Whenever people travel to a developing country, we hear of them collecting supplies to take with them. It was no exception when we decided to come to Haiti. We asked Karen at HATS what was most needed, and we put the word out to our friends and family. You certainly came through. We ended up bringing 4 packed suitcases of supplies for the orphanage and school, with our own items in carry on bags. We were at the weight limit for our suitcases…in fact we had to shuffle a few items at the airport to get our bags accepted.

supplies to sort

Some of the things on the list were curious to us, however, since we have been here we see how some items that we take for granted that we can buy in Canada are just not available here, or they are imported and so are too expensive to purchase. So, thank you for the shower curtains, the bungee cords, school supplies, and everything in between. If you are planning a trip to HATS, someone here will be happy to let you know the current needs.

We brought cheese with us. We have seen it at a local grocery market once, but it is about twice the cost of cheese at home and not always available. We also brought pizza mixes (ok, not a necessity, but a really nice treat!!) as they are not available here. Last week, during a trip to St. Marc, we had to try three grocery markets before finding fresh eggs.

grocery receipt! Good thing this is in goudes, not Canadian dollars!

Thank you also to Marge, a wonderful lady from Halifax, who sent 50 pillowcase dresses with us that she had made. The girls at the orphanage were thrilled to get new, colourful dresses just for them and members of the community will benefit from these as well.

Mama helping the girls try on their new dresses

Sandra loves her new dress

a tiny little dress for the littlest of girls – Magdela!

modelling their new pretty dresses

It’s wonderful to be here and see the smiles on the faces of the children when they get something new. Thank you everyone for your generosity!

~Mike and Nicki