Haiti Team 2017 Update #6

At HAC, picture with Sammy

            [4] The LORD is high above all nations,

                        and his glory above the heavens!

            [5] Who is like the LORD our God,

                        who is seated on high,

            [6] who looks far down

                        on the heavens and the earth?

            [7] He raises the poor from the dust

                        and lifts the needy from the ash heap,

            [8] to make them sit with princes,

                        with the princes of his people. (Psalm 113:4-8)

This morning I stumbled upon this verse during my quiet time. It wasn’t difficult to be prayerful about orphans and to have them in mind as I read this. I am overwhelmed with God’s great love for us and that He would pay attention to us. The fact that He looks down from the heavens and lifts the needy is such an important promise to cling to. Though these orphans are poor in this life, thanks to the Gospel they will be received as princes by our heavenly Father in the next.

Some will even escape poverty in this life too, thanks to these orphanages and schools like the one we visited today.

Haitian American Caucus (HAC)

HAC is a school that cares for the local children, but not just their education but their physical and spiritual lives as well. Today we met Sammy and heard the story of this school. Sammy’s father and mother were originally from Haiti, but moved to America. Sammy was born and raised as an American and became a business man in NYC.

 

Sammy

In 2003, his father, a minister, returned to Haiti to set up a retirement plan…which included starting a school for the children who couldn’t go to school. His father ran the school for a while but the earthquake in 2010 brought Sammy down to help his dad keep things going. Sammy never left.

Now the school hosts over 450 students from the surrounding area. Some of the students have to walk for hours to get there, but they are faithful to come. Each student gets a hot meal every day. The meal is so important as it might be the only food some of these kids get each day. It was great seeing them all today, in good spirits and in good health.

Today the Volleyball team took some kids to the field and ran their camp. It was a lot of fun and good to see the kids engaging the game.

Our team was asked if we would be willing to help by painting a class room. We had planned to be playing with the younger children, but had a great opportunity to help out the school. Once we got the paint figured out, and the brushes came, we busied ourselves with the task at hand. I am so proud of our team, they all had good attitudes, worked hard and barely got any paint on themselves. This is a good thing as it was oil based paint.

 

before

before

after- Jeremiah getting the final touches

After

The room brightened up significantly and Sammy and the other staff were super thankful for our help and willingness to jump in.

For lunch, we had a Haitian meal at HAC and Sammy shared his story with us. HAC also is reaching out to educate parents and help small businesses in the community. They have a whole microfinancing program, giving entrepreneurial ladies $50 loans that help them grow their businesses. This doesn’t sound like a lot of money, but it is a big game changer here.

When someone applies, they check out their whole story, their economic situation, and take them through classes on budgeting, planning and finances. They set up a payment process and 92% of those involved have repayed their debt.  It was exciting to hear of the small businesses that have grown because of their work.

This was also the type of impact we learned about in preparation for our trip by watching the Poverty Cure curriculum. I’d recommend you check it out, or at least watch Poverty, Inc. on Netflix.

Haiti Design Co (www.HaitiDesignCo.org)

After lunch we had the opportunity to hear the story of Haiti Design Co, a company that was begun by two people that used to work for Heartline Ministries.

“Haiti design co was founded in 2014 with the goal to bring about sustainable development through design, training, and job creation.” (From the website)

The founders partnered with women who graduated Heartline’s program, and others who needed a job and life skills. It started small, but today has around 65 Haitians meaningfully employed. Their products cost more than other places in Haiti, but that is because they pay their works a good and fair wage. I’d highly encourage you to check out their stuff and buy some, it’s rewarding to know that every purchase you make is making an impact on someones life.

 

These two ladies work at Haiti Design Co and graduated from Heartline

We got a quick tour, saw all of the workers busy at work and then stopped in their store. Oh, and they have a café that makes the best mango/banana smoothies!

Rebuild Global (www.REBUILDglobally.org or www.deuxmains.com)

Somehow, we managed to be ahead of schedule and had the opportunity to stop at Rebuild Global. This is also an amazing company that fulfills the principles we were learning about. Like Haiti Design Co, Rebuild was founded to help Haitians find meaningful work. The founder started with four ladies working under a tarp, and today they have over 25 full time employed Haitians.

Rebuild staple products are sandals made from tires. Now these are not the clunky sandals you’d find in Africa, but are designer sandals that are handmade and crafted from products that come from Haiti or the Dominican Republic.

Jolina Sharing with us and Sarah, the director, translated

 We met Jolina, a manager and shareholder of the company. She shared her story of how she could barely feed her family and education for her children was a stretch. When she started working with Rebuild Global, she began to make a meaningful wage. She was so excited to tell us how she wasn’t just an employee but also a shareholder in the company. Because of her job, she has been able to buy her own property, house and provide quality education for her children. She has also been able to start a peanut butter company that she employs 4 people at right now.

They make fantastic sandals that you can purchase at many stores in the US or online.

More Than Tourism

These companies we visited was not just a shopping trip, but an educational experience. Many of us take work and jobs for granted. We have our 5 year plans and goals. We aren’t worried about where our next meal is going to come from.

In Haiti, there is over 40% unemployment, but that statistic barely scratches the surface. Today we learned that only 15% are employed by the private sector, meaning that they have meaningful employment and know that a check is coming.

There are many “working” but there is no security. Seeing these two companies, hearing their stories and the story of the school today helps us see the importance of a job and education. It’s no coincidence that all those involved in starting and running these ventures are believers who understand that God desires us to seek the welfare of others.

When it comes to ministry, global missions and impacting the poor many think that it is only by being a pastor, church planter or doctor that you can do something. In reality, all fields and all people have unique opportunities to impact the world. Pray about how God could use you to change a life.