Interviewer: 60 Minutes presents a live interview with Jonas Rasmussen, here to talk to us about his return to Haiti.
Interviewer: Jonas thank you for talking to us tonight, in our live online chat room, about such an emotional and personal journey.
Jonas Rasmussen: Hello everybody, thanks for having me. Let’s do it!
Lillie asks: How old were you when you were adopted? What was the transition like going from Haiti to Australian life?
Jonas Rasmussen: I was 6 years old, and it was very confusing at the start. But I soon adapted.
Robyn asks: I heard on the news this week that the Haiti government has declared that the crisis is over - do you know if there are any major hindrances to getting aid in the country?
Jonas Rasmussen: Yes, there are lots of hindrances. The main problem is that aid is bottle necking due to that lack of infrastructure in Haiti before the earthquake and of course this that has happened now, it has made it near impossible to have a constantly flow of aid getting through to the people.
fitzroy76 asks: Hello Jonas, I missed most of your storey on 60 Minutes tonight however I will watch it later. I was wondering what do you think about Australian families adopting Haitian babies?
Jonas Rasmussen: Honestly, I think with the right amount of research and protocol, it can be a positive thing if it is monitored correctly, a very positive thing. When it comes to a situation like that, who are we to deny someone a better life? If we were to ask them whether they want to be taken out of Haiti to come over or not, there is a 99.9% chance they would like to come over.
L_Lo asks: Was Haiti very different when you returned? How did it feel to you?
Jonas Rasmussen: I’ve always known Haiti has struggled all my life, but each time I’ve been back (which is only twice now in 22 years) it has progressively got worse. This earthquake has truly just brought the island to its knees.
missK asks: Do you still speak French?
Jonas Rasmussen: I am currently getting it back, we speak French and Creole in Haiti and because I spoke it when I was a boy, each time I’ve gone back, I’ve picked up the basics very quickly and have been able to communicate quite well.
Matt asks: Do you have any regrets about leaving your homeland?
Jonas Rasmussen: Absolutely not. My mother made a great sacrifice all those years ago, and this was my destiny to be able to go back one day and help. My destiny and it is a privilege. Until you leave Australia, I don’t think we realize how luckily we are, even myself, forgot how lucky I truly was to be in this country. We truly are free in Australia. We have so much opportunity. I love going back and I still feel at home when I’m in Haiti as well as when I’m in Australia.
gysenn asks: What was it like being reunited with your birth mother?
Jonas Rasmussen: That was something that I waited for the whole time I have been in Australia, I made contact with my birth mother two times in 22 years and it was the most surreal feeling. I’ve never been able to explain the feeling. It’s not very often that I’ve been able to see her and no just come to tears, because I think I did long for her in a huge way as a child, but still the sacrifice had to be made. She did have to give me up, she had no choice and I’ve never held that against her, but I never knew that she wanted to see me either, so it was a welcome from both of us.
stef92009 asks: Hello Jonas! You seem so well adjusted,. was it always like that or did it take years to get there?
Jonas Rasmussen: Hello Stef! Well, growing up in our society was different because I was dark, I grew up in a small country town. You know, the up bringing we had, we were told by our friends and family that we weren’t different, so I tried to adjust, I tried to embrace the Australian way of life and I do. I’ve never hung with any particular ground, my friends are just my friends, white, black, Chinese, Japanese it’s never mattered to me. And I think that’s the Australian way of life, your mate is your mate. You do have to meet half way.
hishi_13 asks: How many brothers and sisters do you have, both in Ballarat and in Haiti?
Jonas Rasmussen: I have 8 brothers and sisters in my blended family and over in Haiti I have my 1 brother and 1 sister.
norfolkchild asks: Hi Jonas I am an adopted child and have always been frightened of adopting a child myself, but watching your segment tonight has changed this for me. How do you feel about Haiti children being adopted to another country?
Jonas Rasmussen: There are ups and downs in everyone’s upbringing. Our parents just try to do the best that they can do, so you really have to look in yourself and see if that’s what you really want to do after your own experience and how you can make it better through your own experiences as well, what would you would do differently. I’m not pro adoption I would have to say, but you can’t deny it and I encourage people to sponsor because it’s a little bit of money and you can change a kids’ life for ever. Help their nation, it’s the old saying, you can give someone a fish and feed them for a day, or teach them how to fish and feed them for a life time. I’m very pro education, and I don’t mean to offend anyone by saying that.
aharrowfield asks: I would love to sponsor a child in Haiti, do you have a suggestion of which organisation?
Jonas Rasmussen: Yes absolutely, I endorse the Haiti Christian mission, you don’t have to be a Christian, you just have to have a heart is what I say since some people can feel uncomfortable with religion. It’s not about religion, it’s about kids. The Haiti Christian mission was not only the one who helped my mother all those years ago, but they help thousand of children is Haiti and every penny that has ever been donated to the mission goes to the people, it was founded by a Haitian man who is like a second father to me and he dedicated his life to Haiti. It’s one thing for certain that every penny that has been raised goes to those people, I’ve been the work with my own eyes, I’ve seen the orphanages and school, they have changed thousands and thousands of Haitian lives. Check out the website at http://www.hcmaustralia.org.au/, there are about 50 children on there that are looking for sponsorship that we recently found when we were over there.
Emma_C asks: Hello Jonas my husband and I are going through the early stages of the adoption process and were told that Australia does not have an inter-country agreement with Haiti. In your story you spoke about sponsorship. Do you have any advice about the best way to go about this?
Jonas Rasmussen: Hello Emma, if you are talking about sponsorship, if you please refer to the Haitian Christian Mission Australia website (http://www.hcmaustralia.org.au/), follow the prompts and will find more information. And if your question was about adoption, we didn’t have an agreement with Haiti, that’s more American side of the world. My parents fought a very long and hard battle to get us up here (this was 20+ years ago), so if there is any other way I can help you I’d be more than happy to.
Rebecca asks: Wonderful story tonight, thank you for sharing your journey with us. As a Ballaratian preparing to relocate to Africa with her family of 7, we're wondering which church your family is associated with? We're keen to meet anyone who "gets" why a normal, "sane" couple of Aussie parents would even consider taking their children to a country so different to our own? Thankyou!
Jonas Rasmussen: Hello and thank you for watching, I know my parents are involved with the Assembly of Gods church, they enjoy the fellowship. As for myself, I don’t often go to church anymore, I prefer to have my own personal relationship with God without going to church. I am mentored by a lot of church goers and no church goers alike.
margie asks: Jonas, your family is inspiring. Do your parents have a fund set up that we can give money to?
Jonas Rasmussen: Yes absolutely, we can donate through the Haitian Christian Mission, also we have another event called Haiti Love Festival that you can check out on the 60 minute website.
eryn-jodie asks: Hi Jonas, would you ever consider adopting yourself from Haiti considering your own personal story/journey?
Jonas Rasmussen: Myself no because I have enough on my plate, I have a huge responsibility with my own family, my family overseas and limited funds. But I do not begrudge anyone else for trying, but personally for myself, no I would not do it. I would certainly sponsor and I do!
jeremy asks: You said that children are passing away from the common cold. What have you seen in your travels to Haiti, and what relief efforts are in place that you have seen so far?
Jonas Rasmussen: I’m sorry that I have to keep saying this to people, but it has to be said, that there are still many kids dying from malnutrition and the common cold before the earthquake, except now it’s much much worse. Doctors do not have the medication, they do not have the tools and the people on the ground are simply doing the best they can do with very very limited resources in an absolutely dire situation. Doctors are watching children just drop like flies. Even now over a month after the earthquake, and they are still watching kids just dropping life flies. And this is why it’s so important to me, very passion about reminded about people (even through it’s on TV) that the situation as not changed very much at all since the actual start of the disaster.
angie81 asks: I'm considering helping out for a few weeks during my holidays.....do you know of any hospitals, etc that need help from healthcare workers?
Jonas Rasmussen: Yes, yes I do. Send me an email at jroofplumbing@optusnet.com.au , and I’ll be more than happy to point you in the right direction.
paul asks: Jonas I'm based on the Sunshine Coast and also from Ballarat, could we do something on the Sunshine Coast to raise funds?
Jonas Rasmussen: Yes! We are having a benefit festival at Stockland park on the Sunshine Coast under the Umbrella of Life line (meaning they will collect the money) without any administration cost, and will donate that money directly to the Haiti Christian Mission, we’re going to have music, kids rides, stalls, comedians and at the end of the night we will have fireworks, that’s on Sunday the 28th of March! Please if anyone else has any ideas, please feel free to email me on the above email. In regards to the benefit festival that we are having, if there are any artists out there, we are looking for a head lining act for that day, so if anyone could help us with a head lining act that would certainly help.
kajota asks: Hi Jonas, What do you think the best thing for those that want to help in Haiti, long term to do? ie later in the year when the international focus has moved on.
Jonas Rasmussen: The best is helping people clean up the mess and hopefully moving the city and rebuilding Haiti properly with proper infrastructure and architecture, proper engineering etc. The engineering in Haiti is not regulated, they are not building with the best f building material, hence the reason we can have such a huge earthquake in Chile, very devastating, but not have such a huge loss of life such as Haiti where the buildings have just rumbled.
sandyfunston asks: Good Evening Jonas - I was so touched by the story tonight by your mum and dad here in Australia - it was so emotional to see your reunion with your birth mother - how do you feel having spent the time with your birth mother and then saying good bye to her again?
Jonas Rasmussen: It is very difficult to do, I feel so strongly bonded to my birth mother, I used to dream about her growing up here in Australia. I used to think about her everyday, and now I think about her even more because I have been able to see her. She is a Haitian woman, we have spent all her life there, so I know she is a survivor, but a part of me truly wants to be close to her and spend as much time with her as much as I can. My adoptive parents have done the best they can, and having such an impact on so many children’s life, and I’ll always been indebted to them for that. We’ve had our issues, like any family, especially being a large family. But we are also very grateful that we could take this journey together.
Jules asks: So how is the best way we can help remotely, especially the children? Just to summarise for us please.
Jonas Rasmussen: In my opinion, it is sponsorship. I think helping those kids with that small amount of money each month, gives them food, education and shelter right up till their adulthood and they become doctors and teachers, people who can help rebuild their country. I think that is always the best help they can give, and last but not least, please don’t forgot the children, because children are so special, they are in there and so helpless, so it is up to us to help them. I was one for them.
Interviewer: I am sorry we are out of time, do you have anything else you would like to share before we finish tonight?
Jonas Rasmussen: I would like to see as many people as we can out on the 28th of March at Stockland Park on the Sunshine Coast, just showing our love for Haiti and thank you everybody for taking the time to talk to me. And offer your suggestions and suppose, my family and Haiti deeply appreciate your support. If you have any questions, please contact me at jroofplumbing@optusnet.com.au
Interviewer: Once again thank you and goodnight.
Interviewer: This concludes our chat with Jonas Rasmussen, Sunday February 28, 2010.
