It’s time for back-to-school planning in Haiti! We appreciate all the support we’ve received for our school supply drive. It’s always amazing to see such a generous outpouring of support each school season. There are always new school uniforms needed, along with many books and supplies for our growing community that we support. The outstanding needs on our Project Essentials fundraiser page continue to drop as more people donate towards this cause. There’s a story about Marvens and his experience with school in a recent post from Hands & Feet Project that fills in some details of the impact that you can have on school children in Haiti.
Can you believe it is still “summer” in Haiti? Okay, so it always feels like summer in Haiti! The schools across the United States have all started by now, but the official start of school year in Haiti is October 1st this year! I’m sure that would make many kids in the States jealous…until they find out that kids in Haiti will be in school through mid-July.
Thanks to everyone to contributed to the back to school fundraiser for books, backpacks, school supplies, and school shoes at the Lekol Marketplace. (“Lekol” means School in Haitian Kreyol.) It was a great success! Here’s a short video update from Will McGinniss and Mark Stuart about Lekol Marketplace. The kids are all prepared for school and lessons to begin. We appreciate all the help provided to prepare for another successful school year.
The goal of our Preserving Families Project is to keep families together. Among the several projects within our Family Preservation Project is our Little Hands Daycare. We have talked about this in the past and it is something we are excited about. In 2021 we supported 28 families, 28 children. That is 28 families where moms, dads, and caregivers can go to work and know that their child is being well taken care of, learning, and having fun as well. It also means they can continue with their jobs and support their family. Keep the family intact. There is no cost to the family for this service.
The travel ban has been lifted! We’re Heading Back to Haiti!
As we’ve shared in recent posts, the Hands and Feet Project (HAFP) board of directors put a travel ban in place in December to be revisited in March. We’re excited to share that the board has met and they have lifted the travel ban. Their additional requirement going forward is that we must acknowledge the risks associated with travel to Haiti and that there are limited services available within the country as well as to assist with travel out of the country.
We don’t see the risks of being in Jacmel as being much higher than they’ve been in recent years. We’ve recognized that this is likely the new normal for Haiti. That being said…we will continue to be prayerful, diligent in assessing the country, and discerning each time we come and go as well as while we are in country. HAFP is also doing the same. There are still ongoing issues with a lack of formal government, the gangs controlling many of the streets in and around the capital of Port au Prince, the inability or unwillingness of the police to control the streets, intermittent fuel shortages, widespread and ongoing power issues, and safety concerns traveling in and out of Port au Prince.
Happy New Year! We’re thankful that 2020 is finally over, but there’s still a lot of work to do in 2021. Are you ready?
Thinking ahead about the new year before us, some of our Hands and Feet Project team have chosen words to describe their intentions for 2021. What word would you choose for 2021? Here’s the post from the Hands and Feet Project Facebook page that you should be able to see even if you don’t have a Facebook account.
Here we are at Thanksgiving 2020. What a year it’s been for all of us! Covid, travel restrictions, mask requirements, business closings, jobs lost, and election challenges in the United States. Haiti has dealt with huge exchange rate fluctuations followed by substantial price swings for goods and services. Thankfully Covid hasn’t been as big of a factor here in the Caribbean countries. There are many days we’re thankful that we’re in Haiti!
what are you thankful for this year?
In a year of challenges, can you still identify positive things that God has provided for you? A good friend? Extra time with family? Time to clean the house? Extra time to devote to Bible reading and devotions?
It’s August 2020, and do you know what that means? We recently celebrated our 3rd anniversary of moving to Haiti! We moved to Haiti on June 20, 2017. Can you believe we’re almost 2 months into our 4th year already? Wow, it’s amazing to think about how much we’ve learned and grown over these last 3 years! If you think back over the last 3 years of your life, it’s likely you’ve seen some big changes as well. We’re excited about how far we’ve come, and we’re looking forward to making further progress in caring for our Haitian kids and preparing them for the future. Here’s an update on what’s been going on in Haiti as we continue to work remotely and make plans for school.
When our own kids were still in our house and as they approached their teen years, our focus was on preparing them for the “outside” world. Preparing them to be “okay” in any situation as they head out to college and the years beyond. Helping them understand the importance of having a job, and supporting them in their quest to find their first one. McDonalds? Somewhere in the Mall? Wegmans? The choices for a part time job seemed many. Helping them “transition” into adulthood and the world outside of our house. Supporting them in what they felt “called” to do in their work after college.
Never would we have imagined at that time in our lives we would have to think about all of this process with over 70 kids in a country like Haiti! It is so different, but we want the same goal for these kids. We want them to have hope and desires for their futures just as we experienced with our kids in the USA.
Can you believe May is nearly over? Memorial Day is now behind us in America and the unofficial summer season has arrived after a long, cold winter and spring in many places. Florida was not one of those cold places, and, of course, neither was Haiti! In the last month, Haiti has also celebrated Labor / Agriculture Day on May 1, Flag Day on May 18, and Mother’s Day on May 31. It’s been a busy month! We’ve celebrated each Haitian holiday from afar as we’ve been in Florida for several months and are now in upstate New York (the Rochester / Finger Lakes region, not the New York City area!)
Haiti Happenings Update
So what have we been up to this month? We’ve been working like crazy to care for our kids during this coronavirus lockdown while looking ahead to next steps as our kids learn and grow. Our days are often filled with Zoom video calls, and WhatsApp calls and chats – the tools we use to communicate with our Haitian and American coworkers. We’re so thankful for the dedication of our essential staff in Haiti and for all the work they’re doing to keep the campus running smoothly and keeping food and supplies for the kids coming in. We have many changes that we’re working on, and of course it’s a bit more difficult to manage change remotely, but we’re moving forward with everyone’s help. We’re moving kids as they hit the maximum age for our campuses, we’re making campus safety improvements, overseeing repair and maintenance projects, and preparing for more of our kids to head out into the community and beyond.
Looking back at 2019, it has been a year of hope and promise, but also of challenges and obstacles. It was another year of endless learning opportunities for us that we’ve tried to capitalize on. We’ve learned so much more about the Haitian people and culture, yet we know there’s still so much more. The history and heritage of the Haitian people is rich and yet challenging. The year ended with health challenges that sent us to Florida for resolution.
