Sacrifice in French or in English is the name of a beautiful piece of land that we were able to purchase with great financial help from our donors in The Netherlands. This is where we will rebuild our orphanage. The expectations are that it will take years before the clean up in Haiti is completed, and buildings will be rebuild. So it is really fantastic that we found this piece of land just outside the city of Jakmel to rebuild our orphanage.
Sacrifice was owned by a very good friend of mine, Reginald Turnier, who “sacrificed” it to us for a very reasonable price.
Thursday 29 April 2010:
I am madly in Love……………………….
with our new car: A great Toyota Granvia minivan, diesel, 4 cylinders, 3 liter engine, imported straight from Japan by a local car-dealer, year 1996, only 80,000 miles on it 
This car makes such a difference in our life, makes life so much less stressful, gives us freedom and a little more normalcy in life again, even-though the orphanage still lives in tents.
Toyota Granvia minivan
Visiting Haiti has never been easy. After a few trips, though, I had gotten used to the nation’s peculiar blend of chaos and charm. Post-earthquake, the recipe has changed. “Now with Extra Chaos!” is the unfortunate, new reality in Haiti.
You would think that the flood of media images would have appropriately set my expectations, but they couldn’t suppress the visions of the suffering witnessed by buildings like these:
There are tents everywhere now. On fields, by the side of the road, and even on median strips of major city streets. Three feet and a thin sheet of Coleman Nylon is all that separates people’s “bedrooms” from honking, speeding, diesel-spewing, 24/7 traffic.
Saturday 20 February 2010:
Ever since the earthquake happened I have been wanting to talk about our staff, and show you all their damaged or totally destroyed houses as well. It took me until today to finally find a moment to write about them, and also collecting photo’s of their homes to show you.
Elmas Juselene, 1 of our cooks. Her roof had fallen down on her 1-story home
Friday 12 February 2010:
Today it is exactly 1 month ago that we had the 7.1 earthquake.
The government together with all churches has called for a 3-day “conge”. Conge means “day off” in Kreyol. This to remember all people that have died, but also all the people that survived but now live in very bad circumstances. For 3 days people will be praying everywhere, in churches, in groups in the street, in the peristile, (Voodoo tempel) Processions are taking the street, during the day but also as early as 3 AM in the morning Shops and banks are closed.
Sunday 7 February 2010:
Today we were visited by a group from TCAT. Through my friend Joe Duplan they had heard about us and donated 5 FilterPure clay water-filters with special silver lining baked into the clay to the orphanage.
Please check out their website at: http://www.filterpurefilters.org
We will now be able to filter any kind of water to drink. We will also start using the filtered water to bathe our children with, since they have compromised immunity systems due to their HIV + status. The air and ground is full of dust, germs and microbes.
January 27, 2010
Reprinted from: Financial Advisor Magazine
People who give to charities providing earthquake relief in Haiti can claim the donations this year under recently adopted tax provisions, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
Taxpayers who itemize deductions on their 2009 return qualify for the special tax relief provision, which was enacted January 22, according to the IRS. Only cash contributions made to these charities after January 11, 2010, and before March 1, 2010, are eligible. This includes contributions made by text message, check, credit card or debit card.
Monday 25 January 2010:
The Dutch media crew from RTL4 that had visited us last friday had promised us to try to get us a big tent from the Dutch marines who have come in to Port au Prince, to help Haiti after the quake.
On Sunday I received an e-mail from Martin van Norel from RTL4 with the good news that this will happen. Then today another e-mail from Rik Konijnenbelt from RTL4 with the confirmation that indeed tomorrow 2 shelter-boxes (storm-proof tents) will be delivered to us by the Dutch marines in person.
Then this afternoon around 3.30 PM a phone call from the Dutch marines themselves asking me for directions to our orphanage!!!!
The Dutch marines
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Dutch Marines Deliver 2 Shelter Boxes to Jamel, Haiti
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We used to have 14 children. Amawanda Pierre, born on January 21, 2006, was the third child that came to live with us on October 17, 2007. She was severely malnourished and dehydrated, unable to stand on her legs, maximum 2 days away from dying at the age of 21 months.
Amawanda Pierre on October 17, 2007, her first day with us, severely malnourished and dehydrated
Saturday 23 January 2010 ~ Jacmel Haiti
When the crew from RTL 4 News was here, they gave us some medical supplies from their travel survival kit. Some of it we can use very well, but other items like blood plasma, and lots of gauze we do not need for the moment. So in the afternoon I quickly went over to see our Dr. Ernest at the hospital to give him these items. He was very happy with them, he certainly has use for all of it, he said with his big smile.
Dr Ernest with Idoris, Yakime is coming to check out the medical files
Saturday 23 January 2010
Since last Tuesday when all the little planes came in with relief aid, I have been trying to get some help in the form of tents and food. It took the people who were put in charge of receiving this aid some time to start distributing. They had taken note of my needs and taken my info down, but I never heard back from them, so every day I would call or go back to the airport to see what what going on. For 3 days I was told they were not ready to distribute yet, that they had to do inventory first
Then today, Saturday morning when I called again I got a positive answer, they were still not really distributing, but they had put some things aside for me, like 2 tents and some water and food. I could come and pick it up at a private home in Meyere.
I tried to find a car to go and get these things, but could not find transportation other that a motorbike. So then our assistant director Ambroise helped me with quickly finding a “boss” who was able to saw off the top of my car, and solder the chassis kinda back together on the bottom of my car. The car is much lower on the right side than on the left side but since the engine was not damaged we figured let’s see if we can still drive around with it. And we can!!!! It makes a lot of noise, the doors won’t stay closed and we cannot drive faster that maximum 30 miles per hour, but is is moving. Good enough to drive out to Meyere and get the goods. Ambroise, Frantz and Rochel our security guy came out to help me.
click on map for larger view
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Jesula was born on April 11th, 2007. At about nine months old her mother passed away from AIDS and Jesula was left at an orphanage. The nuns prayed very hard for Jesula but against their prayers, she tested positive for HIV. 
Thursday, July 22, 2010
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