2009 Annual Report

Haiti Mission 2009Annual Report

Haiti Mission 2009 Annual Report

A Message from the DirectorDear Friends of the Poor,

We have had a remarkable year. Six more wells have been added bringing the total to eleven so far. We have also begun development of a water catchment system which will efficiently utilize an existing source. A feeding program at each of the three village schools has been started giving at least one hot meal a month to our 750 children. Another home has been completed for one of the blind residents of the community.

Your love and generosity has made this and much more possible. Faie and I along with the members of our Board of Directors would like to thank you for all you have done to help those in need we are serving and working alongside with in Haiti. Behind every number is a child, a family and a community that has hope because of your support.

Pope Benedict XVI has taught that “love for widows and orphans, prisoners, and the sick and needy of every kind, is as essential to [the Church] as the ministry of the sacraments and preaching of the Gospel” (Deus Caritas Est No. 22).

Haiti Mission has often been the only hope many of these families have had – the only family and friend bringing fresh water and care. We continue to be committed to bringing water to within 500 feet of every child and family in this region of Haiti. Our passionate response to the sound of a hungry and thirsty child is that we are here; we will work untiringly until you have the basic needs you deserve.

Our mission has done so much, but we can only see clearly how much more needs to be done. As our tenth year begins, I am more confident than ever that God’s grace and blessings will continue to flow through us into the lives of more and more people who have been oftentimes forgotten by the world. With your help - encouraging and supporting our truly ground-breaking efforts - we will answer the call of the poor and the needy.

With Christ at our side and the power of God in our hearts, we will persist in this labor of love.

Peace and God’s choicest blessings be on you and your families,

Deacon Lloyd Duplantis

Incorporated December 8, 2002

Feeding the Children, Developing the Economy

This year we were able to begin a very basic feeding program. We were able to begin with one hot meal per month. Although it sounds almost ridiculous to say this is a feeding program, we came to realize that once a month was better than none at all. We are confident that this initiative will grow and blossom. A bakery is already being built to bring fresh bread to the children, greatly reducing the cost of feeding each child. This bakery will also supply jobs and economic development to the community further stimulating the growth of the area thereby helping the families there.Bec’s Bakery (see website for more details) will be a helpful addition to the already improving agronomy of the area.

Animal Husbandry – Hope for the future

Early on we came to realize that the families were unable to develop and prosper because of a lack of animals. Pigs, goats, donkeys and cows were financially all out of the reach of any of the households in the area. Haiti Mission began buying pigs for those individuals who seemed capable of raising them in the harsh Haitian circumstances. This worked well but at approximately $100 USD, we were challenged to find enough funding and pigs to make a substantial impact. Haiti Mission at some point came to realize that by developing a breeding facility, we could ultimately make a much more substantial impact on the pig distribution process. This facility is now up and running. We now have seven nice females and two boars.

Health Initiatives

From the very beginning of our mission efforts in Haiti, we have tried to follow some basic W.H.O guidelines which recommend making parasite eradication medication and vitamins available to all the populace in developing nations. Again this past year we have promoted and implemented Albendazole and multivitamin distribution several times a year. Haiti Mission pays a nurse to look over the health needs of the school children and the families of the several villages where we work.

Education

From the humble beginning of one school with about 200 children, the St. Bridget Haiti Mission School System now encompasses three locations. A basic education is now being afforded 750 children in buildings constructed by Haiti Mission in partnership with friends and foundations. Twenty-one teachers are being paid monthly. Auxiliary aides and periodic cooks are also receiving stipends which will also help their children and families. Because of this basic elementary education which is now being made available through your generosity, these children have hope and promise of a much brighter tomorrow.

The need is great

Water Development

Bringing water to within 500 feet of every person in the region is still a major and primary focus of Haiti Mission, Inc. No development in any area is possible without sufficient, clean water. Our unique and highly effective Cable Tool drilling program has now completed twelve wells. This rig is run almost exclusively by a Haitian team trained and supervised by Haiti Mission and American drillers. This combination has resulted in efficiently drilling wells in this rocky Haitian environment down to 350 feet, bringing life-giving water to remote areas which could before only dream of having water.

Sheltering the Needy - Mr. Maturin's home

We have completed our second home this year. Mr. Mathurin, an old blind man living in a desperate, dilapidated and pitiful hut that turned into a mud hole when it rains, now has a beautiful and substantial home. His three room house is now a safe home for him and shelter for friends and family during storms. Haiti Mission is committed to building these type houses rather than settling for lesser forms of construction in order that these buildings will be able to withstand Caribbean storms and other perils of nature.

Poultry Farm

In the fiscal year 2009 we distributed approximately fifty pigs from our breeding efforts and are looking to a more productive future.

2009 also found us in the midst of developing a poultry project in order to produce more eggs at a more affordable price. We now have the initial buildings up and a plan to bring a sufficient water supply to the project site. We are hoping that 2010 will find this project up and running. Goats are one of the most prolific meat producers in Haiti. Goats are easier for Haitians to raise than pigs, requiring less attention and having a higher survival rate. We have begun a goat breeding facility along the lines of our pig project with the hopes of making goats much more affordable and more readily accessible.

Feeding the Children

She has continued to coordinate the distribution process. Haiti Mission has been responsible for distributing at least ten thousand (10,000) Albendazole and multivitamin tablets. The impact on the children and adults has been remarkable, allowing them to thrive and develop by the removal of parasites from their system and from the general wellbeing enhanced by multivitamin supplementation.

Shoe Program

As part of our overall education program, we have instituted a Shoe Share project that allows each student to receive a pair of shoes annually. Without shoes, the village children will not attend school or church services. To personalize this activity, the teachers have the children outline their footprint on a sheet of paper and then they write the name, age, sex and class inside the print. When we receive these papers, we have them copied and color-coded and then distribute them to churches, schools and interested persons who wish to take a footprint to a shoe store for appropriate sizing and purchase. Shortly before our annual trip, we invite helpers to come and fill the shoes with personal care items, snacks, toothbrushes, etc. and then they are placed in duffle bags ready to accompany us on our flight. Upon our arrival, what joy fills the air as each child receives their new pair of shoes!

Ryan's Well

What has been especially encouraging are the partnerships we have forged to accomplish such remarkable and life-changing outcomes. In 2009, we have received grants from Ryan’s Well Foundation, One Family International and Rotary International to drill wells and build a water catchment system. Haiti Mission would like to publicly thank these organizations that have put their trust in our ability and capability to accomplish the seemingly impossible tasks of drilling wells where no one has previously been. Thank you, thank these organizations and thank Almighty God for giving us the grace and perseverance to continue until the water has finally flowed.