I walk through Hinche with one of the orphan boys, Althus or Alishard. Each of these boys speaks passable English that gets better every time they assist one of the midwife volunteers. Althus is about 16 yo. His younger brother and cousin also live at Maison Fortune. Althus dreams of becoming an electrician. This would be a smart move on his part: the orphanage has hooked up recently to city electricity but the service is capricious and unreliable. Generators are used in the evening hours by the people who have the means to afford the propane. Candles are used by others. Brother Bill tells me that the electrical system in Haiti is downright dangerous. The sky becomes dark around six at night and without the light, blackness surrounds. The electrical wires are that do exist are themselves hazardous.
Alishard is 15 yo and he wants to become an English teacher for the Haitian people. Actually, Alishard wants to learn three languages: English, French, and Spanish in addition to already knowing his native Kreyol. As we walk to the Sisters of Charity feeding center, I am noticed. There are very few other white-skinned people in this town and I feel a thousand eyes on me. I wonder what I look like? Many children call out, “Blan! Blan!” White! White! I don’t know if this is an insult or a comment so I ask Alishard. He doesn’t give a direct answer but emits a little laugh and says, “Some of the midwives call back, ‘Noir! Noir!’ or ‘Black! Black!’ ” So, I try this the next time and watch the reaction. The children seem surprised.
Alishard tells me that he is the youngest in the family. There were six children in his rural family: three girls and three boys. The oldest girl died at 28 yo of some indeterminate stomach problem. He was able to attend the internment services because it was held nearby, Two brothers live in the Dominican Republic and are working there. The other sister helps his parents. Alishard confides, “I am the hope of my family.”