Charles Henri Pierre died suddenly in St. Marc Haiti December 17th, 2010.

He was pre-deceased by his wife in December 2008 and leaves behind six children and legions of friends.

He died of a “fever” of two days duration. He was 48 years old.

For all of us who knew Charles, this is devastating news.  We loved him, we respected him, we bragged about him to our friends.  It was a privilege to know him and an even greater privilege having him as our driver for our time in Haiti.

Charles was Dieudonne’s driver, her chauffeur; he has been since 1996.  In a world full of uncertainties, in a country like Haiti always on the brink of upheaval or unsuspected disaster, Charles was the constant.  He was so much more than just a driver – he was a friend, a confidante, totally dependable and always there.  Now there’s no more “always there”. Dieudonne is stunned and bereft and is receiving condolences as if she were family.

He was the first person we saw when we went to Haiti and the last – If we were lucky and his services weren’t needed elsewhere.  Oh, the stories we have of Charles.  He could do anything, he was always there when we needed him, he made us safe, he took care of us.

How do we honour someone like Charles who has touched us deeply?

We tell his family how much we loved him and respected him.

We say “m’regret sa” – I’m so sorry.

We say to Dieudonne, how can this be?  Is there anything we can do?

How will you carry on?

We say to each other, remember when?  We tell our stories and in the telling.  Charles lives again.

There is no way to “sum up” a life, a person, especially someone like Charles.  There’s just too much to say, all language is inadequate.

But – when we were in Haiti last month, Charles was with us nearly every day.  We were so lucky – I hope we told him how lucky we felt.

One day, after driving for four hours on the WORST ROADS EVER, we laughed and asked him “Would you do this again tomorrow?” His answer?

“Si vous voulez.” – If you wish.

If you wish.  A life of service, of quiet strength, of dignity.

We should be so honoured to live like that, to be remembered this way.

The Christmas season is upon us again; a time when most of us think about our faith, family and friends.   It is also a time of great reflection, a time when we reach out to help others, and a time when we participate in celebrations with people of all ages.

I have been a volunteer with Rayjon for many years working on humanitarian projects both here and abroad.   I have witnessed the many spectrums of human nature – pure joy when someone is given glasses that provides sight for the first time; to utter despair when a child or a family does not have food to eat or clean water to drink.  Such disparities are real and it hurts; however, I take what I learn and frequently compare the way that I see life to the way others in developing countries see life.

I would like to share with you how a typical Haitian or Guatemalan might be thinking about the Christmas season in their homeland.  Generally, Haitians and Guatemalans have a very strong faith.  Most of them attend the Catholic Church or other Christian Churches, but many of them also practice some Voodoo in Haiti or the old Mayan faith in Guatemala; most family celebrations will include memories and mementoes of their deceased family members.     Not too far off from our Canadian culture.

Our partners in these countries are Haitians helping Haitians and Guatemalans helping Guatemalans.   With Rayjon’s support, (thanks to our many donors and supporters), this helping has been very active during the past few months.

Some examples:

• 776 people in Guatemala and 330 people in Haiti have much improved vision because our partners hosted a Rayjon eyeglass clinic over the past year.

• There is now a dependable road to Gilbert in Haiti because refugees from the earthquake built it with Rayjon’s encouragement.

• Over 900 Haitian youth were able to attend school this year because they received support from Rayjon.

• Our Haitian partners were able to repair and improve the facilities at many of their schools with Rayjon’s support.

• In addition to their regular work, our Haitian partners have provided food to over 1,000 families who were displaced by the earthquake.  They provided needed medical assistance to more than 4,000 people.

• Our partners in the St. Marc area of Haiti have been making the many changes that are necessary to make the 4 schools and 2 medical clinics self-sufficient.

• Our Haitian partners have provided training and micro-credit to many adults that enable them to find employment and become self-sufficient.

So in spite of the earthquake, tropical storms, and the current Cholera epidemic, we at Rayjon see substantial progress in our project areas that receive our support.

2011 will be Rayjon’s 25^th Anniversary year.   We plan to celebrate in many ways throughout the year.   The first of our celebrations will take place on January 15^th at Grace United Church.   This event will be held in remembrance of the 2010 Haitian earthquake.  We certainly hope that you will take the time to join us for a day filled with activities for all ages.

In closing, I would like to leave you with this quote by James Oliver. “The world is blessed most by those who do things, and not by those who merely talk about them. “

Thanks to each and every one of you for doing things that make the world a more caring and compassionate place to call home!!!!

Merry Christmas – Peace and Blessings

Den Shannon,
Rayjon Chair

Join us for a walk for Haiti in the Sarnia Holiday Parade of Lights!

It is this Saturday December 4th, 2010.

We are meeting on Christina Street, between Errol Road and Cathcart Road.

We are float number 40.

We ask that you be there and ready to go at 4:45 PM.

Dress warm, put on your Santa hats and we’ll have Rayjon t-shirts to put over top.

Join our Rayjon Youth Committee to offer awareness of international develop during the holiday season.

With any questions please contact Rayjon Youth.

With empty stomachs and full hearts

Day 1

It started off like any other day, going about our daily business whether that was work or school but that evening we gathered as a group, both groups headed to Haiti in March combined. We checked our personal worries at the door, we stashed away our cell phones and iPods and we gathered to reflect, share and grow together. By 6:30pm the 2010 Starvathon was well underway, looking around the room the excitement and anxiety was visible, very few had any idea what the next 24 hours would hold for them.

With full stomachs we started off the evening with a favorite ice breaker – speed dating- participants are asked to reflect on the questions asked and share them with the person whom they sit across from… and then move on. The group is now well versed on each other’s favorite meal, future life plans and biggest fears.

With energy high and ice shattered we moved into a reflective activity, as groups we discussed what RAYJON means to us? Searching through thick stacks of magazines we were able to piece together words and images that summed up Rayjon’s impact on our local and global community, while also reflecting on the ironic nature of exercise- sorting through stacks of materialistic images to find MEANING.

This would set the tone for the remainder of the evening…. testimonials were shared and questions and curiosity was sparked. Discussion deepened after watching a documentary about the Dominican Republic – Haiti’s neighbor and their shared history of political instability, poor conditions and longstanding struggles. So many incredible questions were asked keeping us on our toes and challenging us to piece together the right words to encourage more questions and deeper understanding.

Just about the time we would be reaching for a nighttime snack or treat we moved into a reflective activity called World Map- using our own knowledge and estimates we reflected on the world’s population density, food consumption and wealth distribution laying out the visuals in a representation made out of rope, shoes, spoons and coins. When the actual statistics were shared our hunger pains were dulled as we were faced with the reality of our world’s disparities. Reactions shared were “shocked” “disgusted” “saddened” , we discussed how the world has gotten this way, talking about personal actions to reverse the damage done and how this could relate to our upcoming trip to Haiti. Just as these statistics are more impactful when they are laid out in front of us, Haiti’s struggles, concerns and beauties will be just as impactful when we see it firsthand- 2011 Rayjon Awareness Trip’s to Central and North Haiti.

Wrapping up the evening we went to bed with a grumble in a stomachs, left to reflect on how that feeling would intensify and what that means for our brothers and sisters around the world.

Day 2

Bright eyed and eager (well most of us) we started the day with some energizers to get the blood flowing, “Ahhhhhh” is a game new to many of us- although awkward at first it quickly turned into a room full of laughs.

Then it was time to cross the river of alligators – a team builder of course! There were 64 “rocks”; however some were not rocks at all, but instead alligator backs that look strikingly similar. Rocks are SAFE to walk on, alligators are SNAP – all 35 participants had to work together to find the one and only safe route across the river before it got dark. They were off to a slow and quiet start but soon the conversation was bubbling, opinions were shared and lessons were learned. The group did an incredible job of working together, sharing encouragement and made it across the river with 30 seconds to spare. Although it is just a first step in team building, it is most definitely a bright step and of course travelling together and sharing the experiences in Haiti will be the best team builder of all.

Although we were distracted with the hype and excitement of the morning’s activities our bodies soon began to remind us that we were lacking a very important element- FOOD! Some of us grew cold, some a little shaky but miraculously we heard NO complaints.

The afternoon was our time to shine; we set 35 participants loose on the community half of the group raked the abundant leaves at the Brother’s home- 100+ bags in less than 3 hours with no breaks or complaints- earning a $500 donation for Rayjon for their efforts and positive attitude. And the other half decorated Fairwinds for the holidays, they shared a little holiday cheer with a couple songs and bright smiles. Both groups came back with such positive energy and amazing stories to share, I think for a couple hours we forgot that we were hungry but instead were filled with the satisfaction of giving back to our local community as we prepared to give back to our global community as well.

Another successful Starvathon wrapped up with incredible highlights shared by the group and well wishes to all those who contributed to making the event a success!

In light of the current situation in Haiti (cholera, elections, earthquake and hurricane), it was comforting to be surrounded by so many passionate and compassionate people, those who have come to know and love Haiti and those who are so eager to do the same.

We are the future of Rayjon, and our future is bright.

Brittnei Berrisford
Rayjon Youth Committee