Stone Soup

There is a famous story attributed to Marcie Brown in 1947.
It is called Stone Soup:

It is about three hungry soldiers traveling through a village with empty stomachs. They ask the locals for food and lodging but are met with excuses about how poor the villagers are and how they are unable to help.

The soldiers explain to the villagers how they can make soup enough to feed them all out of stones. As they borrow everything they need to make the soup they ask for small items like salt and pepper. a few carrots, a bit of this and that and eventually there is enough soup to feed everyone. Everyone gives what they can and there is enough for everyone. It is a wonderful example of people learning how to give what they can and see an miracle unfold right in front of them.

You can read the full story at: http://www.storybin.com/sponsor/sponsor116.shtml

It is a good reminder that we millions of dollars isn't the answer. Ordinary people looking after their neighbors, whether they are next door or across an ocean, is what we are trying to bring to the problems of poverty and exploitation in the world today.

This photo is from a small Batay on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. There are many Batays like it throughout the country. They are made of almost exclusively of Haitians.





The plight of Haitians in the Dominican Republic is worse than the country they fled... looking for a better life. There are three ways that Haitians end up in the DR.(Dominican Republic) The first and least utilized way is to legally gain entrance through the work and tourist visa's. The second is "Unba Bwa" which means "through the Woods." The third way that Haitians find themselves in the DR is that they are born there. Haitians that live in the DR are people without a voice or advocate. There is no place in the society for Haitians other than the lowly position of Servant, slave or sugar cane cutter in the batays. Children are born in the country with no hope for education, medical attention or emigration because of their "non-status" in the country. It is almost impossible for Haitians to return to their country of origin because they have children that are undocumented, travel is dangerous for Haitians and Haiti doesn't offer much incentive to return. These are a people who are between to countries without much hope for the future.

To compound the problem the sugar industry is suffering so the batays are without work for most people. The children eat sugar cane all day to stave off hunger and it isn't much better when there is work.

The good news is that there are organizations in the Dominican Republic that are working with these people. Many of the sugar plantation owners are allowing aid organizations to set up shop on their land to help with the problems the Haitians are facing.

We as an organization are partnering with our sister organization, Mercy League Dominican Republic, led by William Gomez, a 20 year veteran of international work in the country. We have access to many resources and partnerships in the DR.

We are currently looking at a June 20 departure date for our next visit to the North Coast near Puerto Plata. We are working with the Crow High School humanitarian Club near Eugene, OR and traveling with 4 representatives.

Kristie Mattenley with a Orphaned child in the DR

We love giving people opportunities to be involved in sustainable solutions for our neighbors in the world. We have plans to help the Dominican and Haitian people help their neighbors. We hope to model what it means to give a little and watch the soup grow into enough to feed everyone.

For more information about Mercy League International visit the website at:

http://www.mercyleague.org