16 Nov 2021
Trivia: Can you spot the newest water holes in progress in this picture? Do you know which one is the oldest? Answers at the bottom of the post.
"We cannot do anything about the insecurity in Port-au-Prince, but we can try to do something out here on the Plateau where we live. We can work hard to encourage my people by making education available to them; by seeking ways that they can earn their livelihood through agriculture, animal husbandry, and small business; and by working with them to develop their community into a place in which they want to stay and live."
~from Manis' letter on Oct 12
One specific thing we can do...and how you can help.
As we watch Port-au-Prince sink deeper and deeper into chaos--and as the fuel crisis continues to destroy the infrastructure of the country--one thing we can do is keep working to make life sustainable within our own community.
Within that objective, one specific thing we can do is dig water holes.
We are constantly praising God for the idea he gave to Manis for the water holes that catch rainwater run-off. They have been the single most effective and life-saving solution for water that we have found. They provide a previously non-existant local water source for people and animals.They reinforce and sustain reforestation efforts. And more recently, they have made it possible for us to look at options for irrigating gardens to build food security.
We KNOW they "work."
We cannot afford to sit around and wait for the crisis in Haiti to get better. Instead, we are digging more water holes.
People wash clothes and collect water out of one water hole (lower right), even while the skid loader and workmen are digging two new ones (upper left)!
The tractor, the skidloader, and a group of workmen have been digging two new water holes (or one double hole, if you will) for the past two weeks. Their progress has been astounding and the results...well see for yourself in the videos below:
In this first video, you can see work being done on the new water holes and catch a glimpse of the grand landscape.
This video captures the importance of the water holes for both people and animals. It was taken a few days later--after some rain in the mountains. As you can see in the second half of the video, one of the newest water holes collected quite a bit of water and immediately became a resource for people in the community.
The longer we can keep digging, the more water we can collect and the longer it will last between rains. But we need funding to run the tractor and pay the workers. We will have to stop digging for a time until we have more funds available.
If you would like to help us keep "doing what we can do," you can give a special gift designated for "Lemuel Ministries: A Place to Live." We will be using these funds to address specific needs arising during this time of upheaval in Haiti.
Don't forget to type "Lemuel Ministries: A Place to Live" in the box marked for a PARTNER.
If you need any help understanding the process of donating through Extreme Response, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via e-mail. You can also find more explanation on our website here.
Another thing we can do...
The past few years have wreaked havoc on education in Haiti. Already there were challenges enough, but these were intensified through disruptions and closures caused by constant instability in the country coupled with COVID-19.
The current insecurity situation has again disrupted education in the cities. Out on the Plateau, however, we are grateful that so far school has continued to function smoothly.
The fuel crisis is hitting hard, however. Some middle-school teachers who commute long distances are unable to come to work.
More than that, the bus that transports our students from Anse-Rouge may have to discontinue its service. The cost of diesel has risen from $35-$40 Haitian dollars per gallon to $300 Haitian dollars per gallon. The owner of the bus (a local community member) cannot afford to purchase diesel at this price and still keep the cost of the transport program affordable to parents.
If the bus has to park, school will have to close temporarily, because a large number of our students use the bus for transport. Already some students from a different area are unable to attend classes due to lack of fuel (the bus does not go through their area).
Funds from the "A Place to Live" fund will also help to subsidize fuel for the bus so that our school can remain open.
Answers to the trivia questions at the top of this e-mail:
The newest water holes are the two in the lower middle of the photo to the far right. One has water. The other does not...yet.
The oldest water hole--the original, in fact--is in the middle of the photo to the far left.
Comments