Yesterday I figured I was expected to share my thoughts about January 12th, 2010 and what we went through that day. I struggled with it all day and into the night, right up until I went to bed. And then I went to bed and said goodnight to the Anniversary without having shared anything about it.

No, I choose not to dwell on the horrors of that day. We’ve all seen our fill of video footage and still shots from the earthquake in Haiti. I’ve cried enough tears and felt enough heartache to last for years to come. There was so much damage done to this country that I can’t imagine it being cleaned up and repaired any time soon. I will, instead, share a little about where we went from there.

I know there is still so much work to be done, but I can testify to the fact that there HAS been work going on here in Grand-Goâve. Besides the “regular” work that we do here at Mission of Hope (educating about 900 students, feeding them, caring for 31 orphans, farming projects, mobile medical clinics, church services, training and outreaches…) we have participated in the following relief activities:
Distribution of 500 metric tons of rice, beans and oil. Every family in the city of Grand-Goâve received food from these distributions.
Distribution of a shipping container of Kids Against Hunger food.
Distribution of 2 ½ shipping containers of clothing and household items.
Distribution of 2000 tarps
Distribution of 300 tents
Distribution of 500 sanitation kits
Distribution of 600 kitchen kits
Demolition of 10 rooms at the school/orphanage
Demolition of wall at school/orphanage
Demolition of 2 visitor’s buildings, all walls and pavilion at missionary compound
Reconstruction of 3 rooms at the school
Walls reconstructed at school/orphanage
3 large room wooden transitional structure built for orphans
Walls reconstructed at the missionary compound
Bath house constructed at missionary compound
Visitor housing constructed at missionary compound
Pavilion constructed at missionary compound
Storage building constructed at the school in St. Etienne
Church attendance has increased by 300% in the past year at Mission of Hope. We have also provided jobs to hundreds of individuals. We have just started a road project that will provide jobs (money and food) to over 900 people. The Hands and Feet Project has started building the orphanage that will house the 31 children in our care. Besides taking care of the needs of these children, this has already provided close to 100 people with employment and will provide much more before the building is done. The Be Like Brit organization has started another orphanage which is also providing hundreds of people with jobs during construction, and a good number of permanent positions in the long term.

You may already realize this, but most of the problems in Haiti would be eliminated, or at least curbed, if there were not an unemployment rate of over 70%. Imagine the economic impact of an additional 50% employment…

Think about Jean, as an example. He is married with 5 children, ages 2 months – 10 years. He has a small plot of land that he farms. His wife, Lili, helps in the garden and takes care of the children. When he was courting Lili he promised her the moon and the stars. Now, he avoids her altogether, because all she seems to do is complain that she needs money.

The kids run around naked and always seem to be screaming and crying. Jean knows they get sick a lot because they are so malnourished, but he doesn’t bring in enough money to feed them well enough to be healthy. Lili wants the kids to go to school, but he doesn’t have money to buy notebooks, pencils, sneakers, uniforms and everything else required to go to school…never mind the money the school charges itself. He realizes that he can’t do this for even one of his kids. How will he ever send 5 kids to school? It’s hopeless.

Jean prefers to hang out with the guys down at the corner of their street. It keeps him from having to face the pain of his loved ones all the time. Besides, he enjoys playing dominos with Jojo, Jacques and Louis. None of them have anything better to do, because none of them have jobs. While they play dominoes they talk. There are only two things they ever talk about beyond the local gossip, politics and soccer.

These days the political discussion revolves around the earthquake and wondering where the president was after it happened. They hear about all this money being sent to help them, but they don’t see it. It’s just not right. Where’s it all going? Why isn’t the president doing something about this. After a while, they leave the dominoes to talk with the other men in the area about what they should do. Certainly there has to be justice and since they aren’t accustomed to finding justice in a court of law, they decide it’s up to them to provide it. They are, after all, still men. It’s up to them to do something to change the system. Right?

We wake up to hear the news that Haiti is rioting again. We wonder, “Why can’t they do the things the way WE do??? WE don’t have rioting all the time!”

In the meantime, Lili is terrified. She doesn’t know where her husband is. She may be mad at him for not taking good care of her and the children, but at least he comes home at night..

Using some common sense and considering this brief glimpse into Jean’s life, I could say that providing jobs has the potential to positively affect virtually every aspect of the average Haitian’s life…political stability, health and relationships of family units, and a tax system could be implemented so that the government could build an infrastructure for the country (clean water, waste management, roads, electricity…)

This was a very long way of saying… At Mission of Hope, we are working to promote our communities in order to bring jobs to those who can work. We have about 900 children and youth in our schools right now. What will they do with the education they are receiving? Will they sit home, refusing to work in the garden or sell wares because it’s below their education level? Or will they find that Grand-Goâve and Leogane are areas with many opportunities to work in companies and organizations that are helping to make a new Haiti?

Yes, I choose to see HOPE for a bright future for the kids growing up at Mission of Hope!