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Our articles provide a forum for some of our
readers,
and ocasionally one of our team members, to
share with
our community at large about a topic that is
near and
dear to his/her heart. We welcome this
opportunity for
us all to learn, to reflect, and as a result
grow in
our understanding of how we can better support
each
other and to a larger extent, our home land of
Haiti.
We hope to be able to provide appropriate
translations
to all of the articles, so that they can be
accessible
to as many of our readers as possible. As
always, we
encourage you to submit an article to us, or
to send
us some feedback about the articles presented
here.
Urban
Walk for Haiti
Wan Pierre Louis
On a bright
day,
with a nice weather, a healthy environment, a
few representatives
from the Urban Walk Organization and a
majority of non-Haitians
gathered to walk for a great cause.
Many
people in the
area were walking their dogs, fishing,
jogging, and
running around the Charles River repeating
their weekend
routine. A few vendors took the opportunity to
show
and sell their wares such as T-shirts with the
emblem
of Urban Walk for Haiti.
The event
began
with performances from local artists
displaying their
talents. Musical, reading and encouraging
poems were
delivered to a much receptive and encouraging
crowd
by various artists.
The Urban
Walk mostly
composed of younger folks (High school and
College students)
departed at approximately 1:30 PM from 31
Auburn Street
turning to De Wolfe Street toward Memorial
Drive around
The Charles River. Many walked with family and
friends.
A few bystanders were looking on the more than
a thousand
non-Haitians partaking in this event due to
some exposure
to the Haitian culture, or their association
with Haitian
organizations here in the US and in Haiti or
due to
their multiple visits in Haiti and wished to
support
this initiative for our land.
The entire
Walk went
on very smoothly while photographers and few
other representatives
from the media were taking pictures and
interviewing
some of the participants and organizers of the
group.
This Walk
was very
promising, encouraging for its cause,
impressive given
the fact that several individuals gave up part
of their
agenda to attend and support this effort for a
much
needed cause. However the lack of support of
Haitian
Nationals for the movement was glaringly
lacking.
The hope
for next
year should be the improved attendance of more
Haitians
participating at the creating of an increased
awareness
in Haiti for improved Healthcare.
Urban
Walk for Haiti
Stanley Moreau
The Urban
Walk for
Haiti has been going strong for 4 years now. I
became
aware of this event last year while on
Haitianconnection
from Lapesonn, a member from the site.
Regretfully I didn’t
take part in the march. Since then I made it a
priority
of mine to be part of this great project, which,
to my
astonishment, was the initiative of some High
School students
from the Boston area. It’s only a 3 mile walk
benefiting
Partners Health, a Boston-based organization
supporting
health ventures in places like Haiti,
Peru…
founded by none other than Dr. Farmer. Hopefully
it would
become an
event that I partake in every year.
Before I even start with my review and get into
the
details, if you are planning
on attending this walk next year, taking the
train
will be your best option. It will save
you a lot of time and money. There was a garage
where
you could park for free
but you have to know the area and trust me it’s
quite busy down there. I got there
around a quarter past 1pm. I wasn’t late for
the march since we started walking
roughly at 1:30 pm but I missed all the activities
and performances that took place
prior to the walk. From what I gathered we had a
gospel
singer, a Hip Hop group, a
staff member who talked about the history of the
walk…
Dr. Farmer wasn’t present
as I’m sure he is a busy guy.
I
honestly didn’t
know what doing a 3 mile walk was going to be
like since
I
was doing it for the first time. It was a piece
of
cake. I didn’t remember to maintain
the duration of the march but truthfully it
wasn’t
needed because it was all fun and short.
I was down with some friends and met other HC
members
as well. In general people
were walking, laughing, listening to their Ipod,
walking,
having a good time and
supporting a good cause all at once. It wasn’t
something out of the ordinary. We were
back at the starting point and first word that
came
out of my mouth was “already” , that’s
how fast and fun the walk was.
I was
extremely
happy because I knew I was doing it for a
great cause.
I was also delighted to see the amount of
foreigners
present to support us on one hand but on the
Other it
was a huge disappointment. I’m very
comfortable
saying that the ratio of Haitians/foreigners
was around
1/9, meaning that at least 90% of the people
at the
walk supporting an Haitian cause were
non-Haitians.
A little walk that didn’t even last two hours
could not get enough support from our owns.
When we
got back they had already raised nearly
$30,000, and
I’m sure that was only the fraction of all
contributions
since it was still early. I just want to say
“big
up” to Dr. Farmer, the Walk for Haiti crew and
everyone who participated. It’s always good to
see concerned people coming together for
something positive.
I’m just hoping for a more robust involvement
from Haitians next year.
The
4th Annual Urban Walk for Haiti
(www.urbanwalkforhaiti.org) is fast approaching! This
is a wonderful community event being held on Saturday, March 31,
2007 at 29 Mt. Auburn St. in Cambridge, MA. Registration begins
at 12pm. The goal of this yearly affair is simple: to raise money
and awareness for Haiti through the Boston-based non-profit
organization, Partners in Health (PIH) (www.pih.org).
For
those unfamiliar, PIH provides innovative community-based medical and
social service programs and essential public health interventions to
the most impoverished areas in Haiti. Guided by the health initiatives
of world-renowned Dr. Paul Farmer, co-founder of PIH, the aim is to
achieve global equity in access to resources, to give everyone the same
opportunity to improve one’s wellbeing, as evident by the
organization’s vision:
“Whatever it takes…
At its root, our mission is both medical and moral. It is based
on solidarity, rather than charity alone. When a person in Peru, or
Siberia, or rural Haiti falls ill, PIH uses all of the means at our
disposal to make them well—from pressuring drug manufacturers, to
lobbying policy makers, to providing medical care and social services.
Whatever it takes. Just as we would do if a member of our own
families—or we ourselves—were ill.”(http://www.pih.org/who/vision.html)
And they have been working incessantly towards that for the past 20+
years; their work is groundbreaking.
The 3-mile Urban
Walk for Haiti provides a unique chance for those in the New England
area to take part in a local activity that directly benefits our
beloved Haiti that has been incapacitated by lack of basic
health, educational and social resources and sound
infrastructures for quite some time. This event affords us the
opportunity to support PIH whose remarkable services are saving lives
and improving the quality of life to the most vulnerable in Haiti,
pursuant to their schemes that actively combat the harmful social
constructs (such as poverty and crime) that are prohibiting many from
receiving quality care.
I ask that you join
me in contributing to this wonderful cause by joining the walk,
spreading the word, and/or by raising money. Andry of Boston has
participated in the Urban Walk for Haiti for the past two years and
believes this is a great way to help make a difference. “I simply
felt like it was the least I could do. My wife, Sandra, and I for
sometime were wondering what we could do to contribute in bettering the
situation back home when a co-worker told her about this Walk. We
jumped all over it. We quickly tried to rally as many friends and
family as we could. Between our friends who came through and us,
we raised a decent amount of money. The Haitian turn out was a bit
disappointing, but it didn't diminish the warm feeling of contributing
in what ever small way it might have been.” I myself did not
attend the Walk last year, but I am hoping that we will come out in
droves this year, helping to make it a great success once again.
In the last two
years, 100% of the funds raised by the Urban Walk have
helped equip operating rooms, provide community health education and
medicine, construct reliable shelter, encourage water/food programs and
raise the standard of living. So you may give with confidence; ANY
amount you can donate is appreciated. Just to give you an idea of
what our investments can do, please click HERE.
There are a couple
ways you can make a tax-deductible donation of which 100% of the
proceeds directly fund the organization's initiatives in Haiti:
- To donate, call (978) 505-5608, or email info@urbanwalkforhaiti.org
. Cash and checks are accepted with all checks payable to Partners
in Health.
- A fundraising website was also created, making it easy
to make a fast and completely secure donation with your credit
card. Simply go to www.firstgiving.com/mystique_PIH and click on the
"sponsor us now" button. The
contributions made on this site go directly to the charity.
Please continue to
spread the word to anyone you feel might want to participate in the
Urban Walk for Haiti and support PIH! Haitian music, dancing and
crafts also promise to be on hand as we walk along the Charles River,
so bring the whole family, your friends, and neighbors. The Annual
Walk for Haiti in Cambridge is an event that should not be missed. See
you there!
Testimony:
A Breast Cancer Survivor Story
By Guerline (last name witheld)
The story that I'm going to tell is a
personal one
about my battle with breast cancer. A lump was found in my lower
right breast while getting
a routine exam from my family doctor. At the time, I was
divorced and dealing with other serious
health concerns; I was already going through so much. Needless
to say, I was scared! I had to
return to have tests, such as a biopsy, done on the mass to find
out if it was malignant.
When my test results came back, both my mom and older sister were
right there with me. It
was my older sister who read my results out loud: It was cancer
at Stage I. That's when
reality hit: I had breast cancer at 27 years of age. I remember
asking, "Doctor, how could
this happen to me at such a young age?" Not knowing what to
expect, I feared dying in this way.
Despite my shock and
horror, doctors were encouraging and gave me a lot of
hope that I was going to beat this. Fortunately, the cancer was
in an early stage (Stage I). We soon began
to discuss treatment options. The specialists suggested I
undergo surgery and chemotherapy. First would be
surgery as soon as possible to remove the tumor, followed by two
weeks of chemotherapy for the remainder of
the treatment. The treatment itself brought forth both benefits
and potential risks, including possible
complications. Yet it was successful in that the cancer was now
gone. I was a breast cancer survivor.
About two years had passed,
two years in remission. I was 29 years old doing a
breast self-exam one day. I began the exam on my left breast and
everything looked and felt just fine.
I proceeded to do the exam on my right breast when I felt another
lump in the same area where I had
previously had surgery. I was in disbelief! I repeatedly asked
myself why this was happening to me…..again!
Without hesitation I went to my doctor, the same one who had
performed the surgery for my first battle, and
he confirmed it; the breast cancer had returned, a recurrence. I
was now facing my second battle with
breast cancer. Once again, I was advised to undergo three weeks
of chemotherapy and to have the
lingering cancer cells removed. Having faith in God and a
support system truly helped - gave me
strength to help me fight this for a second time. During this
second bout, I had also met someone new,
the love of my life. To this day, I continue to receive support
from my family and my boyfriend's family
and kids, and I'm grateful. I'm in remission now and I have been
without the cancer for two years.
I am pushing 32 years of age in November and I just love life. It
is a blessing to me.
My advice for the
ladies that are reading my story, regardless
of your age, please go get yourself checked. It's not just women
in their 40s or older that get this;
it's also women in their 20s and 30s. I was 27 years old when I
was first diagnosed with breast cancer,
and then again at age 29. Perform breast self-exams periodically
and go get yourself checked regularly
by a health professional. Early detection is key. As a proud
supporter of breast cancer research,
my mission as a survivor is to have courage that I can beat this
cancer, that we all can beat cancers
of all types one day, and to encourage you to believe in the
same. Don't take your wellbeing for
granted. Seek the help you need. Survive!
Essay:
L'Obscurité d’Haïti
By Gourdet Mie. Magdala
Depuis le phénomène de l'Insécurité en
Haïti le Kidnapping ne
cesse de faire son petit bonhomme de chemin. Certains Haïtiens ont peur
de sortir le soir pour les
bals traditionnels des Week-End. Faisons un petit tour pour la fin du
mois de Juillet: le samedi 22
Juillet au " FESTIVAL BON KONPA" dans le parking de l'ex Regency a eu
plusieurs groupes musicaux
comme: Djakout Mizik, Kreyol la, Black Alex pour ne citer que cela. Dans
le "FESTIVAL DE L'AMITIE"
le 23 Juillet au Champs Mars, le Champs de Mars a reçu plusieurs groupes
comme Ram, Jackito, Back Up,
Les Rappeurs de "Zo Pa Kwit" de Citer Soleil, et sans oublier le petit
protége de Wyclef " Black Alex".
Le 29 Juillet a Marqué les 3 ans de Mass Konpa, Gracia Delva qui s'est
surnommé " GODFATHER".
Le 30 au Latanier Bar, le chanteur de charme Jude Jean a lancé
officiellement son groupe au nom de "CHILL".
Durant toutes ces soirées le public ne
coulait pas a flot a cause de
l'Insécurité. De ce coté Haïti est noir. Parlant à un bon nombre de gens
qui sont des " BEBE PROGRAMME"
tous racontent qu'ils ne sortent plus la nuit, parce qu'ils ont peur,
mais Stéphanie nous raconte: "
J'étais comme un Bébé programme je ne perdais jamais un bal, j'étais
toujours de la partie. Le vent de
l'insécurité commençait a souffler sur Haïti, là j'ai eu très peur de
sortir, même quand je laisse le
fac le soir si je ne suis pas chez moi mon coeur ne s'arrête pas de
battre, car j'ai pu constater que
quand il y a un problème en Haïti le domaine scolaire et universitaire
sont les premiers a être pris
en chasse. Je me suis dit qu'il y as pas d'avenir pour les jeunes en
Haïti, car beaucoup d'entre eux
cherchent à laisser le pays, peur d'aller a l'école, à l'église, dans
les soirées même au Market,
voici l'avenir des jeunes en Haïti ".
Les activités culturelles en Haïti jour
comme la nuit sont
paralysées, tout comme l'espoir des jeunes. Quand ils ne sont pas des
rats, ils sont des chauves
souris.
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