Our First Five Years: Celebrating What God Has Done
December 17, 2015, Jim Wiley:
Feed. Educate. Employ. It has been five whole years, and these three words have stood the test of time through every moment of Help for Haiti’s journey. These words hold within them hundreds of stories of trials and triumphs, representing all that we have accomplished and all that we hope to achieve in the coming years. They consistently drive our mission forward as we work to build a self-sustaining economy of healthy, educated and employable adults. We feed and educate kids while we build businesses to employ their futures.
Let us celebrate joyously in this Christmas season these three initiatives and all that we have been able to accomplish through them in the last five years. And let us also be humbled, and grateful, for the provisions laid out by God and by you, our faithful supporters. Our thriving success has been made possible through your generous contributions.
FEED
In 2010, children in the mountain community of Marmalade in north Haiti came to school hungry. They fell asleep in class, absorbed little and returned home at the end of the day, still hungry. But in the last five years, Help for Haiti has partnered with Feed My Starving Children, and with all of you, to pack and ship over 750,000 meals to Haiti! We started with 130, and we now feed 430 children in two schools a hot lunch every single school day. With this nourishment, children are able to stay awake in school and build a solid, foundational education for themselves.
EDUCATE
Five years ago, the School in Marmalade had 5 teachers and 130 desperately malnourished students. The school had only six grades; after that, kids were on their own without any opportunities to further their education. But now, the same school has 250 well-nourished students and 14 capable teachers! Additionally, the school now has 9 grades with a plan to add three more in the next three years. Throughout all of this growth, the student grade average for the whole school has risen over 10 percent!
EMPLOY
In 2010, we hired local craftsmen and numerous day workers to rebuild the School in Marmalade. We stood behind our initiative to employ local Haitians rather than bring down labor-intensive missions groups. Our eight craftsmen and numerous day laborers earned regular compensation for their efforts for over three years. Then, in 2015, we hired the same skilled workers to build a retaining wall, which now secures the school from erosion and mudslides in severe rain conditions. This approach has provided years of gainful employment to good men who have families in the area and kids in the school.
These are just a few examples, with just a few inklings of stories told and stories yet to come. Soon it will be 2016, and the work will continue. We have so many opportunities to build upon what has been accomplished in these last five years. Please, stay tuned for the stories of 2016, where we will share with you our encouraging successes and also our most critical needs. For now, please consider an end of year gift if you can. Every donation we receive affirms the purpose and mission of those three words that we stand so determinedly behind.Thank you all so much, for everything you have done and everything you will do. Have a blessed Christmas and New Year.
With grateful hearts,
Jim & Betsy Willey, & the Help for Haiti Team