The Courage to Save Herself and Others, Too

GONAÏVES, Haiti - Islande Bonne Joseph is sitting in front of me wearing a pretty checked dress, her hair carefully tied back. Her huge smile is warm and heartfelt. Dressed in her Sunday clothes, Islande may look timid but this young woman is anything but shy. When Hurricane Ike hit Gonaïves in Haiti, Islande displayed great courage, leading her neighbors to safety on top of her house as the flood waters rose dangerously high.

She could have chosen to protect herself and her possessions, but Islande instead chose to help those who didn’t know where to turn. As the floodwaters sent inhabitants scrambling to higher ground, Islande called out from her rooftop to men, women and children in her area trapped by the rising water, and guided them to a ladder so they could climb to the safety of her roof. Islande saved at least 50 people from the raging water and mudflows which hit the city.

Islande is indeed a brave young woman. Before this year’s storms ravaged Haiti, this same courage that led her to join the Mouvement Paysan Kongrès Papaye, a group which assists disadvantaged farmers, particularly women. Islande wanted to escape beatings by her husband and the oppression she felt within her marriage. And so Islande turned to Mouvement Papaye to learn skills that she could use to earn her own living like sewing, recycling for cash, and making fruit jams, peanut butter and shredded coconut.

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