There can be no doubt in anyone’s mind that the horrific events of January 12, 2010 have brought about substantial changes in the physical, spiritual, political, and economic landscape of Haiti. Those changes will affect the conditions in Haiti for the foreseeable future.

While we have continued our support and relief efforts, the board members of Servants for Haiti have also been busily thinking and praying about whether and how our activities should be affected by the new context there. Is what we have been doing for the past five years the best way we can address the long term after-effects of the earthquake? Are the assumptions under which SFH was founded in 2005 still valid in a post-earthquake Haiti?

In our discussions and deliberations, we have become convinced that we need to alter our current methods. We are very pleased with the effectiveness of those methods in the past. Supporting the Kingdom Kids Orphanage and CJRA school has given us – and you, our supporters – a chance to improve the conditions and lives of many children. In some cases, lives have been literally saved. We are gratified to know that we have fully lived up to our slogan, “Serving Haiti, one child at a time”.

Today, SFH is making plans for a new direction for the future, involving dramatic changes that can be best characterized as proactive. Our desire is to move from a support model to one of economic empowerment. Until there is a healthy economic base, Haiti will remain reliant on foreign support funds. Our long range desire is to make the need for organizations like ours obsolete.

As part of this change of focus, we are in the beginning stages of moving away from our work at the CJRA school and Kingdom Kids Orphanage. We are no longer accepting new sponsorships for children in either KKO or CJRA. Pastor Rigaud Antoine, the founder and director of those institutions, is establishing his own non-profit organization to continue the work SFH began at its inception in 2005. The children of Haiti remain dear to our hearts and key to the future of the country. Over the next several months we will be shifting responsibility for all sponsorship programs to the new organization, working closely with them to ensure that the transition is smooth and has absolutely no negative impact on any of the children or employees involved.

Even as we have considered this change of direction, such opportunities have already begun presenting themselves. At least three proposals for new businesses in Haiti have been brought to us in recent weeks. We find this an exciting development, in keeping with our belief that God is directing the steps of SFH.

As an example of the kind of work we plan to do, we are currently assisting Haitian nationals in the creation of a class to teach people how to operate their own businesses. On successful completion of the class, its participants will be eligible for micro-loans to get them started. With follow-up and support, we expect these people will not only be able to provide for themselves and their families, they may also offer employment to many others so they can do the same.

As needed, SFH will still perform short term relief, especially in the form of providing housing for the homeless. Such needs will exist for some time yet and cannot be ignored, but our primary focus will be on creating economic opportunities anywhere we see potential. Our many years of working in Haiti have given us contacts that make this vision viable. The plan is to use Haitian nationals whenever possible, acting as advisers and suppliers of seed money.

The board of SFH believes that these changes will move us in a direction in keeping with God’s vision for our organization. No doubt, however, they will raise questions and concerns from our support base.  Please watch our web site for further information and developments or feel free to contact us at info@servantsforhaiti.org.

Laurae Richards

President, Servants for Haiti

Back in 2000, when the folks who started SFH first visited Haiti, we made a lot of new friends.  Over the years, some have moved on and others seem to have simply disappeared.  One young man we hit it off with right away was a boy named Junior.  His name didn’t fit his appearance as he towered over his friends of the same age.

For a time, Junior attended what has since become CJRA, the school SFH supports. Due to a mixup with a sponsorship program that preceded SFH, he was forced to drop out of school.  This past summer, a team member named Jeff met Junior and was impressed with his intelligence and work ethic.  Jeff decided to do something to help Junior.

Through SFH, Jeff is paying Junior’s way through trade school, so that he can become an auto mechanic when he graduates.  Now this young man will have a skill that is in great demand.  He can earn his own way and eliminate the need for support.

This is a long term goal of Servants for Haiti.  If organizations like ours can help young people like Junior become employed (or at least employable), we can go a long way toward ending the cycle of poverty that has dominated Haiti for the 200+ years of its existence.  That’s one of our greatest visions: looking ahead to a day when Haiti no longer needs our help.  In this case, we’ll be happy to work our way out of a job!

Junior, 2000 - looking cool in the shades

Junior, 2010, still tall and still cool!

Christmas is insane.  Pure and simple.

There is no way around it.  And everyone knows it.  Most people complain about the hassle of the holiday season.  Many pay lip service to the over-commercialization of Christmas. But nothing changes.

Some people adorn bumper stickers or pins proclaiming Jesus as the “reason for the season”.  Yet how can overspending, over-consuming, overeating, and overdoing be considered an appropriate way to observe the birthday of a Savior who was born into poverty, lived in obscurity and died in ignominy?  (Hint: It can’t.)

Advent Conspiracy is a movement that seeks to remind us what the Christmas season is really all about.  Watch this video then reconsider how you will celebrate this Christmas this year.

How will you mark the occasion?  Will you spend money you don’t have for gifts the recipients don’t need?  Will you ask the question, “What do I give the person who has everything?” Or will you ask, “What can I give to the person who has nothing?”

We at Servants for Haiti humbly suggest that there is a better way to celebrate Christmas – the way Jesus did, through sacrificial giving to those in need.  To be part of the Advent Conspiracy, visit our donations page.

Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All

Join the conspiracy.

Far be it from Servants for Haiti to promote a commercial venture. When it benefits our friends in Haiti, however, we feel that it is at least worth mentioning.

Recently, Macy’s stores have partnered with a group of Haitian crafts people to sell their wares through Macy’s web site and 25 stores. You can read about their new product line on a number of web sites, including this one.

We applaud American businesses using their marketing power this way to benefit Haiti.  We have also been investigating ways of doing the same.  (See a previous post on this topic.)

Maybe you will find yourself feeling like the woman from “Miracle on 34th Street” who says:

“Imagine a big outfit like Macy’s putting the spirit of Christmas needs of Haiti ahead of the commercial.  It’s wonderful.  I never done much shopping here before but from now on, I’m going to be a regular Macy customer. ”

You may have read in an earlier post that the medical student we support was injured in the earthquake.  Georges Dorilien is attending medical school through the generous giving of our supporters.  Well, he may have been injured physically, but his spirit is uninjured, as you can see from this recent note we received from him:

i am pleased to be writing to you this mail. I praise God’s name for all He do for me. He protects me during the earthquake i not die even though my leg and my arm was break.God gives me health so that i can return to school.God is so Good!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday afternoon i finish with my exams. they were well. I WILL BE IN 5 YEAR AND I HAVE 2 YEARS LEFTH.. they will give the result in september and the school will open in october.without you (SFH) I couldn’t go to school but God use you to help me so that my dreams can be true soon.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU HEALTHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST,GEORGES

We add our thanks to his.  Some day, Georges will be helping to heal his sick and injured countrymen.  With your assistance, we hope to help more excited, motivated students like George!

Those of us who have traveled to Haiti over the years are continually impressed by the abundance and variety (and low price!) of the artwork and craft items we find for sale.  Wouldn’t it be great to share that creativity with our friends and help Haitian citizens earn a living in the process?

In an attempt to help bolster the Haitian economy – to paraphrase our slogan, “one craft at a time” – we thought it would be a good idea to try to create a small market for Haitian products like these.  Admittedly, it’s a minuscule step, but it’s a step.

We’d like to hear from you.  Do you know of any local stores or other outlets where we could sell some of these items?  If so, please contact us.  Since we travel to Haiti quite often, it would be easy to bring things back for sale.

Here is a very small sample of the kinds of things we could sell: (Click on a picture to see the full image.)

Serving Haiti is a marathon, not a sprint.  And Servants for Haiti is in it for the long run.  So is Lisa Clemetson.

Lisa is the adoptive mother of Roody, a current resident of Kingdom Kids Orphanage (KKO), one of our works in Haiti.   As any good mother would, Lisa wants the very best for her son.  But with Roody so far away, that’s a tough task.  She and her husband Todd visit their son as often as possible, but that leaves long stretches of time when he is beyond their care.  Her solution to the dilemma was to raise money so that SFH can hire another caregiver at KKO.  And she’s found a very meaningful way to do it.

Lisa is training to run a marathon and is enlisting sponsors for her trek.  As of this writing she’s only been at it for less than a week, but she’s already more than half way to her goal. With a recent promise of a matching gift up to $1200, that puts her way beyond it.

To learn more about Lisa and her marathon, go to her blog, “A Drop in the Ocean“.  There you’ll hear from a lady who is walking her talk.  More accurately, she’s running it.

Running for Haiti

Perhaps Lisa’s actions are prompting you to consider ways to raise funds and help Haiti in its marathon toward hope.  Talk to us.  We can give you ideas and practical help, such as setting up a payment system similar to what Lisa is doing.

Reports are coming in from the latest team to return from Haiti. We will add some short comments over time as we receive them from the folks who traveled there from June 24 to July 2, 2010.

Here’s an observation from Rebecca, who joined one of our teams for the first time:

It was my first trip, but it won’t be my last. The despair of the country is overshadowed by the Haitian peoples’ joy and thankfulness for life. There is so much we can learn from them.

This insight is from Carolyn, a veteran team member, after her first post-earthquake trip:

Even though I knew most people were living in tents, I was still taken aback to see the massive tent camps in place of the poorly constructed houses that stood before. One thing most people don’t think about is how permanent this situation is going to be for the Haitian people; tents are now being numbered and turned into permanent addresses. Haiti has always been in great need, but now the need is greater than ever.

This is a very important point to remember, motivating Servants for Haiti to work that much harder for the long term recovery of Haiti.  Your help, either through donations, fund-raising efforts, or participation on a work team, will be a key part of that work.

As of right now, you can contribute to the work of Servants for Haiti online.  We have implemented an online donation process through PayPal, allowing you to make a cash contribution either through a PayPal account or with a credit card.

Go to the Donate Now page to make your donation.

Please note that we are not yet ready to accept your regular sponsorship payments through PayPal.  We are in the process of determining how best to do that.  Please watch our news posts for any updates to that situation.  For now, we ask that you continue to make your sponsorship payments via check as you have in the past.

Thank you for your support and generosity!

The latest SFH team arrived in Haiti today.  This is a big one, with over 30 people traveling to perform construction at the school and work with the kids at the orphanage.  Of course, we’ll have trip reports as soon as possible after the team returns on 7/2.

General info on teams and trips can be found here.