FriendsOfTheOrphans

Myriame
Former Pequeña, Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos/Nos Petit Frères et Soeurs Haiti
Ripples of Hope
Written by Wynn Walent, Home Correspondent
May 9, 2010

There are countless untold stories of January 12 in Haiti. Many are heartbreaking, shocking and unjust. These stories are burned into the memory of those that were here, while they are unfathomable to listeners like myself who were not. The people that were here on that day were physically and emotionally thrust into horrific places without so much as an instant to prepare. Those that survived were left with scars of all kinds, surviving their new realities one moment at a time.

I recently asked Sister Altagrace, the director of our home of 357 children in Kenscoff, to share a story related to life in the home. I told her it could be general or specific, uplifting or painful; that I only wanted to share a bit about life at St. Helene with the many people that are interested in the work of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos/Nos Petit Frères et Soeurs (NPH/NPFS, Spanish and French for “Our Little Brothers and Sisters”) Haiti. Without hesitation Sister Altagrace rose from her chair and called for Myriame. A few hours later Myriame and I were sitting with a cup of tea overlooking the mountains.

Myriame, now 22 years old, spent 12 years living in the NPFS home at St. Helene, living and studying there from 1995 to 2007. The earthquake on January 12 led her to return by foot to the large metal gate of our home at St. Helene, arriving in the early hours of January 13. I asked Myriame to share the details of that walk, and to recount the journey she has been on since.

Myriame is quiet but confident, with a patient and knowing smile. Before I could speak with her about her personal story she had questions for me…Why did I want to know her story? Why had Sister Altagrace suggested her? She asked these questions without a hint of defensiveness, but with a genuine curiosity and a sweet humility. I explained that people are interested in the home at St. Helene and that her story would be posted on the internet. I also explained that Sister Altagrace had told me that Myriame had been an enormous help and inspiration to many, and that she found her to be a special person with a special story. Myriame was touched by Sister Altagrace’s words, very obviously holding her in high esteem and feeling proud to have earned her respect.

Myriame left Kenscoff in 2007 to continue her schooling in Petionville, the neighborhood just outside of Port-au-Prince, where the Father Wasson Center had been located before January 12. As a student in Kenscoff she always received good marks, and in 2007 Myriame graduated from the highest grade offered at St. Helene at that time. With the financial support of NPFS she went on to attend high school in Petionville. She lived in an area of Port-au-Prince called Delmas 18, and slept in a two-room home with her aunt and 8 cousins. Myriame attended school daily and continued receiving good marks. She spent all of her free time helping her aunt care for her younger cousins, who became like brothers and sisters to her. The responsibility was great, but that is not uncommon there. She worked hard without complaint, happy to support her family and to have the opportunity, thanks to NPFS, for continued education.

On the afternoon of the January 12, Myriame was inside her school with her classmates when the walls began to shake. She was able to escape before the building collapsed, though not all of her classmates were as fortunate. She described being shocked and dazed as the physical world shook and crumbled around her. After a moment of mouth-opened dizziness she began walking with purpose to Delmas 18 to search for her aunt and her cousins.

Amid the chaos that ensued, the police blocked passage to Delmas 18 from Petionville, and despite the efforts of a large and desperate crowd, the road remained closed. Traveling home to Delmas was not an option. Myriame’s next thought was to head back up the hill to Petionville, where she would walk to the Father Wasson Center to seek counsel and comfort from members of her extended family at NPFS. When she arrived she saw the tragic state of the building that had once been a hospital and now served as a place for therapy, a volunteer center, and administrative office. Seeing the rubble and chaos she grew more dazed still and what she described as a feeling of disbelief and panic. Not knowing where to turn and fearing the dark of the approaching evening, she began walking up the mountain to Kenscoff. The trip takes more than an hour by truck, passing through steep and winding hills, and though she hesitated to give an exact amount of time, I imagine she walked for at least 6 hours. She stopped for a few hours at the home of a friend she knew from her previous time in Kenscoff, and ended up at the door of St. Helene at dawn the next day.

Myriame described finding community and comfort waiting for her at the gate. The children were scared but safe. Everyone was hesitant to go indoors. After two years of caring for her cousins she quickly and naturally stepped into a caregiver role, not officially at first, but in a needed and significant way. At times the non “official” nature of an adult can be a help in facilitating bonds, and Myriame quickly became a source of comfort and friendship to a great many of the children, particularly for the older girls at Kay Joanne (French for “home”). After several days she visited her home in Delmas 18 and learned that one of her younger cousins had died. The house was destroyed, and her family was sleeping outside in tents. She wanted to stay with her family to help them deal with their new reality and loss, but her aunt convinced her to return to Kenscoff where she would be safe. I asked Myriame if she meant “safe” from crime, or “safe” from another earthquake, and without hesitation she replied “both”. She stayed at St. Helene for the next three months, keeping in touch with her family by phone and visiting once. Myriame has provided immeasurable support to the home. During the week she rotates between the various houses at St. Helene supporting the full time employees and serving as a great resource and friend to the children. On the weekends she has taken on the role of caregiver, changing houses each weekend to allow the full time employees to have a break to spend with family outside of the home. Sister Altagrace describes her work in glowing terms, and Myriame says that the girls in the home are now her sisters.

Myriame left on May 10 to return to her re-opened school in Petionville. The school is still severely damaged, and the classes will take place in tents. Myriame is still excited to start her schooling again and has pledged to return to St. Helene on the weekends to continue her work there. She has two years left of high school and then wants to study nursing, with the goal of returning to St. Helene as a professional, providing medical support. When I finished speaking with Myriame she asked again, for the third time, if Sister Altagrace had really said that she had been such a great help. When I responded enthusiastically she beamed with pride. It is just another example of how the work of NPFS is helping to provide purpose and sustaining hope for so many people here. The physical help that is provided; a roof, meals, medical support, water distribution, is clearly vital. But just as important is the communal sense of purpose and service, of having an avenue to contribute. To be part of a system that is working, and to feel and participate in real progress-the hope and peace this provides is priceless, and it is contagious.

Myriame watches Sister Altagrace and sees the amount that she has given of herself, and she is inspired; in awe. The young women in Kay Joanne see Myriame and witness how she has managed to deal with the tragedy of January 12, and they are inspired. Bobby Kennedy spoke often of “ripples of hope” and of how in the fight against poverty and the march towards equality and justice, that these ripples are sometimes all we have. Allowed to grow, the ripples create more ripples, and they build to waves with the potential to heal and sustain. As Myriame returns to her classes in tents she does so feeling very proud of her work at St. Helene and deeply inspired by the example of Sister Altagrace. As the young women in Kay Joanne tend to their studies and look forward to Myriame’s weekend visits with anticipation, it is impossible not to see the ripples as they spread. What began with an open door leading to Sister Altagrace’s smile and strength, continues to grow in Myriame, and moves next to the impressionable young teens in Kay Joanne. Hope flows downstream and the ripples slowly build.

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Related Information:
NPH/NPFS Haiti Fact Sheet/Visitor's Guide