education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

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clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

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community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

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economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

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teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

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The Problem of Hunger

Hurricane Matthew destroys crops
One of the many banana orchards damaged by Hurricane Matthew.

One of the many banana orchards damaged by Hurricane Matthew.

Two of our board members have been in Terre Blanche this week and have seen first-hand the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew.

We are happy to report that everyone is safe and homes appear to be intact. The dirt road between Gonaives and Terre Blanche took a beating with the rain and is in bad shape, making travel more difficult.

The biggest challenge now is accessibility of food. For the past two years, this region, and much of Haiti, has struggled with drought, meaning many planted gardens never made it to harvest because of the dry conditions.

In this area of Haiti, many individuals and families depend on gardens or small fields for personal food, animal feed, or to sell produce at market. This makes the loss of crops devastating, especially when the loss repeats itself as it has in recent years.

Hurricane Matthew compounded the problem when the rain and wind destroyed crops yet again. Very few people have any food stored so acquiring meals is a daily struggle. We expect that food prices will increase in the coming months and hunger will be a chronic problem for a long time to come.

Students eating lunch at the school in Terre Blanche.

Students eating lunch at the school in Terre Blanche.

DONATE NOW TO HELP FIGHT HUNGER

In the midst of this difficult time, we are encouraged by the community health volunteers who continue to help their neighbors and are making plans for anticipated health concerns. We are also thankful for Pastor Delamy, his wife Elvire, and the many others who are working tirelessly to help these communities.

Please consider making a difference by donating to Haiti Foundation of Hope. Your gift will go directly to helping the people of Haiti. Because of your financial assistance, children receive a healthy school lunch each day, beans and rice are distributed to those most in need, and people are supported and encouraged through many other programs.

Thank you for all your help.

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

Learn More

clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

Learn More

community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

Learn More

economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

Learn More

teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

Learn More

Cholera Crisis

A home in Terre Blanche, a village which has seen a recent rise in cholera.

A home in Terre Blanche, a village which has seen a recent rise in cholera.

The cholera epidemic in Haiti has recently risen in Terre Blanche and the surrounding communities. We are asking for your prayers and support.

Cholera emerged in Haiti in 2010, 10 months after a devastating earthquake hit the country. Within a few months, more than 200,000 people had become infected and nearly 5,000 people had died. The Clinic of Hope in Terre Blanche saw many cases of cholera during this time.

Volunteers with the community health program worked tirelessly to bring education and chlorine solution for water treatment into the three villages they serve.

By spring 2011, the number of cases and deaths had decreased. However, health care providers warned that cholera would remain endemic in Haiti for many years.

Recently, there has been a rise in the number of people infected with cholera in Northern Haiti and a teenager in the community of Dubedou died from the disease this past week. Compounding the problem is the lack of water in the region. There is an ongoing drought and wells are drying up.

Pastor Delamy, other pastors and community volunteers have been distributing chlorine for water treatment and education on cholera prevention. Pastors have been meeting to discuss this crisis and make plans to help those in their communities. Pastor Delamy has been working throughout a large region in Northern Haiti that encompasses the villages of Terre Blanche, Dubedou, Finel, and the large city of Gonaives.

The community health program supported by Haiti Foundation of Hope is comprised of local volunteers who have a heart for their neighbors and friends. They were instrumental in addressing the cholera epidemic when it first broke out and they are instrumental at this time as well.

If you would like to support the community health program, you can donate to the program online. You can also give a general donation to Haiti Foundation of Hope to be used where it’s needed the most.

Thank you for your continued support for the people of Haiti.

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

Learn More

clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

Learn More

community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

Learn More

economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

Learn More

teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

Learn More

The Scarcity of Water

The water situation in Haiti is desperate. The river in Terre Blanche is completely dry, the second planting of crops have all been lost, and water is scarce. People have heard there is water in the wells at Terre Blanche and they are coming long distances with their donkeys and buckets.

Please pray for rain.

Pastor Delamy says, “We used to spread the light of Christ through the church, clinic, and community health, but now we are spreading light through the wells!”

Recently, about 30 people lined up very early with their buckets and donkeys. Pastor Delamy says he has never seen anything like this. There are four wells in Terre Blanche and we praise the Lord for these!

People lined up at the well outside the church in Terre Blanche.

People lined up at the well outside the church in Terre Blanche.

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

Learn More

clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

Learn More

community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

Learn More

economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

Learn More

teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

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Economic Development

For M. Dieumetre, the micro-loan program funded through Haiti Foundation of Hope has been a great help to him and his family. It was once difficult to find food but now he has multiple gardens and animals.

The micro-loan program is just one aspect of the economic development activities taking place in Terre Blanche and surrounding communities.

MICRO-LOANS

M. Dieumetre uses his micro-loan money to buy seeds. He grows millet, a corn-like grain common in Haiti. He has a garden near the river, and others on the hillside. He sells the millet at the market in Gonaives.

Along with the loan of money for small businesses, participants in the micro-loan program receive education on money management.

AGRICULTURAL TRAINING

Another economic development activity taking place is agricultural training. Haiti Foundation of Hope recently held agricultural training for 30 people. Part of the training included learning how to use drip irrigation. Each participant was given a drip kit to use in their own gardens.

Those who received training are excited to use their new knowledge and to share the knowledge with their neighbors and friends.

CURRENT STRUGGLE

Many people in Terre Blanche and the surrounding communities make their living off the land – growing crops or raising small livestock. Currently, the area is severely lacking rainfall. The river that runs through the area is almost dry. For almost all the farmers, the most recent crops have failed due to the drought conditions.

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

Learn More

clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

Learn More

community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

Learn More

economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

Learn More

teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

Learn More

Drip Irrigation in Times of Drought

Spring is here and that means it’s time for planting and gardening. Recently in Terre Blanche, we built a model garden using a drip irrigation system. That garden has had its first harvest.

At the beginning of this month, 30 people participated in agriculture training to learn how the drip irrigation system works. The participants are excited about using their new knowledge to grow their own gardens as well as share their knowledge with neighbors and friends.

A drip kit was given to each person who completed the training. It’s their responsibility to provide a five gallon bucket to complete the irrigation system and the seeds for their garden. A key aspect of the training was using drip irrigation to minimize the water needed in the drought stricken area of Haiti where we work.

The potential for gaining food security among the villages where these volunteers live is enormous. Please pray for their success in using the training they received and sharing the possibilities with their neighbors and friends.

Some of the participants from the agriculture training earlier this month.

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

Learn More

clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

Learn More

community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

Learn More

economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

Learn More

teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

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Green Hillsides

Many of you know that Terre Blanche is an area that struggles with reoccurring drought so we are celebrating the recent green fields and trees on the hillsides.

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

Learn More

clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

Learn More

community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

Learn More

economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

Learn More

teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

Learn More

HFH Happenings

From the December newsletter:

Medical conference – Our third annual medical conference for Haitian medical professionals was held in October while the HFH volunteer team was at the Clinic of Hope. There were 62 professionals in attendance (double the number from last year). The participants were excited about the knowledge dispensed and are hoping for a two-day conference in the future. Five people on the HFH team presented topics in English through our Haitian Creole translators.

Medical conference.

Update on drought and storms – The food shortage due to drought and storms continues. Following dry conditions, Hurricane Sandy hit Haiti, bringing too much rain. You can help those in need by giving online.

Making a donation this holiday season? – Ask your employer if they have a matching gift program. Some companies match the donations of their employees when given to a non-profit organization.

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

Learn More

clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

Learn More

community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

Learn More

economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

Learn More

teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

Learn More

You Can Help Hungry Children

From the September 2012 newsletter:

The difference between a child’s health and malnutrition can be as simple as an egg a week.

This is one of the surprising findings of the ongoing nutrition project in the three communities involved in the Haiti Foundation of Hope community health program.

Earlier this year, the program shifted its focus to the problem of malnutrition, which includes monthly rally posts to monitor the growth of all children, identify and support those with malnutrition, provide nutrition education for mothers, and implement a “Positive Deviance/Hearth” program.

Hearth’s innovative strategy, which has been used for more than 30 years in Haiti, starts by identifying the positive feeding practices of poor families with healthy children. In every community, there are a few families who have discovered small and affordable ways to keep their children nourished despite material poverty.

The community health volunteers have led an assessment to discover “positive deviance” practices and found that small differences such as one egg per week, more continuous breast-feeding, thick porridge, healthy soup with gathered greens, affectionate attention, hand washing, and vaccinations were associated with healthier children.

The next step will be to implement “hearth” sessions, where volunteer mothers teach these healthy practices to the families of malnourished kids during cooking sessions that provide extra meals for children.

The Hearth cooking sessions will begin this month, right on the heels of Tropical Storm Isaac and a persistent drought. The nutrition situation in northern Haiti has become more precarious, as good harvests of sorghum and corn during the wet season were offset by a long period of drought followed by torrential rains and tropical storms which washed away crops from the degraded land.

This year has seen a particularly severe series of events around Terre Blanche, including the complete failure of  winter crops and the extraordinarily rare event of the River LaBranle completely drying up. This was followed by rains which brought back the cholera epidemic. All of these events have resulted in a measurable worsening of the nutritional status of children.

The routine statistical surveys we carry out every six months tells the tragic story. In January, the nutrition situation for children was similar to the original survey done in 2009, showing that about 8% of children had at least moderate malnutrition, and 31% were at least mildly malnourished.

However, after the drought and crop failures, the situation in July was much worse. We have now found that almost 40% of children have some form of malnutrition, with 21% at least moderately malnourished. Most concerning are the 7% of children with severe malnutrition, up from only 1% previously.

Digging deeper into the reasons for this terrible situation, we found that only 15% of children are eating the minimum number of times per day, down from 55%. Because children need a diverse diet, we also measured the number of food groups that are eaten every day, and found that 80% of children only eat from one food group, and 11% of children had no food at all during the day prior to the July survey. In the village of Dubedou, 29% of children had nothing to eat. The severity of food deprivation in Dubedou is reflected in its malnutrition rate of 47%.

HFH is also responding to the malnutrition emergency with direct aid to meet immediate needs. We also continue to support the most severely malnourished children with Medika Mamba, a peanut-based therapeutic food.

These efforts are undertaken by a committed group of Haitian volunteers who make incredible sacrifices every day to serve God and show love to their neighbors. Standing together, we can support our brothers and sisters to overcome so many challenges.

How to Help

To help the children living in and around Terre Blanche, you can donate online to Haiti Foundation of Hope. Some of the many programs you can give to are:

  • Education – ensures each student gets a hot meal every day
  • Beans and rice – distributes food to the most needy families
  • Community health – helps families feed their children and develop healthy habits

Donate Now

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

Learn More

clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

Learn More

community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

Learn More

economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

Learn More

teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

Learn More

Drought and Storms: How to Help

Dry riverbed in Terre Blanche.

From the September 2012 newsletter:

When Tropical Storm Isaac hit Haiti, the area of Terre Blanche and the surrounding region was already suffering due to an ongoing drought. Pitimi (the Creole word for millet) is the main staple of food for the people of Terre Blanche. With a short growing season, pitimi is the most popular food source. In a good year, pitimi can be harvested three times (winter, fall and spring).

An ongoing problem in Terre Blanche is the reoccurring cycles of drought, often followed by flooding. Due to drought, the last three crops never reached maturity. Now, there is a food emergency. Tropical Storm Isaac’s destruction has made this dire situation even worse. Isaac has destroyed even the small home gardens.

How to Help – Give Now

School starts this month and, with the help of our donors, all the children will receive a daily, nutritious meal. Haiti Foundation of Hope works with Haitian partners to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of people living in the impoverished, rural areas of northern Haiti. In doing so, HFH helps people to help themselves to recover from the cycles of drought and flooding.

It is easy to forget Haiti without high publicity disasters catching our attention on the news.

But the need continues long after the world stops watching.

Would you consider becoming a regular monthly or quarterly donor to help people in Haiti build resiliency?

THANK YOU to all those who regularly give to Haiti Foundation of Hope or support our work through prayer.

DONATIONS of any amount can be given to the school lunch program, community health program, ongoing rice and beans fund, the greatest need, or many other programs. A gift of $50 will purchase a large bag of beans or rice. (Learn more about gift options through our Gift Catalog.)

Gifts can be made online, or you can send a check payable to Haiti Foundation of Hope, P.O. Box 61941, Vancouver, WA 98666.

education

We fund primary school education, supplement staff salaries, subsidize secondary education, and…

Learn More

clinic

We support a permanent medical clinic, collaborate on a clean water project,…

Learn More

community health

We empower the communities we support to increase their education, health, and…

Learn More

economic development

We provide adult education, resources and local employment to support self-sufficiency.

Learn More

teams

Throughout the year we send medical teams to rural Northern Haiti to…

Learn More

Drought followed by Tropical Storm Isaac

And How to Help –

When Tropical Storm Isaac hit Haiti, the area of Terre Blanche and the surrounding region was already suffering due to an ongoing drought. The storm brought rain and wind, and gardens were destroyed. The gardens, however, were already lost due to a lack of rain. The food situation in Terre Blanche and the nearby communities is extremely tenuous right now. Haiti Foundation of Hope is working with in-country partners to address the problem. We will keep you posted as we learn more.

How to Help: As always, you can help by giving to the ongoing work in Haiti. Haiti Foundation of Hope supports education and meals for students, food for the needy, micro-loans, clean water filters, medical care, and more. All of these programs help Haitians as they rebuild from natural disasters.

GIVE ONLINE NOW

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