Watch this video to see our first home building team in November 2011 create a home for a Haitian family.

Creating a home in Haiti

Make a difference for one Haitian family.  If you want to be part of the next home building team, visit our trips page and find one that fits your schedule.

Are you wondering what these houses are that Servants for Haiti is now funding and helping to construct?  Here are the details.

SFH is working with ASAM Ministries to build “temporary” homes for homeless Haitian families.  Unfortunately, temporary may become permanent unless economic conditions in Haiti improve drastically.  (SFH is working to make that happen, too.)  Fortunately, these homes will serve a critical function as they are.

Here are some of the features of the homes we are building:

1. They have locks. As mundane as that may seem, it’s the difference between safety and vulnerability to Haitian families.  The tent cities, which is where most of the families will move from to occupy these houses, are under the constant threat of violence from local criminals.  The incidence of rape and assault, as well as non-violent crimes such as theft, are out of control in the anarchic tent villages.  A lock is just enough protection to protect most families.
2. They are strong. Unlike a makeshift tent, these structures are built to withstand the rain and high winds that are common to the island nation.
   

   Rain collection system is a lifesaver.

3. The have cement floors. In the tents, families were forced to sleep in mud during and after rainstorms.  Plus, the water that came streaming through those tents is often contaminated with waste materials.
4. A rainwater collection system is built into the roof. In a nation where potable water is not available to most families, clean drinking water can save a child or an entire family from waterborne diseases such as cholera.  As of this writing, Haiti is experiencing the worst cholera epidemic in modern history.  Even before the epidemic, water-borne diseases accounted for more than half the deaths in Haiti.
5. These homes belong to the families. Home ownership is a dream for most Haitians.  Thus, providing a home, albeit temporary, is a major boost to a family’s sense of well-being and security.
6. Construction employs Haitian workers. Except for the tiny percentage of Americans who travel to assist in the building effort (including those who travel under the auspices of SFH), labor is provided by local workers.  Everyone wins.

If you want to watch a home being built, visit this page for a short video.

Monite Métélus-Louis is SFH’s “person on the ground” in Haiti.  She administers our micro-loan program, including training future business people who will be the recipients of those loans.  We describe her new enterprise, Biznis Pam, in another post.

She’s such a prize, however, we’d love you to get to know her.  Recently, SFH president Laurae Richards interviewed Monite.  Here’s one excerpt.

Come back later for more clips from this interview.

(We apologize for the sound quality.  Haiti can be a noisy place!)

Saturday, October 15, 2011, marks one of the most exciting events in the history of Servants for Haiti.

The first of twelve classes for a group of aspiring Haitian entrepreneurs will be held with the sponsorship and support of SFH.  Haitian businesswoman and friend of SFH, Monite Métélus-Louis, will teach five men and women the principles of starting and running a small business.  When they successfully complete the training, SFH will provide loans so they can implement the business plans that they develop during the class.

Servants for Haiti will underwrite each student’s tuition, which covers the course and all materials.  In order to ensure the student is committed to the program, each one is required to pay a nominal registration fee.  Even after they complete the class and receive their loans, the students will not be left completely on their own.  Monite will follow each class member’s progress for three months to help increase their chances of success.

When this group “graduates” from the course in six weeks, a new session with a fresh set of future employers will follow them.  And the cycle continues…

Monite has named her training program “Biznis Pam“, a well-known and profound Creole expression loosely translated as “My Business”.  The motto for her initiative is:

If you plan three months: plant rice, if you plan ten years: plant trees, but if you plan for life: invest in your education.

Soon, after they have made that long term investment, her students will take their learning into the real world.  We fully expect them to report back on the success of those businesses. When they do, we will pass that news on to you.

This is exactly where Servants for Haiti wants and needs to be: enabling Haitians toward a new beginning, creating jobs and hope.  We – and you, with your support – are playing a small but significant role in the rebuilding of a stronger Haiti.  If you want to stand with us in this effort, please consider donating toward this program on our online donation page .

Get to know Monite here.

Return to these pages for more information on our business development plans.  We’re certain that you’ll catch our excitement about what God is doing in Haiti.

Haiti has been called a republic of NGO’s.  An NGO is a Non-Governmental Organization, such as Servants for Haiti.  There are more than 10,000 such organizations dedicated to helping Haiti pull itself out of the mess it has been in for as long as anyone can remember.  How is it that 10,000 groups, some very well-funded, have not made a significant dent in Haiti’s problems in all these years?  There are a variety of reasons.

First, many are just bailing water from the ship, simply trying to keep Haiti afloat.  Those are relief organizations, feeding and educating children, sending short term medical teams, and running other reactive programs.   That was SFH until recently.  All our efforts were essentially life-support.

Let’s be clear. There is nothing wrong with that approach, as far as it goes.  Many people who might have otherwise lost their lives or families that could have been destroyed were saved because of the efforts of such groups.  SFH continues to do relief work by building homes for people living without any shelter.

The problem is that this approach treats symptoms, not the disease.  And as long as we only treat symptoms and never go for a cure, we will always be busy doing so, bailing a sinking ship.  That is the rationale for our change of direction toward creating more economic opportunities for Haitians to help themselves and each other.

A second problem: Sadly, there are some very questionable groups out there.  Well-meaning donors must be on their guards when they support any group working in Haiti.  Do you have personal knowledge of the organization?  Are they forthcoming about their work?  Do they keep overhead costs low?  (SFH spends no more than 10% of our income on administrative costs.)  Checking out a group is good stewardship of your money and serves Haiti better.  Whether the cause is inefficiency, incompetency, or immorality, if a group is ineffective, it does not deserve our support.

Another reason that the republic of NGO’s has been largely ineffective in bringing about change – and the reason for this article – is that they tend to work in isolation from one another and from local people.  That is definitely not the way of Servants for Haiti.  We have been establishing partnerships with other non-profits with philosophies and goals in alignment with ours.

One such alliance is with ASAM Ministries, led by Andre and Sylvie Drisdelle.  Rather than try to learn the ins and outs of supplying housing for the people of Haiti, we have come alongside this group that is already providing housing.  Keep coming back to our site to learn more about ASAM and other groups we will be working with.  (You can visit ASAM’s blog here.  Note that most of it is in French, however.)  If you travel with us on one of our work teams, you can see and participate in this partnership first hand.

Finally, some organizations try to do things  “the American way”.  In other words, they feel they know how to help Haiti better than Haitians do.  That has never been the way SFH has operated and it never will.  In our previous work, we partnered with Haitian pastor Rigaud Antoine, who runs the school and orphanage we supported.  Looking ahead, our micro-loan program is being managed by a Haitian businesswoman.  We will be featuring a profile of her in a future post.

The following link will take you to an information sheet and a set of application forms for the next work team to Haiti.

Trip application forms for October/November 2011 home-building team

For general information about past and future trips, please refer to this page.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Servants for Haiti recently issued the following letter to its supporters:

Most of you have received information about the upcoming change in the focus of Servants for Haiti. I am writing to update you on where things stand.

As of July 1, 2011, Servants for Haiti will no longer manage the sponsorship programs for Kingdom Kids Orphanage or College Jean Rigaud Antoine (CJRA). The new organization that will take care of those sponsorships is Haiti International Alliance (HIA), founded by Pastor Rigaud Antoine, who also founded and manages the school and orphanage. Two former board members of SFH serve on the board of HIA. We have been cooperating to make sure that this transition goes smoothly and that care for the children will continue uninterrupted. The children of Haiti are the key to Haiti’s future and remain dear to our hearts. Their continued sponsorship is important to their success.

If you currently sponsor a child in one of the programs being transferred to HIA, we encourage you to continue to do so. After July 1, 2011, please send your sponsorship check to:

Haiti International Alliance

22 Goonan Road

Hooksett, NH 03106

If you are ahead in your sponsorship donations, those contributions will be sent to HIA on or about July 1, 2011.

SFH will retain our continuing education program. We are in the process of selecting a graduating student from CJRA to receive a scholarship to attend university in Haiti. We already sponsor a medical student, currently doing very well in his fifth year. We are also sponsoring a young man attending trade school in hopes of becoming a mechanic .

In addition, we are excited to announce two new programs. First, SFH is starting a program that will train people how to begin and run a small business. After training, each student will have an opportunity to receive a micro-loan to start a new business.

Second, we will focus on providing shelter. Although it has been almost a year and a half since the earthquake, hundreds of thousands of people still live in tents. Again, we plan to partner with other organizations already working in Haiti. We are looking into both temporary and permanent shelter solutions. The crime in the tent cities is staggering. SFH wants to help keep families safe by simply allowing them to lock their doors.

If you are interested in hearing more about our new programs and discovering ways that you can help, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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

This is an exciting time for all of us at both organizations.  HIA will make sure there is no lapse in the care for the kids at Kingdom Kids orphanage and SFH can move forward with its new calling.  To learn more about HIA or to contact them, visit their web site here.

If you have any questions about this transition, please  don’t hesitate to contact either team.  Now and in the future, both organizations share a single goal: The long term physical, spiritual, and emotional health of the Haitian people.

The organization Ambassadors in Sports reaches out to those in need through the global language of football (American soccer).  Servants for Haiti is teaming up with AIS by giving them nets, balls, T-shirts, and other soccer equipment to be used in Haiti.  All the equipment was donated by the Westford (MA) Youth Soccer program.

Partnering with other organizations is a key component of our new direction.  SFH is excited about this great new partnership and is grateful to the Westford Youth Soccer program for their generosity.

For more info about Ambassadors in Sports check out their web site or contact Rich Mears at rich.mears@crossworld.org

Futbol is a prominent part of the recreational landscape of Haiti.  The sport helps return a sense of pride and normalcy to the country.  On a recent trip to Haiti, we were able to watch the Haitian Amputee Soccer Team as they practiced.  The team was formed in April of 2010 to involve victims recovering from the January earthquake.

The team also traveled to Argentina in October of 2010 to compete in the World Cup of Amputee Soccer.

Here are some photos of the team practicing:

Our Second Annual Trivia Night, held on Saturday, April 12, was a tremendous success.

We want to thank everyone who contributed to making this event not only a lot of fun, but profitable for the people of Haiti.  Next year, plan to be part of the excitement. Reserve April 7, 2012 (first Saturday in April again) for next year’s event. Watch our web site for updates as the date approaches.

We want to make this event one that people will look forward to year after year.  Your feedback will help make next year’s event even better.  If you were at this year’s trivia night, please fill out this evaluation form.  Thank you!

100% of the proceeds from this year’s fundraiser will go toward providing housing for Haitian families displaced by last year’s earthquake.  Most are still living in tents in muddy fields, subject to disease, violence, and bad weather.  We want to put as many as possible into real homes as soon as possible. We know that we can’t do it all on our own, but with your help, by God’s grace, we can make a difference one family at a time.

If you have any other questions about our trivia events, please don’t hesitate to contact us at trivia@servantsforhaiti.org.

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We want to express our profound gratitude to the following people and organizations who made this year’s Trivia Night the success it was.

For their generous donations of items for our auction:

The Colonial Inn, Edgartown, MA

Boston Red Sox

New England Patriots

Boston Celtics

Boston Bruins

Lowell Spinners

Bertucci’s Italian Restaurants

Chili’s Grill and Bar, Wilmington, MA

The Java Room, Chelmsford, MA

Moonstone’s Restaurant, Chelmsford, MA

Pampered Chef, Sharon Leigh, Chelmsford, MA

Walden Media, Burlington, MA

Jeanne Conti knitted and crocheted goods, Woburn, MA

Nancy Kaelin, Chelmsford,MA

Capellini’s Italian Restaurant, Tewksbury, MA

Massage Envy, Berkeley Street, Boston, MA

Camp Cedarbrook, Alfred ME

The Haven and Beals families

Cricket Lomicka quilting, Chelmsford, MA

Laurae Richards Art, Westford, MA

Mahoney’s Garden Center, Winchester, MA

Tastefully Simple, Donna Nordquist

Cut to the Chase, Billerica, MA

Peregrine Outfitters, Williston, VT

Haitian craftspeople

For providing prizes for the trivia contest:

Sully’s Ice Cream, Chelmsford, MA

And a VERY BIG Thank You to Sterling Golf Management for the use of the Chelmsford Country Club and their generous auction donations.

Please support our supporters and tell them you saw them here!

It’s cliché to say that the past year flew by.  How many have you heard ask, “Where did the time go?”

That is not the case in Haiti, where one year ago today at exactly 4:53:10 PM ET, the landscape changed dramatically both literally and figuratively.  If your year consisted of mourning lost loved ones, being fitted for prosthetic limbs, searching desperately for food, water, and shelter, trying to avoid rape, murder, and kidnap, and suffering cholera, it could not have passed quickly enough.

Those are the issues our friends in Haiti have lived with day in and day out.  To us here in the U.S., a difficult time is a snowstorm that melts away eventually and gasoline prices that make driving our gas-guzzlers more of a hassle.  While it has never been easy in Haiti, since the quake it must seem like a bottomless pit of despair.

While Servants for Haiti is in the process of changing the way we operate in Haiti, we are unwavering in our commitment there.  We cannot become discouraged because too much is at stake.  We are determined in the name and power of God to make a lasting difference.  We hope you will continue to stand with us as we stand with the Haitian people.

Today, in whatever way you deem appropriate, please remember our Haitian brothers and sisters and all they have gone through in the past year.