Deschapelles Library

Update from our Library Administrator Besly Belizaire

(with introduction and comments from Terry Parkinson, SCEH Vice President and Chair of Library Committee)

Life in Haiti is most definitely challenging, and, as I write this, the future of Haiti is uncertain, although a group of citizens is working towards an accord that will reset the dynamics of Haiti. Whether the United States needs to intervene is open to debate. Intervention in the past has not solved Haiti’s problems and often exacerbated them. As an organization, SCEH has worked with the residents of Deschapelles to establish programs needed and wanted by the community. The programs have been developed hand in hand with the community. The long-term goal is for the programs to be run entirely by Haitians with minimal financial support from us.

While Deschapelles is 2 ½ hours outside of Port au Prince, where most of the turmoil is taking place, and while the community is relatively calm, it is dealing with the ramifications of the crisis. The words of Besly Belizaire, the administrator of the Deschapelles Library, (Bibliothèque Communautaire de Deschapaelles or BCD), passionately describe why the library is so important to the community. (Besly’s words are in italics)

The situation in Haiti causes a lot of damage in our lives, but one of the biggest harms it does is especially to the young ones. It makes us stressed, so much that we feel the only decision to make is to leave the country, and some people even think of killing themselves.

I always remind the staff, and I want them to always understand that there are situations that can be an advantage in their lives.

I always teach them and let them know that they are the masters of their destiny, the people whom they rely on for work could also lose that opportunity and that they must be ready for any possible outcome that life will bring.

I always stress to the team the importance of their work – the work they do is in the life of every young reader or in the life of every person who comes to the library is of utmost importance and that the youth, too, will see the importance of their work.

Work is something that makes a person autonomous, it makes you know yourself better, and if these moments don’t make you fall, then you know that you can be a total person in life. Take responsibility, even if you are not paid all that you need to fill the gaps in your lives, nevertheless they will still know the importance of work. There is a Haitian proverb that says, “Best suck on a chicken bone than a stick.”

I always advise them on how they should work to satisfy their employers and make them proud can put their conscience at peace even if they are not satisfied with what they are paid as the cost of living is going up and up, but I always teach them that life cannot stay like this forever, and they must always welcome the readers who come to the library because, without the library users, it would shut down.

The biggest challenge I face every day is getting young men and women to keep believing in themselves, either in the Bibliothèque Communautaire de Deschapelles or on the streets’ setting, or in the computer school, too. I do this because I see that they have all lost hope, and they don’t believe that there is something positive left for them to do anymore.

I still take myself as an example. For instance, thanks to the support of BCD, we set up a computer school where I teach them computer skills. So tomorrow, they too may be useful to their country and the young people around them.

I am always looking at the number of young men and women who need to learn computers now because they have not had the opportunity to go to university to learn this. There are times, even though we have 18 computers, there are people who are on a waiting list to get onto the computers because there are too many people who come to do homework.

I always wish our young people to be courageous. I know they are suffering, but seriously, they are getting stronger, the moment will make many of them stop taking life for granted, and if they want to move forward, they must prepare themselves today.

—–Besly Belizaire

Besly’s words may be difficult to read, but they reflect the reality of his community. The wonderful thing is that computer skills will provide opportunities for people in Deschapelles.

I share this quote from author and producer Sydney Sheldon

“Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve and contribute to improving our quality of life.”

We may not be able to change the current situation in Haiti, but I feel strongly that as an American, I have an obligation to at least help support a project that we started, and which clearly makes a difference in at least one part of Haiti.

Library Update: June 2022

A program geared towards adolescents was recently initiated at our Deschapelles Library (Bibliothèque Communautaire ). Called “Gwo Desizion” or “Major Decisions,” it really is about making important life decisions. Participants meet in a group setting to discuss areas of concern about becoming adults including the challenges of sexual activity, unplanned pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases, plus the challenges of living in rural Haiti where opportunities are limited. The average lifetime birth occurrence for a Haitian woman is 2.8 births and starts at a young age. Unfortunately, this life event contributes to the generational cycle of poverty. The program attempts to break this cycle.

Other topics of discussion include the political situation in the country and the futures of youth in it, plus teaching youth respect for each other and their fellow Haitians. The program is science-based and culturally appropriate. Sessions are led by a trained local psychologist, a nurse from Hôpital Albert Schweitzer who works in community development, and other experts.

The program was originally geared towards girls, but now thanks to a grant from the Carlson Family Foundation, we are expanding the program to include boys and young men. Our goal is to reach 160 youth over the year. We believe that programs like “Major Decisions” engage, educate, and empower youth and ideally help develop citizens who will create a better future for Haiti by making decisions that expand their horizons rather than limiting them.

Library Update: November 2022. Library Offers Training to Two Local Libraries

When we first started researching and designing what is now the Bibliothèque Communautire Deschapelles, we hoped it could be a model for other libraries in rural areas. We worked hard to create a library with the amenities and resources familiar to us in the United States but also with the understanding that this would be a library for the rural community of Deschapelles where many spoke only Kreyol and attending school was a privilege. Our Library administrator, Besly Belizaire, was fortunate to attend a library training course given by FOKAL (the organization founded by the SOROS Foundation which provides support for libraries in Haiti). The Bibliothèque Communautaire Deschapelles now has almost 5000 books many of them in Kreyol and French and programs which have a positive impact on the community including reading programs, digital learning, robotics, literacy, theater and arts. The staff, under the guidance of FOKAL, computerized the collection of books and systematized its membership and lending system essentially bypassing the old card catalogue system. It is one of the best libraries in rural Haiti and others are now looking to it as a model for their projects.

Recently, we were contacted by Sarah Mansbach, who is part of a South Carolina Rotary group that promotes literacy in Haiti, Partners in Literacy in Haiti (PILH), to see if we could help train the staff of two rural libraries which it supports. One of the libraries is in LaChapelles and one in Ravine Seche near Montrouis, both located in the Department of Artibonite. Sarah and her colleague in Haiti, Micaelle Saint-Natus, in conversation with Jenifer Grant who had met Sarah when she ran a library in Cange, discussed how the staff of the Deschapelles library could help their staff cataloguing the collections in their libraries, advising how to engage kids in reading not only to learn but for pleasure, and providing them with information on some of the cultural initiatives at the BCD.

On November 2, 2020, the staff of the Deschapelles Community Library welcomed staff members from the two libraries to a three-day training seminar. In the report provided by Besly Belizaire, the Deschapelles Library Administer, several speakers, including our librarians spoke on such topics such as:

1- Cataloguing (we use a software system called PMB)

2- Addressing the needs of children and young people in part by devoting a section of the library to children and young people

3- How to search for a book on the shelf. Specifically, explaining the different steps necessary to better search for a book

4- The classification of books and the Dewey Decimal System and why it is useful for organizing library resources

5- Circulation: ie distributing the library materials as efficiently as possible

6- Library programming, i.e. how to organize, plan and promote cultural activities at the library,

7- Reception and service: how to welcome users and enhance access to the various services offered by the library

8- Children’s literature, objective: Teaching librarians to distinguish the different types of children’s books, according to level, audience and presentation.

9- Record Keeping

Besly stated that both the BCD library staff and the participants in the seminars enjoyed the program and look forward to an additional seminar in the future.

While the Bibliothèque Communautaire Deschapelles is a larger, more established library and under the umbrella of FOKAL, the relationship established between the libraries could lead to collaboration in the future. We are proud that our staff was able to lead the training and it reflects their achievements since the library first opened. We expect that the training that they will receive during the upcoming Pro Lead Leadership Training will further enhance their capabilities

ETerryParkinson/Nov16/2020

Library Update: September 2020

Installing solar panels on the roof of the library

In the last few months, the library has witnessed the installation of flushable toilets, a solar electrical system including a solar pump and is reviewing other maintenance needs. The solar system was installed with appreciation to local organizations and individuals including the Essex Rotary Club. A local rising high school senior raised funds for the solar pump by completing odd jobs for people.

During much of the last few months like many libraries in the U.S., the Bibliothèque Communautaire Deschapelles was closed due to COVID-19. The library is gradually reopening with Covid-19 protocols in place including the wearing of masks, social distancing and handwashing. These protocols are being implemented in coordination with FOKAL – the organization which provides funding as well as guidance for the library. Haiti was fortunate that the number of cases of the virus was relatively low.

Previously, before the government shut down most public institutions including schools, members of the library staff attended a conference on educational technologies and recently made repairs to their computers. There is always a need for additional laptops, tablets and computers as access to the internet for research and online educational programs as well as digital books is very popular.

Preventing the spread of Covid at a hand washing station

During the pandemic, Head Librarian Besly Belizaire implemented a handwashing project throughout the community of Deschapelles. It was well received and reflects well on the library staff. And the library is gradually reopening with Covid-19 protocols in place including the wearing of masks, social distancing and handwashing.

Future projects include: expanding the digital library; creating a proactive mobile library with the lending of books to more remote parts of the community; continuing programs that have benefited the community including book clubs, computer courses, arts classes and programs on social and civic responsibility; creating a community garden; and expanding space for more theatrical and dance performances. The library will continue to host a very successful Robotics program that has won country-wide awards.

The Library is a valuable part of the community and through its programs is in the paraphrased words of André Miraklin, Cultural Mission Manager of the Deschapelles Community Library, “helping more people, contributing to the development of the community and motivating the human conscience”. According to the BCD Library team in a report sent on May 12, “It is the only library in the department and the most renowned for its services, programs activities, and it is one of the best equipped libraries in the country”. FOKAL has praised it and given it a high rating. A recent report sent by Besly Belizaire described how students at the library had benefited from its resources and programs including recognition in Robotics and success in the theatrical and literary world.

Robotics in the Library: March 2018

Club Robotic de Deschapelles celebrating their second place win!

Exciting news! In March 2018, Club Robotic de Deschapelles won second prize in the country-wide Robotics First Lego Competition! The competition took place in Cap Haitien, a long six-hour drive north from Deschapelles. This is the first time the Deschapelles Robotics Club participated. Last year, as they were beginning their club, they went as observers. The team learned to program in August 2017 when three juniors at Valley Regoinal High School’s Robotics program, Patrick Myslik, Sam Paulson and Rocket Otte, spent a week working with the team along with their parents. The competition was named “Hydro Dynamique” focusing on water problems, something very familiar to the Deschapelles team. Kudos to the team, to their coach, Deschapelles Community Library Administrator, Besly Belizaire, and many thanks to the members from Valley Regional High School and their parents who spent the week last summer in Deschapelles, getting them on the right track. For more information about the workshop in August 2017, click here.

Sister Cities Essex Haiti