Haiti through Our Eyes - Girls United

Girls United 

Haiti through Our Eyes 

Haiti can change, 

but it is we who 

must bring about 

the change. 

Writing, Art, and Photography from 

the Young Women of Haiti


Girls United 


Writing, Art, and Photography 

from the Young Women of Haiti 

A Project of Full-Circle Learning, 

the Meridian Health Foundation and 

the United Nations Foundation

Poetry Editors: Kathryn Janene Adams and Holiday Reinhorn 

Art Editor: John Paul ornton 

Photography Editor: Nadia Todres 

Graphic Design: Nira Lichten 

Creole Consultant: Jimmy Jean-Louis 

Cover Photos: See inside photo credits 

Additional back cover photos: Nadia Todres, Deanne LaRue 

Inside title photo: Nadia Todres, copyright 2011 

Executive Editorial Services: Full-Circle Learning, Meridian Health Foundation 

Translations by: 

Christine Megan Dosson 

Maxime Louis 

Alexis Renelson 

© 2011 Full-Circle Learning 

ISBN # 978-0-9711933-2-1 

Project trademark registered by Meridian Health Foundation 

www.fullcirclelearning.org www.meridianfoundation.org www.unfoundation.org 

Dedicated to the Authors & Visual Artists 

is anthology is dedicated to its authors, artists and photographers—the young women of Girls United: Haiti 

rough Our Eyes. e collection comes from their experiences, their perceptions, their struggles, their hopes, 

their vision, and their commitment to changing the future. It is theirs. rough them, may it become yours. 

Alerte Suzette 

Alerte Venia 

Alexandra 

Alexis Mona 

Bernard Resieze 

Bien Aime Molaine 

Boyella Adeline 

Brunache Jasmine 

Casimir Somara 

Charlotin Fabienne 

Cherls Glenda 

Ciril Manoucheka 

Dacak 

Delva Lynda 

Destani Andy 

Djenika 

Dorval Franchise 

Doxa Stephanie 

Ducerne Rosenatha 

Elmetus Stephika 

Fectiluse Natacha 

Felix Guerlande Marie 

Fenon Yan 

Fequiere Edline 

Filus Stephania 

Garat Ketia 

Gealde Bozil 

Gedilais Lourdie 

Geraldin 

Henry Oberta 

Hyancinthe Phenide 

Jacques Edwine 

Jean Baptiste Jasmine 

Jean Caricia 

Jean Dieuna 

Jean Fernande 

Jean Francois Daphney 

Jean Louis Chantal 

Jean Louis Nadine 

Jean Louis Sylvie 

Jules Manoucheka 

Larose Fabienne 

Laurent Valerie 

Leandre Julande 

Lenand Solange 

Louis Dania Pierre 

Louis Iderne 

Lubin Dieuna 

Maranatha 

Martine Rose Marie 

Modline 

Pierre Bernade 

Pierre Naicka 

Pierre Sabine 

Renancy Geralda 

Roussel Evedwine 

Saint Surin Rosena 

Saintienne Marie Helene 

Sanon Daphcar 

Similion Jenni 

Simond Lovely 

St. Cloud Loudia 

Targon Robertha 

elyana Nadege 

Victoria Anne 

Vil Chantane 

NADIA TODRES, copyright 2011 

2 I GIRLS UNITE D: HAITI THR OUGH OU R EYE S A PRO J E CT O F FULL-C IRCLE LEARNING , THE ME RIDIAN HEALTH FOUNDATIO N AND THE UNITE D N ATIO NS F OUNDATIO N I 3

Project Acknowledgements 

ank you to the many people who made this project possible, on 

behalf of Girls United: Haiti rough Our Eyes 

On-site Volunteer Facilitators 

Kathryn Janene Adams — Psychology/Writing 

Holiday Reinhorn — Writing 

John Paul ornton — Visual Art 

Nadia Todres — Photography 

Valerie Velazquez — Research and Community 

Initiated Development 

Rainn Wilson — Drama and Improvisation 

Girls United On-site Interpreters/Teaching Apprentices 

Christine Megan Dosson 

Masha Mauricette 

Marie Constante (Fabienne) Merville 

Abigail Pierre 

Gerardine Prévot 

e girls interacted with 

team members Holiday 

Reinhorn, Deanne 

LaRue, Rainn Wilson, 

Valerie Velazquez, 

Kathryn Adams, Nadia 

Todres and John Paul 

ornton (le to right). 

Host Organizations in Haiti 

J/P Haitian Relief Organization (J/P HRO) 

YWCA Petionville 

Haitian Adolescent Girls Network (HAGN) 

Special Host Services 

Melissa Coupaurd (YWCA) and Tenzin Manell (J/P HRO) 

Organizations Linking Global Sisters in US 

Traveling Postcards 

Meridian Youth Volunteers 

Positive Girls Movement 

Full-Circle Learning Academy Los Angeles 

Full-Circle Learning at Rancho Sespe 

United Nations Foundation Representative 

Kaitlin urman Barry 

Table of Contents 

7 Introduction 

9 A Day in the Life, Kathryn Adams 

11 Rèussite [Success], Doxa Stephanie 

12 Kòmansman 2010 [e Beginning of 

2010], Lèandre Julande 

15 Reections from Nadia Todres 

16 Hey Manman [Hey, Mom], Dorval 

Franchise 

20 Ayiti Pale [Haiti Speaks], Alerte Venia 

22 Reections from John Paul ornton 

23 Mwen Soti nan les Gens [I am From the 

People], Jaques Edwine 

24 Avan tè [Before], Similion Jenni 

26 Mwen Se [I am], Jean Louis Chantal 

28 Mwen Soti [Where I Come From], 

Djenika 

30 Nan Kay La [e House Has], Charlotin 

Fabienne 

33 Lakay [Home is Home], Fequiere Edline 

36 Reections from Kathryn Adams 

38 Je Suis [I am], Jean Fernande 

41 Flè Glenda Alerte Venia [My Friend 

Glenda is a Flower], Alerte Venia 

43 Caricia, Po Flè Mwen [Caricia, My 

Flower Pot], Saint Surin Rosena 

46 Sa ‘m Santi [What I Feel], Hyacinthe 

Phenide 

48 Mwen Santi m Byen [I Feel Good], Pierre 

Bernade 

50 Reections from Valerie Velazquez 

53 M’ Remesi Bon Dye [ank the Lord], 

Alexis Mona 

55 Silence Absolue [Absolute Silence], Pierre 

Bernade 

56 Bwa [Tree], Gealda Bozil 

56 Respirasyon [Breath], Jean Caricia 

4 I GIRLS UNITE D: HAITI THR OUGH OU R EYE S A PRO J E CT O F FULL-C IRCLE LEARNING , THE ME RIDIAN HEALTH FOUNDATIO N AND THE UNITE D N ATIO NS F OUNDATIO N I 5 

26 

77 

26

42 

57 Premye Jou [e First Day], Jean Louis 

Chantal 

58 Pye Bwa [e Trees], Delva Lynda 

59 Ayiti [Haiti], Jules Manoucheka 

62 Ayiti Pale [Haiti, I Love You], Alerte Venia 

63 Reections from Rainn Wilson 

64 Ki Kote Mwen Soti [Where I Am From], 

Renancy Geralda 

67 L’Amou ‘m Pou Ayiti [My Love for Haiti], 

Sanon Daphcar 

68 Ayiti Manman Cheri [Haiti, Dear Mother], 

Pierre Bernade 

71 Mwen Gen… Mwen Tande [I Have… I 

Hear], Renancy Geralda 

72 Ayiti [Haiti], Roussel Evedwine 

74 C’est en Nous Unis [It is in Our Unity], 

Delva Lynda 

75 La voix d’Haiti [e Voice of Haiti], Filus 

Stephania 

76 Ayiti Bèl Ti Manman Cheri [Haiti, My 

Beautiful Darling Mother], Jean Louis 

Nadine 

78 Lavni an Ayiti [e Future of Haiti], Filus 

Stephania 

80 Mwen te Wè [I See], Martine Rose Marie 

82 Peyim L’an Pa Gen L’ Eta [My Country 

Does Not Have Leaders], Jean Francois 

Daphney 

83 Succès [Success], Delva Lynda 

84 Reections from Holiday Reinhorn 

86 Manou, Pierre Bernade 

89 Je Fèmen [With Eyes Closed], Alexis Mona 

90 Valerie Se Yon Bèt [If Valerie Were an 

Animal], Gealda Bozil 

Introduction 

Miracles happen. A new plant sprouts from the 

ashes of a charred landscape. Similarly, every soul 

thirsts for the light of purpose and seeks perpetual 

growth. 

Nobility seems inherent in the human species. e 

rubble of an earthquake, the devastation of a tsunami, 

nor the uncertainty of political conict can stie the 

human urge to create, to rebuild, to reconnect when hope 

has all but dissipated. Even broken human systems can 

reemerge as new patterns of community life. 

We have found one truth to be consistent around the 

world: Young people can keep ideals and the very concept 

of idealism alive everywhere. 

Youth reshape communities as they gradually 

redene their role. ey emerge as change agents when 

they seek beauty and possibility. ey illumine the paths 

of others as they stoke the embers of altruism at the core 

of all human progress. 

How do Youth Keep Altruism 

and Purpose Alive? 

An altruistic act can be as simple as listening to 

someone’s story—to heal both the listener and the 

teller. Purpose can come as easily as looking at a 

landscape and creating something from nothing. 

Connection can mean seeing universal struggle 

through a local lens—and reaching out with 

compassion to seek solutions to practical dilemmas. 

In our long- and short-term projects around the 

world, amid life’s greatest challenges, young leaders 

have stood to tell their peers, “We can be the generation 

to oer up our services to help others. We can be 

the generation to create a positive change for our 

community.” 

Integrative education experiences help youth 

facing multiple challenges to explore and expand their 

thinking skills, creative gis and life skills as tools for: 1) 

transforming personal identity; 2) creating an altruistic 

vision aligned with personal capacities; 3) collaborating 

to bring about community transformation; and 4) 

maximizing latent community strengths. 

Haiti rough Whose Eyes? 

is anthology celebrates, in particular, the voices, 

visions and handiwork of young Haitian girls and 

women from age 12 to 26, as they learned to create 

purposeful works of literature, photography and art. 

Some lived in a tent city and others attended a YWCA 

camp. ese blossoming young women, many displaced 

from their own homes by the earthquake 17 months 

prior, arising to become condent catalysts for change. 

eir integrated learning activities taught them not 

only to share with their peers but to inspire other youth 

around the globe, by publishing their work and passing 

on these suggested tools for change—ideas, character, 

creative impulses and the urge to connect them all for 

the benet of a community. 

Beginnings of the Project 

Meridian Health Foundation (MHF) had an 

opportunity to suggest a short-term arts-driven Haitian 

project and realized that girls and young women are the 

nurturers of society who might most make a dierence 

once their potential is tapped. Meridian asked Full- 

Circle Learning (FCL) to design and guide the program 

development, and the two organizations agreed on 

altruistic identity development, peer counseling and 

community building as outcomes for girls currently 

living in Haiti who must transcend dicult daily living 

conditions. e United Nations Foundation selected the 

program as one they would champion and help fund. 

(ese three non-prot organizations can respond to 

questions about the project.) 

A team of talented arts professionals was invited 

to implement the program on the ground. ese 

professionals dedicated time, talents and resources to 

the unfolding lives of the girls. Relationships with host 

partners were also developed, through J/P Haitian Relief 

Organization (J/P HRO), YWCA Petionville, and Haitian 

Adolescent Girls’ Network (AGN). ese organizations 

and their dedicated sta show an ongoing commitment 

to the young people of Haiti. ey consistently provide a 

safe and nurturing environment wherein these young 


women are able to learn, to grow, and to nd and use 

the strengths they possess within. 

Community partners also make the lives of 

girls in the US purposeful, uniting them in the 

challenge of arts advocacy, teaching them to listen 

to others’ stories and connecting them with the 

needs and strengths of girls around the world. 

(See Acknowledgements page for list of partner 

organizations and school sites.) 

Hope for the Future 

e Haitian girls are rapidly transforming their sense 

of purpose and potential as they share beautiful gis 

with their local and global human family through a 

public exhibit and now in this anthology. ey hope 

other young people in Haiti and around the world 

Photo by FERNANDE JEAN, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

will take inspiration from the anthology. ey invite 

the creation of similar projects to promote healing 

through the arts in other communities. 

We encourage each global sister or brother who 

sees Haiti through the eyes of these girls to now share 

their own wisdom—at home and beyond their own 

borders. Rediscover the arts as a tool for compassion 

and for re-envisioning whatever you want to 

transform in your own landscape or in yourself. 

Young readers and listeners, we challenge you 

to apply your creative gis. Find your collective 

strengths. Advocate for the needs of others in your 

community. Listen, share, and envision the future. You 

too can deepen and redene your role as you upli the 

condition of the human family. 

—FCL/MHF 

A Day in the Life 

“United means putting our minds together in order to 

work together,” said a participant in the Girls United: 

Haiti rough Our Eyes project. I had asked these 

young women how they would explain what united 

meant to them. A youth shyly raised her hand but 

then stood up, found greater courage than her small 

frame suggested, and spoke those words. e girls, the 

interpreters/apprentices, and the facilitators broke into 

applause and agreement. 

Adding to that, one of our interpreters said, “It is also, 

communicating together.” Everyone applauded. We 

then joined together the commonalities of those wise 

observations: “So being united is putting our minds 

together, communicating together, and sharing our 

hearts with each other...We join our minds, our voices, 

and our hearts.” 

During ten days in Haiti, we learned so much about 

what it means to be united. We had come to teach 

art, photography, writing, and theater as tools for 

expression for girls, young women, in Haiti. However, 

those youth taught us through their interaction with 

us and with each other how listening, how the sharing 

of time and not just objects, allows us to see the person 

who is inside us and to recognize in that individual the 

values and feelings that we hold in common. In this 

way, we all realized, we unite to share our lives and 

our hope with each other, with other young women in 

Haiti, and with youth in countries far away from here 

yet within our shared world. 

“When I am here I am more comfortable than 

when I am at home,” one participant wrote in her 

project journal. 

at sharing of hearts was what I had seen in the 

writing, art, photography and drama we experienced 

each day. Young women entered that space as 

strangers to us and to our ideas, but still they 

opened their lives to us. On one day, aer Holiday 

Reinhorn and I gave the writing prompt “What 

would you like life to be like one year from now?” a 

twelve-year-old sat with her pen, patiently waiting 

and saying nothing for a moment. e other girls 

were understanding and compassionate when she 

soly told us she could not write her response to our 

prompt—she had never gone to school and could 

neither read nor write. 

“at is okay,” we explained. “You can tell us what you 

would say, And we will put your words on the page for 

you.” Another participant volunteered to gently assist 

with that task. 

e twelve-year-old spoke her writing aloud: “One 

year from now, I want to be in school, and I will be 

able to read.” One girl’s words, another girl’s hands… 

maybe this too is what it means to be united. 

My heart felt both pain for a world where a 

child cannot go to school, and admiration for this one 

child’s courage and belief in a better future. 

e writers of this book—the participants of Girls 

United: Haiti rough Our Eyes—do believe in a 

better future, and they also demonstrated to us their 

awareness that they will be the ones to transform their 

lives and their world. 

Lynda Delva, a participant from Petionville, 

writes of this shared responsibility in her prose poem 

included in this anthology: 

Haiti can change, but it is we who must 

bring about the change. 

Let us unite in changing the way we think 

and the way we act. 

Transformation occurs within us and outside 

us each and every day—if we provide space for 

that in our hearts and minds. e youth artists and 

photographers in this book transformed their worlds 

through their vision and their ability to see beauty 


where others might only see despair. And when that 

vision is formed, it brings with it an urgency to share. 

One day, as I stood to the side to observe the art 

activities, the girls waved me over so that they could 

show me what they had accomplished in just the rst 

few minutes of working under John Paul ornton’s 

guidance. 

Already I saw gardens, homes, owers, trees, emerging 

from what was once a at piece of metal. As they 

showed me these images—the worlds they see in 

their minds—I saw smiles, pride, and trust emerge 

from their once reserved postures and attentive but 

serious faces. John Paul then revealed to them, “is 

is transformation. You have transformed something 

at and plain into the beauty you see in Haiti.” Smiles 

spread widely across each face. 

ese smiles were then later captured as the 

girls moved on to photography. ey patiently and 

respectfully waited for each instruction from Nadia 

Todres about how to operate the cameras. For most, 

this was the rst time they had ever even held a 

camera in their hands. ey learned “on/o, on/o.” 

ey learned to zoom in and to zoom out, and then 

they learned to “presse” the button on top that would 

capture what they saw and how they saw it. Magic... 

eir magic. I felt their excitement ll the air along 

with the bright ash that represented a successful 

capturing of a moment. 

One girl, Rose, leaned over to me to show me what 

she had caught in that ash. In the screen of that tiny 

camera, I saw what she saw: two girls, intently looking 

at the cameras in their hands and Nadia, behind them, 

guiding them through her encouraging words to nd 

the keys to this magic-making device and to master 

the ability to take their very rst photo. Nadia’s eyes 

sparkled in the picture. Her face smiled, as if she did 

not even know she smiled. e girls then rushed over 

to Valerie Velazquez—their guide and their greatest 

cheerleader—to share with her the piece of themselves 

they had captured in the lens. 

roughout the Girls United project, we felt as if 

we simply watched as girls used their own vision and 

talent to grow right in front of our eyes... 

and in front of the lens of their cameras. 

Who was that girl in the photo? Who was the 

young woman who suddenly emerged from the 

entrance to a tent or from a thirty-minute walk in a 

downpour in order to bring her art, words, and images 

into this space? e day Rainn Wilson arrived to teach 

theater-arts we saw that girl. United in a circle and by 

the shared risk of “playing” in improvisation, the girls 

allowed their bodies and behavior to reect the joy 

they have inside. 

On the rst day of these theater games, I heard for 

the rst time the sound of their laughter. ey moved 

their bodies in bold gestures and sang words without 

meaning, but they expressed courage, hope, support, 

connection, and joy…so much joy. Perhaps joy too is 

part of unity. 

Every day was a day of unity and transformation: 

transforming images, transforming perspectives, selftransformation 

within the girls, and transformation 

for those who had come to Haiti from abroad. In 

this shared experience of change and growth and 

understanding, we united. We were no longer isolated 

into our roles—participants, project originators, 

facilitators, interpreters/apprentices—we were “Girls 

United.” And so I continue to ask myself and others to 

consider the enormity and yet the simplicity of the 

question, “What does it mean to be united?” 

—Kathryn Adams 

Success 

STEPHANIE DOXA 

Rèussite 

DOXA STEPHANIE 

I want to succeed in everything that I do in life, 

for that is the reason that I am living. I believe 

I will succeed. 

Je veux rèussi dans tout ce que je fais ou 

entrprendre dans ma vie. Car c’est la raison pour 

la quellè je vis, Je crois que je vais rèussi. 


Kòmansman 2010 

LEANDRE JULANDE 

Nan kòmansman 2010 la tout kè mwen te kontan. Youn tap di lot “Bon Ane 2010!” 

Men nou pat konn sak pral rive. 

Menm jou Madi kite 12 Janvye 2010 tout moun te leve alè nan aktivite yo, pesonn pat 

konn sa ki ta pral pase nan pita, tè a te tranble. 

Nan aprè midi tè a vin tranble, anpil fanmi, zanmi mouri, anpil kay kraze ak anpil 

moun ladan yo, anpil lekòl kraze ak tout elèv la dan yo. Men nou menm ki wè nap viv 

la se pa bon nou bon, 

Nou menm se pa mouri nou pa ta mouri tou, se gras Bondye ki fe nou la, e ki fè nou 

pa dwe dekouraje an nou priye bondye pou li voye je sou nou. Pi bel bagay li ba nou, 

nou menm ki wé nou anba tant, fok nou pa dekouraje, pa kite ninpot bagay aji sou 

nou pou stes pa anpote nou, Bondye ap pwotèje nou paske li se premye e denye. 

Mèsi Bondye pou lavi ke ou ba nou. 

The Beginning of 2010 

JULANDE LEANDRE 

In the beginning of the year 2010, everyone had a happy heart. People greeted 

each other with a “Happy New Year, 2010!” We were not aware of what was going 

to happen. On that Tuesday, the 12th of January 2010, everyone went about their 

activities. No one thought of what would soon happen—the earthquake. 

Later that aernoon, the land had shaken, many family members and friends had 

died, numerous homes were crushed into rubble, along with many of the people 

inside of them. Many schools, with students and sta members alike, were under 

rubble. We, as survivors, are no better than any of the victims. We have survived; 

it is by God’s grace that we are alive. We should not be discouraged. Let’s pray to 

the Lord for He can do much more for our lives. Even if you are living in a tent 

city, aer all of this, you should not be discouraged. You should be aware that the 

Lord is protecting you. You are His, the rst and the last. 

ank you, Lord, for the life that you have given to us. 

Photo by MONA ALEXIS, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

Photo by BERNADE PIERRE, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 


Photograph by BOZIL GEALDA, Copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

Reflections from Nadia Todres 

Girls United Photography Instructor 

As a photographer, I have the great privilege to 

witness and record events and in doing so, to tell 

stories. 

I am able to document what I see and share my 

vision with others. is simple tool—photography— 

is long since a right of those in auent countries; 

however, most Haitian people do not have this 

opportunity. 

As such, they have relied on the visual arts and 

writing to tell their stories. Photographs, however, 

reveal an immediacy and a reality that, unlike other 

arts, is hard to deny. Aer the earthquake of January 

12, 2010, the world was suddenly given a window into 

Haiti. Not only a window into the destruction and 

suering in the aermath, but a continued glimpse 

into the lives of the Haitian people who had survived 

the earthquake and were now le to rebuild their 

lives. Stories were everywhere, under every rock and 

beneath the rubble, in every tent that was erected and 

in every face that withstood the beating sun day aer 

day. And still today, 17 months aer the earthquake, 

there are stories. Endless stories. 

e young women and girls of Haiti have some of 

the most compelling stories of all. Stories of longing 

and suering. Stories of faith and God’s grace. Stories 

of children and mothers. Stories of owers, trees and 

family. Stories of silence, shame and sadness. And 

stories of a beloved Haiti. 

Giving these girls the tools to record their stories 

in photographs has been a fascinating road to walk, 

one that I hope to continue on for years to come. e 

photographs that the girls of post-earthquake Haiti took 

moved me and will more than likely move you as well. 

eir lives were shattered on the 12th of January and 

as a result, eyes around the world focused on them for 

a period of time. at time has ended and the Haitian 

people have been le to carve out their own destiny. It is 

only through their stories that we will continue to know 

of their plight. 

ere are those who live in Haiti and there 

are those in whom Haiti lives. Being of the later, 

I consider myself blessed to have been in the 

company of these extraordinary young women and 

girls. I was fortunate enough to be a witness to the 

transformation that took place within these young 

women in a very short period of time. I watched, as 

they discovered what it was like to have tools to tell 

their stories and to share with others. 

For those who will read this book, know that it is 

a gi to witness what these young women and girls 

have not only witnessed, but unlike us, have lived. 

Be aware that when you look at these images, you 

are witnessing not only a vision of what these girls 

are seeing, but also a true to life image of what they 

are living. It’s a rare occurrence and one that will 

hopefully move you not only deep within, but will 

move you to action. 

—Nadia Todres 

Photographer Girls United: Haiti July 2011 


Photo by John Paul ornton, courtesy of J/P HRO 

Artwork by NADINE JEAN LUIS 

Hey, Manman 

DORVAL FRANCHISE 

Pati Sèl: Bay Moun Ki Gen yon Manman an 

Si mwen te gen manman mwen tap chita pou 

mwen diskite de B a Z. Malgre mwen pa gen 

manman, mwen sèlmn ap swiv sak ap pa se. 

Men yon ti kon sey mwen bay tout moun. Tout 

moun ki gen manman, fe manmanw plazr, pa 

montre li engratitid, pa kite yo madi shonen nou, 

nou konnen pwovèb gran moun ki di boush 

granmoun santi. Men pawòl lï pa santi è sa ou 

mande pou bèl mè ou se li ki reve manman w. Le 

yon ti moun pa respekte manman w. Ou gen lè pa 

konnen ke se li kite potew nef mwa nan vant li è li 

ba ou tete pou dis wi mwa jis ka ven-kat mwa. 

Mande ‘l wap wè. 

Pati De: Pou tout Manman yo 

Manman, ou se soús ki bay lavi 

Ki lè tout move panse leve kouri 

Nan nou mwen wè chimen paradi 

Andedan kè w’ lòw tadi se fotèy Jezi Kri 

Manman pou l’ asistans nèf mwa san se pa 

Yon gwosès premati 

Fe m sonje peri ou pase 

jiskaske m grandi 

Si nan ap sans ou m ta vin tou men yon 

Fi pedi san abri 

M’ promèt ou m’ ap leve zye m jade syèl 

Epi m donnen pi bèl fwi dous 

M ekri lanmou w nan twa sekrè m 

Kote m kache tout lonè m ki pa lòt ke 

Fom kè w 


Hey Mom FRANCHISE DORVAL 

Part One: To ose Who Have a Mother 

If I had a mother, I would sit her down so she 

would discuss with me from B to Z. Although I 

don’t have a mother, I do pay attention to what 

is happening. Here is a little advice that I am 

sharing with you, everyone who has a mom: 

Please, be graceful to your mom. 

Don’t let them curse you, but you know the old 

proverb that says, “e elder’s mouth stinks, but 

their words are a blessing.” 

e curse that you give to your stepmother is the 

curse that falls upon your mother. 

When a child doesn’t respect a mother, that child 

must not know that she is the one who carried 

you for none months in the womb and nursed 

you for eighteen to twenty-four months. 

Try asking her, and see. 

Photo by GLENDA CHERFILS, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

Part Two: To All the Moms 

Mom, you are the well that gives life—that makes 

all my bad thoughts disappear. In you, I nd the 

road to paradise. In your heart lays the thrown of 

Jesus Christ. 

Mom, thank you for your nine months’ assistance 

and not a premature maternity. Help me 

remember the suering of your past. Until I come 

to maturity in your absence, I should be a girl lost 

and distorted. 

I promise to li my eyes up above the sky and bear 

beautiful fruits. I write “Love” in the three secrets 

where I keep all my happiness, which is none other 

than you, and in the shape of your heart. 

Artwork by NADEGE THELYANA 


Photo by John Paul ornton, courtesy of J/P HRO

Photo by GLENDA CHERFILS 

copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

Ayiti Pale 

ALERTE VENIA 

Si Ayiti te ka pale, li ta di anpil bagay de mwen, verite 

se Ayiti pa ka pale. 

Ayiti mwen renmenw pou lavi. 

Si Ayiti te ka pale, li ta esplike ki jan de moun mwen 

ye, li tap di mwen se pitit li, li tou jou di nous a men 

nou pa janm tandel. 

Gen anpil mizè pou pitit nou yo. Sa mwen kwè li. 

Manman mwen gen anpil souvenir chak jou de Ayiti. 

Haiti Speaks 

VENIA ALERTE 

If Haiti could speak, she would say a lot of things 

about me. e fact is, Haiti cannot speak. 

Haiti, I love you for my life. 

If Haiti could speak, she would explain what 

type of person I am. “You are the daughter 

of Haiti,” she always says, but we never hear 

anything. 

ere has been a lot of misery for your daughter, 

of that I am certain. 

Mother Haiti, I have daily memories of you. 

Art by BOZIL GEALDA 



Photo by JOHN PAUL THORNTON, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

Reflections from John Paul Thornton 

Girls United Art Instructor 

See this blank piece of paper? You can change it! Fill it 

with your dreams and your ideas. 

See these colors? You can build stories with them! 

Make people feel emotion. 

See these ribbons and bits of torn cloth? You can make 

them come to life! Transform them into something 

new. 

When we believe that we can transform things, then 

we begin to believe that we can transform ourselves. 

When we believe that we may transform, then we can 

inspire others to do the same. 

at is the great secret of art. 

Mwen Soti 

Nan les Gens 

JAQUES EDWINE 

Mwen soti nan manje nouvèl 

Mwen soti nan kabann 

Mwen soti nan televizyon 

Mwen soti nan mizik evanjelik 

Mwen soti nan agiman 

Mwen soti nan bri 

Mwen nan bri machinn 

Mwen sot tande pawòl 

Mwen soti nan bri 

Art by RESIEZE BERNARD 

Mon secret est j’aime beaucoup les gens 

is and other selected poems 

were inspired by exercises 

based on George Ella Lyon’s 

“Where I’m From,” 

Absey & Co., 1999. 

I Am 

from the People 

EDWINE JAQUES 

I am from fresh food 

I am from my bed 

I am from television 

I am from evangelical music 

I am from arguments 

I am from pastry merchants 

I am from the sounds of cars 

I am from words 

I am from the noise 

My secret is: I love the people 



Photo by LOVELY SIMOND, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

Avan tè 

SIMILION JENNI 

Avan tè a te tranble a, mwen te ap menen yon vi symnpa, mwen konsyderè 

ke vim tap mashè. Pandan en an ki pasè a mwen wè lavi disil. La vi anba 

tant tré di mwen vle tounin viv lakay mwen, pou mwen ka viv yon vi nomal 

yon vi miyo. 

An premye map chèche travay, epi pou’m peyè kay pou’m abite ak de 

timoun yo. Mwen pa fè gro klas, mwen rive nan 3eme primè, è mwen vlè 

kontinyè alè lekòl, mwen pralè lekòl aprè midi. 

Chanjman ke mwen wè lakay mwen anè sa, mwen te toujou gen pwoblem 

ak fanmim sitou manman’m, kounya mwen telman telman santim gen 

pwoblem anko dépi mwen suiv semine sa. M’gen espwa pou mwen grandi, 

epi simote pwoblem an prémye se ale travay, epi map fè pwogrè. 

Before 

JENNI SIMILION 

Before the earthquake, I lived a 

contented life, what I considered a fair 

life. For the past year, my life has been 

very dicult. Living in a tent city is a 

challenge. I would like to go back to 

living in a normal home, and go on to a 

better life. 

First, I feel I need to nd a job and 

rent a normal house—make it a home 

for me and my two sons. I am in the 

3rd grade, and so, to continue my 

education, I will go to school in the 

aernoons. 

e challenges that have come for me 

this year are like the challenges that 

have always come for me, especially the 

ones with my mother. But I have been 

able to grow and to overcome all of 

that. And I am hopeful that, by going to 

work, I will make progress. 

Art by CARICIA JEAN 




Mwen Se 

JEAN LOUIS CHANTAL 

Mwen se Delmas 48 

Mwen se kouzine mwen 

Mwen se lakay mwen 

Mwen se zanmi mwen 

Mwen se moun lakay mwen vle mwen ye 

Mwen se mwen menm 

I am 

CHANTAL JEAN LOUIS 

I am Delmas 48 

I am my cousin 

I am my home 

I am my family 

I am what my family wants me to be 

I am me 

Art by 

GLENDA CHERFILS 

Photo by SABINE PIERRE, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 


Photo by SOMARA CASIMIR, copyright 2011 

Mwen Soti 

DJENIKA 

Mwen soti Peguy Vyl 

Mwen antre nan television 

Mwen soti nan mashin 

Pou’m al jwen manman ak frem 

Mwen alè sou kanape a 

M’ alè sou tab la lè mwen soti sou bifette la 

Mashin tap-tap pou’m alè lakay mwen ak 

nan mashè 

Mwen tande ti zawzo yo 

Lè mwen rive nan mashè mwen tande 

poule yo se, “kit-kit” 

Where I Come From 

Below: Photo by 

JENNI SIMILION 




DJENIKA 

I come from Peguy Ville 

I come from the television 

I come from cars 

I go to see my mother and my brother 

I sit on the couch 

I set the table 

I ride the tap-tap home, and I go to the market place 

I hear the birds when I get to the market place 

I hear the chickens crying, “kit-kit.” 

Le: Art by 

SOLANGE LENAND

Photo by FRANCHISE DORVAL, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

Nan Kay la 

CHARLOTIN FABIENNE 

Mwen gen yon bokite koule blan 

Mwen gen yon kivet ki koule jòn 

Mwen ge yon chèz ki koule nwa 

Mwen ge yon tab ki koule bren 

Mwen gen yon fnet pinti a koule ble 

Lè map pase mwen tande mashin kap fè bri nan lari a 

Lè map pase mwen tande motow kap fe bri nan lari ya 

Lè map pase mwen tande moun kap pale nan lari a 

Lè map pass mwen tande shyen kap jape nan lari a 

Lè map pase mwen tande kabrit kap relè bè-bè. 

The House Has 

FABIENNE CHARLOTIN 

I have a bucket, the color is white 

I have a tub, the color is yellow 

I have a chair, the color is black 

I have a table, the color is brown 

I have a window, the frame is painted blue 

Photo by VENIA ALERTE, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

When I am passing by, I hear cars making noise 

When I am passing by, I hear motorcycles making noise on the streets 

When I am passing by, I hear people talking on the streets 

When I am passing by, I hear dogs barking on the streets 

When I am passing by, I hear goats crying out, “Beh-beh” 


Photos by FRANCHISE DORVAL, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 


Lakay 

FEQUIERE EDLINE 

Lakay se lakay 

Map rete lakay 

Menm lè map pase tray 

Yon lè ma jwenn travay 

Mwen pa pè pedi ray 

Pou mwen pa fè n ofra 

Mwen lejè tankou pay 

Menn map rete kal 

Pou mwen pa vin pi màl 

Alè nan vwazinay 

Se alè bay piyay 

Peyim se Ayiti 

E se la mwen grandi 

Tout moun relem piti 

Telman lavi a di 

Se redi map redi 

Jou alè, jou vini 

Map toujou ekri 

Pom ka jwenn souri jiskaske mwen soti 

Sòti pami piti 

ipokrit yo ap sezi 

Pa rete ap bat nay 

Chita ap men pay 

Pinga ou kwe nanchans 

Lavi se konpetans 

Se dòmi nan soufrans 

Leve nan delivrans 

Home is Home 

EDLINE FEQUIERE 

Home is home 

I am staying home 

Even though I am suering 

Even though I can’t nd a job 

I fear not that I will be lost 

For we do not pass 

I am like the lighter cha 

I will stay calm 

For I do not become worse 

Go out into the the community! 

It is time to extend ourselves 

Haiti is my country 

Even though I am grown 

People call me “small” 

So many have said 

It is hard to hear 

Day in, day out 

I will write 

My next endeavor I will face smiling 

until I can get out from among the “small” 

e hypocrites will be surprised 

We will not be beaten 

We will not sit and smoke weed 

Do you believe in luck? 

Life is skill! 

Suering is from sleep 

Arise to deliverance!


Art by BOZIL GEALDE 

Art by LOVELY SIMOND 



Reflections from Kathryn Adams 

Girls United On-Site Coordinator, Psychology/Writing 

Transformations 

Written in tent, on a bench, while beside me, girls wrote on that bench, 

within that tent—that world we had created. June 2011. 

I remember a girl who sat straight 

closed as tightly as the youngest bud 

of a climbing rose 

I remember the girl pointing to a page 

for me to read and for her 

not to say, 

“I am shy.” 

Fear held her body still that day 

I remember words 

falling from her hands 

onto her page 

Words climbing 

from that page 

into her voice 

Words speaking 

her soul to me 

to the young women beside her 

to the girls far away in places she could not see 

rough all tomorrows 

I will remember what is now “today”— 

e girl who had held herself 

now standing 

now singing 

having opened her petals to the world 



Art by MARANATHA 

Je Suis 

JEAN FERNANDE 

Je suis un lieu sacré 

Je suis le banc forte que je suis assis sur 

Je suis l’air frais que je respire 

Je suis paix 

Je suis de sécurité 


I Am 

FERNANDE JEAN 

I am a sacred place 

I am the strong bench I am sitting on 

I am the fresh air that I breathe 

I am peace 

I am security 

Photo by SABINE PIERRE, copyright 2011 J/P HRO

Photo by LOUDIA ST. CLOUD, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

Art by PHENIDE HYACINTHE 

Flè Glenda 

Alerte Venia 

ALERTE VENIA 

Mwen gen yon tip o è. 

Mwen renme ‘l anpil. 

Mwen santi m byen. 

Mwen Renmen arose ‘l chak jou. 

My Friend 

Glenda is a Flower 

VENIA ALERTE 

I have a small ower 

I love it very much 

I care for it and 

I water it every day 



Photo by VENIA ALERTE, Copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

Caricia, 

Po Flè Mwen 

SAINT SURIN ROSENA 

Caricia se yon bèl po è; chak lè 

mwen wè li andan kay mwen kontan. 

Epi m’ toujou pran soin li paske mwen 

anpil è sa trò bel. 

Caricia, 

My Flower Pot 

ROSENA SAINT SURIN 

Caricia is like a ower pot; every time I 

see it in the house I am happy. 

I always take care of it because that 

owerpot is too beautiful. 


Photos by John Paul ornton, courtesy of J/P HRO 

Art by SUZETTE ALERTE Art by Girls United Artist Art by BOZIL GEALDA 

Art by BERNADE PIERRE Art by MANOUCHEKA CIRIL Art by VALERIE LAURENT 

Art by GUERLANDE MARIE FELIX Art by DACAK Art by DJENIKA 

Art by FRANCHISE DORVAL Art by STEPHANIE Art by SABINE PIERRE 


Sa’m Santi 

HYANCINTHE PHENIDE 

Yè mwen te alè wè yon zanmi’m, Ke mwen 

pat wè lontan è lè mwen te rive mwen te santi 

mwen byen anpil. lè mwen te rive lè pou mwen 

alè, mwen prann foto’l. è fok mwen di ke 

atravè foto a mwen te sati li te kontan, paske 

nou gen lontan ke nou pat wè e li te kontan 

paske mwen te vin wè li. 

Photo by Rosenatha Ducerne, copyright 2011 

What I Feel 

PHENIDE HYACINTHE 

Yesterday, I went to see a friend that I have 

not seen in a long time. When I got there, I 

felt so happy. When I was leaving, I took a 

picture of her, and through her pictures, I 

could feel that she was very happy. Although 

it has been a long time since we have seen 

each other, she was happy I had visited her. 


PIERRE BERNADE 

Mwen santi m byen jodi a paske mwen la ansanm avek nou n’ap pataje. 

BERNADE PIERRE 

I feel good today because I am here together with everyone and we are sharing. 

Photo by JENNI SIMILION, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 


Reflections from Valerie Velazquez 

Girls United Research Assistant 

Smoothing the Edges 

A Haitian girl smiles. She builds a bridge with her smile as 

she navigates new faces. 

at bright smile gently presses out the roughness and 

smoothes the edges of a long day. 

She paints a picture with bright, frayed cloth. She inspects 

it proudly. She writes of her ag, telling of red and blue 

colors—what they say of the past, how they show victory. 

She snaps a photograph. In an instant she catches life in all 

its browns, greys, blues and light. She dreams soly with 

each camera click. 

A Haitian woman sings. She rises. Her hair is braided, 

pressed, and shining. She laughs. She is Black. She is proud. 

She is the color of love. 

She is courage. 

Art by Girls United Artist 



Photo by MARIE-HELENE SAINTIENNE, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

Thank the Lord 

MONA ALEXIS 

M’ Remesi Bon Dye 

ALEXIS MONA 

Sa ki fem plezi, se paské bon dye fém gras mwen soula té tou jou mwen di bon 

dye mesi pou sa. 

What is a pleasure to me is that the Lord has allowed me to still be on Earth. 

I thank the Lord for that. 


Photo by MONA ALEXIS, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

Silence Absolue 


Pendant que j’etais seul, je chante un petite chanson. 

Mais au fond de mon coeur il y a un silence cimetier 

et je suis tres ere de moi. 

La il n’y a pas l’aide de bruits qui m’empêche a chanter. 

Je me sens comme un petit desert 

avec un petit ruiseau qui coule au milieu. 

Je me sens comme une petite eure qui s’ouvre au matin. 

Art by STEPHANIA 

Absolute Silence 


While I was alone, I sang a small song. 

Yet deep within my heart there was silence, 

And I felt proud. 

Within, the noise cannot restrain me from singing. 

I feel like a small desert 

With a small spring running through the middle. 

I feel like a ower that blooms at sunrise. 



Bwa 

GEALDA BOZIL 

Mwen tap mache mwen we yon ti pye bwa ki ba,ba. 

Mwen al jwe avel, 

Mwen rale l — li rale ’m 

Mwen rale l — li rale ’m 

Mwen santim kontan poum jwe avel 

Respirasyon 

JEAN CARICIA 

San respirasyon mwen pa ka viv 

Bondye ki banm respirasyon 

pou respirasyon mwen santim byen 

mwen respire byen 

Tree 

BOZIL GEALDA 

I was walking and I saw a little short, short tree 

I went to play with it. 

I pull it — it pulls me, 

I pull it — it pulls me. 

I feel happy when we play. 

Breath 

CARICIA JEAN 

Without breath, I cannot live. 

God gives me breath. 

With breath I feel good, 

I breathe well. 

Premye Jou 

JEAN LOUIS CHANTAL 

Mwen sonje lè semine a te fèk komanse, mwen te 

timid anpil, aprè mwen vin santim alèz. Mwen 

santi ta vin chak jou. Mwen santin byen paske 

mwen we tout lot jen pareye mwen yo, 

Art by CHANTANE VIL 

The First Day 

CHANTAL JEAN LOUIS 

I remember when the seminar started, I was 

very shy, but then I got used to it. I feel like I 

should come here every day. I feel good being 

around all of the other girls. 




Art by EVEDWINE ROUSSEL 

Pye Bwa 

DELVA LYNDA 

Men sa ki pi atire ’m se pye bwa ki nan 

lakou a paske mwen renmen pye bwa 

anpil, mwen renmen koulè’l se yon pye 

zanmanm, fèy li yo vèt, epi li gen yon 

aranjman anba’l. Ki fèt ak fè foje li attire 

l’esprim anpil paske li vrèman bèl. 

The Trees 

LYNDA DELVA 

What captures my attention are the trees 

that are out in the yard. I love trees very 

much; I like the colors. I see an almond 

tree. Its leaves are green and beneath it is 

an arrangement—a welded circle around 

the tree. at tree attracts my attention 

because it is so beautiful. 


Ayiti 

JULES MANOUCHEKA 

Aye Ayiti te plen ak riches, plen ero, gason fanm vanyan. 

mwen te bel anfom kem te toujou kontan, 

paskem tap eri men kounye a mwen sal, mwen led, mwen 

demoli, mwen wont. 

Mwen telman wont mwen kache, 

nou pa we kouman kem nan yon kwen, 

mwen tris, pitit mwen yo ap soufri, 

yo pa gen ankadreman, avni yo gache. 

Tanpri pitit mwen yo, mwen konnen nou vanyan, nou gran, nou 

ka travay, ann met tet nou ansanm pou’n mete m kanpe djanm, 

anfom menm jan’m te ye nan tan lontan. 

Ann ale nou konnen mwen se yon fanm ki janm . 

tout gason ann met kanson nou nan tay nou 

tout fanm ann touse jipon nou pou kenbe avni timoun yo. 

Konsa, se ras an ras, jenerasyon an jenerasyon, poun kenbem bel 

plen pye bwa, 

toujou pwop an sekirite pou touris ka vin vizite moniman nou yo. 

Pou yo ka vin envesti. Mesi

Haiti 

MANOUCHEKA JULES 

ere was a time when, I, Haiti, was full of wealth, 

heroes, 

Valiant men and women. 

I was of beautiful form. 

I was always happy because I was blooming, 

But now I am dirty, ugly, demolished. 

I am ashamed. 

I am so ashamed that I hide. 

Don’t you see that I have been cast o? 

I am sad. My children are suering. ey have no 

foundation, no support. eir futures are marred. 

Please, my children, I know you are valiant, noble. You 

can work. Let’s get together. Make me strong as I was in 

the past. 

Let’s go! 

You know that I am a woman, ever. 

Every man, put on your pants! 

Every woman, tie up your skirts! 

Hold the children’s futures. 

From race to race, from generation to generation, 

Restore my beautiful trees, 

Keep me always clean, 

Make me secure so others can come visit my 

monuments. So they can come to invest. 

ank you, my people. 

Art by Girls United Artist 



Haiti, I Love You 

VENIA ALERTE 

Photo by ALEXANDRA, copyright 2011 

Ayiti Pale 

ALERTE VENIA 

Si Ayiti te ka pale, li ta di anpil bagay de mwen, verite se Ayiti pa ka pale. 

Ayiti mwen renmenw pou lavi. 

Si Ayiti te ka pale, li ta esplike ki jan de moun mwen ye, li tap di mwen se pitit li, li tou 

jou di nous a men nou pa janm tandel. 

Gen anpil mizè pou pitit nou yo. Sa mwen kwè li. 

Manman mwen gen anpil souvenir chak jou de Ayiti. 

I love you very much; you are my country, and I will not love another like I love you. 

It is my pleasure to live in Haiti; there is no other like Haiti. 

Haiti, my country, you are suering. Yet you have open plains, land, mountains. 

Haiti—the land of beauty, the land of owers. 

When others look at Haiti, they think of everything that is happening in other 

countries. But as for me, I love Haiti. 

Reflections from Rainn Wilson 

Girls United Drama/Improv Instructor 

I gathered the girls around in a circle as best we could 

and we began by clapping around the circle. “Pass the 

Clap” the game is called. Everyone, me especially, was 

a bit self-conscious. My goal was simply to get them 

playing together. When you start to play together, you 

start to trust each other and then the participants can 

really open up. 

Before I was a mid-level TV celebrity, I was a theatre 

actor and teacher. I taught scene study, used improv 

and theatre games as a way into the ‘play’. Aer all, 

‘plays’ happen because you’re ‘playing’, right? You’re 

just deeply pretending, like kids do when they pretend 

to be Mario and Luigi or Space Alien vs. Cowboy. 

Photo by NADIA TODRES, copyright 2011 JP/HRO 

So we played for a week, me, our rag-tag team, and 

these beautiful, courageous girls who lived in tents. 

We sang and danced and shared and made fools of 

ourselves. 

I don’t have time to document everything I saw, 

experienced, and learned from my time with the girls, 

but I will say that as soon as the games moved to 

sound and movement and singing, the girls excelled. 

Our goal was self-transformation, and I would say 

that the girls reached it. Our nal exhibit was a 

wonder. e girls transformed that ‘community 

center’—shared their art and photography, sang and 

danced and read poetry, and ate cake. 


Where I Am From 

GERALDA RENANCY 

Ki Kote Mwen Soti 

RENANCY GERALDA 

Mwen soti Peguy Vil. 

Se yon kote ki pwop paske se la Prezidan fè pou’l alè lakaye li. 

Mwen soti nan manmam. 

Mwern soti nan papa’m. 

I’m from Peguy Ville. 

It’s a clean place because it’s the route that the President uses to go home. 

I come from my mother, 

I come from my father. 

A mother spoke of feelings of renewal aer receiving gis of written work from their daughters at the YWCA project. 

Photo by JULIANDE LEANDRE, copyright 2011 JP/HRO 



Art by MONA ALEXIS 

L’amou’m Pou Ayiti 

SANON DAPHCAR 

-1- 

L’amou’m pou Ayiti 

Se ramase tout chimè 

Fe tout preche la pè 

Fe you aprann travay tè 

Fe yo respekte sa Bondye mete sou latè 

Lè sa ya sispann rele tèt yo piyajè 

-2- 

L’amou’m pou Ayiti 

Se kouri deyè move gouvèneman 

Ki pa vle travay pou chanjman 

Pou Ayiti ka gen bon devlopman 

Dechoukè tout tizè pouvwa 

K’ap travay deyò la law 

Ki vle fè pep la pote la kwa! 

My Love for Haiti 

DAPHCAR SANON 

-1- 

My love for Haiti 

Is picking up all political bandits 

Have them preach peace 

Have them learn agriculture 

Teach them respect for God’s creations 

en we will stop calling them robbers 

-2- 

My love for Haiti 

Is chasing away statesmen who are not devoted 

Who are against change 

So Haiti can be developed 

Uproot all power hungry politicians 

Working behind the curtain—outlaws 

People take up a cross! 



Ayiti, Manman Chéri 


Ayiti manman chéri 

tèlman wap soufri 

menm souri ou pa souri 

pandan pitit ou yo ap mal nouri 

yap domi nan lari anba gwo sere nou lapli 

epidemi ak maladi ap fè nou n deperi 

Ensekirite lage nou nan kouri 

Kalamite ap fè nou pase yon peripesi 

Timoun yo paka li yo pa anvi ri 

Sak te ka ede nou yo pati 

Y’al envesti nan lòt peyi 

Pouki nou pa vini 

Pran yon ti tan pou nou reechi 

Men nan men pou nou ka ini 

Pou nou wè kijan nou ka chanje gi ‘l 

Ba ’l yon lot souri retire vye pli 

Ooo Bondye pa kite nou peri 

Anba move lavi 

Latè pa vle pwodwi 

Pyebwa yo pa vle eri 

Bèl tèt mòn yo n degingole 

Dlo pote ale tout bon tè ki ka kiltive 

Peyizan yo paka plante 

Menm zwazo pa jwenn kote pou yo rete 

Yo pa menm ka chante 

Ou te kreye nou pou nou viv ere 

Kisa nou fè nap peye 

kilè tristès va febli pou lajwa anvayi 

Anndan yon ti peyi lanati va sispann detwi 

Kilti nou va etabli va gen yon lot vi 

Menm jan ak tout lòt peyi 

Ayiti va devni yon paradi 

Lè sa tou va rejwi 

Anfen nou va gen yon bèl Ayiti 

Haiti, Dear Mother 


Haiti, dear mother 

You suer so 

Smile by smile 

While you hurt, you feed 

Your children sleep in the street, save us, under the rain 

Epidemics and diseases must end 

We have no security 

Release us from running 

Our journeys meet calamities 

Children are unable to read 

On this long road, what can help us nd a foundation? 

It would require one trip for other countries to invest 

Why not come? 

Take a little time to think of us 

Hand in hand, we can be united 

To see how we can change her face 

Give her a smile that will rejuvenate her 

Oh, let you not die 

Under the weight of this bad life 

e world does not know your abundance 

Trees do not bloom 

ere is no topsoil 

Washed away is the good land that can grow 

Farmers are unable to plant 

Even the birds do not know where to rest 

ey cannot sing 

You have created us to live happily 

What price must we pay? 

When sadness fails to invade joy 

When we stop destroying nature 

Culture will re-establish itself 

It will have another life 

Like all other countries 

Haiti will become a paradise 

For all to enjoy 

Finally, we will have a beautiful Haiti 

Art by ANNE VICTORIA Art by STEPHANIA 



Photo By NAICKA PIERRE, copyright 2011 

Mwen Gen... 

Mwen Tande 

RENANCY GERALDA 

Mwen gen yon tab; li gen koulè moutad. 

Mwen gen yon bokite la kaye mwen; li gen koulè. 

Mwen gen yon kabann; li gen koulè gris. 

Mwen gen yon televezion lakaye mwen; li gen koulè nwa. 

Mwen tande mashin. 

Mwen tande moun. 

Mwen wè kochon. 

Mwen wè chen. 

Mwen wè kabrit. 

“Magarettte!” 

“Ania!” 

“Onilia!” 

Mwen kon achte paen baget. 

Mwn kon achte salami. 

Mwen kon achte janbon. 

Mwen kon achte pome. 

Mwen kon achte òldòg 

I Have... I Hear 

GERALDA RENANCY 

I have a table; it has a mustard color 

I have a bucket at home; its color is white 

I have a bed; its color is grey 

I have a television at home; it has a black color 

I hear cars 

I hear motorcycles 

I hear pigs 

I hear dogs 

I hear goats 

“Margarette!” 

“Ania!” 

“Onilia!” 

I buy bread 

I buy salami 

I buy ham 

I buy apples 

I buy hot dogs 

Art by FRANCHISE DORVAL 




Ayiti 

ROUSSEL EVEDWINE 

Ayiti se yon peyi lapli, li gen anpil pye bwa. 

Mwen wè tout mounn koumanse; mwen ta vlè moun yo soti anba tant èpi tou, 

Mwen ta vlè viv an sante, Ayiti pwop Ayiti se yon kote ti è ap pouse, 

Kote moun ap soufri grangou. 

Mwen ta renmen viv kote ki gen bèl ti pye bwa. 

Mesi Ayiti chéri, kote ki gen bèl ti riviè, 

Men sa pou nou fè konsa peyi a va pwop. 

Mesi, Ayiti chéri 

Art by 

MOLAINE BIEN AIME 


Haiti 

EVEDWINE ROUSSEL 

Haiti is a rainy country. It has a lot of trees. 

I see that some people are moving out of the tent-cities. 

I would like everyone to move out of the tent-cities. 

I would also like to live in good health. 

Haiti is not a clean place. 

Haiti is where few owers grow, where people are starving. 

I would like to live where there is beautiful land, and trees— 

A place that has beautiful rivers. 

Here’s what we should do: 

Keep our country clean. 

ank you my darling, Haiti. 

Photo by ROBERTHA TARGON 

copyright 2011

C’est en Nous Unis 

DELVA LYNDA 

C’est un pays qui soure beaucoup depuis 

longtemp a cause de son peuple. Parce qu’avant, 

Haiti avais beaucoup de richesses c’etait 

la “Perle des Antilles”. Il avait un passé 

glorieux. 

Maintenant, ce n’est plus la meme chose. Parce 

que a cause de nous toutes ça richesses, tout 

ce qu’elle possedaient qui l’avaient renduent 

glorieux ont disparuent. Haiti ne plus supporter 

toutes ses sourances qu’ils enduraient depuis 

longtemps a cause de son people. 

Il attendre un changement miraculeux, pour 

qu’il redeveint come avant— “La perle des 

Antilles.” 

Haiti peut changer mais c’est en nous 

Unis et en changeant nos façons de penser et 

nos moeurs. 

LYNDA DELVA 

It Is in Our Unity 

is is a country that has long been greatly 

suering because of its people. Before now, 

Haiti prospered; it was called the “Pearl of the 

Caribbean”. It had a glorious past. 

Now, things are no longer the same. Because of our 

people, our wealth and all of our possessions that 

made us glorious have disappeared. Haiti can no 

longer support these self-inicted suerings that 

she has long endured at the people’s hands. 

We are waiting for change, so that she returns to 

her original state—“e Pearl of the Caribbean”. 

Haiti can change, but it is we who must bring 

about the change. 

Let us unite in changing the way we think and the 

way we act. 

La Voix d’Haiti 

FILUS STEPHANIA 

Autre fois j’ètais belle, proper, 

Mes enfants etaient mon avenir, 

J’etais une source de benediction pour les autres 

Aujourd’hui je ne sais plus oû j’en suis, 

Je sus maltraite, 

Battu meprise mais je ne perdre pas espoir, 

Je crois un jour que je serais comme avant 

Par la grace de Dieu 

The Voice of Haiti 

STEPHANIA FILUS 

I used to be beautiful, clean 

My children were my prosperity 

I used to be a well of blessing to everyone 

Now, I no longer know who I am 

Drained, used up, and ignored 

I will not lose hope 

I believe I will one day return to my original state 

By the grace of God 


Ayiti Bèl Ti 

Manman Chéri 

JEAN LOUIS NADINE 

Ayiti, mwen kwè ou panse ke mwen se pitit ou 

Mwen pap jamn lage’w, 

M’panse ke mwen se yon pitit ou ki del avew ki saj, 

Ki honet e ke mwen kwe wap panse pou mwen. 

Ou vle’m chnje pa gen pi bon pase’w Ayiti— 

Ayiti bel ti manman chéri, 

Nou se ayisyen nou se ayiti ou pap janm lage nou 

Map toujou rete nan pye ’w 

Paske mwen konnen out a renmen vin yo gro 

administrasyon 

Ou konnen ke peyi a gen anpil timoun 

Ki pou konn li, ki pa alè lekòl. 

Haiti My Beautiful 

Darling Mother 

NADINE JEAN LOUIS 

Haiti, I know you believe that I am your child 

And I will never part from you 

And you will never part from me. 

I am a child that is faithful to you 

Gentle, honest, 

And I believe that you have plans for me. 

You want me to change. 

ere is no one better than Haiti— 

Haiti, darling mother. 

We are Haitians, and we are Haiti. 

You will never abandon us. 

We will always be at your feet 

For I know you will grow to be a strong government 

You know that you have a lot of children who 

Don’t know how to read and are not in school 

Photo by GERALDIN, copyright 2011 


Photo by LOVELY SIMOND, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

Lavni an Ayiti 

FILUS STEPHANIA 

Ayiti oh Ayiti chéri 

“Pel de zantile” 

Ayiti pwop 

Ayiti sekirite 

Konstui machè, pou macchan 

Gen travay 

Bèl kay 

D’lô potab 

Bèl pye bwa 

Gen manje 

Gen lopital 

Gen lekol 

Gen inivèsite 

Lapli 

Rekolt 

Elektrisite 

Bèl lanmè 

Bèl montay 

Bèl moun 

Gen bon soley 

Bèl plas piblik 

Gen bon van 

Gen kay pou moun ki rete anba tant 

The Future of Haiti 

STEPHANIA FILUS 

Haiti, oh sweet Haiti 

“Pearl of the Caribbean” 

Clean Haiti 

Secure Haiti 

Build market places for merchants 

Have work 

Beautiful homes 

Potable water 

Beautiful trees 

Have food 

Have hospitals 

Have schools 

Have investors 

Rain 

Harvests 

Electricity 

Beautiful beaches 

Beautiful mountains 

Beautiful people 

Have good sun 

Beautiful parks 

Have gentle wind 

Have homes for those who live in tent cities 

Art by JULANDE LEANDRE 



Photo by MOLAINE BIEN AIME, copyright 2011 J/P HRO Photo by MANOUCHEKA JULES, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

Mwen te Wè 

MARTINE ROSE MARIE 

Mwen te wè yon Ayiti tounèf, ki gen 

anpil pye bwa ak anpil è 

moun yo ap viv byen san yo pa pè. 

Mwen ta renmen tout moun al lekol 

pou moun sispann mande nan lari. 

I See 

ROSE MARIE MARTINE 

I see a new Haiti, with many 

trees and owers, 

Where people live well 

without having to be scared. 

I would like everybody to 

go to school so that children 

would so longer need to beg in 

the street. 


Peyim L’an pa gen L’Eta. 

JEAN FRANCOIS DAPHNEY 

Ayiti se yon peyi ki ba anpil. 

Wap pase mizè ladanl, depi yon moun ni lekol si se an Ayiti li rete, 

li pa fouti jwenn travay se tankou nou pat pase sou ban lèkol. 

Epi lè yon moun ni li telman paka jwen travay. 

Se vann li alè vann, Mwen pa renmen sa. 

Mwen ta renmen lèm ni lèkol 

Fok mwen alè aprann sa mwen renmen. 

Lè ni pou’m jwen travay vit-vit, 

Ayisyen yo pase twop mizè. 

My Country Does Not Have Leaders 

DAPHNEY JEAN FRANCOIS 

Haiti is a country that is deep in the gallows 

You suer very much in it. 

Once you nish school, if you stay in Haiti, it’s dicult to nd work. 

It’s as though you never went to school. 

It’s so dicult to nd work that you have no choice except to become a merchant. 

When I nish school, I would like to learn whatever I like, 

and right aer, I’d like to nd employment. 

Haitians suer so much. 

Succès 

DELVA LYNDA 

Dans l’avenir ma vie sera un grand success. 

Je vais rèussir dans tout ce que je vois 

entreprendre—pour vivre ma vie ie avec 

l’aide de Dieu. Je crois en cette parole! 

Photo by JASMINE BRUNACHE, copyright 2011 

Success 

LYNDA DELVA 

In the future, my life will be of great 

success. I will succeed in everything that 

I do—live my life with the help of God. I 

have faith in these words! 


Photo by SABINE PIERRE, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

Reflections and a poem from Holiday Reinhorn 

Girls United Writing Instructor 

“Where does writing come from?” I asked students at 

our rst gathering together. 

A rare silence fell over the group, followed by a 

sudden rush of thoughts and impressions that were as 

varying and surprising as each participant. 

“Writing comes from bad weather, from the radio, 

from strange animals, from scars.” 

Over the course of the week, “Where does writing 

come from?” became a popular warm-up to the 

writing assignments. 

One student described writing as “trying to answer 

unanswerable questions.” 

e poem on the next page was inspired by 

these discussions and is dedicated with great love 

to the writers of GIRLS UNITED: HAITI, who so 

courageously embody this search. 

—Holiday Reinhorn 

Where Does Writing Come From? 

Writing comes from the paper and pen 

From the watchers in the window, from mud 

Writing is from danger, emergency and safe places 

It is from tents and trees and tap-taps, from the shaking and the falling and children crying 

Writing is from hunger, and yearning, from prayers and people you miss, and the ground beneath our feet 

Writing is from truth and triumph and the whispers inside a dream 

Writing is from victory and purity, from death and heaven 

Writing is from grace 

Writing is from things we fear and from fantasies, from the soul inside our soul, from church clothes and 

mother’s day, from our hands and tongues, from the heart of our spine and the veins of our imagination 

Writing is from eyes in the water, from bones and blood 

Writing is from faith and desperation, from our ancestors and from every stranger 

Writing is from where we live and where we’ve never been 

Writing is from elegance and from nothing, from cats and dogs 

Writing is from our spirit, the spirit of Haiti 

Writing is from ags and old ladies and every little girl 

Writing is from everything, from never forgetting 

It is from gratefulness, from keeping the stillness moving, from all the secret 

places inside us that we don’t have to hide from anymore. 

Writing is from our power. Our glory. 

Writing is from girls, united. 


From us.


Art by GLENDA CHERFILS 

Manou 


Manou se yonti jen 

Li se moun Azoukoudou 

Li soti nan yon gran lakou 

Anba yon gwo pye mapou 

Li toujou di bon jou ak yon bèl souri 

Epi yon ti je dou 

Depi l fè douvanjou 

Kòk chante koukouyoukou 

Manou leve ak panyen’ l nan men ’l 

Pou’l al pwomennen rapadou 

Li pa pè labou 

Li pa pè pote chay kil ou 

Grangou pa fel pè 

Se lavi‘l l’ap chache 

Li pa pran plezi ak moun ki sou 

Dep’i l nan lari yo tonbe ri ’l 

Paske’l pa kwè nan tchilitchitchi 

Malgre sa Manou pa janm kagou 

Se kou yo goute’l yo wè li 

Se kan panyen ’l vid 

Li reve lanmou men ak yon souf ki kout 

Poutan pa gen moun ki damou ke manou 

Men depi ’l fè jou se toujou yon sèl randevou 

Manou 


Manou is a young woman, 

From Azougoudou 1 

She is from a home with a big yard 

And beneath the maple tree 

She always says, “Good morning” 

With a beautiful smile and 

Seductive eyes. 

At the dawn, 

Her rooster crows, “Koukouyoukou” 

Manou takes her basket in her hands 

She earns her living selling cane-sugar candy 

She does not fear the dirt 

She does not fear wild things 

She does not fear famine 

Neither is she worn out 

She seeks life 

Even though it is hard 

e people in the city streets laugh at Manou 

Because she does not believe in pretenses 

Despite this, Manou is not sad 

e food has been tasted 

She has seen what life is 

When the basket is empty 

She has dreamed of love, but with a short breath 

As yet, no one has loved Manou 

But it is still early 

And so she dreams of meeting her love 

1. “Azoukoudou” is a children’s story and musical 

play about a boy who is in search of stories. 

Photo by DAPHNEY JEAN FRANCOIS 



Photo by FABIENE CHARLOTIN, copyright 2011 

Je Fèmen 

ALEXIS MONA 

Pandan ke mwen te fèmen je mwen, te santi yon ti van. 

Pandan mwen vini trant Mè a, mwen te vini tris, 

Menn kounye a mwen santi’m kontan. 

Mwen gen jwa nan kèm men avèk tristès nou pwal separe. 

Mwen sèten map separe de kò men an espri nap toujou ansam. 

With Eyes Closed 

MONA ALEXIS 

While my eyes were closed, I felt a dra. 

When I rst came here on the 30th of May, I was a little sad. 

Now I feel so happy. 

I have joy in my heart. 

We are about to be parted, 

But I feel that while our bodies will separate, 

Our spirits will remain together. 


Valerie Se Yon Bèt 

GEALDA BOZIL 

Si Valerie se te yon bèt, mwen tap 

Konparel 

Tankou yon demwazèl 

Ki ap vole. 

Valerie tap renmen vole anpil, anpil. 

If Valerie Were an Animal 

BOZIL GEALDA 

If Valerie were an animal, she would be 

A dragony 

at would land on me and 

Caress my shoulder. 

Valerie would y, and y, and y. 

Art by DJENIKA 



DEANNE LARUE, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

NADIA TODRES, copyright 2011 

Art by Girls United Artists 


Photos by John Paul ornton, courtesy of J/P HRO

Photos by NADIA TODRES, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 


Photo by DEANNE LARUE, copyright 2011 J/P HRO 

To my dear friends at GIRLS UNITED: 

Every day I miss you and the artistic space we created together. In the rain and in the sunshine, 

your voices brought this community center to life and every day you gather together there, you continue 

to make it the sacred place that it is. It is the symbol of your sacredness. 

It is a place lled with your soul’s imagination. A place that symbolizes your commitment to realizing 

every one of your dreams. 

Every day your words and art and photographs inspire me as an artist and as a woman. I learned 

so much from you all. I hope you know how courageous you are to continue this work for yourself 

and thank you for your generosity in sharing this process with others. You are brilliant lights and 

radiant stars. 

e spirit and hopes of every female on our planet benets from your commitment to yourself and 

to the community of our human family. It unites the hearts of girls and women everywhere. I love 

you all so much. Even though we may be in dierent places right now, our connection is eternal. 

I cannot wait to return to Haiti and see you again, my lovely colleagues and friends. 

—Holiday

98 I GIRLS UNITE D: HAITI THR OUGH OU R EYE S 

We are Haitians, 

and we are Haiti. 

Haiti, you will never leave us.

Haiti through Our Eyes - Girls United

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