Rose-Marie Chierici

We are coming up to our fifth anniversary, a significant landmark for projects like ours! As we look back there are important milestones and learning experiences to cherish: the clinic was dedicated in March 1996; Sarah Brownell installed solar panels at the clinic in ‘98; the mill began operations in ‘98; the micro-lending project opened in ‘99; and we became H.O.P.E. (Haiti Outreach – Pwoje Espwa) in August of ‘99. However, what stands out most clearly are the relationships that we have built with people in Borgne and with supporters, friends, and colleagues outside of Haiti. The Education Committee has traveled to Borgne twice to offer seminars to local teachers; every summer since 1996 college and medical students have spent time working on various projects and learning about Haitian culture; we had a board retreat in Borgne in ‘98; and women in Rochester and women in Borgne still exchange letters as part of the Fanm a Fanm program. The articles in this newsletter highlight the kinds of stories that those of us who travel to Borgne bring back. The writers interpret for you what they have learned and bring Borgne a step closer to Rochester.

Over the course of these five years the meaning and purpose of the work we do together have also become clearer to us. At times, we have stopped to reflect on the deeper meaning of our mission statement: to work in solidarity with the people of Borgne and to stand by them as they struggle to build a just and equitable community. We’ve found that to stand in solidarity with someone means to work together, to allow those we consider our partners in this venture’the people of Borgne’to implement their own vision and decide what their community needs. We listen and learn from them. We’ve discovered the meaning of friendship, as it is defined in Borgne. A friend is someone you can count on in hard times and celebrate with in good times. We’ve struggled to accept that cooperation means to have equal say and make decisions together. It means that sometimes what “we” envisioned for the people of Borgne was not what “they” would choose. We’ve struggled with humility, generosity, and commitment.

This year we are particularly mindful of the interconnectedness of people across borders and across social classes and of the increasing need to work for justice and meaningful social change. We learned about the meaning of community and of mutual support as we watched base Christian communities (ti legliz) at work in Borgne and began to unravel the intricate network of community organizations, rotating saving associations, and patterns of exchange that ensure that resources are distributed among friends and kin. More than ever, we realize the value of people development and of collaboration as a way toward bridging the gap that separates rich and poor, powerful and powerless.

November is the time we dedicate to fund raising activities. This year we thought that it was important to share what we have learned in Borgne with you, our Rochester community. The Round Table discussion on Community Development in the Age of Globalization is a first step in that direction. We hope to open a dialogue with other organizations doing the same kind of work here and in other Third World countries. It is our hope that this program will contribute to the larger discussion on globalization by focusing attention on the impact of global processes at the grassroots level. We live in a time of plenty yet so many around the globe live in abject poverty, at the margins of booming economies.

We continue to dream and look forward with our friends in Borgne and with the help of our friends in Rochester. On the horizon we see a maternal health program, which includes training for midwives and midwife “stations” in remote villages to help address the very high rates of infant and maternal mortality. We also see a library/resource center in Borgne to help children and adults bridge the knowledge gap and provide access to much needed educational resources to local schools. Finally, we are delighted to welcome Edwidge Danticat, a Haitian-American writer, who will speak at a fund raising event to kick off the Library Project. Edwidge will share with us her unique interpretation of Haitian culture and her love for her people. We thank her for taking the time to visit and for her generosity.

We have traveled a long way together, you our community and the people of Borgne. We are a community that spans geographical and ethnic boundaries. We want you to know how grateful we are for the support and the love you have given us these past five years.

Thank you!