Monday, March 9 - Caribbean Craft and TIMKATEC in Port-au-Prince

Today we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of pancakes and sausage before heading out in our bus to visit Caribbean Craft. We were a bit apprehensive about the day because there was a threatened transportation strike. But, our driver was able to find streets that were largely unoccupied and we found our way to the Caribbean Craft location near the airport in almost no time. Seems like the strike petered out even before it really got started.

Caribbean Craft operates like a fair trade factory. Everyone comes to the production building and does their work at the site each day. Artisans are paid piece rate and appear to be very happy with their pay and working conditions at Caribbean Craft. Caribbean Craft started back in the early nineties and seems to have become quite successful, especially since the disastrous earthquake a few years ago. They have garnered publicity from Oprah, the Clinton Foundation, formers presidents Bush and Clinton have visited and they now receive regular orders from Restoration Hardware, Anthropologie and West Elm, in addition to Ten Thousand Villages. In fact, Ten Thousand Villages is a relatively minor customer these days. This is a good thing since it means that pretty steady, well-paying employment can be provided to over 200 regular workers.

One of the workers we talked with was Jonel, who is also a pastor of a church with a congregation of about 60 people. He was painting shoes to Tom's Shoes since Caribbean Craft has a large ongoing order from Tom's to paint designs on some of their shoes. Jonel said the work was good, he can paint 6 pairs a day, and his pay enables him to continue being a pastor since his congregation can't afford to support him financially. Caribbean Craft employs 35 people to paint Tom's Shoes.

Joel and Magalie Dresse are the owners of Caribbean Craft and Joel is quoted:
'By investing in the handicraft sector in Haiti, what you really are supporting is sustainable change.'
(Brandaidproject.com)

We also briefly met Regie, the salesperson responsible for Villages orders. He lit up when we told him that we know Doug Lapp, the Villages buyer for Haiti,  and mentioned that he still remembers one of the original founders of Caribbean Craft (Drexco at the time, back in 1990-91), Frits Heidema.
Regie said he is hoping to receive a new Villages order soon.

Artisan working on sailboat destined for Restoration Hardware in the USA.

Odette has been working at Caribbean Craft for 3 years and enjoys her work. She said it helps her to provide for her family, especially good schooling for her kids. 

Odette was also working on sailing ships for Restoration Hardware. The boats are made from paper mache.

Kelly is having a serious discussion with Michaela about her work at Caribbean Craft. 

A big pile of paper mache heads waiting to be packed in a container and shipped to the USA.

This woman is putting the final paper mache touches on a rhino head. She is also working on horses, big horn sheep and more rhinos.

Rhino, waterbuck, moose - a whole array of paper mache trophy heads. 

Connor with one of the almost lifesize big horn sheep.

Jean made friends with Maurice who was working on making paper mache horse heads. 

Some people were cutting out eye-shaped pieces of paper.

We soon found out that they were destined for these Anthropologie elephants. A marble cut in half will be glued into the eye opening so the elephant can see who intends to buy him once he gets into your favorite Anthropologie store. 

Paper mache heads drying in the sun on the Caribbean Craft grounds.

Entrance to the Caribbean Craft offices.

Charlie found another Texas longhorn for his collection. 

Posing with Jude Petit, Sales Manager for Caribbean Craft.

When our visit with Caribbean Craft was over we asked our bus driver to take us to the Eagle Supermarket near the MCC guesthouse in Delmas. Most of us bought groceries for lunch and ate it at the guesthouse. A few of us crossed the street to the Epidor fast food restaurant and bakery where we enjoyed ham and cheese crepes along with sausage pastries. 

After lunch, Patrick and Rachel of MCC took us to visit TIMKATEC (Timoun Kap Teke Chans - roughly translated, according to Patrick: kids fighting for life) a program that works with street kids and is supported by MCC.

TIMKATEC girls school, office building and hostel for homeless street boys. 

Painting of Haitian rural life hanging in the hallway at TIMKATEC. Makes me wonder it people living in the hustle and bustle of Port-au-Prince (PAP) long for the idyllic rural farm life. 

However, most people in PAP live in communities like this. Small basic houses that precariously cling to the hillsides.

Many of the houses are brightly painted and add a bit of a happy note to the landscape.

Brightly painted houses marching up the hill behind TIMKATEC.

Billboard advertising Mercedes and BMW cars right next to TIMKATEC facing the simple but colorful houses that are piled up on the hill above PAP. These billboards obviously are not aimed at the residents of these houses. 

TIMKATEC was founded by the Salesian order of the Catholic church in Haiti. Historically, the Salesian order has followed the lead of Saint Don Bosco who was known for his love for the poor and abandoned youth. Hence, a program for street kids in Port-au-Prince. TIMKATEC started with 43 abandoned and homeless boys in 1994 and has now grown to include both boys and girls. They have a school for boys and also housing for boys. A school for girls was established in 2009 and now provides elementary school for 96 girls as well as professional training for older girls - sewing and cooking. In addition, TIMKATEC has a overnight hostel for street boys who are in need of emergency housing for the night (open from 6 pm to 6 am). We visited both the boys and the girls facilities. Rachel from TIMKATEC was our guide and we got to meet the founder, Father Simone, originally from Italy. As the sign notes above, TIMKATEC has many supporters and donors. MCC provides financial as well as material aid support. 

Two young boys at the TIMKATEC school. 

Learning reading and writing at TIMKATEC - both French and Creole.

Our TIMKATEC guide, Rachel, along with Patrick of MCC.

Otilia Pierre is one of the cooks at the boys school. She showed us one of the cans of MCC meat that she serves up for lunch from time-to-time.

Vernada Pierre and Otilia Pierre, TIMKATEC cooks.

Volunteers across Canada and the USA can meat for MCC. Some of it ends up in Vernada and Otilia's kitchen and adds to the nutrition of the boys who go to school there.

Quilts made by MCC volunteers in North America also adorns the beds of boys who live in the school dorm. 

As more and more people move into the city looking for work, houses continue their relentless climb up the mountain behind TIMKATEC. 

The girls in the TIMKATEC elementary school gave us a rousing welcome. Here are Dora and Josie. 

We provided special entertainment just by being there. 

Josie to Dora, who are these white people and why are they all taking pictures of us?

The girls sang us a wonderful welcome song. 

Father Simone, originally from Italy, helped to start the work of TIMKATEC.

 Our combined group was way too big for one group photo. 

Ebie, Kelly and Jean along with Rachel go a big kick out of being in the photo with all the girls from TIMKATEC. 

Dora and Josie are getting a good education and enjoying their time together. 

The rest of the group at TIMKATEC. Rachel of MCC, Kevin, Patrick of MCC, Ginny, Ebie, Kelly, Jean and Rachel of TIMKATEC are all hiding out in the crowd.

I, Doug, managed to get into one of the photos too. 

More MCC quilts in the street boys emergency hostel.

The view from the top floor of TIMKATEC.

Many of the kids in the TIMKATEC program probably come from these communities. 

Student art at the TIMKATEC art school on the top floor. Che Guevara is still admired in Haiti for his ideas about democracy of the poor for the poor.  

Art by street kids, colorful just like the houses that climb up the hill behind TIMKATEC.

Colorful and hopeful too?

More street kid art.

The houses in their art look like the houses they see on the hill above TIMKATEC.

Maybe, with a good education and a safe and secure place to spend the day, Dora and Josie can look forward to a bright and hopeful future in Haiti. We sure hope so. 

Haiti is probably the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Even so, we saw hope expressed by the wonderful artisans and other people that we visited during our week in Haiti. Hopefully, the work of MCC, CAH, Caribbean Craft and TIMKATEC along with the many other Haitian and foreign organizations can help to forge a better future for the people they work alongside and, eventually, for all the people of Haiti.

Tomorrow we'll have an early breakfast at our guesthouse and then rush off to catch our 'luxury tourist bus' to the Dominican Republic.