BRINGING HEART AND HEALING TO HAITI: HAITI SUMMER SERVICE PROJECT 2012 REPORT
The Haiti Summer Service Project for 2012 saw a new approach to the needs of the people of Cap Haitien, Haiti, the site of our Haiti Summer Service Project for the past four years. Rather than just bring in food, clothing and medicines, we chose to add character education for the youth as well as health care education for the adults. To respond to requests from principals and teachers in Cap Haitien as well as women leaders to help teach the young people right from wrong, we decided to share the character education curriculum of the Universal Peace Federation, founded by the Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, husband of WFWP founder Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon.
With the support of Angelika Selle, president of WFWP USA, and many WFWP chairwomen from across America, a group of six volunteers from the U.S. joined with Family Federation for World Peace members and volunteers in Cap Haitien to provide a week-long program of seminars and medical clinics. Rev. Alexandre Decimus graciously opened his church as our venue for the entire week. Around 300 teachers, students, ministers, community leaders and citizens participated, and about as many patients were seen by the doctors. All in all, this year's service project was more productive and rewarding than any of the past.
I. CHARACTER EDUCATION FOR THE YOUTH & HEALTHCARE EDUCATION FOR THE ADULTS
Our group traveled to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and then on to Cap Haitien, Haiti, arriving after about a 24-hour trip. Cap Haitien still does not have a workable airport. Our team consisted of Rev. Jeddie King (Interfaith Community Church founder in Kissimmee, Fla.) and his wife, Rev. Elma King (founder of Now Is the Time Ministry as well as 3 other radio ministries); Ms. Robin Baldwin (master's graduate of the University of South Florida's Africana Studies program and elementary school teacher); Dr. Nana Siti Opio (naturopath physician and midwife from Atlanta), Ms. Alessandra Haynes (current medical student at USF) and Mrs. Evelyne Drake (Tampa, Fla., WFWP chairwoman and founder of the Haiti Summer Service Project).
On Day One, we focused the first half of the day on Character Education presentations by Ms. Baldwin. Mr. Douyon Dameus, FFWP member, translated these the night before into French. Ms. Baldwin started with an introduction to the UPF character education program, and afterward she gave an overview of the "Discovering the Real Me" book series, with audience participation in skits and role-playing. One elementary school teacher remarked that even the kindergartners could understand the story of "The Dog and His Reflection." Another could see how the character education stories would blend well with traditional Haitian stories.
The Cap Haitien principals and teachers had expressed real concern for their students during our service project last year. They saw the young people abandoning the ethical and moral standards that traditional Haitian society had taught. They felt that the "Discovering the Real Me" book series could help reverse this trend. This is truly what prompted our decision to bring character education to Cap Haitien. The response to Ms. Baldwin's talks was very positive, and 100 participants were selected for further training.
The second half of the day, everyone was treated to the expertise of Dr. Nana Site Opio, a homeopathic doctor and midwife from Atlanta. She shared many techniques and much wisdom regarding health care that the audience appreciated greatly. She demonstrated how to relieve pain and discomfort through various maneuvers. Dr. Opio explained how to relieve stress through proper breathing. She went into reflexology to show how the organs and nerve endings are connected. The audience was enthusiastic and asked questions for over an hour.
II. DIVINE PRINCIPLE FAMILY EDUCATION
Haiti Relief Group
We were blessed to have Rev. and Mrs. Jeddie King present the Divine Principle and its family values education. On Day Two, Mrs. King began our seminar by sharing with us several songs from her CDs--"Now is the Time" and "Blessings"--that she wrote and are popular in the U.S. The participants were moved by Mrs. King's musical ability, and some of the youth asked Mrs. King how she came to sing so well and how they could develop their musical ability.
Mrs. Drake, as emcee, then introduced Rev. Jeddie King to the audience. Rev. King taught "The Principle of Creation" as his first lecture, referring to many scriptures from the Bible, which pleased the ministers, covering well the concept of the three great blessings that God gave to mankind in Gen. 1:28. He explained that the first and second blessings are not the same thing, which was eye-opening for everyone. There was a question-and-answer session after the talk, and many had deep questions for Rev. King.
After the lecture on Divine Principle, and after a fine lunch donated by WFWP, Dr. Opio shared more of her knowledge of health care. She spoke extensively on proper nutrition for healing and talked deeply about advantages of home birth and midwifery. She shared a video on an actual home birth with the title "Sage Femme," which is French for midwife. The audience was amazed to see how the entire family came together to support the mother in giving birth.
On Day Three, Rev. King continued teaching the Divine Principle Family Education. His first lecture was "The Fall of Man." He covered the root of sin and evil, the meaning of the fruit and the trees in the biblical account of the Garden of Eden, the actual sin committed by Adam, Eve, and the Archangel Lucifer, as well as the identity of the serpent, the motivation and process of the Fall and the activities of Satan in our world today. Next, Rev. King taught "The History of Restoration," explaining that God has worked continuously throughout history to find a central figure and a chosen people to indemnify the failures of human history and prepare the way for the Messiah. Last, but not least, Rev. King lectured on the "Second Coming of Christ," sharing that "new wine must be put into new wineskins." He said that everyone must prepare to receive "new truth" that will enable us to receive the Lord of the Second Coming and help usher in God's Kingdom.
Following the family education, Rev. and Mrs. King officiated in the Holy Marriage Blessing ceremony for the married couples present. Everyone was uplifted, and the ladies became excited when the marriage vows were read, clapping their hands enthusiastically.
III. GRADUATION AND RECEIVING OF CERTIFICATES
Following the family blessing, all 300 participants joined in a graduation ceremony and received a certificate for the character education and health education seminars as well as another certificate for the Divine Principle Family Education seminar. All were grateful for what they had received and look forward to future trainings. We took pictures and greeted one another.
The ministers were on fire and asked Rev. King and all of us to return again as soon as possible to teach more seminars. They promised to gather a large contingent of clergy to hear the Divine Principle Family Education. Also, many older youth and some pastors want to teach the character education series. During our final two days, we focused on helping volunteer doctors consult patients and hand out medications. Alessandra Haynes worked with Ms. Baldwin and a volunteer nurse from Haiti to handle the pharmacy. Rev. and Mrs. King and I were invited by one of the announcers of the Christian radio station 4VEH, a well-known station in Haiti and throughout the world, including the United States and Canada, to be interviewed on the air. It was well received, and we also gave two more interviews to be broadcast later.
I want to thank my entire team of volunteers, who sacrificed a lot to make this project a success. May God bless Rev. and Mrs. King, who gave their whole hearts to the people of Cap Haitien; Ms. Robin Baldwin, who did a fantastic job presenting the character education program and reaching out to the youth; Dr. Nana Siti Opio, our wonderful grandmother, who educated us deeply healthwise;
Alessandra Haynes, who helped with registering guests and with the pharmacy; and the wonderful FFWP staff in Cap Haitien led by Douyon Dameus, Gardy Charles, and Dimache Jackson, and friend Mr. Gerald Martin, without whose outstanding effort our project couldn't have been possible. Also, once again, many thanks to the WFWP USA president and chairwomen who supported us.
Our future plan is to continue with the character education training to help the youth, to continue the Divine Principle Family Education with the ministers and to build a school in the rural area to give basic elementary education for the children who have little opportunity to learn due to lack of transportation and money for books.
