Rainbow Families Foundation Newsletter - August 2006

August 2006

Bleach … Remember what it did to Jose Antonio's throat. I saw the other night that a mother in Santo Domingo bought "so-called" nutrients from a street vender for her daughter that didn't have an appetite. When she went to give a teaspoonful to the daughter she screamed and cried. The liquid was a corrosive that burned the girl's esophagus and stomach. She has a feeding tube like Jose Antonio and the mother was asking for help for donations because the surgery is so expensive. I certainly understand and have such sympathy for the family. I hope they can get some help. I was in the countryside last week on a motorcycle taxi and went to Jose Antonio's house. The neighbor's grandson is a motorcycle taxi so I have confidence in him. We went as far as possible until the road was too washed out to go any further then had to walk the rest of the way through rivers and streams. Fortunately I thought in advance to wear sneakers instead of sandals that I normally always wear. I was a little nervous crossing the river, jumping from rock to rock. Anyway, the kids and parents were all there. Candida had another baby boy but has since been operated on last year so she can't have more kids. The kids are out of school now but Candida said Jose Antonio gets in trouble all the time for fighting in school. He is so cute. The motorconcho had a camera/cell phone and I took pictures of him but he does not have the cable to transfer the photo to a computer. They live on the husband's parent's land, which is abundant with fruit trees. She gave me buen pan, a potato-like vegetable that grows on trees, mangos and some lemoncillo fruit. She is so grateful for the help RFF gave to help Jose Antonio. He was shy and slow to warm up with me but walked with us all the way to the motorcycle with a stick he was using as his imaginary horse. He's so cute. Candida told me she signed up for a free house in a development that a group has for Haitians. They are a mix of Dominicans too but mostly Haitians. She was concerned she would be skipped over. It appears that since when I had been to her home a couple years ago that the people have moved closer to Carraballo with their little supermarkets and stores since the road washed out. They are there basically alone and the closest neighbor quite far away. She still must walk far to the river to wash clothes and for them to bath. I had been to the community in Carraballo to meet the people. I went back the next day to speak with the Italian guy building the homes. He said he thought Candida got her home. I gave him her full name once again and he explained the family situation and what happened to Jose Antonio. He told me she would be next on the list and for she and I to come in two days so he could speak to her. I sent the motorconco to tell her and we met this guy. He showed her the house that would be ready in two weeks. He explained she must get someone to dig the pit for the septic. She was ecstatic and crying, thanking me for the help. It was nothing, just a little probe. Yesterday it rained all day long so I was inside. It was so cool I had to put on a long sleeve shirt and drink hot tea. However, today is hot once again and very humid. I saw on CNN that there are record-breaking hot temperatures all across the US and Europe. I never know the temperature here since there are no thermometers. Only that it is HOT! The Garcia house is moving along. However, the guy doing most of the work has been sick with stomach problems and working when he is feeling better. He must get an endoscopes examination but can't afford it. The divider walls are up and the closets are getting built out of concrete. I must make a trip there this afternoon to see what is going on. I want to send out emails to get more donations to finish the house and I would like to try and get bunk beds for the kids. They have been sleeping on one set of twin bunk beds. Four boys on the top bunk (the youngest boy who has asthma sleeps with his mother) and four girls on the bottom twin bunk (the oldest girl lives with her paternal grandparents). The oldest girl is from one man, the second boy is from another man and the last 8 kids are with the same man. At least one more bunk bed would separate the boys and girls sleeping in the same bed, same bedroom once the house is built. Now they are in a room that just fits the twin bunk beds on one side and the mother's double bed on the other side with about a 1 1/2 foot walkway between. A Haitian man is allowing them to live in a room at his home.