One of the great things about what I do is getting to know some of the animators. One of our animators is Venus. (Pronounced “Vee Noose,” with the accent on the second syllable). He is over the groups in Ti Apon and Sousai which include almost 200 members. He and his wife live up on top of a mountain and every time I arrive at his house I am extremely grateful for the chair, coffee and bread that I receive from them. Their house is a wooden house with palm siding. It’s been papered inside with magazines and brochures making it colorful and probably more wind, dust and bug proof. They have a cistern and a concrete pad for a yard and have recently added a concrete block addition to the house. Their house is surrounded by trees, the mark of people who love trees not just for their utility but for their beauty as well. Venus has 5 children, all of them grown. His son is a worker in one of our groups.

Venus is very proud of the work that he does in CODEP. He started as a member in CODEP and has worked his way up through the ranks. He is one of our newer animators but one of our older members, one who has seen CODEP rise to its current situation. He likes to let people know that what they put into CODEP is what they will get out. When they work on trees, they’re working to plant something for themselves for their own future.

Venus is fabulous with groups. He is quick to point out just what they are doing wrong. The trees are planted too closely, the nursery is too far behind, they are late coming to work. He’s quick to let everyone know these things will not be tolerated. At the same time, Venus is a dreamer and motivator. He wants to share with people just what the countryside can look like and how life can be better and he’ll share this and motivate people to follow him into this vision. This can involve extolling the benefits of eating some pumpkin soup in the morning, putting moringa in your food, or working to develop trees.

Of course, the people that he leads into his vision are not limited merely to CODEP members but also include us, Rick, Kathy, and me and you as well. Venus can be trying because of this but its also a good thing. The last time I went visiting groups with Venus, we spent a fair amount of time discussing fertilizer. He wants me to know that it is needed everywhere. He wants me to know that without it the trees won’t grow as well, people will be discouraged, and houses will be harder to earn. I of course want him to know that we’re planting more trees and we just don’t have the money to put fertilizer on all trees especially with it being so expensive. I think he respects this information but still feels I can change something to get him more fertilizer. Who knows, maybe he’s right?

His vision is not limited merely to the trees but extends even further than that. When we walk around, he points out springs that can be improved. He introduces us to school, directors and children alike, so that we can know more schools that he thinks are deserving of our help. Venus is also the reason that his church has a cistern. He attends St. John’s Episcopal Church which sits well up on top of a mountain and far away from any source of water. The church has the capacity to funnel a lot of rain water from its roof into a cistern during periods of heavy rain. Together with All Saints Episcopal Church in NC (an HFI-supporting church), we were able to build a cistern that now serves the whole community.

This is a story about just one of CODEP’s leaders. In the coming months, I hope to tell you more about others like Venus who shares a vision for the future in the mountains of Haiti.