Update.
This update has a brief update on Haiti and the JRF operations and then information about Nelson, Yubensly, Williamson and Wilgens, the boys that Catherine and I took into our house back in 2015.
Williamson, Nelson, Wilgens, Yubensly-2015
Schools in Haiti are still closed but they have been giving out packets for the children to do at home. The JRF is open to help the kids with these packets in the morning and early afternoon. All of the teachers wear masks, we have a hand washing station for the kids before entering and limit the people per room. Here is a great article on the situation. The summary is that the health system is totally unprepared/unable to do anything, the country cant logistically manage a quarantine, the politicians are getting AID money and stealing it and the people of Haiti are ignorant about the virus and doing dumb stuff in some cases.
Boys May 2020 Nelson and Wilgens are on the far left. Williamson and Yubensli are on the right and Ditoto and Gary, two boys who frequently lseep over are at the far end of the table.
As you can see by the pictures they have grown a massive amount over the past 5 years. They are super independent and have very good lives. Haiti had no school all fall because of protests and then cancelled school because of the Corona virus in early April. They recently got some packets from their school and I have had one of the JRF teachers tutor them in the morning but they have still managed to get a spectacular work to play ratio since they got out of school in the spring of 2019. To remedy the no school I do read them Calvin and Hobbes in English and have them translate it and I also got them a video game that requires them to do some math and reading alongside killing demons and saving humanity. In case you are wondering Calvin and Hobbes does transcend both culture and time as the boys find Calvin to be hilarious.
Wilgens in December 2015
Wilgens is 15 and the oldest. He loves music and as many teenagers spends a lot of time on his phone. His DJ name is DJ Will.G, despite his great name he has yet to do any DJing. He is saving up to buy a piece of DJ software for his tablet. He also wants to buy a motorcycle, the most common mode of transport down here, but I have so far held firm on the no, maybe later this year or in 2021. He is pretty good at English and does well in school. He is a few years behind in school so is still 5 or 6 years away from graduating high school.
Wilgens May 2020
Williamson, 2016
Williamson is 13 and the most carefree of the boys. He loves to hunt and eat all different types of critters. He is solid at catching little fish, crabs, eels, and sometimes little birds. He is saving up to buy a bb gun, I have mixed feelings about it. I understand that he wants to hunt birds more effectively but him with a bb gun could be trouble. Williamson is like a cat when it comes to climbing trees, he is definitely the best climber of all the kids the JRF. He is overall super athletic and it is a shame there are no organized sports to put him in. He is super close to a few of his friends, they sleep over at the house all the time and Williamson can always be found with at least one of them
Williamson May 2020
Yubensly next to his bean garden-2016
Yubensly is 11 and the most sensitive of the boys. He is also a fantastic athlete although not the tree climber that Williamson is. He is super independent for an 11 year old and able to basically take care of himself. He is very responsible and can also be a bit goofy. He is also more of a hothead than Williamson or Wilgens. There is a girl at the foundation that he can be found with at some point on most days. We have talked about what is and isn’t appropriate for 11 year olds to be doing.
Yubensly May 2020
Nelson, September 2016
Nelson, December 2015
Nelson, January 2017 with some shoes donated by the employees of Palmer Moving.
Nelson December 2015
Lastly there is Nelson who is 7. Nelson has a mind of his own and is pretty strong willed. He understands that in many ways life is a series of negotiations and drives a hard bargain. He still has a pretty limited grasp of money and will generally take 2 of any bill or coin over 1, regardless of value. He is definitely a clown and loves getting laughs. He is a strong swimmer for his age and also has a hell of an arm. He loves playing of all varieties, youtube and Netflix. I am not sure how many Peppa pig episodes they have made but Nelson has to have watched them all by this point. He is a good dancer for being 7 but you can tell that when he dances he believes himself to be far beyond just good.
Nelson May 2020
The boys are a great example of children that the foundation has helped tremendously. Without the JRF they would be on the streets in the DR or in some orphanage system, probably not together. Taking them in was a total blessing for all parties involved and we look forward to their continued growth and development. As always none of this would be possible without the support of our donors and we are truly grateful. Together we are making a difference in our people’s lives.
Boys May 2020
