Journal 125: It's Never Easy

Journal 125
March, 2005

It's Never Easy

On 21 March, 2005, we left Gonaives early in the morning for a 1 ˝ hour trip to Gros Morne. The plan was to go on to Gardon and visit the proposed site for the goat-breeding project funded by Swiss Solidarity.  A part-time agriculturist has also been hired to start vegetables garden and reforestation projects.

After Gardon, meetings were planned with other agricultural projects in the area.  And plans to layout the site for the pig-breeding program also funded by Swiss Solidarity.

 

That was only a plan.  In Haiti, you learn to be flexible and you learn it’ s never as easy as your plan.

 

Fifteen minutes from Gros Morne young men with machetes and sticks were forcing people out of buses and refusing to let anyone pass.  When they saw us in uniform they were very polite and explained that the road was blocked.

People were protesting lack of security in the area.  There have been no police in Gros Morne for several months.  Numerous murders have taken place and thieving is rampant.

 

The people see no other way to get the government attention than to block the

road.

 

We waited for a couple of hours hoping UN troops might come to open the road.  That didn’t happen so we return to Gonaives and planned for another day. 

 

No need to antagonize people with machetes by taking pictures.  SOOO  here are a  couple of the grandchildren.

Aunt Judy and Aslyn

 

 

Elizabeth and Jackson

 

[back]