Friday at the end of her visit to Mrs. Jamba, the Dean of Haiti who would be 125 years old, on the heights of the 8th communal section of Petit-Goâve, Jacky Lumarque, the Rector of Quisqueya University confided at the microphone of our correspondent to tell how he was informed of the case of Mrs. Jamba, his motives and how Quisqueya University will help her.

Jacky Lumarque "First, I saw Mrs. Jamba's photo and a lot of friends told me about her. For some, she is 119 years old, for others she is 125 years old. Then, I became aware of this issue. I have a friend, Bayyinah Bello Director of the 'Claire Heureuse' Foundation, which looks after the elderly, and for this Foundation, when a person goes beyond the age of one hundred, it represents a heritage.

Concerned about the environmental conditions in which Mrs. Jamba lives, I obtained information and realized that she was facing a lack of supervision. I said to myself then, why not give him a mentoring and even taking care her to alow her o make the transition [with the afterlife] with dignity and in good conditions. That's why I had recently dispatched a delegation to explore and initiate the first contacts.

This Friday, I came in person accompanied by my advisor, Jacques Edouard Alexis, to make an assessment and an inventory. We also brought to Mrs. Jamba some elements likely to improve her conditions: bed, sheet, food supplies...

We also came to see who we can rely on to ensure that she has 24-hour surveillance, that another person takes care of her, takes care of her toilet, cleans the house and prepare her are meal. That's the idea.

We also want to get along with Mrs. Jamba's relatives, her grandchildren. We did not come to replace them, we came to help them, support them, give them more ways to do what they had, maybe, the desire to do and they had not enough resources to do it.

I repeat it, we have not come to substitute [...] we will repair the house. We will take care of two employees who will continuously monitor Mrs. Jamba day and night as well as her diet. We will ensure her ealth, doctors will be sent to the scene to provide her with necessary care. Because Mrs. suffers in the kidneys, her legs and vision problems. This health care will allow her to spend the number of years she has to live in better physical conditions and material well-being.

Apart from some physical pains and hearing problems, she is doing well, she keeps her logical thinking, she reasons, she argues and has a strong personality [...] The Haitian society should set up a device to take in charge of the elderly whose relatives are deprived of pecuniary means.

The Claire Heureuse Foundation will, perhaps, supplement the support that Quisqueya University intends to provide to Mrs. Jamba [...] Our university does not have many resources but we are a militant university. Our task is not only to train young people, to give them a diploma, which is why we are empowered in relation to society. When there are significant problems in society that we can address, we address them with our own or with other partners [...]

When you have knowledge at your disposal in Haiti, you are a privileged person. And if it is a privilege, you are responsible for returning part of what you have received. That's our main motivation."

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23907-haiti-social-big-visit-to-the-oldest-woman-of-haiti-125-years.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-23845-icihaiti-petit-goave-at-125-she-would-be-the-oldest-woman-in-haiti-and-of-world.html

HL/ HaitiLibre / Guyto Mathieu (Correspondant Petit-Goâve)