Finding a Better World at SAKALA

News for a better world from the SAKALA community center in Cité Soleil, Haiti

Feb. 7 should be a day of celebration in Haiti.

It marks the anniversary of the end of a decades-long devastating dictatorship when Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier fled the country in 1986.

Back then, it was a day of tremendous hope that finally the better world Haitians deserved was at hand.

It did not happen.

At least not yet.

As I write this on a February 7, most children in Haiti are not in school.

Not because they are celebrating a holiday, but because the country is mired in severe political instability and violence not seen in decades.

You can see those conditions in this video honoring SAKALA leader Daniel Tillias, who was named a CNN Hero in 2019 for his work there.

Already untenable, the situation has deeply worsened since then.

And yet, and yet, and yet…

 I still see that better world ahead at SAKALA today.

Five years ago, in February 2019, I happened to be staying at SAKALA during a 12-day country lockdown that began with Feb. 7 protests. No one could leave their immediate neighborhood as armed groups shut down every intersection.  Food and water became increasingly scarce.

It was a time of great tèt chaje, which is a Haitian Creole phrase that has no adequate direct translation, but means burdened mind and soul.

In the middle of that lockdown, I walked down the concrete steps from my room, head heavy with tèt chaje, staring at my feet for answers that were not coming, when I heard some kids calling to me.

“Look, we’re fishing!!”

When I lifted my head, this is what I saw.

It is hard to see in this picture, but these boys had strung paint can tops to string to make fishing poles.

What is not hard to see are their smiles and imagination. And, quite honestly, their strength.

Flash forward five difficult years, where from far away now, I regularly see pictures from SAKALA  that defy the news I am otherwise reading.

Here are some photos taken recently of children learning in the after school program that takes place daily at SAKALA, even on days when school is canceled.

Here is a scene during a recent drawing workshop at SAKALA.

When the photos of the drawing workshop were sent, it was described as part of a program to help children who were dealing with trauma.

One of the SAKALA leaders asked for more information about the workshop.

Were the children seeing violence with their own eyes?

Yes.

How often?

Every day.

What are the conditions now?

“I can hear the shooting humming in my ears.”

And yet, and yet, and yet, there’s this.

Look at her focus, her determination to get the details of her creation just right.

Maybe someday, these children will take their smiles, imagination, and strength, and lead a true celebration on Feb. 7 of the better world they created for generations to come.

Thank you for your solidarity and support of SAKALA.

Wishing you much peace, happiness, and health wherever you are in the world.