I'm home from church this morning, sitting with my little girl, who has a fever...so today I'm very thankful for children's Tylenol - I know it will help to bring down her fever, make her feel better, and give me some peace of mind.
This really has me thinking about the moms of Cotes de Fer...how must they feel when their children are sick and they have no medicine to give them, no blankets to wrap them in, nothing to do but hope & pray they recover?
That is another thing that is spurring on the TENTS FOR HAITI Project. All of us on the committee are parents, most of us moms, and we want for the moms of Cotes de Fer what we have- the ability to take care of our kids the way we need to.
These children are the future of Haiti and how we respond to the earthquake will set the precedence for how that country is, going forward. We, here in our community, can make a real difference in the lives of the people of Cotes de Fer, who, just by their nature, will "pay it forward" when they are able.
This is not a community of beggars or folks waiting for hand-outs- they are a hard-working, strong, proud people who have had their lives turned upside down through no doing of their own. All they need is a hand up, and as soon as they are back on their feet, they will begin to help others and create change in their area of influence, which will spread outward.
Won't you lend them the hand they so desperately need right now? Rainy season is upon them and with that comes the threat of sickness...we need to keep gathering much needed hygiene items and whatever medical supplies we can get: betadine, acetominophen, hydrogen peroxide, triple anti-biotic ointment, etc., along with blankets & sheets and tarps.
When you are deciding if you can help, look at your child(ren) and then put yourself into the shoes of the people of Cotes de Fer. Wouldn't you pray for someone to see your need and do something about it? I know I would!

A Word from Jim Frankenfield

Let me introduce myself, my name is Jim Frankenfield, and I live in Souderton, PA. On January 12, 2010, I had the privilege of being in Haiti, along with 26 of my very close friends. We were about 55 miles from the earthquakes epicenter and about 12 miles from the town of Cotes de Fer, Haiti. Within 48 hours of the quake, a group of us went to the town of Cotes de Fer, where we found the entire town to either be fallen completely to the ground or damaged to the point that the buildings will have to be knocked down. We then went to the mountains on the east and west sides of Cotes De Fer where we found the 3,500 residents living in makeshift shelters. The damage to this town and the friendly faces of 3,500 residents who fled to the mountain for safety has impacted all of us to a degree that I am sure will most probably change our lifestyles forever. I was the one who took the picture which has become the profile picture for this project. If you look real closely under the blanket there is a 3- or 4-week old baby sleeping under his or her "blue house". This baby, unknown to him or her, has been a inspiration to me since I snapped this picture on January 14, 2010.
Now, more than ever, we need your help. With the help and diligence of a multitude of people, this "TENTS FOR HAITI Project" has been undertaken. Because of their work and perseverance, the 1st trailer load of shelter and food is almost ready to ship. On the trailer will be over 400 tents, 8,000 pounds of rice, 50 gallons of vegetable oil, 40 cases of dried milk, 5 gallon buckets, towels and blankets along with other life-sustaining medical supplies and food. We are still in need of blankets, hygiene supplies and other personal articles.
All logistical arrangements have been made for the shippment of the trailer to Haiti and it's transport to Cote De Fer, Haiti along with the safe and fair distribution of the trailer contents when it arrives in Cotes De Fer. All of this is certainly not without a financial burden.
The approximate cost for the shipment alone of this trailer, from Souderton, Pennsylvania to Cotes de Fer, Haiti will fall near the $7,000.00 mark. This figure does not include the contents of the trailer, much of which was purchased with your donated dollars.
A second trailer will be filled with other items after this first trailer is emptied in Cote De Fer and the people of that community will have tents for shelter and the rice for food.
I humbly ask you for your continued support in this cause, for your continued humanatarian efforts to help someone, someone whom you may never even meet while on this earth. I ask you to help the same little baby in the picture, the same little baby whose image I see when I close my eyes every night since January 14, 2010, the day when I took this picture.
All of the folks working on the TENTS FOR HAITI Project are people much like yourself. No one is being paid or is receiving any financial reward or payment of any kind for their efforts and I sincerely thank each and everyone of them for their untiring work.
I kindly and humbly ask that you continue to support this effort as we all go forward in this quest of relief for our Haitian friends. God bless you all.

Lots of Community Support!

When we first began this TENTS FOR HAITI Project, we knew we couldn't do it alone. We began going to community groups, media outlets and local businesses. The response has been both humbling and overwhelming! We currently have a list of 23 area businesses who have stepped up and either given us outright donations, or they have helped us by giving items at a reduced price, or they've allowed us to put collection boxes at their places of business!
We presently have 3 collection boxes out for you, as community members, to help with the hygiene items listed in the previous entry. The boxes are located at the Indian Valley Public Library, the Tylersport Post Office and Yours, Mine and Ours Consignment Shop in Telford. We thank these businesses for partnering with us and we ask that when you visit them, you would bring along an item for the collection box.
If you are a business owner and would like to have a collection box placed at your location, please contact us! We'd love to hear from you!
Little by little, step by step, we can help the people of Cotes de Fer start to rebuild their lives!

Birth of the TENTS FOR HAITI Project- Pt. 1

The TENTS FOR HAITI Project was born out of the feeling of responsiblity Jim Frankenfield felt for the villagers of Cotes de Fer. You see, the morning of the earthquake, Jim and some from his group were in Cotes de Fer, preparing to drill a well near the town's elementary school. The hope was that this well could offer clean drinking water to the town. When they encountered sea water, they realized the well would not produce clean water, so they abandoned that well. A few hours later, the earthquake hit the island of Haiti.

Two days after the earthquake, at the nudging of their Haitian driver, Reynaud, the group returned to Cotes de Fer to see how the town had fared. The team found a town whose buildings had either been decimated, or were too structurally damaged to be inhabited. Most of the people had fled the town, but they did find one man, sitting on his porch, with a severely broken leg. The doctor that was with our group did what he could for this man- gave him some pain medication and some money so that someone could buy him some food, but beyond that, there was nothing more they could do. He needed to be at a hospital, but under the circumstances a ride to the nearest clinic would have killed him. So, very reluctantly, they left the man there, sure that the next time they passed by him, he would no longer be alive.

Leaving the town, the group headed up the mountain to find the remaining townspeople, who had fled to a higher elevation, due to the overwhelming fear of tsunami. The people had erected a make-shift tent village of blankets, sheets and sticks, where they huddled together in fear.

After seeing the living conditions of these people, the service team headed back to where they were staying, pooled their money and sent Jim off to buy whatever food he could find. He came back with 550 lbs. of rice,12 gallons of vegetable oil and some meat, canned by Mennonite Central Committee. Some of the team members set to work dividing the rice into smaller bags and pouring the vegetable oil into cleaned out soda bottles that someone had saved up. The women on the team got items together to make newborn kits for the babies that were up on the mountain. When all was completed, they headed back up the mountain to give the food and supplies to the leader of the village for distribution.

After leaving the folks up on the mountain top, they headed back to their camp but avoided the town, because they were afraid they would see the man with the broken leg had died, and none of them wanted to have to see that. They all went with very sad, very heavy hearts.

Days later, on the way to the airport, one of the team members was able to get word to the military about the town of Cotes de Fer and that they needed assistance as soon as possible...

The Saturday after the team had returned home, they gathered at Jim's house for a time of reflection and debriefing. Our pastor, Gerry Clemmer, was there and brought word that someone had sent him an email he wanted to share. When Jim opened the link in that email, he couldn't believe his eyes. There was a picture of the man from Cotes de Fer who had had the broken leg and who the team thought they had left there to die. He was propped up against a wall, with a clean white tee shirt on and a cast on his leg. Wow- what a gift from God for our group to see that the Marines had, in fact, landed on the south side of the island and brought aid to the people of Cotes de Fer and also that they were able to treat those injured, including the man that weighed so heavily on the hearts of those who had tried to treat him! Of all the 27 or so patients that were treated in the makeshift hospital, what are the odds that the one patient photographed would be "their man"?

God IS good- all the time!

Much like our community...

The village of Cotes de Fer was much like our community right up until the minute of the devastating earthquake. The town had schools, churches and small businesses up and running just like in our community. Every time my dad, Jim Frankenfield, traveled through this community, he thought of the similarity to our Souderton/Telford community. At present, these strong beautiful people are living under make-shift sheet tents and it is starting to rain. I can't even imagine. We, at the TENTS FOR HAITI Project, are in immediate need of blankets, towels and hygiene products to send down to our friends in Cotes de Fer. Each of us has something we can give, this community needs our help, and we would love you to help us help them in any way you can.

One Person Alone Cannot Rebuild a Village, But As A Community Together, We Can.

Dear Members of the Community,

On January 9, 2010, a group of 27 people from our community traveled to Haiti to help with organizations called Water for Life and Tree of Life. Both of these organizations have been helping the people of Haiti for many years, drilling wells for fresh drinking water and providing medical services to small villages southwest of Port Au Prince. The individuals from our community who were there, as young as 14 years old, were able to offer first-hand assistance to the people of Cotes de Fer soon after the earthquake hit. The people of this village had fled to the top of a mountain, fearing a tsunami, and set up a makeshift village using only sheets, blankets and sticks. The team from our community was able to provide these people with food and some medical care. The people of the village of Cotes de Fer are still residing at the top of the mountain since none of the buildings in their village are left standing, or are structurally sound enough for them to return. Before the earthquake hit, the village of Cotes de Fer was much like our community with schools, houses, businesses and people helping one another. We would like to help them to begin rebuilding their community with the help from ours. Below is a list of items that we are collecting to ship down to Haiti to help these people.

• Tents - 4 person or larger, new or gently used, in good condition with all parts
• Tarps – 8’ x 10’ or larger (these will be used to put over the tents to provide protection)
• 5-Gallon Buckets – Must be clean, with or without lids, for the villagers to carry and store water
• Hygiene Items
o Large Bars Bath Soap (in wrapping)
o Plastic Bottles Shampoo (13-24oz, place in resealable bag)
o Squeeze Tubes Toothpaste (Minimum 6oz, leave in box)
o Adult-Size Toothbrushes (Leave in Packaging)
o New Bath Towels (Medium Weight, dark colors)
o Wide-Tooth combs (6-8 inches)
o Fingernail Clippers
o Boxes of Adhesive Bandages (Minimum 40, assorted sizes)
o Packages of Sanitary Pads (18-24 thin, maxi)
o Blankets/Flat Sheets (Any size, in new/like new condition – it gets very cold in the early morning hours)
• Money
o Checks in any amount made payable to Souderton Mennonite Church, with “Haiti Relief” as the memo
Mailed to: Souderton Mennonite Church, 105 W Chestnut St., Souderton PA 18964

Items can be dropped off at the West Street Community Center at Souderton Mennonite Church during the following times:

Saturdays: 9-11 am
Mondays: 7-9 pm
Tuesdays: 7-9 pm
Thursdays: 7-9 pm

We appreciate anything that you are willing to provide for this cause. Each and every item and dollar donated will go very far to help the people in the Haitian community of Cotes de Fer. For further information or to contact us become a fan of Tents for Haiti Project on Facebook or email us at tentsforhaiti@hotmail.com

Thank You,

“TENTS FOR HAITI Project” Committee Members