Or should I say...let's get this hoe hoeing?
Either way...lets start with some introductions!
I'm Jen and over this past year, I have really been called to the country of Haiti; to learn, to serve; and to grow. My first trip was June of 2008 for two weeks on a medical mission team with
Randolph World Ministries, Inc (RWM). I came home and immediately knew I needed to go back, that I wanted to stay connected, that I wanted to do more. I went on my second trip for 3 weeks during my Christmas break this past December/January. I have never been anywhere that has
inspired and
moved me more. I encountered people with such intense faith; a faith so genuine and so unlike anything I had ever experienced. And out of suffering, despair, and neglect, these were people filled with hope. Hope for future generations, for their family, for their country. My time in Haiti has really redefined so many aspects of my own life.
On both trips, I was serving as a part of a medical mission team that services the laboratory aspect of clinics throughout Haiti. I traveled through RWM (as said above), which is lead and founded by Tim Randolph. Tim has been an inspiration and a great teacher on my journey. He has shown me this amazing philosophy on helping the people of Haiti; we can bring supplies and immediate aide but that may only temporarily solve problems. If we can teach them, we can help them improve forever. This can apply to so many aspects of their culture and is the drive behind this project. I knew I needed to start small and within an individual community. Rome wasn't built in a day, right?
The idea for this project,
Reinvest, Regrow, Rebuild (R3), is just that. We want to reinvest in the community, providing funding for an agreed upon budget to get local farmers back into business. This will allow them to “re-grow” native crops and sell their food at the community market. With this accomplished, we hope to rebuild local economy and establish community structure that has been damaged.
During my trip in January, I truly feel I found the ideal initial farmer for this project...conveniently located within the ideal community. This community was Eben-Ezer of Gonaives, a Christian community that is a balanced community of give and take, provide and provide for, that has offered such strength and motivation for the people that live there. Gonaives, the center of the country, was formerly the desert of Haiti. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, the four concurrent Hurricanes of 2008 put a large majority of this area underwater and created what I would call "Lake Gonaives". Understandably, this devastated a large portion of the Eben-Ezer community. And specifically, the majority of the community's farmers lost their land and were forced to move to find some sort of work. During my trip in January, I met the Milfort family. Dumond and his wife both have degrees in agriculture and have been working on various farms post-graduation for ten years; most recently they were a part of the farming community in Eben-Ezer. The natural disasters caused this family, with three young children, to be split up and looking for work. Their knowledge, understanding (despite a language barrier!), and input was what really clued me in to their potential for success in the future (with our help.)
Our next task was to establish a budget, which was created by Dumond and a community leader. The budget was a detailed breakdown of the needs of the farm (I will post that soon!). It included the rent price for farmland, costs to buy equipment, seeding, insecticides, fertilizers, and the wages for other farmers who will be employed. The projected budget goes out two years. We agreed to fully pay the budget from two years. Each year we would evaluate progress, assess success of the initiative, evaluate any weaknesses, and prepare them to function on their own. After two years, we would still assist in whatever way needed with the hopes of slowly backing out financially. Regardless of financial involvement, we would remain lifelong partners with the Milfort family farm as a part of the Eben-Ezer community, a location of one of our RWM partnering clinics.
Phew! Deep breathe. Pause. Reflect. Okay...
Now, this is where I need you! Yes, YOU! :)
The projected budget for 2 years is $42,000 and would pay for all the needs briefly mentioned above. My goal, as director of this project, is to raise $20,000 within this year to get them working in 2010. Keep in mind, we are putting 9 farmers other than Dumond into business. That means, we are not only employing 10 people, we are feeding 10 families, and rebuilding this amazing community. (The header above is where the community is currently located...living in tents after the hurricanes put their houses under water).
All donations made will be
TAX DEDUCTIBLE since I am a branch of RWM, a 501C(3) tax-exempt ministry.
I am going to continue to post more pictures, stories, and updates as the project continues.
The project was just awarded a $1,500 from St. Louis University's 'Bright Ideas Grant' and continues to bring in interest!
So please, if you are interested, if you KNOW someone who would be interested...please EMAIL me at
R3forHaiti@gmail.com and I can talk your ear off! (Kidding...kind of...)
Have an amazing day!!!
