Serving Haiti’s Rural Poor in Jesus’ Name
2019 Snapshot
The Pestel region in Southwest Haiti, has an estimated 60,000 people struggling to survive. Because it's a relatively small region (the Port-au-Prince metro area is home to more than 2.5 million people), even small donations have a large impact. Your tax-deductible dollars go directly to provide education, seeds and goats to help Pestel thrive in the short and long term. Here is a brief list of Thriving Villages accomplishments in conjunction with our Haitian partners in Pestel, KPA (Christians Progress Together).
In 2019, Thriving Villages
- Supported 85 children of impoverished parents at the St. Rose de Lima School in Ferrier, Haiti, with teacher salaries, books, educational materials, and school uniforms. In 2018 there were 56 students – a 52% jump in enrollment! Parents and community leaders in Pestel recognize that education is a key step toward breaking the cycle of poverty. Most parents in Ferrier do not have the means to send their children to another school, and there is no school nearby, making St. Rose the only option for many in this rural community.
- Sent four students to university to study agriculture and business, and supported one nursing intern who will return to serve in Pestel -- this is a big deal, since many students stay in the city after graduating. Fanfan, a parent and KPA leader, wrote to us, “Education is the basis of every society. It is the driving force in human development…God bless you, TVI!”
- Gave emergency food to 690 house-bound people (138 families at an estimated 5 people per family, probably more) during the worst of the lock-down protests in Port-au-Prince in the fall of 2019. The food kits included 10 pounds of rice, oil, cans of salmon, beans, and one bottle of chlorine for water treatment. Haitian partners risked their lives to buy and transport the aid through armed roadblocks.
- Provided seeds to 111 impoverished families in communities in and around Pestel, combatting food insecurity in the long-term, since farmers can use part of their crop as next season's seeds.
- Provided 40 goats to 40 needy families through the KPA community leaders, with the agreement that each family would share one young goat with another family, who in turn would share a goat and perpetuate the gift, making this an ever-expanding gift. Goats can produce around three quarts of high-nutritional milk a day, and produce 1-3 kids per year, making them a valuable part of food security.
- Enabled 220 students at the only public secondary school in Pestel to have free filtered drinking water. This is such a valuable yet simple aid to education. The filters allow students to drink water during the day, when previously they had to either buy water, which most couldn't do, or go thirsty.
- Gave books to 32 7th graders in Pestel public school who previously had no books to use in class!
- Helped 15 elderly people with a small monthly assistance stipend of just over $20 USD.
- Provided a small stipend for 5 KPA community-development leaders, and traveling and education expenses for 42 KPA delegates who oversee the needs of people in dozens of towns.
