It is has been an action packed 7 weeks since Isabelle and I arrived in Haiti. Our whole work schedule was based around the arrival of the chicks which was planned for the 5th of December. We had a few setbacks along the way but none the less able to get everything ready with a few days to spare.
After the delivery being delayed by 2 days, the arrival of the 500 chicks was on Monday, December 7th. After having spent the better part of the day being in trucks and being handled these newly born birds made their final leg to their homes. We picked up them up in Cap Haitian on Monday afternoon and made our way back to Terrier Rouge and Grand Bassin where we distributed them, each family receiving 50. The families were all very excited as the project was taking a huge step forward.
Since their arrival the birds have nicely settled into what will be their home for the next 6 to 7 weeks. Eating constantly these birds are growing very quickly, tripling in size in the first week alone. They will take roughly 6 to 7 weeks from the date of birth to be full grown and ready to sell at market. This is a very short period during which we will be keeping a close eye on them. After having visited them just yesterday, I am proud to say that the birds are looking very healthy. I love visiting the families as you can see a glimmer of hope in their eyes and excitement in their voice. They have really taken on the raising of the chickens as a project of their own. It is great to see such enthusiasm about the project and am really looking forward to working with the families during the next 4 months.
Last week I received a phone call from one of the families in the evening. I had given the families my phone number in case of emergency. The mother was panicked about something and speaking very quickly in Creole. All I could understand was the word “dead” and “water”. So I reassured her that everything would be ok and that we would be visiting the following morning. So when I got to her house the next day, I asked her whether she had any chicks that had died. She answered with a “no”, thus confusing me. So in my broken creole I asked her why she had called. She went on to explain that she went to check on the chicks in the evening before bed and noticed one playing in the water tray. She was worried that since it was wet it might be get cold and die. So when she called she had asked me, me not understanding, whether she should take the chick out and dry it off with a towel. I smiled and at that point realized just how dedicated these families are to the project. I feel extremely lucky to have the opportunity to work with these amazing people and hope that I can offer them something in return for everything I have learned from them.