Kelly Chambley, the originator behind rubble-wear has written a few thoughts about the nannies who care for our children and her vision for the future of rubble-wear. Thank you so much for joining me in this important, eternal work.
A couple of you have inquired about some of the nannies still living in tents and about how that could be with as they have a full-time job at Maison. I know many of the nannies personally and I kind of want to give you an idea of what The Oak Project is trying to establish with the nannies and a little insight into their lives.
The pay they receive is extremely low. It's enough to feed them, however after that, they depend on miracles to get their kids into school which is expensive in Haiti.
The nannies many times choose their kids' education over allowing themselves to eat. Many of them have expressed to me that in Haiti, if you do not find a way for your child to get an education, it is like choosing a long slow death for them.
So, if they lost their home a lot of them live on the property that they had but in a make shift tent. Some have asked if there is any way to build them at least a "room" to live in.
The dream behind rubble-wear is to one day have the funds flowing from it to meet all of these insanely huge needs. In the past couple of years, by God's good grace through rubble-wear and donations we have gotten Glorieuse and her family out of tent city and into an apartment. We have paid Clairvia's rent for six months, we have put a roof on Fifi's home (and are now re-roofing it), we have helped Madame Gaston bury her mother and be able to give her an actual burial. (most of them cannot afford this and the details of what happens to their family members, I'd rather not go into).
I have visited a few nannies in their tent cities and it has been the most sobering moments of my journey. I cannot tell you how thankful I was that I am deeply convinced God is good and in process of redeeming all things before I stepped foot into one of these tent cities, beyond it's borders.
Tent City is a pride-swallowing, wretched place to live. When it rains, parents many times pick the beds up off the ground and hold the beds all night so the children can sleep as their floor has become mud. Most tent cities have a "mayor" who runs things and many times that "mayor" is not the most splendid of characters. In most tent cities you have to pay money to simply go to the bathroom. Most cannot afford this "luxury" and are forced to use the bathroom outside in front of other people.
We have been sure that Madame Gaston got her b12 shot. One donor paid for Mommy Deula to have surgery for a lump to be removed from her breast and she is healthy and wonderful now! Last year, Mommy Matte become very sick and was losing blood. She had no way to find help. Through donations and RW we were able to get her 3 pints of blood and follow up visits and she seems to be okay. I am still incredibly frustrated that we cannot find a place to diagnose her and I am still trying. Getting blood was a week long feat in itself. We carried blood in buckets on tap taps to get it from one place to the other and the stories go on. We have done a lot more than that but those are the ones coming to mind right now.
We want to see better for the nannies and RW is a hopeful way that we can develop something sustainable for them that also teaches them skill. They are anxious and willing to learn so much.
Many of our "team trips" there are to ignite hope in the nannies and to give them some days of rest and nurturing. These trips to the beach where we play, build friendship, do group therapy or discipleship have been something that made them feel alive. Mommy Clanide talks about how they feel seen for the first time. How she looks forward to a future for the first time in her life. How she has been valued by others and it has changed the way she looks at everything. At the beginning of every trip we take them on I tell them the example about how a mother has to take the oxygen first on an airplane if something happens so they will have the strength to care for their kids. And how these trips are a chance for them to INHALE and rest. They always feel so guilty at first and once they just get a simple example and some permission to rest, they laugh so hard and sing and cry non-stop and they are revived. We are taking a group of nannies to the beach again in October and we will be looking for sponsors for them to be able to go.
These ladies are my heroes. Their joy and their long-suffering is absolutely unreal. It has been extremely rare among these women to find one who approached us as a pocket full of money. The biggest request they ever have is to help their kids go to school.
I cherish them so deeply and I want to thank you guys from the very bottom of my heart for donating toward them and for caring about their journey. So many people just look at the children...thank you for looking at them and being brave enough to see their need and extend your grace.
Thank each of you for your love and giving The Oak Project an honor to do what the love of Christ compels us to do....bridge you to the displaced and fatherless and bridge them to you.
kelly
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