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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-03-03, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2005. PAGE 19 Blyth woman volunteers with Mission to Haiti WTt/i a mission Joanrle VanAmersfoort of Blyth was among a group of 56 volunteers from across Canada and the United States working through Mission to Haiti, exampl Here she visits with one of sponsored children. (Photo submitted) the political uncertainty prevents this. Mission to Haiti works also on a sponsorship program. By finding a sponsor for a child, the whole family benefits. The ripple effect of what the child receives has an impact on his/her siblings. parents and schoolmates. It also helps to improve the school situation, for these teachers receive little in the way of wages. The Mission service now has 650 children on a sponsorship program and their goal is to find sponsors for 1,000. When the teams go to Haiti they lake gifts from the sponsoring persons to the children in the program. VanAmersfoort says it is a heartwarming day when (he children come together al the base camp to receive (heir gilts and have their picture taken. Any persons or groups looking to do some Christian outreach may contact VanAmersfoort for details. Through the Christian Reformed Church in Blyth, 28 children receive sponsorship. The cost of a sponsorship is $420 a year but the organization welcomes donations of any amount to cover other types of expenses. VanAmersfoort has been part of this work three times now and finds the experience expands her laith and changes her perspective on life. She went the first time in the company with her lather. Jim Bakelaar who has worked in Haiti eight times now. This year, eight others from this area went along - John and Jane Klassen, and their daughters, Michelle and Kristi, Herman Thalcn, Ron Wilts. Sandy Bos and Kim Greidanus. Despite the contrast in conditions between the two countries and the weariness of long/ days, VanAmersfoort feels a pull to return. NETWORK CLASSIFIEDS "Advertise Across Ontario or Across the Country" BUSINESS OPPS. OWN YOUR OWN STORE - Country Depot, TrueValue Hard­ ware, V&S Department Store Dealerships available. New & existing locations. No Franchise Fees - Receive Yearly Divi­ dends. Call TruServ Canada TODAY - 1-800-665-5085 www.truserv.ca By Brenda Radford It was the morning after and when Joanne VanAmersfoort looked out the windows of her home at the northern edge of Blyth. she offered a prayer of thanks. A fresh dusting of snow was glistening in bright sunlight and the view was spectacular and tidy. This was in sharp contrast to the views from the windows of the dormitory room she had shared with several other mission workers in Haiti for two weeks. Eight million Haitians share the smaller half of an island in the Caribbean with the Dominican Republic. Haiti is said to be the poorest country in the western hemisphere and that poverty is evident even in the city of Port Au Prince. Although there are a few more fertile and/or lush areas, for the most part the land is barren, rocky, treeless and mountainous. Many Haitians are the direct descendants of South African slaves who brought voodoo and satanism to the island. Political unrest is a normal part of everyday life in the larger centres and former leader Aristide played on the fears of the people through their voodoo beliefs. The natives speak Creole, similar to French. There are Christian groups meeting and praying in secret attempting to bring a better life to this country. Enter Mission to Haiti - Canada and folks like VanAmersfoort who are helping in some small way to share their faith verbally and physically. Twenty years ago a gentleman from a Baptist background from Miami. Florida decided he wanted to help the Haitian people and began Mission to Haiti - United States and later a Canadian branch. Since that time a permanent base. Camp Penicl, has been built in ’.he countryside outside Port Au Prince from which volunteers of all religious faiths travel to bring aid to several small villages. Their mandate is to provide Christian education, and a hope for the future. The camp is surrounded by very high walls topped with razor wire. Although this organization has a permanent resident, the walls are to given prevent theft and offer protection. VanAmersfoort noted that foreigners never go out alone, and try to have a Haitian in their group at all times. Their mission work employs Haitians lull time as caretaker and liaisons. The camp has five groups from across North America staying in and working from this camp each year. During the last two weeks of January. VanAmersfoort was one of 30 Canadians and 26 Americans working from Camp Peniel in teams. All mission efforts are done through the pastors of small villages and each day teams visit a different area by bus. What roads there are are sometimes impassable and piles of garbage are everywhere. The medical team may see up to 300 persons a day. Some cases. cancers for e, are the untreatable and receive only love and spiritual healing. Everyone is vitamins and dewormers. Pharmaceutical companies donate many products for this mission work. Dentists pull teeth and where possible do fillings; remove tumors and treat gum disease. Men in Haiti live, on average, 49 years while for women the life expectancy is 54 years. Childbirth claims many lives, both women and their babies. Sixty-five per cent of Haitians can't' read and another team of volunteers, the construction crew, works at building schools and homes. Many schools have no desks or even benches, no books or pencils, etc. but the children love to go and they welcome the visitors. The mission feels that progress can only come through education and knowing someone is prepared to help. The volunteers hope today’s aid relief will have some effect on their lives of coming generations. The base camp, with the help of eight paid Haitian workers, makes cement blocks year round for the construction crew and also to sell. Houses in the larger centres are constructed of cement block while homes in small villages are put together of mud, thatch and sheet metal. Lumber has to be imported and the cost is beyond the means of these people whose average yearling income is $575 Canadian. There is 70 per cent unemployment in this small country. Many families live in a two-room (l()'x20') building and do their cooking outdoors. There is no hydro or sanitation. One may walk two miles to fill water pots. Malnutrition is something the teams see frequently in Haiti. Eighteen tons of rice and beans were scooped into family-sized lots and distributed according to the need seen by the pastors of each village. VanAmersfoort mentioned that the volunteers see the poorest areas of Haiti but she realizes that there are areas of Haiti where conditions are better. Even those who appear to have more probably have less the poorest Canadians, however. Tourism would improve the lot for many Haitians and the beaches and scenery would be popular. However YOUR DOLLAR STORE WITH MORE, Canada's largest & fastest growing Dollar Store franchise with over 180 stores, has an opportunity for you. Franchise information: Toll-Free 1-866- 673-4968, www.dollarstore.ca BE YOUR OWN BOSS. Earn up to $3,000+ week. Kennedy Transportation is looking for individuals who want to start their own trucking business. Guaranteed work contracts for 1, 3 & 5 ton straight trucks and Highway Tractor. No experience required. G licence OK. Financing available. 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