Rainbow Families Foundation Newsletter - July 2006

July 2006

I just heard about the American missionary men held hostage in Haiti. Haiti is a very desperate country. Many Haitians are trying to have a better life for their families. I would like to go to Haiti some day but only with a group of Dominicans helpers. Corrina's daughter-in-law goes on a chartered bus about every Friday to a Haitian market to buy clothing and things to resell to earn a little extra money. A Dominican man drives the bus for the Dominicans and Haitians who go to buy things for resale. Many Haitians sell goods in the street from bananas, avocados, pants, shoes, etc. You name it. Everybody is just trying to survive. Junior is fine and running around again barefooted. It is an endless battle with these kids. They don't understand that they are sick because of all the germs and bacteria from the dogs, cats, chickens, etc. and other droppings on the ground. Christopher, the baby, cut his ankle on glass and had to get 3 or 5 stitches, I don't remember. All the other kids are fine but I haven't seen them for a few days and plan to visit tomorrow. Here is an update on the house. The masonry contractor gave me receipts totalling over DR$9,000 pesos (about US $300). The contractor has requested large quantities of materials and I declined until materials I purchased were used up. One Saturday I learned that the contractor needed more aluminum panels for the ridges in the roof because the roof was leaking. I chased around to get them to the site. Several weeks later the panels were still there and the roof still leaks. One Sunday she told me they needed the electrical boxes to install them before the stucco on the inside walls could be finished, that the kids father has a friend that volunteered to do the stucco. I chased around and found a hardware store open on Sunday morning and delivered the boxes. They are still sitting there weeks later. I had bought bags of cement to build the closets. Instead the contractor built concrete decorative archways over the windows, using up materials, unable to finish the closets. I have told her I am not buying any more materials until the canals are installed to stop the roof from leaking and the electric boxes are installed. Every once in a while I get to see CNN and have seen the devastation in Israel/Lebanon. It has been very disturbing for me. The major problems Dominican Republic seems to be facing is the juvenile delinquents. The past couple weeks the churches have held marches, protesting the delinquency. A pediatric heart doctor's daughter was murdered for her cellular. With his money and force, the police and Verizon have taken steps guard against stolen cell phones. Only with this force is something being done.