Ready for the breakdown? Let's do the number crunching.

DuMond and community leaders set a budget for the NEEDS of the project...look at the individual break down and where YOUR donation can go to work!

For example...
$50 will buy the 7 rakes needed for equipment!
$100 (well, $90*) pays the wage of one farmer for one month (yes, that is 1 month salary!) 

$150 will be the 6 watering cans -OR- all of the necessary insecticides (that's for 2 years!)
$300 would be the 45 "pots full" (measurement technique in Haiti) of bean seeds
$500 would buy 2 years worth of fertilizers, or 1 year of fertilizer, 7 rakes, and 2.5 months of farmer salary! 
$1,000 would buy (about) ALL the equipment necessary for getting the farm started -OR- all of the money to buy 1 years worth of seeds!

Check it out for yourself! 

EBEN-EZER AGRICULTURAL PROJECT
BUDGET FOR 2 YEARS
I. EXPENSES FOR 2 YEARS
Land Rental		# Hec- tares	Unit price	Total Price US $
Land Rental for 2 hectare for 2 years (1 hectare = 3 acres) (2 years		2	1700	3,400
Agricultural Tools		Number	Unit Price US$	Total Price US$
Machetes		12	4	48
String Rolls		3	4	12
Tape Measure		5	6	30
Hoes		9	8	72
Rakes		7	8	56
Shovels		9	9	81
Spades		5	10	50
Forks		3	13	39
Pickaxes		6	16.5	99
Axes		2	19	38
Sledgehammers		1	19	19
Watering Cans		6	25	150
Wheelbarrows		4	44	176
Sprinkling Pump		3	80	240
Total Tools				$1,110
Seeds	Unit	Quan- tity	Unit Price	Total Price($)
Eggplant	Lbs	6	3	18
Red beans	Lbs	12	4	48
Jatropha	Potful	15	4.5	35
Sweet Peppers	Lbs	12	6	72
Beans	Potful	45	6	270
Cabbages	Lbs	6	6	36
Carrots	Lbs	12	8	96
Tomatoes	Lbs	6	8	48
Watermelons	Lbs	12	10	120
Papayas	Lbs	12	13	156
Shallots	Lbs	8	29	232
Onions	Lbs	12	29	348
Hot Peppers	Lbs	8	68	544
Total Seeds				$2,023
Insecticides
Actelic	Lbs	8	5	40
Malathion	Lbs	25	2.5	63
Diazinon	Lbs	20	2.5	50
Total Insecticides				$153
Fungicides
Ridomyl 5G	Lbs	6	2	12
Dithane M45	Lbs	6	2.5	15
Total Fungicides				$27
Fertilizers
Urea	bags	20	12.5	250
Complete	bags	20	12.5	250
Total Fertilizers				$500
Human Resources
Agricultural Technician	1 person/month	24	380	9,120
Workers	8 persons/month	24	90	2,160
Watering for 2 hectares (4 waterings per crop)	US $3.80 for 5 "steps" or 1/516th hectare	2355	8	18,840
Total Human Resources				$30,120
GENERAL TOTAL				$37,333
Administrative Fees 15%				5,600
GRAND TOTAL				$42,932
N.B. : Administrative fees may include transportation fees, occasional food for the workers, etc. *Now, here is another impressive part to this created budget. This is a RESERVED estimate of expected income for the farm. Remember, EVERYTHING they grow will generate straight profit for the farm. They estimated about 10% of growth will go to feeding the immediate families of the farmers and the rest would be sold at the community market (a job that many of the wives take control of). This is based on the local prices in the community, the demand for each of the crops (4 hurricanes set back a lot of their supply), and potential competition. The Milfort's hope for a return greater than these numbers but if a minimum (or even half!) of this revenue were generated, the farm would have a 152% return! (We will be asking for 0% of revenue generated; our request is that it stay within the community and go towards future goals of the farm) Their hopes for the revenue are... 1) Obtain more land for farming 2) Eventually raise livestock (cattle, chickens, goats, etc) 3) Hire more farmers  Here are their estimates...
II. REVENUES FOR 2 YEARS
Crops	Yearly yield for 1 Hectare	Unit	Unit Price US$	Estimated Yearly Yield
Carrots	25	bags	31.00	775
Eggplant	40	bags	25.00	1,000
Hot Peppers	10,000	feet	2.00	20,000
Watermelons	40	dozen	19.00	760
Sweet Peppers	10,000	feet	1.50	15,000
Tomatoes	10,000	feet	1.00	10,000
Shallots	35	bags	150.00	5,250
Beans	500	potful	6.00	3,000
Papayas	15	bags	25.00	375
Onions	30	bags	126.00	3,780
Cabbages	12,000	heads	0.253	3,036
Red beans	35	bags	31.00	1,085
Jatropha	200	potful	-	internal
Total Expected Revenue				$64,061
Expected benefit over 2 years				$21,129
N.B. 1. The expected yearly yield is not to be multiplied by 2 for the 2 years since the crops will rotate and the whole land will not be available for all crops for 2 years. 2. The fruits of Jatropha will be used internally and will not be sold as such.

I hope this paints a better picture of the needs of this project and gives YOU a better idea of where you can help. When this was simply an idea, it was hard to imagine all that goes in to restarting a business, an agricultural business at that (*My major is nursing; so I am not claiming any expertise in farming--not that a great deal of research hasn't gone into this venture...). I know that I have a future in health care, but giving care goes beyond individuals and hospitals. Health care professionals have an obligation to community, family, and the individual. This project looks to enhance welfare, security, and promotes community strength and well-being. From that, a healthy community PROMOTES a healthy individual, right?  So, I do think that the goals of this project fit within the scope of my future profession if you look at it from my angle... not everything needs to fit neatly between our defined lines. :)

A friend (and Haiti teammate and HUGE support in moving this project foward), Beth, sent me the Gospel reading from mass this morning... I think it speaks to this community, Eben-Ezer, and to all the people who have already and will continue to get involved...

Jesus said to his disciples:
"You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father."

Mt 5; 13-16