First Day / Doug's Village

First full day in Haiti

We ate breakfast at the house around 8:30am. Breakfast in Haiti is not to complicated and is pretty much the same every morning: Bread, hardboiled eggs, fruit (usually bananas) and peanuts.

We visited Doug’s village which is really not that far from SOIL head quarters, but takes about half an hour to get there via pickup truck. It takes a little while to get to places in Haiti because of the combination of dirt roads and extreme pot holes. It was always fun riding in the back of the pick up although you butt might be a little sore at the end of the day.

Doug is not part of SOIL, but has worked with SOIL in photo projects and has had SOIL build two toilets in his village. Doug has been in Haiti for the past 11 years and has focused his work on getting kids off the streets. What Doug has accomplished over those 11 years with not much help is truly amazing. Doug has created a three step process that helps to get kids off the streets, into schools and become a active participant in society.

1. The first part of the process is getting the kids off the streets. Doug has an intake center in Cap Haitian where kids can come daily and will receive a shower, meal and change of clothe. During their hours of operation, from early morning to around 3 pm, the kids are also taught basic reading, writing and mathematics skills. We were told that many of the kids that come to the intake center smell of paint or paint thinner because they huff the products in order to suppress their hunger.

2. Once the kids have been attending the center and have shown commitment to the program for six months to a year they will be transferred to a village (Doug’s Village) located at the outskirts of Cap Haitian. At the village the kids receive a primary education and training in areas such as masonry, steel work and agriculture. The village also has an outdoor basketball court and soccer field. The families of the kids are contacted and permission has to be granted by the families for them to start attending Doug’s Village on a regular basis. If the kids live close enough to Doug’s Village they are encouraged to live at home and commute to the village daily. If the kids live out of town and a commute would be too great or the kids don’t have a family, then they will stay in dorm style housing in the village.

3. After the students have completed the primary education they will leave the village and begin attending high school. The kids are encouraged to move back in with their families while attending high school, but a close eye is still watching to make sure they keep attending school and working hard. If the kids don’t have a home, Doug offers them apartments they can rent with other student from the village at a low rate while they attend high school. A group home is another option for kids leaving the village. For the students struggling with self discipline and need structured schedules, this is the best option.

The hope is that all the students that go through system will acquire some skills on any level and be able to become an active participant in society and provide for themselves and their family. Doug told us of a few stories of kids that he has worked with that have gone from living in the streets to getting a job and providing for themselves; really moving and impressive.