Bon Ane tout moun!  We hope the New Year is treating you all well.  So far,  so good for us.  We had many adventures over the holidays and have recently  sent new photos and stories to our website that Benjamin's mother Rhea  faithfully updates.  So check 'em out! http://www.fawi.net/Baltimore/TheHaitianDiaries.html
 As many of you know, Haiti is currently experiencing some political tension.  Especially leading up to and since January 1st as Haiti celebrated its 200th  anniversary of independence.  We try to stay out of politics, mostly because  it is almost impossible to decipher truth from fiction.  A common Haitian  saying is "Yo di" which means, "They say."  And it is used whenever giving  out the latest information.  Who exactly is "Yo di?"  We'll let you know  when we find out.  So there are basically two camps.  Those that feel Haiti  should celebrate the bicentennial and who support the current,  democratically elected president and the work he is trying to do under very  difficult circumstances.  And then those that feel Haiti has nothing to  celebrate because the people are suffering so much and who believe that the  current president is an illegally elected and corrupt dictator. The only  things we know for sure out of those two opinion pieces is that, yes, the  people are suffering unnecessarily and, yes, every Haitian government  official is working under extremely difficult circumstances.  Right now the  opposition to the current President is trying everything they can to boot  him out.  There have been some slight signs of unrest in Hinche, but most of  the hoopla is in Port au Prince and Gonaives.  Things are peaceful where we  are, so no worries.  But please keep Haiti in your thoughts and prayers.  Unfortunately, the people who suffer even more than usual during times like  these are the people who were already suffering.
 We are back in Pandyasou after a bit of rest and relaxation with friends,  Bruce and Deb Robinson, in Northwest Haiti.  We are feeling pretty refreshed  and excited about what the next six months has in store for us.  During our  time away we thought often of the boys at the orphanage and wondered what  would keep them occupied with so much free time and no school.  Our first  day back to visit them we found that they are more than capable of  entertaining themselves.  One of the boys, Vanesse, was especially inspired  by the brand new park that opened in Hinche in December and he decided to  build a mini model of it, complete with a basketball court!  He used the  plastic ring that is left on drink bottles after the seal is broken for the  rims, and cut out metal from cans for backboards.  As we thought what to  share this month, we were reminded of the other projects that the boys have  created during their free time.  There was the house that Evanson built.  It  had woven stick and mud walls, a curtain door, and posters on the walls to  decorate the inside.  Large enough for one Jana.  And then there was the boy  who built a string bass and played it for us one afternoon.  And the many  kites the kids build from sticks and plastic fragments.  I wish we had  pictures of the cars that they make out of metal cans...they are so  detailed, they even have windshield wipers.  What is amazing to us is  everything they make is out of garbage scraps, and these are kids that have  very little outside influence from television, magazines, or pictures for  ideas.  They are so creative!
 While the boys are very adept at entertaining themselves, we have been  trying to think of some more structured activities that will aid toward  their development that we can introduce while we are here and that can be  carried on after we leave.  One idea we have had so far is to create a mini  library so that the boys can read during free time.  There is little access  to books in Haiti besides those they use for school, and there are not  enough of them to go around.  And if there were books the boys could access  they would most likely all be in French.  Imagine your life with the absence  of books and not being able to read in your native language.  We think that  having books available in Kreyol will encourage them as they are learning to  read in school, making it more relevant and fun for them, as well as  supplement what they are already learning.  With Rhea's help, we have found  a company in Florida who publishes lots of books in Haitian Kreyol.  We have  had many people ask what they can do to help the kids at the orphanage and  so this is our idea, and this monthly update the easiest way to give out the  info in mass.  If you are interested in buying a book to add to the library  collection, you can contact the company and hopefully have it shipped  directly to us.
 Here is the company info:
 EducaVision, Inc.  http://www.educavision.com  They have a complete catalog online and their contact info is there as well.  They have novels, poetry, reading and writing, social studies, language  arts, science and math, health, culture, dictionaries, idioms and  phrasebooks, big books.  The boys range in age from four to sixteen, but the  highest-level students probably don't read any higher than elementary level.  So simple and short is best.  Anything educational is great.  We are also  thinking of getting a subscription to a Kreyol magazine published in Haiti  and purchasing a few Kreyol bibles, so if you are interested in donating  resources to that, it is an option also.  And of course if you have books in  French to donate or send, they are welcome too because the boys must learn  French to be successful in school and having French books around can help to  motivate them as well.  We just want to make sure they have a large  selection of Kreyol books.

And our mailing address:

Benjamin and Jana Robbins 
Office des Postes d'Haiti 
Hinche, HT-5110  Haiti

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.  We love hearing from  people...we think of you often!  Blessings!
 Benjamin and Jana