What have you heard about Haiti lately? There hasn’t been much good news reported from the usual news sources as they try and explain the current situation and how Haiti got to this state. We’re here to update you with some good news about Haiti.
Good News!
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We are happy to share that Hands and Feet Project continues to provide food and supplies for the children we’ve been entrusted with, and the many families that we’re helping to support in some way. We’re so thankful that God continues to provide the means and the methods to obtain food and supplies needed.
What other good news is there? Here are a few things you should know.
- The Haitian women’s soccer team qualified for the 2023 World Cup in Australia & New Zealand! This is the first time they have qualified. They will play England on July 22.
- Progress is being made in the prosecution of those associated with the assassination of Haiti president Jovenel Moise.
- There is continued talk about international intervention
- There is sometimes gas and diesel available, and on rare occassions it can be purchased at gas stations rather than the black market!
- Jacmel continues to be an area that is relatively safe from harmful gang activity
- Construction continues on our new church building!
Haiti Travel
Denise and Randy spent most of January and February in Haiti, and are currently in Florida. It was great to see the kids and staff in Haiti, along with missionary friends who are still in Haiti. We really enjoyed visiting with and encouraging our staff. It was also a good opportunity to get more updates on the environments in Jacmel and Grand Goave. We were joined by a great team made up of the leadership team and board members. While there, we set up new daycares, new computers, met with kids, prayed over Haiti, worked on power and water systems, had many cold showers, organized, inventoried, and much more! It was great to stay on campus and not have to commute every day, although we missed the oceanside breakfasts that came with our accommodations on the last trip.
Travel to and from our campuses from Port au Prince is safest in small chartered planes. It is not safe to drive through the gang-controlled streets in Port au Prince or the surrounding areas. We were disappointed to learn that our preferred flight choice within Haiti, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has suspended operations in Haiti for the rest of the year. This is completely understandable, yet very disappointing that conditions in Haiti have deteriorated to the point where the MAF pilots had to send their families home last year, were living in the plane hangar when it wasn’t safe for them to travel to their homes, and now it’s not even safe for them to remain in Port au Prince. This puts a heavy burden on a new startup flight company, Haiti Aero Solutions (HAS), that was already heavily burdened when flying alongside MAF. MAF and HAS are the only organizations that are certified to fly passengers to & from Jacmel.
We have tentative plans to return to Haiti in late May. Our plans are always subject to the current conditions in Port au Prince and Jacmel. Thankfully, much of our work can be done remotely! The work from home trend continues to grow as the world is so connected through electronics. We continue to praise God that we can be effective at our jobs when we cannot be in Haiti.
Daycare Update From Denise
We are off and running with our next daycare….
In our last update, we had just opened a new daycare at our Thozin campus in Grand Goave. We were able to spend a couple of days with the teachers, kids and the administrator when we went back to Haiti in January. I have to say my heart was beyond full with joy. The teachers are doing an amazing job. The kids are acclimating really well and becoming best friends. Both the teachers and the children are responding to the Montessori teaching method. They love the learning toys. This is new to the schooling in Haiti. The children are getting a balanced meal and couple of snacks each day as well. And they get plenty of outdoor playtime. Denise spent some time talking with the teachers and hearing their desires to make this daycare successful.
While we were there we were also able start another daycare at our Jamel campus. This daycare is bigger. We overcame many obstacles to get this going. There are 28 kids that are attending. That’s 28 families that are working to keep their families together. Again, our administrator and teachers are doing a great job. In both our daycares we have a cook that provides a well-balanced lunch and snacks. The kids are learning so much and the parents are telling us how they are applying what they learn at home. Every day they have time for devotions and learning songs. Even the littlest ones can sing, and boy do they love to dance!
Moving forward we are working toward another daycare opening in May. This daycare is attached to our church that we attend in Haiti and have grown to love. We will have the same Montessori teaching and set up as the others. This one is scheduled to open mid-May. More on this next time! All of these daycares are helping to keep the families together, start a good education, and teach them about God. If you would like to know more you can go to our Hands and feet website or click here.
Randy’s Roles & Responsibilities
As Hands and Feet Project continues to evolve to best meet the needs of our growing community we help support in Haiti, our staffing needs continue to grow and change. Randy has picked up more responsibility for the finances for all 3 campuses in Haiti. He is working with Haitian bookkeepers on each campus and overseeing getting things into Quickbooks accurately for our accountants. There’s also a lot of documentation that needs to be gathered, organized and stored to track activities and expenses. This is a daunting task that keeps him very busy! Thankfully most of the computers and network are working reasonably well. They have not needed much attention recently.
US Travel Plans
Denise and Randy will be heading to New York in early May with Randy’s parents. We will be in Rochester for a couple of weeks. The trip north is planned around attending a Memorial Weekend event in Maryland at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park where Ron McGarvey will be honored. It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 2 years since Ron moved on to his heavenly home.
Save the Date!
We are planning time to visit with family and friends. We will plan an open house on Friday, May 12th. It’s always a great time to see so many of you at these events! We never seem to have enough time to see everyone we want to. We are considering new locations for this year’s open house, but don’t have a place picked yet. Stay tuned! We will let you know! Please save the date!
News Updates from Hands and Feet Project
Here’s a Community Briefing video from our Executive Director at Hands and Feet Project. This video celebrates the hard work, dedication, and commitment of our team, volunteers, and supporters like you.
You may also want to review the 2022 Impact Report from Hands and Feet Project. This will show you more pictures of the kids in our care, our staff, and our campuses in Haiti.
Prayers & Support
Please continue to keep Haiti in your prayers as conditions in the Port au Prince continue to deteriorate. Many governments and organizations are discussing and weighing options of how to best help Haiti overcome the situation the country is in. There’s still no clear plan of action as far as we know. Please pray that something is done quickly to alleviate the massive hunger and homelessless crisis of so many there.
Thank you all for your ongoing support of our work with Hands and Feet Project! We appreciate your continued prayers and support that help us reach the lost.