A quick little message to wish you all a wonderful new year 2014.
May this year be a source of inspiration to us all.
May this year be the year when we'll look inside ourselves and find the wisdom.
The wisdom to look at the world with the eyes of a child and to remember to appreciate these beautiful little moments that make life so special.
Best wishes to all.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Joyeux Noël
Merry Christmas to all.
It is interesting to see Christmas lights on some of the balconies or in some bushes surrounding houses with 25*C in the shade. I'm not use to it but I have to admit that I appreciate a little break from the Canadian winter. I spent Christmas eve with a Norwegian, an American and a Canadian sitting outside only wearing a t-shirt ;-) We had a nice little dinner but we didn't party too long. Working 7 days a week, we have to adopt a fairly sober living style in order to keep up with the pace or we get burn quickly.
It is interesting to see Christmas lights on some of the balconies or in some bushes surrounding houses with 25*C in the shade. I'm not use to it but I have to admit that I appreciate a little break from the Canadian winter. I spent Christmas eve with a Norwegian, an American and a Canadian sitting outside only wearing a t-shirt ;-) We had a nice little dinner but we didn't party too long. Working 7 days a week, we have to adopt a fairly sober living style in order to keep up with the pace or we get burn quickly.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Back to work
After a good break home, here I am again.
It was nice to spend time with the family, however it was starting to be too cold for me. The Haitian weather is definitely much better in the winter time. I'll get a warm Christmas for a change ;-)
I returned to Haiti on the 26th of November and was expected to go to PAP (Port-Au-Prince) on the 29th, however, due to protest by the population, the UN Security issued a restriction of movement to all personnel which means that I could not take off. Same story occurred again on the 02nd of December but I finally made it on the 06th. Again, unpacking everything and starting from scratch. That certainly keeps me busy and away from what I should be doing. I hardly believe that almost 4 months went by already (on the 19th) but I feel I didn't accomplished much yet.
I started my new job 2 days ago so I'll need few weeks to get really into it and to be able to actively participate. I am located to one of the bases in PAP and for security reasons we are strongly encourage to stay within our compound after work. That is a drastic change from what I used to live in the region. It will basically be home to base and base to home 7 days a week. At least the job seems to be interesting so that's a plus. I'll miss the contact with the locals and the local police members but if I can participate to Haiti reconstruction and stabilization through my work I'll be happy with that.
My role will be to monitor quick projects that are on-going or completed and report to the donor countries how their monies were spent in order to get more participation from these donors in the future. I'll have to liaise on a regular basis with several embassies from different countries and have a meting time to time with the biggest players and show them concretely what was accomplished. Some much money has been spent for such a long time in Haiti, donors (either governments or enterprises) from all around the globe want to see hard evidences that the Haitian cause is not just a lost cause. And I agree with that, that should have been implemented long ago.
Anyway, in my next post I'll publish few pictures taken while on the helicopter flying over the Haitian mountains on my way to PAP.
It was nice to spend time with the family, however it was starting to be too cold for me. The Haitian weather is definitely much better in the winter time. I'll get a warm Christmas for a change ;-)
I returned to Haiti on the 26th of November and was expected to go to PAP (Port-Au-Prince) on the 29th, however, due to protest by the population, the UN Security issued a restriction of movement to all personnel which means that I could not take off. Same story occurred again on the 02nd of December but I finally made it on the 06th. Again, unpacking everything and starting from scratch. That certainly keeps me busy and away from what I should be doing. I hardly believe that almost 4 months went by already (on the 19th) but I feel I didn't accomplished much yet.
I started my new job 2 days ago so I'll need few weeks to get really into it and to be able to actively participate. I am located to one of the bases in PAP and for security reasons we are strongly encourage to stay within our compound after work. That is a drastic change from what I used to live in the region. It will basically be home to base and base to home 7 days a week. At least the job seems to be interesting so that's a plus. I'll miss the contact with the locals and the local police members but if I can participate to Haiti reconstruction and stabilization through my work I'll be happy with that.
My role will be to monitor quick projects that are on-going or completed and report to the donor countries how their monies were spent in order to get more participation from these donors in the future. I'll have to liaise on a regular basis with several embassies from different countries and have a meting time to time with the biggest players and show them concretely what was accomplished. Some much money has been spent for such a long time in Haiti, donors (either governments or enterprises) from all around the globe want to see hard evidences that the Haitian cause is not just a lost cause. And I agree with that, that should have been implemented long ago.
Anyway, in my next post I'll publish few pictures taken while on the helicopter flying over the Haitian mountains on my way to PAP.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Transfer to PAP (Port-Au-Prince)
I just found out at the end of last week that I am re-deployed to Port-Au-Prince. I didn't ask for it and it came like a cold shower. I was just getting accustomed to Ouanaminthe and got involved in several projects with schools and an orphanage and now I have to drop it all and go to work in PAP. Most of the people who are deployed in a region want to go back to PAP but personally I was really happy here and for an unknown reason I have to leave. That sucks. Anyway, the mission must go on, even in the pollution, the noise and probably in an office writing report of some sort.
My 3 weeks off to Canada will give me a nice break but also the opportunity to go back to the mission refreshed with a positive attitude despite the situation.
I'll publish more news after I arrive to my new posting in PAP.
My 3 weeks off to Canada will give me a nice break but also the opportunity to go back to the mission refreshed with a positive attitude despite the situation.
I'll publish more news after I arrive to my new posting in PAP.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
UN vehicle involved in an accident
Yesterday, while on patrol, we received a call regarding a UN vehicle involved in a collision.
We dropped everything that was on the go and we made it to the location as fast as possible. We were told during training that in Haiti when UN personal get involved in an accident that the population may become hostile and therefore help is required to secure the scene, fast.
We arrived on the scene few minutes after the call was received but a large group of people had already gathered around. We observed that a UN truck was involved in a collision with a motorbike. Only the female passenger of the motorbike sustained minor injuries. Our first duty was to try to secure the scene as well as we could but with all these people watching and talking loudly explaining to the late comers what had happened that was not an easy task. The local police was obviously overwhelmed by the situation so we conducted the investigation, talking to witnesses, taking pictures and trying to understand how the collision occurred. A judge of the peace was brought on the scene to determine who was at fault. Many people came forward to tell the judge that "MINUSTAH" was at fault and "MINUSTAH" had to pay for the damages and the injuries the female passenger sustained. Some even were explaining to the judge what happened not based of what they've seen (they were not there) but based on what they believed occurred and what they heard. We conducted our investigation in a professional manner and once we had all the details we talked to the judge and explained to him what had probably occurred based on reliable witnesses and evidences found on the scene.
We were shocked to noticed that a part of the motorbike rear fender has been ripped from the bike and placed on the road to try to change the version of what really occurred. Fortunately, the pictures I took upon our arrival show the fender was still intact right after the collision. This important fact was brought to the judge's attention since he was starting to believe a biased version that didn't matched with the evidences and the few reliable witnesses' statement. We could see that the judge had a hard time to come to the conclusion that the motorbike was at the fault, most probably due from the pressure from the crowd. At one point he even told me that the person with the most financial means should pay for the damage??? I replied that we were not here to discuss who was going to pay what but rather to find out who was truly responsible for the collision based on real facts at hands. The monetary side of it would be discussed later by the people in charge of that aspect. The judge said that he would go home and render his decision later on after analyzing all information he had gathered.
This little incident caused very minor property damages and light injury to one person but that showed me our Haitian can be manipulated by only few nice speakers. Most of the people present were accusing the UN vehicle driver to be at fault based on what they were told. They were simply taking this as the simple truth.
Election time is near and it is always a source of confrontation with the authorities. Roads are being blocked, tires are being burned in the middle of the roads...I have now no doubt in my mind that politicians who want to discredit the government in place use the population to their advantage by lying to them blatantly.
I recently learned that some people want to see the MINUSTAH out from the country because they were told by politicians who are against the actual president, that the Haitian government pays us and that's why the government has no money to help them; another blatant lie.
The population here for the majority has no education and is obviously easily fooled. Yesterday, I have to admit, I was angry to see these people so easily manipulated but compassion is the key word to keep a positive attitude in the mission and education is the other key word to hopefully see one day a Haitian nation able to think on its own.
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We dropped everything that was on the go and we made it to the location as fast as possible. We were told during training that in Haiti when UN personal get involved in an accident that the population may become hostile and therefore help is required to secure the scene, fast.
We arrived on the scene few minutes after the call was received but a large group of people had already gathered around. We observed that a UN truck was involved in a collision with a motorbike. Only the female passenger of the motorbike sustained minor injuries. Our first duty was to try to secure the scene as well as we could but with all these people watching and talking loudly explaining to the late comers what had happened that was not an easy task. The local police was obviously overwhelmed by the situation so we conducted the investigation, talking to witnesses, taking pictures and trying to understand how the collision occurred. A judge of the peace was brought on the scene to determine who was at fault. Many people came forward to tell the judge that "MINUSTAH" was at fault and "MINUSTAH" had to pay for the damages and the injuries the female passenger sustained. Some even were explaining to the judge what happened not based of what they've seen (they were not there) but based on what they believed occurred and what they heard. We conducted our investigation in a professional manner and once we had all the details we talked to the judge and explained to him what had probably occurred based on reliable witnesses and evidences found on the scene.
We were shocked to noticed that a part of the motorbike rear fender has been ripped from the bike and placed on the road to try to change the version of what really occurred. Fortunately, the pictures I took upon our arrival show the fender was still intact right after the collision. This important fact was brought to the judge's attention since he was starting to believe a biased version that didn't matched with the evidences and the few reliable witnesses' statement. We could see that the judge had a hard time to come to the conclusion that the motorbike was at the fault, most probably due from the pressure from the crowd. At one point he even told me that the person with the most financial means should pay for the damage??? I replied that we were not here to discuss who was going to pay what but rather to find out who was truly responsible for the collision based on real facts at hands. The monetary side of it would be discussed later by the people in charge of that aspect. The judge said that he would go home and render his decision later on after analyzing all information he had gathered.
This little incident caused very minor property damages and light injury to one person but that showed me our Haitian can be manipulated by only few nice speakers. Most of the people present were accusing the UN vehicle driver to be at fault based on what they were told. They were simply taking this as the simple truth.
Election time is near and it is always a source of confrontation with the authorities. Roads are being blocked, tires are being burned in the middle of the roads...I have now no doubt in my mind that politicians who want to discredit the government in place use the population to their advantage by lying to them blatantly.
I recently learned that some people want to see the MINUSTAH out from the country because they were told by politicians who are against the actual president, that the Haitian government pays us and that's why the government has no money to help them; another blatant lie.
The population here for the majority has no education and is obviously easily fooled. Yesterday, I have to admit, I was angry to see these people so easily manipulated but compassion is the key word to keep a positive attitude in the mission and education is the other key word to hopefully see one day a Haitian nation able to think on its own.
.JPG)
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Visit of an orphanage
I just came back with my buddy Edwin from a visit to a local orphanage. There are only 2 sisters there from Columbia to take care of over 70 kids. Most of them are left on their own on the street. We see them on regular basis at the border trying to get something to eat or to drink from the UNPOLs or the soldiers who are stationed there. The sisters try their best to at least provide them with one meal a day. It is not easy since they don't have exposure like those big NGO (Nongovernmental Organizations). They have to talk to the local people to get help. They have an organization which provide them with a bag of rice and a gallon of oil every week. It is good but not sufficient to feed that many kids. UNPOLs like Edwin are involved and try their best to help but once again there is only so much one can do. It takes more than few people to help such cause. With enough funds, the sisters would be able to provide the kids with food, clothes but also education and education is the key to get those kids off the street and maybe to give them a chance to avoid the slippery slope of a criminal path.
When I return to Canada, I'll talk about this project to people interested to get involved into a cause. That would be a fantastic chance for them to help someone in need with the insurance that their donation will be used entirely to that cause and nothing else.
Few pictures below taken by Edwin at his last visit:
When I return to Canada, I'll talk about this project to people interested to get involved into a cause. That would be a fantastic chance for them to help someone in need with the insurance that their donation will be used entirely to that cause and nothing else.
Few pictures below taken by Edwin at his last visit:
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Stabbed for just a little more than a dollar
Today, we had to take a young female (14) and her "spouse" (16) to the clinic for multiple superficial wounds. At the same time but in another clinic, an older guy was admitted for a stabbing wound in the abdomen. After talking to all parties and the people who were coming to the police station to report what they saw, it appears that the female borrowed 50 Gourdes ($1.20 or so) to the older fellow a little while ago. Today, the older guy was asking to get his money back so the female's spouse got involved. A physical confrontation took place between the two males then the young man stabbed the older one in abdomen and ran away. The female then smashed a glass bottle on her own head; then she went to the police station stating that the older male did it and that's why her spouse stabbed him.
The young couple was placed under arrest for assault causing bodily harm. The remaining investigation may bring some more details to that incident but anyway to me, being ready to take someone's life for a little more than a dollar goes beyond my comprehension.
I understand the that life here is not easy for many people but going to that extent is just too much. Fortunately for the couple, the older male survived his wound otherwise the population could have rendered justice itself. Lynching is still happening and it usually very violent but this is another topic that I will discuss in another post.
The young couple was placed under arrest for assault causing bodily harm. The remaining investigation may bring some more details to that incident but anyway to me, being ready to take someone's life for a little more than a dollar goes beyond my comprehension.
I understand the that life here is not easy for many people but going to that extent is just too much. Fortunately for the couple, the older male survived his wound otherwise the population could have rendered justice itself. Lynching is still happening and it usually very violent but this is another topic that I will discuss in another post.
Monday, October 21, 2013
A video to show you how busy the border at Ouanaminthe can be on a market day - http://youtu.be/CKE-eUHFqLc
On a previous post I explained by words the situation at the border, the people, the noise, the frenzy during market days. Now with the video I just uploaded on Youtube, you can see and hear what it's like; the only thing missing is the exhaust fumes but if you watch the video in your garage with your car running and the garage door closed you will be with me for the length of the video. (After the video remember to shut off the car's engine)
Fortunately for us the UNPOLs, we don't have to stay there all day long unlike the military or the PNH who are exposed to that madness for their whole 12-hour shift.
Fortunately for us the UNPOLs, we don't have to stay there all day long unlike the military or the PNH who are exposed to that madness for their whole 12-hour shift.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
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