Black Press reporter Katherine Engqvist followed a team representing the Westshore Rotary Club as they travelled to Haiti to assess the needs of two orphanages. The following is the third installment in a four-part series highlighting some of the people they met with along the way.
Sitting in a restaurant in Port-au-Prince, RCMP Sgt. Stephen Dibblee looks at ease as he speaks French to the waiter, ordering a diet Coke and a cheeseburger. This is DibbleeB次元官网网址檚 second time in Haiti, serving under the United NationsB次元官网网址� Stabilization Mission to train the national police force.
But before heB次元官网网址檇 ever set foot in the Caribbean country, Dibblee was the detachment supervisor in Woodstock, N.B. It was a position that caused him to cross paths with RCMP Sgt. Mark Gallagher, who was later one of 96 UN peacekeepers killed in the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
It was that bond, Dibblee said, that caused him to ask to be GallagherB次元官网网址檚 replacement on the Haiti mission. B次元官网网址淚 was so touched by the experience B次元官网网址� I had to come back.B次元官网网址�
Since his first mission in 2010, Dibblee has seen drastic changes. Tent cities that sprung up after the earthquake have vanished, and there seems to be more income in smaller villages and towns. Road systems outside the main cities have started to take shape, although those within the capital city of Port-au-Prince are falling apart.
B次元官网网址淭he greatest improvement has been the Haitian police force B次元官网网址� ThereB次元官网网址檚 a night-and-day difference,B次元官网网址� he said. Not only has it grown in size, but also in terms of responsibility, vision and pride. B次元官网网址淭he onus is now on them B次元官网网址� and theyB次元官网网址檙e stepping up.B次元官网网址�
But RCMP officers arenB次元官网网址檛 just helping the local police; many have taken a special interest in supporting orphanages. It was through a connection with the RCMP that the Westshore Sunrise Rotary Club and City of Langford were connected with the Baby Jesus of Prague Orphanage after the earthquake.
It was also through the RCMP that Westshore Rotary was connected with the Divine Hands Orphanage. On a previous trip, one of the officers asked Rotarian and Langford Fire Chief Bob Beckett to take a look at another orphanage while he was in the area. Fifty-two children were living in an 800-square-foot house. It was a sight Beckett said they couldnB次元官网网址檛 turn their backs on. Now the Rotary group works closely with the RCMP and other UN-affiliated police in Haiti to help meet some of the needs of both orphanages.
Const. Kim Deniger is also serving in the UNB次元官网网址檚 training mission. Even before arriving in Haiti, she knew she wanted to help children there. A co-worker introduced her to the Baby Jesus of Prague Orphanage and she immediately developed a special connection with the children. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e happy and theyB次元官网网址檙e smiling B次元官网网址� They have a good spirit,B次元官网网址� she said. Since then, sheB次元官网网址檚 taken the lead in organizing support for the orphanage.
There was a learning curve, Deniger noted; the accountability of where funds were going was very different than what she was used to in Canada. At first, the RCMP officers were providing weekly payments for food, but they discovered it was only going to buy rice and some children were suffering from malnutrition. B次元官网网址淚t makes it difficult. ItB次元官网网址檚 not that they have bad intentions, itB次元官网网址檚 just that theyB次元官网网址檙e not communicating,B次元官网网址� she said.
The officers changed their approach and started going once a week to make lunches for the children. They also started to host a fun monthly event and secured an inflatable structure for the kids to play on. B次元官网网址淥ne time we were able to bring a pool,B次元官网网址� Deniger said, adding the children were enchanted by the experience.
Dibblee and Deniger are at the end of their year-long commitments and were planning to return to Ottawa on Nov. 17. However, due to the delayed election caused by Hurricane Matthew and the civil unrest that notoriously accompanies elections, theyB次元官网网址檒l stay until the end of the month.
Once they leave, Const. Samoza Celestin will take over the lead. Celestin was born in Haiti and through an RCMP sponsorship program, he worked in Surrey, then Ottawa. B次元官网网址淚 was with Interpol; hopefully I will get to go back B次元官网网址� I really enjoyed what I did. I was solving problems from all over the world,B次元官网网址� he said.
All officers that go on out-of-country missions must give up their position back home. It was a thought that didnB次元官网网址檛 seem to faze the three RCMP constables.
B次元官网网址淚 wanted to come, I pushed for it B次元官网网址� my story is different,B次元官网网址� Celestin said. B次元官网网址淢oving to Canada and becoming a Mountie, itB次元官网网址檚 surreal B次元官网网址� I was lucky, I learned so much.B次元官网网址�
The UN is preparing for the end of the mission, although it has now been extended until April 2017. But that doesnB次元官网网址檛 mean the UNB次元官网网址檚 presence will completely vanish. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just going to modify and be a different mission with more specialization,B次元官网网址� Dibblee noted.
Single-mom officer sets the bar higher
In the final weeks of a year-long mission in Haiti, RCMP Const. Kim Deniger recalled, B次元官网网址渋t was my dream when I entered the RCMPB次元官网网址� thereB次元官网网址檚 a waiting list for people to go on missions.B次元官网网址�
Before Haiti, Deniger was assessing the files of new RCMP applicants. B次元官网网址淚 just needed a change,B次元官网网址� she said. 
But it wasnB次元官网网址檛 an easy decision. B次元官网网址淲hen I said I wanted to go on a mission, there was a stigma,B次元官网网址� she said of being a single mother with three children and what that would mean for her. B次元官网网址淏ut I did my homework.B次元官网网址�
After researching different missions, Haiti seemed like the best fit due to its proximity. Since officers work more hours on missions, they are able to travel home every month or two and as Deniger noted, itB次元官网网址檚 a direct, four-hour flight back to Montreal. If there were an emergency back home, she could just hop on a flight and be there in no time. B次元官网网址淚 can be a model for a single mom or any woman to go on a mission.B次元官网网址�
Deniger left her children 365 letters, accompanied by 365 pictures of them together. She also left small gifts for them to open during their video calls, such as stories or music.
B次元官网网址淭hey understand the work I do here and they gave me some toys to give to the orphanage,B次元官网网址� she said.
For more information on the Westshore Rotary's work in Haiti, go to . You may also be interested in of the series, which features the Divine Hands Orphanage, and , which features the Baby Jesus of Prague Orphanage.
katie@goldstreamgazette.com
