detailed look at the alleged scam while offering a window into how con men use the pay-to-air system of Creole-language radio broadcasts to prey on poor Haitian Americans in Florida.
Simone Passe, a mother of six from West Palm Beach, told the Miami Herald she invested $20,000 with Bourciquot after hearing him on the radio. He was paying her 4 percent interest monthly. Indeed, financial records show, he paid her back — but only $2,700.
"Bourciquot helped me!" Passe wailed. "He is now in the jail. I can't pay my rent for my children." In Florida and on the island nation, talk radio has long been a powerful medium, with on-air buzz deciding elections, spreading political intrigue and serving as an invaluable source of news.
Like Bourciquot, many of the radio hosts pay for the airtime, giving some crooks a platform to lure in victims. His case follows an all-too familiar pattern.
The most notorious Ponzi schemer is Wellington businessman George Theodule, who earlier this year was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for bilking $30 million out of Haitian Americans in Florida in 2007 and 2008. He is believed to have actually stolen more than twice that amount using radio spots to attract victims.
In 2010, federal authorities arrested four people in a Ponzi scheme that bilked about $8 million from 600 investors. Pitching through Haitian churches and radio spots, the Miami group offered 15 percent returns on one-year investments in a company known as Focus Financial. The group is now in prison. In yet another Ponzi scheme, Florida prosecutors in 2010 arrested three people who used radio and TV spots to lure 200 investors to a sham company called Gen-X. The ringleader,Alix Charles, of Miami, pleaded guilty and is still paying back $300,000 in restitution.
"Radio has been ingrained in our culture, and these rogues prey on that," said Miami lawyer Phillip Brutus, a former state legislator and longtime weekly news show host on WLQY 1320 AM. "They're targeting the poor, downtrodden people."
In another high-profile case, North Miami Mayor Lucie Tondreau was arrested in May, accused of using her radio program to recruit "straw" borrowers to purchase 20 homes while defrauding $8 million from various mortgage lenders. She is awaiting trial.
State agents arrested Bourciquot, 46, in June. Prosecutors in Miami-Dade have charged him with a host of felonies, including racketeering, grand theft, money laundering and fraudulent transactions. He intends to fight the charges, said defense lawyer Bernard Cassidy.
"We're gathering all of the facts so we can present our case to the court," Cassidy said. The latest probe began in November 2013, when an anonymous person lodged a complaint about radio spots in which Bourciquot claimed to be a "leader and benefactor in the Haitian-American community," according to an arrest warrant.
The tips came into Dimitri Bernadotte and Neptime Dieujuste, both Creole-speaking investigators from Florida's Office of Financial Regulation. They teamed up with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Office of Statewide Prosecution.
They soon found that Bourciquot had no license to work in securities trading, and his financial background was littered with irregularities.
He had to pay $15,000 as part of a judgment against one of his Palm Beach companies, while the Internal Revenue Service had twice filed liens against him totaling over $700,000. A bank had also foreclosed on one of his homes.
They also learned Bourciquot had spent over $54,960 since November 2012 buying spots on at least three different radio stations in the South Florida market. He also had started three companies: Freedom Property, Economic Movement and Options Yes.
Bourciquot pitched his investments as "personal loans," backed by an insurance policy and a thriving business and investment portfolio.
But a detailed look at his financial records showed the radio host "did not have any assets to secure any of the investors' loans," according to an arrest warrant prepared by prosecutor Stephen ImMasche. Some of the money was indeed wired to trading firms, domestic and overseas. But in opening his accounts, Bourciquot lied about his net worth — claiming between $1 million to $5 million, according to the arrest warrant.
In all, investigators identified more than 300 investors, most of them from Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Hillsborough counties. In what agents say is a classic Ponzi scheme, he paid at least $1.4 million back to investors, the money coming from new investors.
The rest of the money Bourciquot spent for himself, while hiding at least $640,000 in overseas accounts, according to the arrest warrant.
To help build their case, investigators devised an undercover plan. In February, investigator Bernadotte called Bourciquot posing as an investor with $30,000. In secretly recorded calls, they agreed to meet the following day at a parking lot in Lantana.
Outfitted with hidden audio and video recording devices, Bernadotte insisted that he was concerned about the security of Bourciquot's investment opportunity. The radio host agreed to show him his nearby house.
At the house, Bourciquot proudly showed off his gym equipment — and even did some pushups. The undercover agent noted commercial radio equipment in a home office, believed to be used for illegal broadcasting.
Bourciquot insisted he could provide a 50 percent return, provided he get the money for at least two to three years, The two then drove to a strip mall, where Bourciquot showed off an office he claimed was going to be his business hub. No deal was made — Bourciquot refused to allow the agent to take a "promissory note" document with him because it belonged to his business.
"This is the Haitian system," he told the agent. "I don't know you."
http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Radio-Ponzi-scheme-targeted-Haitian-Americans-5724857.php

Coast Guard repatriates Cuban, Haitian migrants

Published: August 31, 2014
MIAMI (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard has repatriated 86 migrants it says were illegally migrating from Cuba and Haiti.
The Coast Guard said in a statement Saturday that the repatriations are the result of five separate interdictions of people attempting to illegally migrate to the United States through the Florida Straits. The incidents occurred over more than a week.
On Aug. 21 the Coast Guard Cutter Williams Flores interdicted 24 Haitian migrants north of the Grand Bahamas Island. Sixteen of the migrants were reported to have jumped into the water, but were rescued. In a span of a week in the south Florida Straits, Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection units located and interdicted 62 Cuban migrants from homemade vessels in three separate incidents.
http://tbo.com/news/florida/coast-guard-repatriates-cuban-haitian-migrants-ap_florida9fd1a95012c7410b88bffe5d268c7eb0

Food Relief Group Makes a Difference for Haitians and Locals

Added by Tamara Van Hooser on August 30, 2014.
Food relief is headed to Haitians still recovering from the 2010 earthquake and local needy families in Eustis, Florida thanks to a humanitarian aid group trying to make a difference. Bob Bostic, who founded the Deliver the Difference organization with his wife Mairi in 2010 avows that their goal is to give people a hand up and help them escape the vicious cycle of poverty. The latest efforts of the Bostics and their committed group of volunteers give them the opportunity to work directly with the Haitian government and the people to bring hundreds of sponsored meals to the beleaguered island nation. They hope to grow the program to bring a positive influence of nutrition and sanitation to thousands of malnourished and unhealthy schoolchildren, orphans and other needy Haitian families.
The Bostics founded Deliver the Difference as a non-profit in Lake County, Florida, after work with another relief organization in the wake of the devastating earthquake gave them a firsthand look at the magnitude of bringing assistance to the devastated area and the need for more helping hands. The group’s focus is on food distribution that makes a difference, not only to Haiti, but also to local families in need of relief. The only requirement for their assistance is that recipients be hungry. Bostic says he would rather give someone more than they need than fail to provide meals for someone who really needs the help.
After packing 200,000 meals for post-earthquake relief in Haiti, they delivered an additional 46,000 meal boxes in the first year alone. In the second year they supported survivors of the 2011 Japanese earthquake with 100,000 meals with an additional 200,000 plus meals headed for the Alabama and Joplin tornado regions and the Horn of Africa for a grand total of over half a million by year-end. At this point, they noticed a growing homeless problem in their own community and jumped into efforts to provide relief on the home front as well. More than 2,400 volunteers prepared, packaged and delivered 2,000 Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for low-income individual and families in the area. They continue to distribute thousands of food boxes every year to needy residents, both local and international.
They have a Kidspacks program that distributes weekly backpacks filled with two each of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, along with juice boxes and milk to homeless children without a steady source of food on the weekends. Recipients also receive two bonus brown bag meals from Kids Against Hunger for their families. Schools pre-qualify students with parental approval and then receive the regular donation to sustain them and give them hope in circumstances over which they have no control. Deliver the Difference takes a firm stand that allowing the innocent to suffer is wrong and sounds the call for the community to take a stand with them in doing something about it.
The Kidspacks are given to students each week, who have been pre-qualified by the schools with their parents’ approval. The Kidspacks are given to students that don’t always know if they will get to eat a meal over the weekend or before they go back to school on Monday. In Lake County, there are over 2,600 homeless children. Not homeless like in a third world country, but homeless because of job losses, the economy and circumstances they have no control over. Deliver the Difference believes this is wrong and as a community, we need to stand up and do something about it.
Bostic makes it clear that Deliver the Difference assistance comes entirely from their own sources with no help from the federal government. On average, the group traffics 60,000 pounds of food resources through their local warehouse for relief efforts aimed to make a difference in Haiti and at home. The organization regularly receives thank you cards from grateful families and reading their comments is what inspires Bostic to keep at it. Bostic dreams that someday all the food needs of the world will be met, but until then, he and his volunteers will stay the course in their quest to make a difference. by Tamara Christine Van Hooser
Sources: http://guardianlv.com/2014/08/food-relief-group-makes-a-difference-for-haitians-and-locals/#6lFZYyF572TvSCyC.99

Haiti Planning to Develop 1,000 Hotel Rooms on Ile a Vache

By the Caribbean Journal staff
Haiti’s recently-revived tourism push has a major focus: developing the island of Ile a Vache.
The government said this week that it’s projects on the island had already launched, with plans for 1,000 luxury hotel rooms, an archaeology museum, nightclubs, art galleries and craft boutiques.
The government has built a 2.6-kilometre runway with plans for an international airport, with the construction already underway.
In a statement this week, Haiti’s Ministry of Communication said several dredging projects had also been completed, along with a new courthouse, a rehabilitated police station and a new school that is almost complete and the installation of around 250 street lights.
Haiti said around $50 million USD had been mobilized on projects on the island, which is home to about 15,000 people on about 289 square kilometres off the southeastern coast of Les Cayes.
Last year, Haiti’s Ministry of Tourism released its initial plans for the island, which centered around sustainable tourism and around 1,500 units.
The development of 1,000 hotel units would make Ile a Vache among the largest ongoing tourism projects in the Caribbean.
Another Caribbean island, Guiana Island off the coast of Antigua, is also the site of a major potential project by a Chinese investor.
There’s also the still-in-development Baha Mar project, which is slated for completion in the spring of 2015.
http://www.caribjournal.com/2014/08/30/haiti-planning-to-develop-1000-hotel-rooms-on-ile-a-vache/

Why Haiti Needs Bioscience Education

By Ilio Durandis
CJ Contributor
TWO YEARS ago, as I was contemplating the different ways to contribute to a new Haiti, an idea to bring bioscience education and training to Haiti emerged.
In order to move past a simple idea to reality, the support and collaboration of many would be needed to make it happen.
The idea to educate, train and prepare young Haitian professionals in the biosciences is not only an innovation in Haitian education, but it can also serve an important purpose to address some real issues facing the country, from lack of quality control of raw materials to food safety. The potential impact of bioscience education in Haiti is limitless.
The Haitian Bioscience Initiative (HBI) was born out of a passion to make a difference in the lives of young Haitians.
Its main goal is not simply to transfer the knowledge of biosciences, but rather to help render Haitian professionals employable as lab technicians and future researchers who can become leaders in creating a whole set of new industries in Haiti.
Last month, the long-awaited pilot was launched at Ecole Superieure d’Infotronique d’Haiti. This pilot would not have been possible without the unconditional support of that school director, Patrick Attie. The core team behind the HBI includes Dr Phil Gibson of the Georgia Bioscience Training Center, Prof. James Dekloe of Solano Community College, who also serves as lead instructor during the pilot, Stuart Leiderman , Prof. Barry Hoopengardner of Central Connecticut State University, and Patrick Laguerre, President of Solano Community College.
To organize the pilot we needed the support of companies and organizations, such asLabster, uBiome, Amplyus the makers of miniPCR, Zafen, and more than a dozen individual donors who supported our Indiegogo campaign last year.
Why bioscience education, training and employment in Haiti?
The country is at an important junction between more regression and moving forward. The choice it needs to make is clear.
The time is no longer about being stationary.
Haiti has to move forward, and there has never been a better time to do so than now.
Haiti has reached a critical time in history to move forward, and the human resources, international partners, and collaborators might just align at the right moment to make sure that Haiti not only build back better, but that it becomes a model for development in the third world. This development cannot take place without a sound investment and support in the sciences.
Training young Haitian professionals in the biosciences can serve many urgent needs and help solve difficult issues facing Haiti in areas such as health care, sanitation, quality control, crime investigation, food supply, raw materials analyses, agro-industries, pharmaceuticals, disease control, water quality and treatment to cite just a few.
The pilot reassures us that the youth of Haiti is capable and ready to become future laboratory technicians, regulatory agents, and researchers in a nascent field that could change the landscape of Haiti for good.
The Biosciences include basic techniques such as analysis of heavy metals in drinking water, total organic carbon, presence of contamination in food products and more advanced techniques like DNA analysis in crime scenes, in paternity cases, microbiological assays, environmental monitoring, soil fertility, development of plants based drugs and much more.
For the pilot, we had 23 participants including professionals, high school seniors, and university students. The learning materials involved DNA extraction, Polymerase Chain Reaction using the miniPCR, microbes and the environment, different steps in waste water treatment, the role of buffers in biological system.
The participants also visited Tamarinier National Laboratory and the University of Florida lab in Gressier. At those labs the participants were able to get a better understanding of what it takes to work in a laboratory environment and perform various real life analyses.
At Gressier, our participants witnessed technicians working on the V. cholera bacterium, which has already killed more than 8,000 Haitians since the outbreak was first discovered in late 2010.
The Haitian Bioscience Initiative seeks to collaborate with existing Haitian institutions that want to promote practical scientific technology and experience in their curriculum.
Already, schools like College Catts-Pressoir, one of Haiti’s best primary and secondary school, Ecole Superieure d’Infotronique d’Haiti , University of Notre Dame in Hinche to cite just a few are very keen in teaming up with us to make bioscience training and education available to as many young Haitians as possible.
The goal is eventually for Haiti to have a burgeoning biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industry that can serve the needs of its population and play a major role at creating new jobs that can pay a livable wage and help the country develops. This is not an easy task, but it is one of the things that need to be done to reverse the cycle of poverty and unemployment in Haiti.
A network of international professors and professionals in the biosciences is ready to support the initiative and make sure that the teaching materials are first class, and that everyone who will participate in this program will simply get the best training possible.
For the Haitian Bioscience Initiative to succeed in its mission a joint private-public collaboration must exist, and the Haitian government in its public politics must reiterate the value of science education, if Haiti is to take off for good.
Ilio Durandis, a Caribbean Journal contributor, is the founder of Haiti 2015, a social movement for a just and prosperous Haiti. He is also a former columnist with The Haitian Times.
http://www.caribjournal.com/2014/06/25/why-haiti-needs-bioscience-education/

Haiti’s Visitation Hospital event honors Ed Johnston

Visitation Hospital Foundation invites the community to a gala event at OZ Nashville from 6-10 p.m.
Sept. 6.
The fundraiser “With a Little Help from Our Friends: A Benefit for Visitation Hospital Foundation” will honor Ed Johnston of Franklin, who will receive the organization’s first Jim Carell Award.
“After brainstorming with students about ways to give back and help others, Ed decided to arrange a mission trip to Haiti with his students at Father Ryan High School, and traveled there each year for four consecutive years from 1969 to 1973,” said Fran Rajotte, associate director of Visitation Hospital Foundation.
“These trips opened minds and hearts, even amidst the poorest of conditions. The group gained as much as they contributed,” she said.
“Ed has continued to serve the people of Haiti,” Rajotte said. “He joined Visitation Hospital Foundation’s fundraising efforts in 2004 and during the years that followed helped raise over $700,000 to build the Visitation Clinic in Petite Rivière de Nippes. Ed served as a board member in 2005 to 2007 and his network of past students and friends in the Nashville, Memphis and Chattanooga areas were a huge support during our earlier years.”
VHF Executive Director Sarah McCool gave her thanks to the Nashville community for their support of the work to provide health care and health education for the people of Haiti. “The Nashville community’s support has resulted in the clinic’s 80 percent decrease in child malnutrition cases, elimination of worms in children and adults and a healthier community due to our water purification distribution efforts,” McCool stated.
A cocktail reception will be followed by a silent auction, buffet dinner, brief presentation, a live auction hosted by Nashville’s Phil Ponder and professional auctioneer Earl Campbell. Live music is provided by the WannaBeatles, a Grammy nominated Nashville-based Beatles tribute band. OZ Nashville is at 6172 Cockrill Bend Circle, Nashville.
Dress is cocktail attire and coat and tie. Cost is $125 per person at www.visitationhospital.org or by email at fran@visitationhospital.org. For more information call 615-673-3501.
If you go
Dress is cocktail attire and coat and tie. Cost is $125 per person at www.visitationhospital.org or by email at fran@visitationhospital.org. A cocktail reception will be followed by a silent auction, buffet dinner, brief presentation, a live auction hosted by Nashville’s Phil Ponder and professional auctioneer Earl Campbell. Live music is provided by the WannaBeatles, a Grammy nominated Nashville-based Beatles tribute band. OZ Nashville is at 6172 Cockrill Bend Circle, Nashville. For more information, call 615-673-3501.
http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/williamson/franklin/2014/08/31/haitis-visitation-hospital-event-honors-ed-johnston/14895591/

Knights co-launch film on hope among Haiti's young amputees

August 29, 2014 1:02 AM
New Haven, Conn., Aug 29, 2014 / 12:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Knights of Columbus partnered with Connecticut-based EVTV to produce a documentary on hope and healing of Haitian children injured in the catastrophic 2010 earthquake that rocked the country.
The film, “Unbreakable: A Story of Hope and Healing in Haiti,” will be featured at the Portland Film Festival on Saturday, Aug. 30.
In January 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake killed over 100,000 people, injured thousands and left around 1.5 million homeless. The documentary tells the story of an often overlooked group affected by the earthquake – thousands of children who received emergency amputations in order to survive the injuries they sustained.
“This film shows that when there is the will do so – both in terms of those providing aid and those receiving it – lives can be saved and transformed by a program that is truly sustainable,” said Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson, executive producer of the documentary. “The work of the dedicated medical staff and the unbreakable spirit of these Haitian young people – in circumstances most of us can’t imagine – are truly inspiring.”
After the disaster, the Healing Haiti’s Children initiative offered free prosthetics and rehabilitation to every injured child that needed the care. The program, a result of a partnership of the Knights of Columbus and the University of Miami’s Project Medishare for Haiti, has helped more than 1,000 children received medical care.
Another result of the program also featured in the film was a soccer team comprised of many children who endured amputations. They named their team Zaryen, after a tarantula known for being able to survive and thrive even after losing a limb. In a country where disability is often seen as a sign of divinely appointed punishment, the soccer team’s story is helping to change that perception.
“In Haiti, there has long been a stigma about disabled people,” explained Dr. Robert Gailey, rehabilitation coordinator for Project Medishare in Port-au-Prince. “The traditional thinking was that disability somehow reflected a negative supernatural judgment on the person. This rehab program, and the soccer team, has really changed that way of thinking.”
The healthcare initiative now has a permanent rehabilitation clinic in Haiti that is increasingly staffed by locals in order to maintain a sustainable program that continues helping children.
“We're still here…one of the few prosthetic facilities that are still going,” says prosthetist Adam Finnieston in the documentary. “That was our mission goal from the beginning, to build a sustainable facility…training locals.”
So far the Knights of Columbus have provided more than $1.5 million in funding for the prosthetics program. One of the most active charitable organizations in the United States, the Knights of Columbus last year donated more than $170 million and 70 million hours of service.
The film will be shown at the Portland film festival on Sat., Aug. 30 at 2:30 p.m. at Cinema 21.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/catholicnews/2014/08/knights-co-launch-film-on-hope-among-haitis-young-amputees/

OAS Urges Haiti to Hold Elections

August 28, 2014 | 5:10 pm |
By the Caribbean Journal staff
The Organization of American States’ Permanent Council has adopted a declaration urging Haiti’s government to hold long-delayed legislative and municipal elections by the end of this year.
The OAS declaration called on Haiti’s three branches of government to comply with the El Rancho agreement that was reached earlier this year. The elections have been delayed for nearly three years.
St Lucia Ambassador Sonia Johnny, the chair of the permanent council, said the declaration supports “the efforts of a member state to be able to hold elections in accordance with the terms of its constitution and with other agreements.”
The El Rancho accord had called for elections to be held on Oct. 26.
“Unfortunately this agreement is now facing great difficulties,” said Edmond Bocchit, Haiti’s permanent representative to the regional body. “You supported us, encouraged all actors to respect their commitments, and today I come to seek the solidarity of the OAS and its member states regarding a situation facing our nation, because we know that the well-being of Haiti’s democracy must be a priority for the region.”
OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza said the OAS would continue to accompany Haiti’s political process through “high-level visits” and the presence of an office in Haiti.
“On the first of January if there are no elections Haiti will be left without a Senate, therefore we’ll be left without a constitutional institution,” Insulza said. “The international community, including the OAS, can only assist in this process of democratic consolidation and then only upon the request of the legitimately elected Government of Haiti. From this perspective we hope that all stakeholders in the political process continue to work together to create the best circumstances for stability and growth and security.”
http://www.caribjournal.com/2014/08/28/oas-urges-haiti-to-hold-elections/

Rwanda: Haiti Quake Survivor Tops University of Rwanda's Sociology Degree Course

By Athan Tashobya
Tuesday, January 12, 2010. This is a date ingrained with profound sadness in the lives of Haitians. It is the day a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, the most powerful the country had witnessed in 200 years, rocked the island nation, leaving in its wake more than 200,000 people dead, and an estimated 2.3 million others homeless.
On this Tuesday afternoon, Ambroise Jean-Louis, 29, was from a routine visit to a community hospital where he prayed with the sick and often gave alms. He was just home holding a plate of food when the tremor struck.
Ambroise had run out of the house when the whole land seemed to 'dance'. Four years later, the then fourth year student of Contemporary History at the University State of Haiti compares the catastrophe that razed down almost every fibre of infrastructure in Port-au-Prince to the dark history of Rwanda sixteen years before the Haitian quake.
Coincidentally, Ambroise found himself in the very country he was fascinated about following the 1994 tragedy that was the Genocide against the Tutsi. He has been among six students from Haiti who arrived in the country in January 2011, on a joint scholarship programme at the University of Rwanda.
He wanted a second degree.
The scholarship programme, a partnership undertaking of the Governments of Rwanda and Haiti, through Haiti-Rwanda Commission, last week yielded fruits when Ambroise emerged the best graduate from the College of Arts and Social Sciences' School of Sociology.
When the dean of the school called out Ambroise's name, he described him as "one of the few international students with a particularly unique talent" and asked him to the tent for a special acknowledgement from Dr Mike O'Neal, the chancellor.
The Haiti-Rwanda Commission is an initiative formed in 2010 in the aftermath of the earthquake to harness lessons from the Rwandan experience in Haiti's rebuilding process and expand the informal partnerships existing between the two countries.
The Commission, which has a coordination unit based in Kigali, also serves as a bilateral mechanism for, drawing on joint efforts to promote health and social wellbeing that were ongoing prior to the earthquake. It is responsible for the implementation of projects to further bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Worth the choice:
When Haiti was hit by earthquake, Ambroise says everything was destroyed. There were no schools, no hospitals, no hope... nothing.
But then the HRC scholarship came. He took it without hesitation.
"My trip to Rwanda was my first ever to Africa. I had other scholarship opportunities, but I ended up here and, looking back, I am convinced I made the best choice because I have learned a lot from this country," Ambroise says.
The Haitian grew up looking up to revolutionaries for role models. Nelson Mandela, Che Guevara, Fidel Castro... name it. But "not until I got to be part of Rwanda did I realise how Africa is blessed to have a man like Paul Kagame. He is such a great patriot, so he is my role model."
"When I was young, my father said he would do anything for his children to study. I am glad I have learned from the best source, I will tell my family of how wonderful Africa and Rwanda, specifically, is a place to learn from, because we share the same social catastrophes," he says.
Before the earthquake hit Haiti, Ambroise never imagined himself in Africa, due to a lot of stereotype and myths he heard about the continent.
"There are a lot of bad things talked about Africa. In Haiti, when you hear of Africa and its people, you think of this jungle where there is a lot of cannibalism and all those sorts of things," he says.
"I really enjoy Africa, I have travelled around the region, I have good friends from Uganda, and Burundi. "I came to learn from Rwanda, not to stay in Rwanda. I am glad that I have a big package to take back home."
Among the six students on the scholarship programme, only Ambroise and three girls stood the test of culture shock. Wendy Bianca Jean-Ulysse graduated alongside Ambroise, while Nicolentsia Bateau and Stevenson Beaubrun will be graduating next year.
The two other boys in the programme, Ambroise says, had a "few challenges adapting to the country," forcing them to go back home.
Didi Bertrand Farmer, the chair of Haiti-Rwanda commission, told The New Times that having one of their beneficiaries as one of the best graduate of University of Rwanda's maiden graduation means a lot.
"The objective of HRC is to offer the best leadership education programme for future leaders of Haiti. Having one of our students performing so highly is a great thing for us," Father said.
She revealed that the Government of Rwanda offered 50 more scholarship placements for Haitian students.
"Ambroise was among the first group and we have been offered 50 more scholarships. We are working with Haitian government so that they can send those students," she added. The full scholarship includes school fees, accommodation, food and monthly allowances of about Rwf90,000.
*** AMBROISE'S LESSONS FROM RWANDA:
The sociology graduate, whose focus is to contribute toward rebuilding the new Haiti, points at Rwanda's leadership model as the best suitor for his homeland's re-development agenda.
"Above all, my main point of appreciation is the leadership model in Rwanda. Of course, you can find people in leadership roles almost everywhere you look. The Rwandan model teaches me a transformational leadership that gives me an inspiring vision of the future. This can help me motivate my fellow Haitians to achieve something positive for the future Haiti we all look forward to," he said.
Ambroise, who has undergone a two-year intership at Rwanda Governance Board, told The New Times that the internship placement at the institution familiarised him with how local leaders apply humility and hard work to implement Rwanda's development objectives.
"In Rwanda, they do not simply have the responsibilities of a leader, but they apply both humility and hard work to lead effectively. After having a good exploration in Rwanda, I feel now is a great time to start. I am a young leader, but I feel that I have the potential to do a lot for my country," he said.
Ambroise said he has gained positive educational and leadership experiences in Rwanda, asserting that he has seen "a lot of constructive changes" at firsthand after the cataclysmic 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
"I have been impressed by the fact that Rwanda has found a way of rebuilding systemic human actions where both individual and collective transformations to fostering positive expectations for the country's over-ambitious goals hold accountable," he said.
Ambroise could not hold his gratitude to the Governments of Rwanda and Haiti, the Haiti Rwanda Commission HRC, and the University of Rwanda for enabling him achieve his education goals.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201408280419.html?viewall=1

LE FOOTBALL HAÏTIEN RESPIRE PAR LES FEMMES…

Il est difficile de trouver une activité dépendant d’une instance étatique qui ne soit pas souvent en crise en Haïti. A l’image du pays lui-même.
Le football ce sport adulé par les haïtiens ne constitue pas l’exception qui confirmerait la règle.
La ferveur de la dernière coupe du monde n’a pas pu être mise à profit comme ligand pour que tous les secteurs posent symboliquement la première pierre pour asseoir les bases pour faire avancer cette discipline sportive.
La fédération Haïtienne de Football est en conflit sournois avec l’exécutif. La presse a fait écho (déformé) d’un ordre express que le Président de al République aurait intimé au ministre des sports lui disant « de ne pas mettre un sous dans le football haïtien » (tant que l’ordre ne sera pas revenu dans cette fédération).
Je ne suis pas assez intéressé à ce débat pour fouiller et trouver les détails de ce conflit qui semble toucher le sport – roi dans le pays. Mais sachant que les instances officielles du football appuient toujours les fédérations au détriment des secteurs officiels de façon à conserver l’autonomie indispensable pour gérer ce monde qui brasse des sommes énormes, je ne suis pas étonné de voir un président de la fédération se comportant en chef face au secteur officiel sans compromis et surtout sans inflexion.
En attendant la grande perdante c’est bien le sport en lui-même avec une sélection haïtienne qui perd des places dans le classement fifa.
Une sélection haïtienne qui ne reçoit aucune invitation à participer dans la manne qu’a représentée la période de préparation avant le coupe du monde. Malgré la présence d’un entraîneur français nommé à la tête de la sélection, Haïti a été absente de la fête qui a précédé la coupe du monde Brésil 2014. Je ne vais pas me lancer dans une analyse de la situation du football en Haïti mais le palmarès des dernières années nous en disent assez long. Dans les compétitions officielles les grenadiers n’arrivent pas à traverser l’écueil des sélections de la zone des Antilles. Les confrontations contre ces sélections dans le temps avaient surtout l’allure de formalités.
La dernière prouesse d’Haïti dans le monde du football a été cette qualification inattendue des U17 à la Coupe du monde de 2011. Là encore il n’y a pas eu de déclic ni de point de départ dans l’esprit d’une continuité.
En recherchant des nouvelles sur Haïti je suis tombé sur les informations retraçant les performances des sélections féminines U15 et Seniors dans des compétitions organisées dans al région ces derniers temps.
En effet les fillettes U15 on participé au premier tournoi de la catégorie de la Concacaf et les haïtiennes ont eu une brillante participation avec une deuxième place après une séance de tirs au but face à la sélection canadienne.
Les deux meilleures sélections de la zone s’étaient retrouvées dans le même groupe et n’avait pas pu se départager.
La même situation se présenta lors de la rencontre finale sous le score de un but partout justifiant la séance de tirs au but qui finit par donner la victoire aux filles canadiennes.
Cette deuxième place n’est qualificative à rien mais elle permet de savoir ce que nous représentons dans cette catégorie.
La logique voudrait que l’on s’appuie sur ce qui existe et qui fonctionne pour l’améliorer dans une quête normale de l’excellence. Mais cela ne se passe pas toujours ainsi chez nous. Malheureusement l’avenir sera là pour nous donner raison.
La sélection féminine vient de terminer un tour des éliminatoires de la coupe du monde 2015 qui aura lieu au canada en se classant troisième derrière le Trinidad Tobago et la Jamaïque a près avoir écrasé 5-1 les martiniquaises.
Les haïtiennes rejoindront ainsi les qualifiées de l’Amérique du Nord (Mexique et USA, de l’Amérique centrale dans un tournoi final qui enverra directement les trois premières au Canada et la sélection classée quatrième jouera sa place dans un match de barrage.
C’est sans doute une excellente performance qui permettra aux haïtiennes de se jauger par rapport aux meilleures équipes nationales de la région. Encore une fois sans la continuité dans les projets les progrès ne se verront jamais.
Nous espérons que les instances concernées comprendront la situation et sauront s’arranger pour appliquer les bonnes solutions.
Le football haïtien semble respirer par les poumons de nos filles !
Un vrai bol d'air frais en effet !
Une situation à encourager !

105 voyageurs haïtiens clandestins détenus par les autorités des Bahamas

25/08/2014

Une opération conjointe menée samedi soir (23/08/2014), par la Force Royale de défense bahamienne, le Département d’Immigration et la Police de l’ile Ragged a permis la capture en haute mer d’un voilier transportant cent-cinq citoyens haïtiens vers les Bahamas.
La nouvelle de cette nouvelle capture de boatpeople Haïtiens par les services concernés des Bahamas a été rapportée par le journal The Bahamas Weekly.
Selon la rédaction, la HBMS de Nassau lors d’une patrouille dans la partie sud de l’archipel, aurait été informé par des habitants de Ragged Island de la présence d’un voilier rempli d’haïtiens clandestins à quelques kilomètres de la pointe sud de la ville de Duncan.
Grâce à l’aide précieuse fournie par un pêcheur une opération conjointe de recherche menée par la police locale et les autorités des services d’immigration qui a permis de capturer une embarcation fragile et non sécurisée 105 sans papiers haïtiens, 76 hommes et 29 femmes qui seront pris en charge comme détenus par les gardes Cotes bahamiens et transférés vers un lieu sur pour être ensuite jugés.
Les autorités du commandement de défense ont remercié les acteurs de ce travail d’équipe qui a conduit à l’arrestation des haïtiens.
Depuis quelques temps déjà, beaucoup d’haïtiens continuent à risquer leurs vies à bord de frêles embarcations pour quitter Haïti dans l’espoir de trouver mieux ailleurs. Nous avons récemment publié l’histoire de la condamnation en prison ferme de deux compatriotes qui avaient tenté de rentrer à Bélize par le Salvador avec des faux visas.
Lors d’un récent voyage au Bahamas nous avions pu constater le nombre important de citoyens haïtiens qui vendent des facilités aux touristes des plages (parasols, transat, boissons etc…). Ils ne semblent pas rouler sur l’or.
Il suffirait d’un effort et d’une vision plus large de tous les acteurs dans la gestion du pays pour offrir ce que nos compatriotes pensent trouver en République Dominicaine, au Brésil, aux Bahamas etc…
La balle est bien dans notre camp !

Haitian sloop apprehended in Ragged Island, Bahamas

By RBDF
Aug 24, 2014 - 1:11:58 PM
Coral Harbour Base, 24 August, 2014 (RBDF): The Royal Bahamas Defence Force was a part of a joint operation with the Department of Immigration and Police at Ragged Island, which involved the apprehension of over one hundred Haitian migrants on Saturday night.
While on routine patrol in the Southern Bahamas, HMBS Nassau received information that Ragged Island locals had spotted a Haitian sloop in waters several miles off the southern end of Duncan Town. With further assista nce of a local fisherman, Ragged Island Police and Immigration authorities conducted an immediate search of the area, which resulted in the apprehension of one hundred and five (105) undocumented Haitian nationals on Saturday 23 August, 2014.
The Migrants—seventy six (76) males and twenty-nine (29) females—were subsequently disembarked from their unsanitary vessel and taken into custody aboard HMBS Nassau commanded by Lieutenant Commander Raymond King and will be transported to an undisclosed location for further processing.
The Commander Defence Force, Commodore Roderick Bowe, expresses his thanks and appreciation for the assistance received from the Ragged Island Community, the local fishermen, the Ragged Island Police and Bahamas Immigration, and notes that the apprehension was a culmination of rapid response through a team effort among security forces and local communities.
http://www.thebahamasweekly.com/publish/local/Haitian_sloop_apprehended_in_Ragged_Island_Bahamas36587.shtml

Somerville celebrates first Haitian-Brazilian cultural festival

By Jennifer Smith
“Haiti and Brazil Hit The ’Ville” was centered on music, art, and food.
SOMERVILLE — Haitian and Brazilian communities congregated on Sunday in Somerville’s Union Square Plaza for a colorful afternoon festival, the city’s first joint celebration of the two cultures.
“Haiti and Brazil Hit The ’Ville” was centered on music, art, and food. It was hosted by the Somerville Arts Council’s ArtsUnion Project in partnership with the City of Somerville and SomerVIVA, the city’s language liaisons program.
Bringing together two of the largest immigrant populations served by the SomerVIVA program, the event was a “celebration of Somerville’s diverse population,” according to the Somerville Arts Council.
Jhenny Saint-Surin, the Haitian Creole language liaison with SomerVIVA and co-creator of Sunday’s festival, appreciates the connectedness of the city’s immigrant communities. Brazilians and Haitians, in particular “love soccer, love Carnival, and we eat a lot of rice and beans,” Saint-Surin said.
Somerville’s Haitian and Brazilian communities have bonded over the past two decades.
According to SomerVIVA, Haitians’ love of Brazilian soccer was sparked by “a 1978 visit by legendary player Pelé to Haiti, and the Brazilian-penned song “Haiti é Aqui” captures the significance of Haiti’s history to Brazilians.”
After the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, Brazil was the first country to donate to the Haiti Reconstruction Fund.
With the celebrations lasting from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., the festival grounds were free to enter and offered an array of entertainment and food choices, such as Haitian fritay and Brazilian churrasco.
Roommates Phung Nyugen, 30, and Alice Huang, 23, live a short walk away from Union Square. They gripped beef and chicken skewers, smiling broadly.
“It feels a bit like a farmers’ market,” Huang said. “It’s so colorful, though.”
Somerville’s immigrant community has always felt inclusive to Nyugen, who was born and raised in Vietnam and moved to Massachusetts in the last few years.
Many in attendance were recent immigrants who viewed the festival as an opportunity to bond with their community in Somerville and experience other cultures. Adriana Gama, 39, moved from Sao Paolo, Brazil, two months ago with her 4-year-old son.
“It’s been so difficult, especially since I have a son, to find food from our culture,” Gama said.
Smells rising from the food vendors’ tents accompanied performances by multicultural artists.
City of Cambridge poet populist Jean-Dany Joachim followed the festival’s welcoming statements with a series of poems in English and Haitian Creole. Joachim, who was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, performed poems on the joyfulness of children and the tragedy of wartime.
On a banner-draped stage, a Haitian konpa band and Brazilian band Samba de Tres played over a bustle of visitors examining homemade crafts and South American art.
Jewelry and clothing vendor Marie-France Merisier moved to Massachusetts from Haiti about 16 years ago. She offered a combination of hand-crafted goods and jewelry she imports from Haiti.
“We are all different, but at the same time we have cultures that are unified by art, music, and colors that are universal,” Merisier said.
The celebration was to conclude with a parade of revelers with flags, dancing to the drums, said Robson Lemos. Somerville resident Lemos, 35, helped decorate the square and was one of the presenters.
About a month in the making, the festival was “not just about entertaining people,” said Adriana Fernande, SomerVIVA’s Portuguese liaison. “It’s important for the immigrant communities to know that they are welcome and safe.”
Jennifer Smith can be reached at jennifer.smith@globe.com.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/08/24/somerville-celebrates-first-haitian-brazilian-cultural-festival/aoDJxRgxCOUt7DbKBaJ6DM/story.html

Cristobal douses Bahamas after at least 3 people caught up in swollen rivers on Hispaniola

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – Tropical Storm Cristobal doused the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands with heavy rainfall as it moved slowly on a northern track in the Caribbean. One man died over the weekend and two other people were reported missing when they were caught up by swollen rivers on the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Cristobal may strengthen into a hurricane later in the week over the open Atlantic. The storm's center was expected to curve away from the U.S. East Coast.
The man who died was drowned when he tried to drive his pickup truck across a rushing river in the Dominican Republic's Hato Mayor, a province northeast of the capital of Santo Domingo, Juan Manuel Mendez, the country's emergency operations director, said Sunday.
The two missing people were swept away late Saturday by a river that burst its banks in the western Haiti port town of Saint Marc. "We're still looking for the bodies," said Luckecy Mathieu, a civil protection coordinator.
Many residents in the sparsely populated southeastern Bahamas and the tiny British Caribbean dependency of the Turks and Caicos Islands hunkered down as Cristobal's rains pelted windowpanes.
Capt. Stephen Russell, head of the Bahamas' emergency management agency, said there had been no reports of damage. Air traffic to the southeastern Bahamian islands had not been suspended, but sea vessels were advised to remain in port, he said.
Turks and Caicos Premier Rufus Ewing advised residents to remain indoors as much as possible because the island chain south of the Bahamas was still experiencing heavy rains and "extensive flooding in low-lying areas," especially on Middle Caicos and North Caicos islands.
"The inclement weather is expected to linger for another 48 hours and the flooding is expected to worsen as a result," Ewing said in a Sunday statement.
Cristobal, which formed as a tropical depression over the Turks and Caicos Islands on Saturday, is the fourth depression of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Late Sunday evening, the storm had sustained winds near 45 mph (75 kph) and was located about 105 miles (165 kilometers) east-northeast of San Salvador, Bahamas. The rain-heavy storm was tracking north at about 5 mph (7 kph). U.S. forecasters said there should be a decrease in forward speed over the next couple of days, meaning Cristobal's center is expected to move near to or east of the central Bahamas through Monday.
U.S. forecasters say Cristobal could bring up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain to the Turks & Caicos Islands and southeastern and central Bahamas through Tuesday.
Before strengthening into a storm, it had downed several trees and power lines on Puerto Rico, leaving more than 23,500 people without power and 8,720 without water. There were a handful of reported landslides.
Police said in a statement that a small bridge collapsed Saturday in the central Puerto Rican town of Barranquitas, isolating some 25 families in the area. No one was injured.
___ AP writer David McFadden reported from Kingston, Jamaica, and Evens Sanon contributed from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/08/25/cristobal-douses-bahamas-after-at-least-3-people-caught-up-in-swollen-rivers-on/

Jamaica, Haiti into semis

By Ian Prescott ian.prescott@trinidadexpress.com
Story Updated: Aug 22, 2014 at 8:21 PM ECT
Haiti booked a spot at the 2014 Concacaf Women’s Championship from October 16-25 in the US, joining Jamaica as the two Group B qualifiers from the 2014 Women’s Caribbean Cup, currently taking place in Trinidad and Tobago.
Haiti won 4-0 over Puerto Rico on Thursday night at Ato Boldon Stadium (ABS), Couva, following up a convincing 5-1 victory over Bermuda two nights earlier at the same venue. Likewise, Jamaica won twice, beating Puerto Rico (4-1) and Bermuda (9-1).
Both Haiti and Jamaica have six points and will fight for the group’s top honours this evening from 6.15 p.m., at the ABS. The winner will move on to Tuesday’s Caribbean Cup final against the winners of Group A, which contains host Trinidad and Tobago. The losers will play for third spot in the tournament. Before tonight’s main clash, winless Bermuda and Puerto Rico will meet at 4 p.m.
Puerto Rico began intent on keeping World Cup hopes alive on Thursday night, and played much better than the final score might suggest. Haiti found trouble getting the two forwards to score in their opening win over Bermuda.
So, Haiti’s Polish head-coach Shek Borkowski made an adjustment. He dropped wasteful striker Marie Jean Pierre to the bench and pushed goal-scoring midfielder Lindsay Zullo up front. Still, two defenders were responsible for Hait’s first two goals.
Haiti had an early chance when the penetrative left-midfielder Manoucheka Pierre-Louis hit a “grounder” an inch wide. But it took one of several forceful overlapping runs by the speedy right-back to make the breakthrough in the ninth minute. Yvrose Geril came forward with a deep, penetrative run and just when she looked about to find a pass, shot the ball into the roof of the net at the near post.
Desperate, the Puerto Ricans were tougher for long periods of the first half and looked the better team. Their best player, midfielder Laura Suarez forced a good save from the Haitian keeper Geralda Saintilus-- one of several good Puerto Rico forward attacks. But, when Haitian captain and central defender Kencia Marseille poked a free-kick in from close up on the stroke of halftime, a 2-0 lead seemed to much to overcome.
The Haitians were more athletic, ran all match, and were willing to put in a tackle in every part of the field. California-born striker Samantha Brand then extended their lead with a shot into the roof in the 75th, following another forward run by the right-back. And striker Jean Pierre came off the bench and finished powerfully for a fourth goal in the 80th minute.
2014 CFU WOMEN’S CARIBBEAN CUP RESULTS:
(GROUP A):
(August 21)
Jamaica:, 9 (Shakira Duncan Goal 32rd, 45th, 47th & 76th) Donnakay Henry 5th & 90+2, Alicia Wilson 28th, Denecia Reid 78th, own goal) Bermuda 1 (Shantae Todd 70th)
Haiti 4 (Yvrose Gervil Goal 9th, Kencia Marseille 45th+, Samantha Brand 75th, Marie Jean Pierre 80th) vs Puerto Rico 0
(August 19):
Jamaica : 4 (Donnakay Henry 3rd pen., Shakira Duncan 34th & 51st, Nicole Campbell-Green 47th)
Puerto Rico: 1 (Laura Suarez 25)
Haiti: 5 (Marie Jean-Pierre 8th, Lindsay Zullo Goal 38th, Manoucheka Pierre-Louis 40th, Wisline Dolce Goal 86th, Jenerve Charles Goal 89th)
Bermuda: 1 (Shantae Todd 88th)

Visit to Haitian orphanage provides enduring inspiration

HOMASSIN, Haiti — About an hour’s drive from the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince is an oasis for children that is saving and changing lives. It is God’s Littlest Angels (GLA) orphanage.
Its origins actually go back to 1994, when U.S. missionaries John and Dixie Bickel, while in Haiti, were led to care for one very small, premature baby. That tiny baby girl was expected to die due to a lack of medical facilities in the area. But the Bickels rigged up a makeshift incubator and cared for the child, who was returned to good health and eventually went home.
The attention that the local community gave this event was so great that other mothers (and fathers) began bringing their sick and premature babies to the Bickels, asking for help. That was just the beginning.
Three years later, the Bickels ventured into international adoption and have been placing Haitian infants and toddlers with forever families in places such as the Twin Cities in Minnesota and Paris.
GLA is a Christian organization that partners with churches as well as faithful individuals for financial support and hands-on ministry.
I spent a week at GLA in late July during my own personal mission trip to Haiti. Many who take mission trips help build schools, or dig wells; I, on the other hand, have not been gifted with construction skills. Giving me a hammer or power tool could lead to someone getting hurt. Usually, that someone is me.
God has, however, blessed me with a sense of vision and the ability to take pictures that are, for the most part, in focus. So I offered the donation of my photography skills to help the orphanage in its fundraising and promotions. GLA accepted.
While I was at the orphanage, Judy Jacobson, her teenage daughter, Kenna, and Jacobson’s sister, Cheryl VanBeek, who had traveled from Alberta, Canada, were volunteering. The trio spent time with babies and toddlers, giving them one-on-one attention.
And a team of 13 came from the Highland Church of Christ in Robinson, Ill. The team spent a good amount of time doing painting and construction projects on a new facility that the orphanage will begin moving to in December.
Through the lens of my camera, I could see both groups sharing the love of Christ as they offered themselves as living sacrifices for these Haitian children through GLA. It was an inspiring week for me as I witnessed this. I don’t think I could help but be changed by what the staff and volunteers were doing for “the least of these.”
It was my third trip to Haiti, which by no means makes me an expert on the island nation or its problems. But each time I go, I seem to learn a little more and become a bit more attached to the people and the place.
On my first trip, I couldn’t wait to get home. This time, as I was leaving, I was already working on plans for a way to return.
God is at work and doing some amazing things in this impoverished country, and I can’t think of a better way to spend my time than by being a small part of that. For more on God’s Littlest Angels, go to glahaiti.org or call the group’s Colorado Springs office, 719-638-4348.
Chieftain photographer Bryan Kelsen can be reached at bryankelsen.com.
http://www.chieftain.com/news/world/2825012-120/orphanage-angels-god-haiti

Escaped Prisoners Feared To Be Among Detained Haitian Refugees

By NICO SCAVELLA
ROYAL Bahamas Defence Force officials have picked up more than 200 illegal Haitian migrants in two separate incidents that took place between Tuesday and Wednesday.
After the arrests, officials expressed concern that some of the immigrants might have been a part of the group of criminals who took part in a prison break in Haiti earlier this month.
According to officials, at 7:46 pm Tuesday, while on routine patrol, HMBS Arthur Dion Hanna apprehended 124 Haitians aboard a white 55-foot sailing sloop 26 miles west of Flamingo Cay, near Ragged Island.
The 100 men, 16 women, and eight children were taken into custody and subsequently taken to the Coral Harbour base where they were handed over to Immigration officials for further processing.
A little over 12 hours later, at 8am Wednesday morning, defence force marines stationed at the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park apprehended 100 Haitian nationals aboard a sailing sloop 10 miles southwest of Warderick Wells Cay. Officials believe even more immigrants were still in the area.
When The Tribune arrived at the Coral Harbour base yesterday afternoon, 80 of those migrants were on base before being turned over to Immigration officials for processing. At the same time, defence force officials had been sent to retrieve the remaining migrants.
While being handed over to immigration officials, one of the Haitian nationals, a lady, apparently fainted and had to be carried onto the bus by immigration officers. Her present condition is not known.
Up to press time, no final count of the immigrants picked up in the second exercise had been given.
While speaking with reporters, Senior Lieutenant Ricardo Barry said the Defence Force had “no confirmation” that some of the migrants might have been some of more than 300 prisoners who recently escaped from a prison just outside the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.
It is a big concern for us, and it’s something that we’re mindful of,” he said.
At this particular time the Royal Bahamas Defence Force is working in concert with Immigration and our medical team to ensure that persons coming into Coral Harbour are secure.”
The Tribune received reports that some of the migrants might have been “hostile”, however the officer said he had “nothing on record” about any resistance or hostility from the migrants. RBDF Commodore Roderick Bowe, in a press statement, issued his thanks to the Cuban Border Guard, the United States Coast Guard, the warden at the Exuma Land and Sea Park and the mail boat community “for their assistance” in the two apprehensions.
http://www.tribune242.com/news/2014/aug/21/escaped-prisoners-feared-be-among-detained-haitian/

Haiti judge orders arrest of former president Aristide

Thursday, August 21, 2014 | 11:15 AM
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) – A judge who has issued an arrest warrant for former president Jean Bertrand Aristide says he expects the police to bring the former head of state before him by force if necessary.
Lawyers representing Aristide have filed a motion seeking to have investigating judge Lamarre Bélizaire removed on the grounds of bias.
But the judge told the Port au Prince based news website, Haitian-Caribbean News Network (HCNN) that he had not revoked the warrant in light of the motion filed the former president.
"I issued an arrest warrant for Mr Aristide and I don't know what takes the police so long to bring him before me, because they know where he is," Belizaire said, adding “I heard rumours that I had waived the arrest warrant.
“I want to say that it is absolutely false. The warrant still holds and I am still the judge in charge of the inquiry and nothing has changed in that regard," he said, that he would continue his work in conformity with existing laws, without any form of abuse.
"I don't have any particular problem with anybody. I am a judge and I am only doing what the law requires me to do and that is all I can say for now," Belizaire added.
Aristide and several of his former colleagues have been accused of embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars from the State through his organisation, Aristide for Democracy Foundation and other organisations during the period 2001-04.
Aristide, a former Roman Catholic priest, and his colleagues including Mirlande Liberus, Yvon Neptune, Jean Nesty Lucien and Gustave Faubert, have also been banned from leaving the country.
The Dean of Port Au Prince first instance court, Raymond Jean-Michel, confirmed Tuesday that he had received a copy of a motion seeking recusal and disqualification of Justice Bélizaire on the grounds of bias.
Aristide's lawyers said their client did not receive the summons which was sent to his residence, but the judge believed he deliberately chose not to appear. Aristide's lawyers argue that the judge is now obligated to stop all proceedings in the case regarding serious acts of corruption blamed on the former leader, but legal observers say the arrest warrant against Aristide is still valid and that the judge may proceed with the criminal inquiry while relevant judicial authorities examine the request for recusal.
Supporters of the former president have been gathering near his home in the Tabarre district, in a show of support for the former leader, who spent seven years in exile in South Africa before returning to the country in 2011.
Last week, a spokesman for Aristide's Lavalas Family party, Ansyto Felix, said efforts to prosecute the former leader were part of a plan by the Michel Martelly administration to persecute political opponents, on the eve of crucial elections and in the face of popular discontent, "The government of President Martelly and Prime Minister (Laurent) Lamothe is doing nothing to solve the problems and meet the needs of the population," he said.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Haiti-judge-orders-arrest-of-former-president-Aristide

SUMMER TRIP TO HAITI LEAVES LASTING IMPRESSION ON HOUSTON TEENS

By Samica Knight
Thursday, August 21, 2014
MONTROUIS, Haiti (KTRK) --
Summer break is winding down, and while some kids spent the last few months shopping and sleeping late, one group recently returned from a trip they will never forget.
The local teens traveled to Haiti on a mission to help change the lives of a group of orphans. The impoverished country is still working to rebuild after the deadly earthquake four years ago. While on their trip, there were constant reminders that these kids were far from home.
Riding in the back of a loud diesel work truck was far from the air-conditioned, seat-belted vehicles they're used to. Sweating and sitting on wobbling chairs, volunteers from the Houston non-profit Help For Haiti, Inc. were now in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
Their reasons for coming on the trip were all very different.
"My dad sent me here because he said I'm ungrateful," said 18-year-old volunteer Bria Adams.
She, like many others, had never traveled this far outside of their comfort zone and were unprepared for what they would face when they got to the third-world country.
"I didn't think it would be this bad. I didn't think it would be this hot," said teen volunteer Billis Gordan. "It smells like the outdoors, and I kind of smell a lot of dog poop and stuff. It feels muggy."
Not having electricity or technology was definitely not something they were used to.
"This is the first time I've been away from my phone," said teen volunteer Zarissa LeBlanc.
Perhaps one of the most difficult things for the teens was living without central A.C.
"My night was horrible because I didn't bring a fan. I couldn't feel air, I thought I was dying," said 18-year-old Bria Adams about battling her mosquito net at night. "I think I started crying. I was aggravated not getting any sleep."
Their mission was to set up a summer camp for about 70 children who call Haiti's Canaan Orphanage home.
"All of the kids have been rejected, some of them since birth. So they don't know the true meaning of love. They don't know what true love is," said Sister Gladys Mecklembourg with the Canaan Christian Community.
It didn't take long for the volunteers to bond with children on the playground and in the classroom.
"We're at an orphanage and the kids just want to be hugged, they want to be touched," said president of Help For Haiti, Inc. Johnny Jones. "They want to smile at you, and how can you not react to that?"
It was a tough adjustment for these Houston teens, but their mission to help change the orphanage ended up changing them.
"The thought of not having your parents, you know, and they can still smile and live another day, and I don't know how I would get through it," said an emotional LeBlanc.
"It makes you realize how much you should appreciate your parents," Adams said. "I would talk to my parents more. I don't really talk to them now that I'm older."
Just when they thought their goal was to bring happiness to a group of orphans, they left with a renewed happiness themselves.
"Just seeing what they go through and how they're still happy. Their happiness makes me happy," said Gordan in tears.
Map My News
http://abc13.com/travel/trip-to-haiti-leaves-lasting-impression-on-houston-teens/273246/

Titans Cheerleader Finds Mission Trip to Haiti Rewarding

Titans cheerleader Ashley found her recent mission trip to Haiti rewarding after working to help underprivileged children.
By Danielle Bertiger
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Recently, our very own Ashley A. traveled to Haiti with the organization i’mME, whose mission is to empower orphans to find their true identity with the cultivation of families, orphan care, and stewardship.
More than 78 percent of Haitians live on less than $2 per day and 60 percent of Haitian children under 14 are orphans. The work that this organization does is incredible, as seen through our interview with Ashley about her journey.
What sparked your interest to go? I traveled to Kenya in 2007, which was my first encounter with third world poverty, and ever since that humbling and inspiring experience I have felt called to serve children in impoverished nations. I went to Kenya as a young woman forming her identity, and I returned to America forever changed.
After living in Africa’s largest slum for a month, my eyes were opened to true darkness and devastation, yet amidst this chaos and despair, I saw such joy, sincere faith and selflessness in the people I met. They were barely surviving and hardly owned a single material possession, yet were full of The Lord’s Spirit. Since then, I have felt an urgency to be among that kind of community once more, but for seven years I patiently waited upon the Lord to open that door again.
I was introduced to i’mME through Preserve the Light, a Christian organization for professional cheerleaders, because they had established a friendship with David Nelson, former wide receiver for the NY Jets. PTL offered an invitation to apply for a trip to Haiti as guests and volunteers of i’mME. I was overjoyed at the mere mention of this opportunity and quickly sent in my application!
What is your most treasured memory of the trip? My team and I arrived only a few days after the i’mME house had welcomed seven new children from a nearby orphanage that did not have the financial means to care for all the children. David, Patrick, and Lauren from i’mME, brought those who were the most severely malnourished into our home to provide emergency care. These children ranged from eight months to five years old and were on the verge of death due to illness and starvation. Since we lived with them, we nurtured and cared for them day and night as if they were our own.
One specific moment that will forever be in my heart was when we brought an orphan named Prosper to the i'mME house from the orphanage. I was overcome and in awe of God’s grace and abundant love. That entire ride home tears of joy relentlessly streamed down my face as I watched Prosper in the front seat filled with excitement and assurance knowing that he would now live; for the first time he felt safe and loved. The parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 became so real to me as I witnessed this child be found and brought home just as the son was found and welcomed home by his father with rejoicing and feasting.
It was such an honor to be a part of this beautiful moment as Christ gave new life to this child of His. I will forever hold in my heart the memories of seeing the children eat pizza for the first time, sing "Jesus loves me" before meals, dance to Michael Jackson in the evenings, hold their arms up to be held, or giggle when putting on some cool sunglasses and a new outfit. Although we cared for them tremendously, it was apparent they equally cared for us. I am forever grateful for the second family I gained that day.
Are you planning any future trips such as this? I now sponsor Robensley, a child who I fell in love with from the i’mME house in Haiti, so while I continue to support his growth, happiness, and health from Tennessee, I also hope to visit again within the year to hold him again. I am invested in those friendships and wish to remain involved with their mission. It is such a blessing to be a part of this family. I can testify that their presence in Haiti is creating significant transformation.
What is your advice for those wanting to go on mission trips?
Christ calls us to, “go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to all of creation,” (Mark 16:15). He doesn’t say you have to go to Kenya or Haiti, only that you must “go.” There is poverty near and far; people who are poor in spirit and/or poor financially exist in every place.
This is my advice.
(1) Pray and seek wisdom for the Lord to direct your steps.
(2) Research organizations or church groups before committing to join their team, so that you know if your vision aligns with theirs. Different groups have different approaches and you want to feel safe and at peace being in such an unfamiliar place.
(3) Prepare yourself to be comfortable being uncomfortable. I was covered in sweat, dirt, and tears the entire time. Vaccinate yourselves before going, pack appropriately in regards to clothing, medicines, and bug spray, familiarize yourselves with the customs and culture of your destination, and submit to your vulnerability. There’s beauty in giving it all up for His glory and immersing yourself to identify with those you are seeking out.
(4) Trust Him. He is all-knowing, all-present, and all-powerful. The Lord will guard and protect you on your travels.
http://www.titansonline.com/cheerleaders/article-1/Titans-Cheerleader-Finds-Mission-Trip-to-Haiti-Rewarding/aa9dbf47-ebe5-443c-885f-caead885cd3e

Caribbean Export assists Haiti

THU, AUGUST 21, 2014 - 6:00 PM
THE CARIBBEAN EXPORT Development Agency (Caribbean Export) recently held a series of high level meetings in Haiti aimed at strengthening relations with the country and setting the agenda for the agency’s commitment to supporting Haiti’s buoyant private sector.
In a meeting with Haiti’s Minister of Trade and Industry Wilson Laleau, Caribbean Export’s executive director, Pamela Coke-Hamilton said “Haiti has a role to play in integrating the Caribbean in to the world economy and there is a need to drive production and the export capacity”.
The delegation of Caribbean Export also met with National Authorising Officer of the European Development Fund Jean-Edner Nelson who expressed his gratitude for Caribbean Export efforts to drive the amalgamation of Haitian people into the Caribbean.
The meetings in Haiti were part of a road show the agency is undertaking to raise awareness regarding the grants that have been awarding to firms across the region under the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme.
In Haiti, eleven firms have been awarded grants with a total value of some US$324 000 over the 9th and 10th EDF with five of those being awarded in the most recent call for proposals. The companies were Caribbean Craft; Délicious Fruits, SA; Gade, SA; Kenscoff Manufacturing, SA and Produits des Iles (PISA), SA. These firms represent the agro-processing, manufacturing and creative industries.
Caribbean Export said with an overall increase of 200 per cent of grant funding awarded to Haitian firms between the 9th and 10th EDF, the results are encouraging. However, given the location and size of Haiti, it noted that the opportunity for growth is immense and the country has the potential - and is poised to become - the exporting centre of the region.
The agency will be hosting their annual Caribbean Exporters Colloquium during Caribbean Export Week and it is hoped that there will be significant involvement from Haiti in the activities.
Caribbean Export opened an office in Haiti in 2012 to facilitate the bi-national programme between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Now with a full complement of staff, it is anticipated that the team will not only develop stronger trade relations between Haiti and the Dominican Republic but also with the rest of CARICOM. (PR/NB)
http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/caribbean-export-assists-haiti/

Art mission helps Haitians heal through creative arts

By Dianne Tennyson
Aug 22 2014 12:01 am
I had the privilege of participating in Project Haiti in May with the nonprofit ArtReach Foundation. As a registered art therapist, I helped facilitate a two-week program at the Ecole Mixtre des Sibert in Port-au-Prince to train teachers, their students and community leaders.
The ArtReach mission is to heal and aid the development of children who have experienced war, violence, or natural disaster through the expressive arts of music, drama and dance.
ArtReach is an established leader in the therapeutic use of creative arts, having now helped more than a million children with projects in Bosnia, Lebanon, Jordan and the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Art therapy is a creative, nonthreatening venue for children dealing with trauma. Children are not only less articulate verbally but are often afraid to express themselves, so the metaphors of art are a powerful, direct means to deal with the intense emotions of horror, loss, sadness, anger, and isolation. Increased self-awareness, decreased anxiety, energy and empowerment increase a child's self-worth and confidence and help reconcile emotional conflict. This improved well-being increases their chances for a successful, fulfilling life. Any age can benefit from art therapy.
I have been to Bosnia twice with ArtReach. Most everyone I worked with there saw a family member murdered or raped during the war. They experienced the unthinkable. And while these trips were intensely memorable, my recent trip to Haiti has affected my life much more deeply. My Haitian "students" made me consider what is important in life. Having nothing, they know how to have fun with nothing! I haven't turned on the TV since I've been home.
I was shocked at the living conditions I saw while riding to the school from the Port-au-Prince airport, and again at the contrast provided at the Sibert School where Shadrick St. Louis was headmaster. It is a safe haven of hibiscus blooms, fruit trees and vegetables, a luscious oasis of hope in this, the ruins of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere,
As a witness to the life-changing effects of art therapy for many years as a therapist, I was still amazed at the response of one adult participant who presented us with a model house he created out of salvaged cardboard, construction paper and glue after attending five days of our workshop.
He cut intricate windows, doors and rooms for his house and had written Imagination Healing Center over the front door with the ArtReach logo above. This was his dream for Haiti; a place where Haitians could heal through the power of their imagination. He was so inspired by our workshop, he had traveled 18 miles by three different "tap-tap" rides (motorcycles) to deliver his gift.
Our team wept, knowing how many days it took him to create this amazing evidence his life had been changed so profoundly. His dream now was not simply of food, water, or jobs, but for sharing with his struggling country the healing he had experienced through the arts.
Two of our adult participants had never drawn before, since Haitian's educate using only rote memorization. It was incredible to see the joy of these two discovering a creative way to express themselves, teach and heal.
Another participant was so inspired he arrived at 7 a.m. to stay with us more than 12 hours to share a poster showing Haiti after the earthquake, Haiti now with new hope, and a future Haiti with water, food, vegetation and happiness. He could barely contain his excitement at what he had learned! A withdrawn 4-year-old boy did not want to participate the first day. But by the third day, he had been transformed into an outgoing, vivacious child we all wanted to bring home.
Our group participants also created mandalas, experiencing the power of sacred circles and universal symbols used in the world's religions and cultures for refuge and healing through what Carl Jung called the language of our unconscious self. They also created and walked a large labyrinth designed for psychological centering and meditation.
Haitians desperately want the education ArtReach offers, tools with which to cope and rebuild a new and better life. Help us continue our mission by donating generously, or for more information, go to www.artreachfoundation.org. The public can help by sponsoring a child at the Sibert School for $1 a day through www.heartinhaiti.com. And for more information about the Vincent's private art therapy practice, or Dianne's art school, visit www.artconnects.us or contact Dianne Tennyson Vincent, MAT, ATR at 843-870-7236.
Dianne Tennyson of Mount Pleasant has degrees in nursing and art, and a master's degree in art education. She has served as an art therapist for "Expressions of Healing," a cancer support group with Roper Hospital. She has her own art school, Art Connects.
http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20140822/PC1213/140829812/1004/art-mission-helps-haitians-heal-through-creative-arts

Massive Haitian Refugee Rescues off Bahamas

By George Backwell
Friday, August 22, 2014, 12:29 AM
Coast Guard crews and Royal Bahamian Defence Force (RBDF) rescued more than 400 Haitians illegally migrating in three separate at sea interdictions in the span of 11 days, informs the US Coast Guard.
Monday, an aircrew aboard a Coast Guard C-130 aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater located a 40-foot sail freighter riding low west of Ragged Island, Bahamas. Her Majesty’s Bahamian ShipArthur Dion Hanna arrived on scene the following day and safely disembarked 124 Haitian migrants and transported them to Coral Harbour Base for further processing. The vessel was grossly overloaded with 100 males, 16 females and eight children.
Thursday, the RBDF interdicted approximately 180 Haitian migrants aboard another dangerously overloaded sail freighter illegally migrating northwest of Great Exuma Island, Bahamas. There was no Coast Guard involvement in this case.
Earlier, crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Paul Clark interdicted and safely disembarked 101 Haitian migrants aboard an overloaded sail freighter before turning them over to the RBDF.
“I want to express my thanks and appreciation for the assistance received from the United States Coast Guard in providing critical information which culminated in the apprehension of the migrant vessel,” said Commodore Roderick Bowe, commander of the Royal Bahamian Defence Force.
Cronin added, “We will continue to diligently patrol the waters with our interagency partners to rescue and repatriate undocumented migrants who take to the sea. There is a controlled, safe, and legal means to enter the United States and we urge people to follow that process.”
In fiscal year 2014, the Coast Guard 7th District estimates that 4,921 Haitians, 3,216 Cubans and 539 Dominicans have attempted to illegally migrate via the sea. These numbers represent the total amount of at-sea interdictions, landings and disruptions in the Florida Straits, the Caribbean and Atlantic.
http://www.marinelink.com/news/massive-haitian-refugee375536.aspx

A Haitian immigrant student who holds Temporary Protected Status doesn't qualify for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

Immigration officials consider individuals with TPS to be in the U.S. lawfully, and thus not eligible for DACA, the program President Obama created for undocumented youth
Friday, August 22, 2014, 2:00 AM
Q: I AM here with Temporary Protected Status. Should I apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals? I am a political science student at Hunter College, CUNY. In 2010 when a terrible earthquake hit in my birth country of Haiti, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services granted me TPS.
Name Withheld, New York
Because you already have legal status, you don’t qualify for DACA, the program President Obama created for undocumented youth. USCIS considers individuals with TPS to be here lawfully and thus not eligible for DACA. In some ways, TPS is a better status than DACA. TPS holders have an easier time getting travel permission. In any event, neither status provides a direct path to permanent residence.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/immigrant-student-tps-change-status-daca-article-1.1910903

Haïti débute son tournoi avec une grande Victoire sur Les Bermudes

Lors du match ouverture du groupe A de la coupe féminine de la Caraïbes regroupant huit nations de la zone, les grenadières ont infligé une cinglante 5-0 à la sélection des Bermudes.
Les haïtiennes sont engagées avec sept autres sélections dans un tournoi préliminaire qualificatif pour la coupe du monde Fifa 2014.
Haïti et la Jamaïque faisant office de favorites partagent le groupe A avec Porto-Rico et Les Bermude.
Le groupe B est composé de Trinidad and Tobago pays organisateur, St Kitts-Nevis, Antigua-Barbuda and Martinique.
Les quatre demi-finalistes, donc les deux premiers de chaque groupe rejoindront les sélections des US, du Mexico, du Costa Rica et Guatemala pour un tournoi final de la CONCACAF en octobre prochain. Les trois premières seront directement qualifiées tandis que le quatrième aura accès à un match de barrage. Le Canda comme pays organisateur a déjà sa qualification en poche.
Haïti menée par l’entraineur expérimenté polonais Shek Borkowski, avec un palmarès intéressant forgé avec des clubs de femmes en Amérique et en Russie.
La sélections haïtienne s’appuient sur une continuité et sur l’expérience de six joueurs qui portaient les couleurs nationales déjà il y a quatre ans mais qui avaient été battues 5-0 par la sélection américaine lors des éliminatoires de la coupe du monde antérieure, une des meilleures du monde.
Parmi les points forts de la sélection Haïtienne les experts comptent un stopper d’une qualité exceptionnelle dans la personne du Capitaine Kencia Marseille, un solide et virevoltant milieu défensive Shanna Hudson, un ailier gauche explosif, Manoucheka Pierre-Louis.
On déplore l’absence d’une vraie tueuse en attaque.
Alors que la Jamaïque battait Porto-Rico 4-0, Haïti a dominé complètement une faible équipe des Bermudes. Déjà à la fin de la première mi-temps Haïti menait par trois buts à zéro se rendant le match plus facile grâce à des buts de Marie Jean Pierre, Linsay Zullo et Manoucheka Pierre –Louis, Malgré une meilleure prestation des Bermudes en deuxième mi-temps, les haïtiennes aggraveront le avec des annotation de Wisline Dolcé et Jenerve Charles. Le prochain match de la sélection haïtienne l'opposera à celle de Porto-Rico .

Opening wins for Haiti

By Ian Prescott ian.prescott@trinidadexpress.com
Haiti similarly dominated Bermuda. Haiti has a Polish head-coach Shek Borkowski, who has won with women’s club teams in America and Russia. Fielding an experienced team containing six members of the national team which four years ago lost 5-0 to the US in World Cup qualifying, Haiti also possessed an exceptional stopper in captain Kencia Marcseille, a solid bruising defensive midfielder Shanna Hudson, a penetrative left-winger Manoucheka Pierre-Louis, but non-lethal strikers.
Haiti led 3-0 at the half. First, perennial off-side striker Marie Jean Pierre put in a rebound from close up for the opening goal in the eighth minute, before midfielder Linsay Zullo’s forceful solo run ended with a low shot down the centre of goal in the 37th minute. Left wide midfielder Pierre-Louis gratefully accepted a gift three minute later when an errent clearance picked her out at the back post, where she scored.
Bermuda were marginally better in the second half, where all three goals came in the dying minutes. A fierce 30-yard shot from central midfielder Wisline Dolce made it 4-0 for Haiti in the 86th minute, before Shaunte Todd emphatically replied for Bermuda with a similar long-range shot just a minute later.
Substitute striker Jenerve Charles then made it 5-1 by shooting past advancing Bermudan keeper Jaeda Smith, after running onto a through ball. Later, Bermuda’s Todd almost repeated her long goal from a free-kick, while Haiti’s Jean Pierre, twice, also missed a near open goal, before she was taken off.
The Women’s Caribbean Cup is being contested by Jamaica, Haiti, Puerto Rico and Bermuda in Group A, while Group B contain host Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts-Nevis, Antigua-Barbuda and Martinique.
The four semi-finalists from the eight-team tournament join the US, Mexico, Costa Rica (Central America Group 2 winners) and Guatemala (Central America Group I winners) for the CONCACAF Championship in October, when the top three teams qualify automatically, and the fourth team win a play-off spot to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Another CONCACAF team Canada also qualifies as World Cup host.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Opening-wins-for-Haiti-and-Jamaica--272100711.html

Haitian Nationals Busted With False Belizean Visas At P.G.I.A.

Aug 20, 2014
Two Haitian nationals carrying passports with fake Belizean visas were busted by Immigration authorities at the Phillip Goldson Airport on Tuesday. The men, thirty-two-year-old Donald Gedeon and thirty-six-year-old Choubert Senat, arrived in Belize on the Avianca flight from El Salvador with Haitian passports.
They attracted attention because they seemed to be lingering at the back of the line.
The officer on duty requested their passports and embarkation forms, which were incomplete. The address on the said forms was Belmopan, with no address or house number.
The visas in the passports were immediately recognized as counterfeit, since they lacked security features and were noticeably different.
The men would tell authorities only that they paid five hundred US for the visas.
Both Haitian nationals appeared in court this afternoon and were charged with attempting to use a permit/visa which was not issued to be used by lawful authority.
They pleaded guilty and were fined two thousand dollars, in default one year in prison. Upon payment of the fine, both men would have been placed on a flight back home.
But by four thirty this afternoon neither Senat nor Gedeon were able to meet the fines.
Both were escorted to the Belize Central Prison.
http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/102915

RBDF apprehends 124 illegal Haitian migrants in Southern Bahamas

By Royal Bahamas Defence Force
Aug 20, 2014 - 6:34:37 PM Coral Harbour Base, 20 August, 2014 (RBDF) - The Royal Bahamas Defence Force apprehended one hundred and twenty-four (124) Haitian Migrants at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday, 19th August, 2014, while on routine patrol in the Southern Bahamas.
The white fifty-five (55) feet sailing sloop was intercepted at approximately twenty-nine nautical miles (29nm) off Flamingo Cay Light in the Northern Ragged Island Chain by Defence Force Patrol Craft HMBS Arthur Dion Hanna under the Command of Lieutenant Commander Christoper Darville. A search of the vessel resulted in the apprehension of undocumented Haitian Nationals consisting of one hundred(100) males, sixteen(16) females, and eight (8) children.
The Migrants were subsequently taken into custody and are currently being transported to Coral Harbour Base where they will be handed over to Immigration Authority for further processing.
The Commander Defence Force, Commodore Roderick Bowe, expresses his thanks and appreciation for the assistance received from the Cuban Border Guard and The United States Coast Guard in providing critical information which culminated in the apprehension of the migrant vessel.
http://www.thebahamasweekly.com/publish/local/RBDF_apprehends_illegal_Haitian_migrants_in_Southern_Bahamas36524.shtml

« RestringHaiti” Provides Repaired instruments to Haitian music Students

by Phil Bolton | August 20, 2014
On Jan. 12, 2010, Lizzy Sandlin was a 12-year-old eighth grader at the Atlanta International School busily studying the courses required on the international baccalaureate diploma track and practicing the viola, her instrument of choice.
Before starting at the international school the year before, she had spent eight years inGermany with her parents where her father had been rector of an Episcopal church in Frankfurtand an avid musician who plays the viola as well.
It was her father who first told her about Haitiand the Holy Trinity Music School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, she recalled in an interview with Global Atlanta.
“My Dad has always told me about this music school in Haiti, where the director of the school is a violist and Episcopal priest — just like him,” she said.
She recalled hearing about the Jan. 12 catastrophic earthquake and its aftershocks that killed hundreds of thousands of Haitians that fateful month.
But she didn’t comprehend the extent of the devastation until visiting Haiti two years later to teach viola lessons at the Holy Trinity Music School.
The school is affiliated with Haiti’s Episcopal Cathedral, which was destroyed, as were its outlying buildings for academic, trade and music classes. Additionally, its three grand pianos, 20 upright pianos and a music library were destroyed as well.
“Although I was there nearly two years after the earthquake few rebuilding efforts had been made,” she said. “I saw the circumstance many of the students themselves were living in, and how music was a way for them to escape.”
Their passion to play was obvious, she said. But the earthquake claimed many of the instruments, and many of the surviving instruments had missing parts.
“It was hard to see so many passionate young musicians, my age and younger, who loved playing, but had no instrument to play on,” she added.
“Some of the students I taught didn’t have their own instruments and would spend the first half of their lesson times looking for someone who didn’t need theirs right then.”
Even those who were able to find a violin or a viola to play, they couldn’t count on the instrument having all four strings.
“These were never things that I have had to even think about,” she said. “I knew that I had to help the students in whatever way I could, so I started collecting donations from various people around the country.”
Her first steps were to launch a blog and compile a list of musicians to whom she wrote asking for their help. The initial responses were positive.
For instance, the San Antonio Symphony sent bags of supplies including a variety of instruments parts. Heidi Castleman, a viola professor at the Julliard School at theLincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York and a family friend, sent some 200 worn strings.
Lizzy managed to collect five boxes of instruments, strings, bows, pegs, other parts and rosin, which she sent off to Port-au-Prince.
Meanwhile, the music education at the school continued in Haiti with lessons in all the orchestral instruments, piano and voice.
In view of her early success and the responsiveness of the Haitian students, she decided to form a nonprofit to further their support and learned to fill out the application for a 501(c) 3 status.
Hence RestringHaiti Inc. came to life. Before it was an official nonprofit, Lizzy managed to send three violins and a viola to the music school. Once the initiative became a legal entity, however, she stepped up the fundraisers, benefit concerts and instrument drives and it has been a conduit for many more including 15 violins from the Lovett School in Atlanta.
“I got those this spring,” she said, “and since most of them needed some work done before they could be played, I spent about a month working at Stephanie Voss’ violin shop here in Atlanta, fixing them up to be shipped down to Haiti.”
Her next step in regards to what inevitably is to be a “lifelong mission” for her, according toGinger Fay, her Upper School Counselor at the Atlanta International School, is to visit Haiti again so she can teach the students how to secure their own supplies and instruments and learn to repair them — just as she did.
Meanwhile, she has continued her own involvement with the Atlanta Young Singers, participating with this musical group, one of several with which she has been involved over the years, on a summer tour in Europe to compete in the World Choir Games, an international competition that was held in Riga, Latvia.
Currently she is starting her freshman year at Barnard College in New York. She said that she isn’t totally certain about what to study but has an interest in international politics, human rights and French, which she wants to learn “at least enough to be able to communicate better with people in Haiti.”
http://www.globalatlanta.com/article/27109/restringhaiti-provides-repaired-instruments-to-haitian-music-students/