Earthquake - Summer Outreach - Rain
Below is our latest e-mail update. To read it in its original format, click here.
16 August 2021
The Earthquake
On Saturday morning, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti's southern peninsula--that's slightly stronger than the one that hit Port-au-Prince in 2010. We felt it strongly on the Plateau, but it did not do any damage. At this point, details are still being collected about the extent of the damage and the numbers of lives lost. Please keep the people of the South in your prayers, especially those who may still be buried in rubble. There is a tropical storm projected to go right over them between today and tomorrow.
The Container of Supplies: Thank You!
THANK YOU to everyone who donated supplies to go on the container! The container is on its way to Haiti, and should arrive today (Monday, Aug 16)! See the sidebar for more pictures.
Summer Outreach: Kids and Youth
A host of contextual and societal currents have been ruining the attitudes and endangering the futures of the younger generations in Haiti. This summer we are reaching out to kids and youth through three different activities...
The Girls
At the beginning of the summer, several parents of young girls came to Manis expressing concern over the future of their daughters. Young girls in Haiti can be especially vulnerable to exploitation, leading many to teen pregnancies. "Please do something for them to direct them towards a better future," these parents pleaded.
This was huge. One of the difficulties we have faced when trying to work with the kids and youth is the apathy and irresponsibility of the parents. We have begun to put pressure on the parents to take the initiative and show support if they want us to work with their kids.
Out of this series of requests arose a summer program for several of the young girls in our area. The program includes training in cooking, cleaning, English, and French, in addition to spiritual and social lessons. Together with Manis, young leaders like Josiane and Mezou--who themselves are the fruits of investing in people--are now investing their knowledge and experience with these young girls. Some of the parents are also actively supporting the program through their participation.
The program has also provided a safe retreat where the girls can gather and have some fun, instead of wandering the streets or falling under bad influences. Every afternoon when they are done with the morning activities, they sit and play Uno together for hours!
Pastor Jude's Group
In June, a young pastor named Jude that we know from Anse-Rouge came to Manis and shared his heart for a group of young people he had been mentoring in his community. Some of these kids came from outlying communities, but were staying in Anse-Rouge while they attended school. When schools suddenly closed early (a COVID-19 measure), he knew that many of these kids would go back to their homes with nothing to do and slide back into bad habits. He wanted to hold a summer program that would enable him to continue investing in them.
With Manis' encouragement, Jude organized a summer program focused on instilling values of hard work and personal responsibility into these youth through a series of summer jobs. With Lemuel's support, they have been working on different projects in the community, such as repairing roads, cleaning up trash, and planting trees. Jude also takes time to personally invest in them. At the end of the program, they will receive assistance with their school fees for next year.
Sunday Afternoon Boys' AND Girls' Club
The kids' club on Sunday afternoons continues to be the highlight of the week for the kids on the Plateau! The program started out with just the boys, but now includes girls as well. (And that's one of the parents at the far left participating in the club!)
Rain!!
The water holes were dry and the drought was getting very severe.
Then this past Tuesday, it rained A LOT! Not only did the trees and plants receive a good shower, but all the water holes are full to the brim!
Wednesday, Aug 4: Cleaning out one of the water holes.
Wednesday, Aug 11: That same water hole full of water!
Sidebar
In Other News...
The Dump Truck
The dump truck (part of the MACOL project) and the donated skid loader arrived safely on the Plateau!
They got right to work helping the tractor clean out the water holes.
The Xterra
Our staff were able to take advantage of a brief lull in the insecurity on the road South to retrieve the Xterra that was stuck in Petit Goave. After days of trying to get enough gas for the home journey, praise the Lord, staff and Xterra arrived safely back on the Plateau.
The Container
The shipping container is packed full of supplies and has shipped! It was a huge task, but we had some fun working together (see photos here). The container is supposed to arrive in Haiti on Monday, August 16th.
To see the original e-mail in full, click here.