DAJABON – THE FREE MARKET

Last week our youngest son, Dan arrived for a 10 day visit. This is his 4th time coming here and since there were no mission teams working, we had a little extra time to spend with him and went on a 2 day trip to Haiti.
Little did we know that on Mondays and Fridays it is market day in Dajabon and there is an open border between the 2 countries.

More than 10,000 market goers walk for miles to freely cross the bridge or the river between Dajabon, Dominican Republic and Ouanaminthe, Haiti to buy/sell their wares in the FREE MARKET. The Haitians sell goods which consist mainly of shoes, house wares, clothes and tools that were donated from international agencies and many different organizations ..... .....while many Dominicans flock to the market to purchase these cheap items or to sell their vegetables. Thus an area of 20 square blocks becomes a crowded marketplace. After a 3 ½ hour trip to the border, we arrived in the middle of the market day and had to forge our way through the throngs of people, carts and goods since this was the only road to the border. The press of humanity and carts was incredible and very difficult to navigate until an entrepreneurial man pushed people and carts & wheelbarrows aside to clear the way earning some pesos for his effort. Dan & Jane waiting at the customs office in Ouanaminthe to get our passports stamped and legally enter Haiti. People returning to Ouanaminthe with their goods. How many can fit in?

It seems that there’s always room for one more.

.......to be continued