Carlos' mobile health clinics are an example of how Haitians can be empowered to help themselves even in this time of strife and chaos in the country.
Voices of Haiti: Real Stories, Real People
Over the past year, our partners in Haiti sent us photos and stories from the people in the Haiti EcoVillage School community. These stories were collated by our team and read aloud at our fundraising event on November 4, 2023. This video captures the images and sounds from that event.
Overcoming Obstacles: The Story of a Successful School Year
Some students walk great distances each day to attend the EcoVillage School but they are glad to have this safe place to learn and thrive.
Last Fall, we reported that the Haiti Ecovillage School did not open on schedule due to violent protests in the country including towns near the school. Fortunately, they were able to open the school at the end of November. We are happy to report that they successfully completed the school year by extending through the end of June.
Attendance was low in that first month because parents feared for their children’s safety. But enrollment grew as it became apparent that the school was a safe space.
We planned for an enrollment of about 270 students based on past years attendance. But, it turned out that other schools in the area were unable to open and so the enrollment of our school grew to 390 students in 10 classrooms. We reported this to you with a story titled “No More Room on the Bench”. Working with our partner, MPP, we were able to find the funds to get the additional supplies and desks to accommodate the additional students. This included computers and school supplies donated by our member churches.
When the school year started, teachers had a tough time getting to the school because of a fuel shortage. Again, we worked with MPP to help them with transportation so there would be teachers in every classroom every day for students eager to learn.
It is too dangerous for us to travel to Haiti now and bring you the stories of the school. So, we contracted with a Haitian man to go to the school and interact with the staff and students to bring those stories back to us. As a result, we have monthly reports from the Principal of the school and stories from some of the children.
In September, the Ecovillage School will begin its 10th year. Your support has made it possible for us to keep helping this community. The proceeds from the garage sale this past April are a substantial portion of the funds needed to keep the school going for another year. But, we’re still a little short of the funds to meet the budget so we are going to have a Flavors of Haiti fundraising event on November 4th which will be held at Emory Presbyterian Church. More details about that will follow in the coming weeks.
The future of the school is an open question. We were successful in building the school and getting it nationally accredited so it would qualify for government funding. But, there is no functioning government at this time.
So we work to keep the school open so that it can be self-sustaining when the government is re-established.
Please pray for the School to open in September as planned, for the 400 students, all the teachers and staff and for an end to the dysfunction and violence in Haiti.
"Education is the Best!"
I am Rosegaële Alfred and I am a 7th grade student at the Haiti EcoVillage School. I am 14 years old and I live with my mother, Eliane Estenat and my 2 brothers and 4 sisters. We live in the small village of Beganabe so I walk about 10 minutes to get to my school in the EcoVillages.
Education is The Best! It is the key to changing the lives of little children like me from poverty to a better life. My mother is a sales woman by trade but in Haïti right now this is very challenging because of the violence and insecurity in our country. My father is a policeman. Unfortunately, the police in Haïti are in grave danger from gangs that control parts of the country. And, my father finds it difficult to make enough money to meet the needs of his family. Even though my parents work very hard, there is often not enough for our family because life is so hard.
I take my studies at school very seriously because I hope to bring change to the life of my parents and my family and myself. My teachers tell me I am very intelligent. I work hard (like my parents) because I understand my parents fight for me to have a better tomorrow.
I am very grateful to the Haiti EcoVillage School Partnership for helping the school. Ke Bondye beni gwoup la ak fanmi yo! (May God bless the group and all their families.)
Thank you for Giving Me a Chance, by Lorens Dorvil
I am Lorens Dorvil and I am a fifth-grade student at the Haiti EcoVillage School. I live in the nearby village of Beganabe—I walk about 10 minutes to arrive at the school. I live with my mother Aliane Joseph, my father Djenms Dorvil, and my 4 brothers and 2 sisters.
I am 14 years old--older than many of my classmates. When I was younger, there was not a school I could attend so I was very late starting lessons. Now I can attend school in the EcoVillages and this gives me a wonderful opportunity to get the education I really need.
It is true that I am one of the best students in my class. My teachers say I am very smart. I know I study hard to obtain the highest grades in my class. My favorite subjects are mathematics, chemistry and biology. I hope one day to become a medical doctor.
Recently, I was sick, and my parents had to take me to the hospital. I couldn’t go to school until I was healthy again, but I was able to keep up with my studies and did all my homework so I would not fall behind again.
At home, I help my family by doing regular chores. I tend the garden, feed the animals and help to clean the house. I play soccer in my free time--I love soccer so much! Soccer can lead me anywhere in the world!
I am blessed because the economic situation of my family is stable. My family can work the land to grow food. This is our only hope to have food to eat.
I am one of 377 students who depend on the EcoVillage School for our primary education. Your support means that children like me can work hard and grow in the hope of a better future. Mesi!
Translated and paraphrased
Thank you for Making a Difference in my Life, by Naica Sinfinice
I am Naica SINFINICE. I am a fifth-grade student at the EcoVillage School. I am 10 years old and I live in EcoVillage 4. My mother is Annette Auguste, and my father is Carel Sinfinice. I have 2 brothers and 6 sisters.
I only feel good when I am in school, because every day I learn new things. I want to become a nurse after my studies or a doctor. Whatever things you would like to become in your life, if you don't have a good education, you won't become what you desire. Without education, life has no meaning. My school is well-run, and my teachers work effectively with the students.
My health is good today, but sometimes I get sick and my parents cannot always afford to take me to the hospital. I know my parents' economic situation is very difficult because my parents only live from agriculture and now the land does not produce like before. Sometimes my mother works as a janitor at the school. My father was a truck driver, but he has not found a job for a few years.
When I’m not in school, I study my lessons, do my homework, and I do some chores around our house like cleaning.
I am very grateful to the people in Atlanta who support the EcoVillage school. Please continue to help the school and the students. I hope that someday the school will expand with new programs for the children--especially during the holidays and in the summer so we can learn to do more things instead of just playing.
Translated by Saintilus WESLY and paraphrased
Record Enrollment: “No more room on the bench”
The Haiti EcoVillage School re-opened after the Christmas holiday with 377 students — 100 students more than attended before Christmas and the largest enrollment in the school’s 9-year history. The reputation of the school as one that provides quality instruction with professional teachers is driving the growth.
Fall opening of school was delayed because parents were reluctant to send their children fearing the violence that has plagued Haiti since the assassination of the President.
The increased enrollment creates challenges. There are not enough classroom materials for all the students since this number of students was not in the budget. Benches designed for 4 students are occupied by 5 students.
Many schools in Haiti have been closed due to lack of government funding to pay teachers. But, the teachers at the EcoVillage School are paid due to the faithful support of the partner church (NDPC, Good Shepherd, Emory) communities, and the children are fed lunch each day due to the resourcefulness of MPP, our Haitian partner organization.
Grateful hearts!
The EcoVillage School opened on Monday with 80 students in attendance. On the second day, 150 students came to school. Last year’s enrollment was 300, so there are still many who either (1) have not gotten the word, (2) are fearful for the safety of their children or (3) are embarrassed to send their children without uniforms or supplies even though Directeur Ramin waived those customary requirements due to the hardships of the past year which impoverished so many. Now, the parents who have been unable to feed their kids, know that the school will feed them lunch.
We are staying in touch to learn about the rest of the first week. How many will return to school? Are they providing extra security? Are the teachers able to find gas for their commutes or are they walking the 5+ miles to reach their classrooms? What might we do to help the school return to normal?
The opening of the school is only possible because of support from our community. Join our families as we give thanks with the school children using the grace that they taught us.
Thank you for our food. Thank you for those who provided our food. Watch over those who have no food.
Students Succeed at the EcoVillage School
Jessica Estin (left) and Shmiderlie Étienne (right) are two of our 9th graders who passed the National Proficiency Exam this year. Seventeen 9th graders took the exam; 14 received scores necessary to graduate from the fundamental school and continue to the next level of education in Haiti. Their successes demonstrate1` the quality of education at the Ecovillage School.
Jessica was the top scorer on the exam. She is the oldest child in her family and she lives in Ecovillage 1. In an interview this summer, Jessica said that she performed very well on all of the exam but the physical science was a little bit difficult for her. Jessica wishes to attend high school at St. Louis Joseph Janvier College in the city of Hinche. Jessica is grateful to the Atlanta Partnership for how they support the school. She acknowledged how the Partnership: has provided students with school materials to allow them to work better; has paid teachers, and has helped the most vulnerable by providing uniforms and shoes so they could attend. She says, “May God continue to protect your life, your family and always put money in your hand to continue supporting the school”.
Shmiderlie is another student who passed the official exams from the school. She lives in the nearby town of Beganabe with her mother, Eveline and her father, Kenson. Shmiderlie plans to continue her studies at Lycee Dumarsais Estimé (a college prep high school) in Hinche. Shmiderlie gives the Atlanta Group a big thank you for supporting the school and the students, and she says, “may the almighty God always bless them and their entire family”.
With the political and economic turmoil in Haiti at this time, the progress of these students in their education is only possible because of the financial support of the Haiti Ecovillage School Partnership.
Our Teachers: Champions of Hope for Haiti
Our teachers are our heroes—they persevere under great hardships to show up each day to teach our children. Recently our communication liaison Guerda met with the teachers who shared information about their lives and their experiences today in Haiti.
Our teachers travel to the school from various parts of Haiti but most live in the nearby city of Hinche. Some have motorcycles to ride the five miles to school, but many must hire a ride for their commute. Fuel is very expensive (about $12/gallon now) so transportation is a huge personal expense for them.
Our teachers struggle to make ends meet and provide for their families. Inflation is rampant. The Haitian gourd has fallen to 1/3 of its value since we opened the school in 2014. The teachers are very grateful to our Haiti EcoVillage Partnership that provides their salaries (most teachers in Haiti are not being paid anything!).
Our teachers agree their biggest concern is safety – for themselves and their families. Without a functioning government, the country is without law and order. Crime, including kidnapping for ransom, has spread from the cities into the rural areas. Our teachers and parents worry every day about the safety of the children attending the EcoVillage School.
Our teachers tell us some children have not been able to attend regularly due to poverty at home and fear for their safety. Because of the severe poverty, teaching materials are difficult to obtain and several of the teachers mentioned the lack of materials for the children as a top challenge to teaching.
Our teachers show up to teach. When asked what keeps them going, they all say: these children are the future of Haiti. If Haiti is to solve its problems, the next generation must be prepared. The children are the hope for Haiti. Hope keeps the teachers motivated, and it keeps us inspired as well.
See photos of the teachers and read more about them on our new teacher page at https://www.haitiecovillageschool.org/teachers
The school receives no government support to pay teachers. For this reason, your financial support to our mission keeps that hope alive.
We are now raising funds so that the school can remain open for the 2022-2023 school year.
Please continue to support our school through your donations using one of these options:
Option 1: Online via https://www.haitiecovillageschool.org/donate (PayPal) .
Option 2: Send a check to North Decatur Presbyterian Church, 611 Medlock Road, Decatur, Georgia 30033 designated for Haiti Mission.
Option 3: Make an eGift on the GSPC website at https://goodshepherdpc.org/give/ and designate your gift to 'Haiti Mission'
Children Learn About Clean Water and Our Mission in Haiti
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church held a 3-day Vacation Bible School this year on July 12-14. The theme of VBS was “Everyone deserves clean drinking water”. It was an opportunity to teach about the challenges many people have in other countries to find clean water and a time to talk about our mission work in Haiti. We opened VBS on the first day with a photo presentation from our many trips to Haiti showing the life of children living in the Central Plateau and the role that water plays in their lives.
You can view the kid-centric program about our Haiti mission using this YouTube link:
and the supplemental video titled “A Girl in the Eco-Village” here:
Continuing in the clean water theme, the programming on that first day included the Bible story of Moses striking a rock in the desert to release refreshing water for the parched Jews. The children also enjoyed snacks of mango slices and plantain chips representing two of the many fruits eaten by the people in Haiti. The children also got to try balancing a 5-gal bucket on their heads which is a common way that people in third world countries carry their water.
This was the first in-person VBS that GSPC has offered since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was offered to the 78 participants in the Summer Camp program of the Good Shepherd Preschool. Thank you to all the teachers and volunteers that made this VBS possible and thank you for the opportunity to talk about our mission in Haiti.
We are All Mothering
My mother taught me kindness. She accepted each person she met with a gentle curiosity that filled your being. She wanted to know you and share your journey. She rarely ever said a harsh word and she never judged anyone. Her kindness and acceptance awe me.
The mothers I’ve met in Haiti have taught me courage and resilience. They accept their situations with grace and faith. They work tirelessly for their children in a world so foreign to us it is unfathomable. They struggle to feed and clothe each child. They fiercely fight to enable their children to attend our EcoVillage school. They pray for us! They don’t give up even when earthquakes shake their world or violent gangs threaten their existence. Even when there is no food or expectation to find food, they can smile. Their courage and resilience awe me.
In our work locally to support this school, we have met many people—mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters. They listen to our stories about our families in Haiti. They ask questions. They pray. They follow up with more questions. They weep when they hear the news from Haiti. Their generosity and caring awe me.
Yesterday, our Haitian partner wrote: “we now face an unparalleled struggle where some Haitians are threatening to stop their fellow Haitians from surviving and thriving.” She writes many have been killed, injured or reported missing and thousands have been forced to flee from their homes.
She awes me with her words: “We thank all the supporters of the school in Atlanta who are still praying for us in Haiti. We know that with the help of prayer we have a day to breathe. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, on behalf of the MPP organization, parents AND students of the EcoVillage School for collaborating with everyone else in the community. With prayer we will break down the walls of insecurity that stand before us.”
Kindness. Acceptance. Courage. Resilience. Generosity. Caring. Determination. Conviction. Love. All words that encompass the powerful spirit of mothering. We are all mothering and being mothered by each other in our walk together, Haitians to Americans, Americans to Haitians.
Carolyn French
A Gift for Education
How Haiti Shaped America
Today, Haiti is in a difficult political and economic period. It is helpful to put this in historical perspective. Haiti and the United States have been intertwined throughout our histories. Most Americans are unaware of the importance of the Haitian revolution to the newly founded United States, particularly the South.
The Haitian revolution was noteworthy in several respects. It is the only successful slave rebellion in history to form a nation. It formed the first modern black-governed nation. Haitians defeated the most powerful European army of its era – the French of Napoleon Bonaparte. And it founded the second independent nation in the Americas – after the United States – in 1804. If you thought that The U.S.A. would welcome another new nation which had thrown off the yoke of its European colonialists, you would be wrong. As a slave-owning nation, the United States responded by refusing to recognize the new Haitian nation, joined European nations by imposing a trade embargo (now known as “sanctions”) and generally tried to repress the new nation.
In his book How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, author Clint Smith tells the story of the largest slave rebellion in the United States and the role that the Haitian revolution played. Here is an excerpt.
On a rainy southern Louisiana evening in January 1811, Charles Deslondes, a mixed-race slave driver, led this massive armed rebellion. Composed of hundreds of people, Deslondes’s army advanced along the serpentine path of southern Louisiana’s River Road to New Orleans with a military discipline that surprised many of their adversaries. It is remarkable to consider that hundreds of enslaved people, who came from different countries, with different native languages and different tribal affiliations, were able to organize themselves as effectively as they did.
On the German Coast of Louisiana, where the rebellion took place—named as such for the German immigrants who settled there—roughly 60 percent of the total population was enslaved. The fear of armed insurrection had long been in the air. That fear had escalated over the course of the Haitian Revolution, in which the enslaved population in Haiti rose up against the French and in 1804 and founded what became the first Black-led republic in the world.
The French army was so beleaguered from battle and disease—by the end of the war, more than 80 percent of the soldiers sent to the island had died—that Napoleon Bonaparte, looking to cut his losses and refocus his attention on his military battles in Europe, sold the entire territory of Louisiana to Thomas Jefferson’s negotiators for a paltry fifteen million dollars—about four cents an acre. Without the Haitian Revolution, it is unlikely that Napoleon would have sold a landmass that doubled the size of the then United States, especially as Jefferson had intended to approach the French simply looking to purchase New Orleans in order to have access to the heart of the Mississippi River. For enslaved people throughout the rest of the “New World,” the victory in Haiti—the story of which had spread through plantations across the South, at the edges of cotton fields and the quiet corners of loud kitchens. – served as inspiration of what was possible.
Even William C. C. Claiborne, the governor of the territory that would become the state of Louisiana in 1812, wanted the territory to stop importing enslaved people from Haiti, fearing that some of them might have taken part in the Haitian Revolution. In 1804, Claiborne wrote a letter to then secretary of state James Madison, sharing his concern: “At present I am well assured, there is nothing to fear either from the Mulatto or negro population,” he said, beginning by attempting to assuage any immediate fears the president and his cabinet may have had, “but at some future period, this quarter of the Union will (I fear) experience in some degree, the misfortunes of St. Domingo [Haiti], and that period will be hastened, if the people should be indulged by Congress with a continuance of the African-trade.” Claiborne said that he would attempt “to prevent the bringing in, of slaves that have been concerned in the insurrection of St. Domingo. ”According to historian David Brion Davis, “For nearly seventy years the image of Haiti hung over the South like a black cloud.”
Excerpt From: How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, Smith, Clint
MPP in the News!
Chavannes Jean-Baptiste, founder of MPP and our partner in the Haiti EcoVillage School, works for food sovereignty for all people.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/08/local-is-better-battered-haiti-looks-to-empower-peasants-to-fight-climate-crisis
Beatrice in 2021
Her name is Béatrice Brunet, she has lived with her Aunt since the death of her mother in the earthquake on January 12, 2010. She lives in village #4 and just completed the 9th grade at the Ecovillage school. She described to us how she worked during the school year to prepare for the state exam: “We started the school year well even though I went a little late due to economic difficulties. My aunt struggles because she already has 3 other children under her responsibilities. We have teachers who come to work regularly every day and we have lessons that end around 2 p.m. Sometimes it is difficult for us because we are often very hungry. There was hardly any food this year but we stayed to take all of our classes. ”
When asked what she is going to do during these Holidays or what she would like to do she replied: “I have no plans for the summer, I do not know what my Aunt will give me as responsibility. But if I had the possibility of going in training camps for young people, I could take advantage to recreate myself and also learn. I would like to learn to sew, learn to use computers ... "
We asked her "If you pass the grade 9 exams, which school would you like to go to continue with your classical studies?" “I don’t know. College tempts me but I certainly won't be able to afford college. I will probably go to high school in Colladere or Hinche.”
When we asked what she would like us to do to improve in school, she replied "I hope we can paint the school, build a computer room like I saw in a school in Hinche."
Thank you very much for your support and your prayers. The school was able to continue all of these programs despite this difficult year. It is because nothing can stop our God! Thank you for continuing to support my country through education.
- article contributed by Carlos Sinfinice (6/27/2021)
Though the mountains may be removed and the hills may be shaken, My loving devotion will not depart from you, and My covenant of peace will not be broken," says the LORD, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10
The Pandora Papers and The EcoVillage School
The future for these children is jeopardized by people who steal from Haiti’s wealth.
A Haitian-Atlantan member of the Atlanta EcoVillage School Partnership steering committee gets upset when we say that Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. He says “We are not the poorest. We have great wealth and natural resources.” How can this be true when all the statistics show that Haiti has the highest percentage of its people who are impoverished, illiterate and hungry? The Pandora Papers show how both these seemingly contradictory realities can be true.
To get the full story we refer you to this front page story in the Miami Herald: “Pandora Papers: A mega wealthy man from the region’s poorest country — and his Miami palace” A caution: it will make you angry or disheartened.
The Bigio’s are one of a handful of families that control Haiti’s business and wealth, traced back to the days when dictators gave them export/import monopolies in exchange for bribes. They extract wealth from Haiti and hide it in shell companies that invest in rich countries. Many rarely step foot in Haiti any more. Nicknamed MREs (Morally Repugnant Elite), they use their wealth to control the government and maintain their monopoly positions. Many Haitians believe that funding for the recent assassination of President Moise by Colombian mercenaries can be traced to his efforts to break up the electricity monopoly. Even though Moise was a beneficiary of the system – he was known as “Banana Man” – his disruptive efforts were viewed by the MREs as a threat to the system from which they have benefited so greatly.
How does all of this relate to us?
When we began the school project, we were asked by several donors why the costs of construction materials, such as concrete and rebar, were so high. The Bigio family controls the importation of those commodities. They took their slice of our contributions when we bought those materials to build the school.
Our original goal was to build a financially self-sufficient school. The path to local funding was to qualify as a national school, which the Haitian Constitution requires the government to fund. In our 5th year the school received certification and all of our teachers are nationally certified as well, which qualifies the school for government support. We achieved our side of the bargain within our 5-year window.
But the government has no funds to pay teacher salaries, which is the way the Haitian system is supposed to support its national schools. Why doesn’t the government have those funds to educate its children? MREs evade taxes with international banking mechanisms that are too sophisticated for the Haitian government to figure out. Half of Haitian kids never learn to read because the money for their schools is stolen by MREs. Morally Repugnant Elite, indeed. Since they are by far the most powerful entity in the country a weak, corrupt and incompetent government is in their interest.
The MREs could do so much for their country. They have the business skills, connections and resources to build up Haiti’s economy, to begin with creating an educated workforce. They could be the vital ingredient for a resurgent nation. They, too, participate in a bigger system in which their wealth is not unusual. Many poor countries around the world suffer similar dysfunctional systems. The Pandora Papers reveal the tip of an international iceberg of which Haiti is simply one of many. Solutions will take international cooperation and generations to fix.
What are we supporters of a small school in rural Haiti to do? We know that we cannot fix Haiti or the international system in which it is trapped. The Atlanta EcoVillage School Partnership grappled with these very issues during a series of meetings this year to chart our future. We midwifed this school. We decided to work to keep it open for the 2021-2022 school year. Because of your support, we were able to fund the first semester which began in September and we will ask you to fund the winter semester, too. Fixing an inequitable international system is beyond our power. Providing opportunity for 280 country children seems to be within our grasp. That is what we will try to do. Thank you for joining us in that effort.
Survivor of 2010 Earthquake Provides Earthquake Relief Aid in 2021
Carlos arrives in earthquake disaster area to begin relief efforts.
A Haitian medical team from Hinche flew to Southern Haiti on August 15th only one day after a devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck centered around Les Cayes. Our friend, Carlos Sinfinice, was a member of this first response team. He is the oldest child of a family that lives in the Ecovillages in the Central Plateau of Haiti and has just graduated from medical school in April, 2021.
The university that sponsored the team was able to send them by air bypassing the gang-controlled area around Port au Prince. On day one, they started treating the injured and providing supplies to those in need. They then made their way to the Saint-Antoine de Jérémie Hospital which is located in an area only slightly impacted by the earthquake. From this functioning facility, they provided adequate care for the people.
Many of the survivors of this year’s earthquake lost all their material possessions and were living in the streets with no food or water. The aid the team offered was very welcomed. On the third day of their relief efforts, the area was struck by a hurricane which only added to the stress of the situation. As the storm cleared, the team continued their work of distributing food kits and providing necessary medical care.
Visit the photo gallery to see the team in action.
In a quieter moment, Carlos pauses to reflect on his many blessings. He writes, “Have you ever asked God why He loves you, why He protects you, why He does all these miracles in your life, when you don't feel different from the others yet you have the impression that He chose you and that you have a great destiny.
This is how I feel. I come from a poor family and here I am a doctor. I was in Port-au-Prince during the earthquake of January 12, 2010. I was there. I almost fell victim. I spent 2 months sleeping in the streets of Port-au-Prince not knowing whether I was going to eat or not. And here it is, I am helping the earthquake victims.
One day when I was in the first year of faculty I missed 3 days of class because my only shoes were torn. And here today. I have about 4 or 5 pairs of shoes, and a car that is on the way.
Why has God given so much. I am nothing but a sinner like the others. But is it true how am I different?”
We are glad to know that Carlos and his friends are back in Hinche now. They are safe and fulfilled knowing that they were able to help some people. But they also know that the hard part is rebuilding the area impacted by the earthquake. This is a long process. Some of the people impacted by this year’s quake had not fully recovered from the impact of Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
This is not the first article we have written about Carlos and likely will not be the last. He is a remarkable young man. He is blessed by God and by our support of his journey.
Our mission isn’t to simply provide emergency relief and help with recovery. We are working to help Haitians build a better tomorrow.
Follow this link to view a gallery of photos Carlos was able to send during their relief efforts.
Team of doctors from Hinche among the first to reach victims of recent earthquake in Southern Haiti.
Good times with great supporters!
The Reception for Heguel was a huge success! Over 45 friends of the School gathered to meet Heguel and to renew friendships. We celebrated, listened, asked, listened more and heard updates from the EcoVillages and the School. (Click here to see more photos.)
The Haiti EcoVillage School Partnership is grateful to our compassionate, committed friends and donors who continue to give the children a chance. Thank you! Mesi!
So, How are Families in the EcoVillages Doing?
If you follow the news at all, you know that the President of Haiti, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated at his home on July 7th. You may also know that 4 days prior to the assassination, Haiti was struck by Hurricane Elsa. These events happened while the country was struggling with political crisis, economic hardships and the coronavirus pandemic. My friends who know that I follow events in Haiti very closely have said "Boy, they just can't catch a break. Can they?"
It is true that political upheaval, bad weather events and economic hardship have been the story of Haiti for many years. It does seem like things have gotten a lot worse. For me, this is personal because I have friends in Haiti. Here in Atlanta, I have friends that have family in Haiti. So, while the seemingly insurmountable problems in Haiti are real, my concern lies with how our friends are impacted by all that is happening.
It is too dangerous to travel to Haiti right now. In fact, our friends tell us that it's too dangerous to travel in Haiti in many areas. Gang violence is on the rise. Kidnappings and murders are happening with little consequence to the perpetrators.
We are still able to communicate to our friends in Haiti via email and text messages. We have made friends with some of the people we have met in the EcoVillages, and they can now provide first-hand testimony to the conditions in the villages. (Their photos are above.)
Heguel (pictured above with Pat Murphy & David Evans) lives in village 6. He says, "Every day I speak to the people from EcoVillages where I live. Everything is going well in the countryside, most of the problems are in Port au Prince."
Carlos (pictured with his family, Jeanine, and myself) is a doctor living in Hinche. His family lives in village 4. He describes the situation as "the country is still in a very volatile calm". He goes on to say "… everyone remains vigilant about not knowing what will happen."
Donald (pictured with his family and me in 2017) describes his attitude this way: "For things that concern politics in Haiti, this causes a lot of difficulty but despite everything I put everything in the hands of our savior Jesus Christ".
Germeil (pictured with his wife, his church and our mission group in 2017) is a pastor with whom we worshiped together on Easter Sunday. He says "We are doing well and the gardens are going well with the grace of God. We hold the brethren of Atlanta firmly in memory of our prayers and thoughts."
The silver lining is that the people still have homes in the EcoVillages. The rains have been plentiful so they should have a good year in their gardens. These past 2 years have presented many setbacks, but life goes on in the villages.
The school is out for summer and will be in session this Fall. With the strong, continued support of our donors and oversight by MPP, the children will learn and teachers will be paid.
If you want to hear first-hand testimony from a villager, you are in luck! One of the villagers will be coming to Atlanta and you can meet him on August 1st. Click here to see that invitation.