New Directions for SFH
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 ...
A Future for Junior
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 ...
Another Miracle on 34th?
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.)
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Gratitude from a survivor
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 ...
Haitian arts and crafts…
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 ...
Going the distance for Haiti…
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 ...
June 2010 trip reports…
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 ...
Online donations are now being accepted!
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 ...
June 2010 team arrives!
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.
A youthful perspective on Haiti
12-year-old Sage recently traveled to Haiti with her mother. Their purpose was to visit with the child her family is adopting from Kingdom Kids Orphanage. Below is a poignant report she wrote about her trip:
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On the morning of January 12th my mom booked our tickets for our trip to Haiti. I was so excited to be officially going. Ever since I was nine I had always dreamed about going to Haiti. Later that same day Haiti was changed forever. An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 hit Haiti leaving tens of thousands dead, thousands more missing, hearts broken, and ...