It’s not unusual for one of Ethan Hite’s soccer game’s to get called off when rainy weather could compromise the lush green grass pitches where his U-14 Port Moody Tigers play. But in Haiti, nothing short of a hurricane or earthquake cancels the daily match.
And some of the kids Hite met when he travelled to Montrouis, Haiti over Spring Break have endured both.
Hite, who’s in Grade 8 at Eagle Mountain Middle School, joined his parents on a humanitarian mission. His dad, Cameron, brought his electrical expertise to assess wiring issues in the rural community’s small hospital and teach the local electrician some maintenance standards. His mom, Cindy, a nurse, brought some medical supplies.
Ethan didn’t go empty-handed either. He brought 100 pounds of soccer equipment he collected from his teammates on the Tigers to be donated to kids at the School of Saut D’Eau, a wood frame construction with no walls high up a remote mountain.
The soccer pitch there is a dirt patch strewn with rocks and boulders, some of which are rolled into place to create goals. The ball used by the 60-70 kids who attend the school is tattered and partially deflated. They chase and kick it in bare feet or broken flip-flops.
So when Ethan showed up with two heavy duffel bags loaded with cleats, jerseys, shorts, socks and 15 balls, they were thrilled.
Ethan was overwhelmed at first.
While he’d travelled extensively with his family to holiday destinations in Europe, Turkey, Hawaii and Mexico, he’d never been to the Third World.
Cindy, a veteran of three previous humanitarian missions, said the time was right to expose her son to “another side of life,” where hardship and poverty can’t diminish the smiles of kids at play.
“He’s very well aware of poverty,” said Cindy. “We wanted him to see how happy people can be despite living in poverty. They’re always happy even when they have nothing.”
To prepare for his trip, Ethan created a booklet of Creole words so he could try to communicate with the local kids. But when he disembarked from the plane into the crowded, chaotic airport terminal in Port Au Prince, he realized the few simple words he learned wouldn’t cut through the din, bridge the cultural divide from his easy life at home.
Instead he relied on soccer.
Ethan and his family were transported to the hospital in Montrouis, where they were bunked in simple little guest rooms used by visiting doctors. They slept on cots. They were fed goat, lots of goat -barbequed, stewed, roasted and in soup.
“It was disgusting,” said Ethan.
But all the hardships melted away when he delivered the soccer gear to the school.
“That was fun,” said Ethan. “Everyone was so happy and excited.”
Of course, a game quickly broke out.
Ethan marvelled at their skill.
“They knew how to play,” said Ethan of his hosts. “They juggled the ball in the air, they passed it, they were really tough, aggressive and physical.”
And while the kids spoke Creole too fast for Ethan to understand, their smiles and laughter didn’t need translation.
“We speak the same language in sports,” said Ethan, who spent the next four days visiting the remote school, attending classes in plant biology, English alphabet, math and history as well as playing hours of soccer until it was too dark to see the rocks on the pitch.
“That’s all there is for them to do,” said Ethan. “I wish we could show them other sports, what else they can play.”
Home again and recovered from a stomach bug he picked up along the way, Ethan said he’s had some time to process what he saw and experienced in Haiti and the lessons he’s learned.
“They don’t have anything, and we’re picky about everything,” said Ethan. “It’s just a reminder to be a good person and not be selfish.”
Or worry about a rained-out soccer match.
“Why wouldn’t we play when it’s raining?” said Ethan. “It’s just rain.”
The Hites are still in contact with the school in Montrouis and they’re happy to collect donations of equipment and funds to help it get walls and a lean-to shelter for cooking meals. For more information, email her at cindyhite@shaw.ca
