Happy New Year! While 2021 was a hard year for many of us, we want to pause and look at the positive work that Hands and Feet Project (HAFP) is doing in Haiti. Then we want to look ahead to our plans for 2022.
2021 Year in Review
Throughout 2021, Hands and Feet Project has continued to provide families and to preserve families for children in Haiti. New families are being supported to enable children to stay with them, children have been reunified with family, more children have a safe place to stay in our daycares while their mom & dad work, and new children have been brought into HAFP to provide loving families. There are even more requests for assistance from families in our community as the challenges of finding work and food continue. We are thankful that HAFP continues to have the ability to meet the needs of so many.
Looking Ahead to 2022
Looking ahead to 2022, here’s what we face: Haiti has ongoing issues with safety, security and stability. We were happy to see the large group of missionaries are no longer being held hostage. Unfortunately there were quite a few other kidnappings during the course of the year and it’s likely that trend will continue as long as ransoms are paid. We hear that is often the case. Our presence in Haiti draws extra attention to our campus, our kids and our staff. We don’t want to put the safety of our Haitian family at risk by us being there.
The availability of gas, diesel and propane is inconsistent, so the ripple effects we talked about last month are still a challenge. The government and police force do not appear to be willing or able to take control the streets from the gangs.
As we’ve been watching and waiting to see how things develop, the Hands and Feet Project board has also been watching and reviewing the situation. They have decided that all Haiti-based U.S. missionary staff should not return to Haiti before mid-March. At that time, they will revisit the topic and make a determination based on how things develop over the next several months.
HAFP in Haiti
Hands and Feet Project is an amazing organization, and we are privileged to be a part of the work that they are doing. We see the need, believe in the work, and support the methods used to help care for vulnerable Haitian children and their families. HAFP is committed to Haiti and has the staff and means to operate without always having U.S. staff on the ground in Haiti. It’s exciting to see our Haitian staff step up and take on more responsibility. Our absence, along with the challenging conditions in Haiti, will slow the expansion of some programs such as the daycare, but they will continue on.
Our goal is to continue our work as best we can while we’re stateside, and to help HAFP in whatever capacity is needed and most valuable to the organization. Thankfully, there are often decent internet connections on the campuses in Haiti that allow us to meet and share information. We were so glad to see the Christmas Eve celebration in Jacmel! It was exciting to see some of the singing, dancing and other festivities.
We await what God has in store for us, our coworkers and the kids in our care. Please join us in prayer as we discern next steps and make plans to achieve the goals He sets before us.