Published Sun, Oct 16, 22.
Written by Rebecca Honorat.
Haiti has once again hit the local Canadian news and it's not good. Violent protests continue, gangs control most of Port-au-Prince now, and hardly any essential goods are being transported.
The humanitarian crisis is growing but little can be done about that with the battle raging between the gangs & the dysfunctional government. The people are demanding justice for the assassinated president and want the interim Prime Minister to commit to holding elections.
We continue to ask ourselves what we can do to help our family and friends in Haiti, and we are reminded by wise counsel to focus on our long term vision... while providing short term relief where possible.
Our long term vision is for families to have access to education and have sufficient income to be able to provide for their family’s essential needs. We recognize that too often a child's education is cut short when the family has minimal resources so we are choosing to focus on finding sponsors for our new students.
Sponsoring a student will make a huge difference in their life!
Education empowers students and provides real opportunities for their future. It also provides the student's family with easy access to our SBL program and food/hygiene hampers throughout the year.
We have 11 students that needs sponsorship.
By committing to sponsor them now you will also be giving their family a shimmer of hope amongst the current chaos.
Before you start looking through the student profiles below, we want you to know, and celebrate, that we were able to get to the market yesterday and buy some food!!! We are so grateful for your donations to our relief fund, as well as the brief opening of the market.
The Faustin Family tragically lost their father, Dieuvel’homme, in a car accident in May 2022. He was on his way home from a church service in a neighbouring town and the tap-tap he was riding in (along with many others from his church) was rear-ended by a large truck. Dieuvel’homme was the primary provider for his family and he left behind his wife and their six children. His wife Jaqueline has some experience gardening but she really relied on Dieuvel’homme to harvest and sell their produce and she is now dependant on her older children.
Bonhomme has 3 older siblings but he is the oldest child that lives at home. He is very active at church – he participates in the youth group and plays the clarinet in the band. He used to play soccer but leaves that to the younger boys now!
Bonhomme is a good student and excels in most of his subjects. He is looking forward to graduating (after grade 13) and pursuing post-secondary education that will allow him to help support his mother and younger siblings.
Betty is the only daughter that lives at home with her mom and she helps with cooking, cleaning, carrying water, and doing the laundry. She enjoys working alongside her mom and is proud of the skills she has learned. Betty enjoys music and spent a bit of time in the church band. She didn’t have enough time to commit to learning an instrument but she sings in the chorus whenever she can.
Betty has some good friends at her school but she’s sad to see so many of her friends dropping out of school early. She would like not only to graduate but to go on to post-secondary.
Nachika grew up with her parents but moved in with her older sister when her sister got married a few years ago. She helps her sister look after the house and her baby, Nachika’s niece. Nachika enjoys living with her sister’s family and she remains close with her mom and other siblings.
Nachika’s favorite thing in school is history. She enjoys learning about the past but she gets frustrated when she sees how society repeats its mistakes. She’d like to become a teacher one day and teach history to adults as well as kids – we suggested she become a politician!
Chilove’s mom has 7 children and Chilove is the 4th. She and her 3 younger siblings were born in the Dominican Republic. Her parents had moved there in hopes of finding work. They did for a while but when Chilove’s dad left the family her mom wasn’t able to work and look after the children so she moved the family back to Haiti. They are unsure where her father is now.
Chilove lives in Gonaives in a neighborhood where she has lots of friends. She enjoys going to school and especially enjoys learning about technology. Her favorite colour is pink and she doesn’t care that people tell her it’s a colour for babies! Chilove has a strong personality and she sticks up for what she believes and those she is close to. People who know her well think she will be an attorney one day.
Chilove’s mom has a business making charcoal and selling it in small bundles. It’s a tough way to make money but she does it because she can do it on her own schedule and still be home to look after her children.
Chilove's mom desperately wants her children to finish school and have opportunities that she didn’t have. We are honored to walk alongside her and help make that happen.
Minouneza lives in Grande Goave with her mom, her sister, and her two brothers. Her mom is employed at a local gas station and works very hard to support their family. Minouneza’s father hadn’t been involved in their family for many years and unfortunately he passed away in 2020 before he was able to make amends.
Their family shares a house with Minouneza’s aunt and grandma.
Minouneza enjoys going to school and had trouble picking a favorite subject. She’s worried that she’ll have to stop going to help support the family, like some of her friends are having to do.
We’d like to support Minouneza in her education so that her mom doesn’t need to make the tough decision to keep her at home.
