Sunday, October 4, 2009

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

Who do you think you are? Oprah Winfrey? Angelina Jolie? Madonna? Mother Teresa? No, no, no and no. I am just an ordinary person who stumbled upon an extraordinary circumstance--76 abandoned children living naked like wild animals in the remote mountain villages of Haiti.
Nine years ago God asked me to “GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAINS”--tell of His Love, Mercy and Grace. But now, today, after encountering the multitudes of abandoned, starving and neglected children, God is asking me to “got tell it FROM the mountains”. This is now my quest, to share my testimony in order to bring aide, relief and hope to the helpless. Relief in terms of food, clean water, clothing, and education.
In Haiti I have seen mothers and children who have not eaten for five day stretches at a time. The leaders of the villages beg for assistance. They ask if only a way could be provided for the children to eat twice a week, it would make a huge difference in the mountains.
Clean water is imperative. Approximately 69 out of 100 babies do not make it to the age of two due to unclean water and a lack of nutrition. Malnourished mothers give birth to undernourished and sick babies. Mothers who drink unclean water, produce unclean milk by which to nurse their newborns. Thus the babies die.
The medical needs are astounding. Something as simple as pink eye, because of a lack of medication will guarantee that a child will go blind. Malaria, yellow fever and tuberculosis are common ailments. A lack of vitamin C causes abundant cases of scurvy. Gross iron deficiencies cause weaknesses and dizzy spells to be common amongst the women.
Children are abandoned due to parents who die from aides. Children are left abandoned due to parents who go to the Dominican Republic and Port-au-Prince in hopes of finding work by which to support their families. Because of the desperation of these parents they are easily scammed and taken advantage of. They are often killed or just seem to vanish when they demand payment for labour rendered.
It is my goal to be the voice of the abandoned children. It is my goal to be a voice that will raise funds to provide not just the immediate needs but a voice that will bring a sense of hope. A hope with a strategy to teach the children to become self sufficient and masters of their own destiny.
One summer as I was leaving the mountains of Haiti a little naked abandoned child begged, “Give me something please, Miss, give me something.” The only thing I had left to give him was my pen. As we drove away in a huge cloud of dust the little boy chased after me in all of his naked glory shouting, “BOBO, AMERICA, BOBO!!!” With tears in my heart I turned to my translator and asked what did the boy say. The translator said the little boy was shouting, “KISS, AMERICA, KISS!!!” So I have returned to America to bring you the kisses of a little abandoned boy with a pen from the mountains of Haiti.

To have Yolantha come and share her testimony contact her at yolanthapace@gmail.com