Carrying On
Troops with the U.N. Multinational Security Support mission have arrived in Port-au-Prince (PAP). Unfortunately, not much progress has been made in subduing the gangs that have overtaken the capital during the past 3-4 years. Recent reports indicate that they are having difficulty holding territory that they have taken back from gangs. This is not too surprising, given the small size of the mission and the depleted Haitian police force.
Durable Hope
How do the headlines about Haiti these last few months make you feel? If you’re like me, you find them very discouraging. That is why I want to share some of the hope that I receive from our friends and partners in Haiti.
Mobilizing healthcare in rural Haiti
Seeing the photos of early medical clinics stirs a flood of memories for me, each one a poignant reminder of the challenges and triumphs we've experienced along the way to mobilizing healthcare in rural Haiti.
Plain Matin Bakery
Your gifts are helping our partners in Plain Matin with a start-up bakery. After much planning and prayer, the business is up and running! This is a big step for the small, roadside village to provide a food staple and job opportunities. Watch the video to learn more about it.
Haiti in Crisis
As you have likely seen in the news, this past month brought escalated violence and turmoil in Haiti’s capital city, Port-au-Prince
A Ride to Remember
The Bike4Haiti is an excellent way to explore the GAP, and accommodates a wide range of biking experience. Read about the experience from the perspective of the Mitry family and Thom Lieb, all whom rode the 3-day trip from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, MD.
We Ride: The Bradbury Brothers
Not many young people are able to say they biked across the US, but Haiti H2O co-founder Doug Bradbury’s sons can.
The Gift of Knowledge
A group of students in our partner communities are seeking to leave their homes to pursue higher education—with the plan to return and use their skills not for their own gain, but for the good of their hometowns.
Thank you for helping to build homes!
Lenord François (our longtime friend and partner in Haiti) talks here with Madame Joseph about her new home which is almost complete. Haiti H2O helped to replace the house she lost in a hurricane.
Bike4Haiti Highlight: Laureen Hurt
Laureen Hurt rode the entire Great Allegheny Passage for the first time last year with the Bike4Haiti. She would encourage others to try the Bike4Haiti themselves: “The GAP is really beautiful and there are stops along the way—a physical challenge at any age is a great thing! I’ll never forget the people I did this ride with.”
Learning to Innovate
I’m excited to share with you an experience that our staff (Haitian and American) have been able to participate in over the past couple months. We are more than halfway through a 9 week course called “Innovate” by the Chalmer’s Center, creators of the “Helping Without Hurting” mission concepts and training. “Helping without hurting” values local ideas, assets, and leadership, resulting in more sustainable solutions.
Blok Sanitaire
There has been a need for better bathrooms in St. Martin for many years. Pastor Deristil, the new pastor of the area, started the ball rolling on this project when he arrived. Once supplies were able to be purchased, the building of the Blok Sanitaire took very little time.
Meloniere School is Finished!
After many years of planning and fundraising, the school building destroyed by Hurricane Matthew was finished in time to use at the start of the 2022-2023 school year.
Lessons of Hope
Haitian Independence Day is celebrated on January 1st to commemorate their declaration of independence from the French in 1804. Listen to Barb Brewton recall her experience on a visit to the rural village of Bassin Caiman with Haiti H2O.
Prayer for Haiti
Thank you for committing to praying for our partners in Haiti. We hope you find these prompts helpful to guide your prayers to their specific needs.
On the Trails Again
They say that necessity is the mother of invention and Haiti H2O’s Bike4Haiti event was certainly born of necessity. In 2019, Church of the Ascension’s youth group was preparing to send its youth group to Haiti, with Haiti H2O, for a mission trip. The teenagers and adult leaders had signed up, and training had begun. But by March of that year, the US State Department issued a warning for travelers to Haiti, so the youth group pivoted, opting instead to bike all the way from Pittsburgh to the Haitian Embassy in Washington, D.C. By 2020, when it was clear that it would still be too unsafe to take groups to visit our partners in rural Haiti, we decided to move forward with an annual Bike4Haiti event. This began as a ride from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, with shorter options offered as well. One of the first families to join us were the Teufels.
Hope Makes One Live
The situation in Haiti has worsened as we have gotten deeper into the summer months. In July, a severe wave of violence erupted in the Cité Soleil area of Port au Prince, resulting in at least 300 people having been killed according to Human Rights Watch. Even those not directly living in the areas plagued by violence have been hit by chronic fuel and electricity shortages because of gang violence.
Home coming
At a time with so many negative stories about Haiti, I am encouraged to be able to share some good news! Thanks to Pastor Pharyl’s leadership, our staff in Haiti, and support from so many folks here in the U.S., the community of Plain Matin is finishing up the construction of three concrete block houses for families who lost their homes in the earthquake last year. The 2-3 room design was provided by Pastor Pharyl who has training in carpentry. He also has put together a team of local laborers to do the construction.