Hope in Uncertainty

Today marks 13 years since the devastating earthquake in Port-au-Prince that claimed the life of an estimated 100,000-300,000 people. When we look at Haiti and where it has come since then, it’s hard to know what to think or feel. I wish I could say the country united in its hardship, rebuilt the city, and is a stronger nation today, but that is not the case. After the earthquake, NGOs, foreign aid, and the UN took a large role in providing services and keeping peace. Since then, most of these have left. This has left a void that has unfortunately allowed gangs to rise to power, corrupt leaders to misuse funds and opportunities, and violence and unrest to haunt the nation. Slowly, each aspect of governance has diminished. This week, the terms of the last 10 sitting senators expired. Today, the country is void of legitimate leadership. “There is not a single elected official in the entire country of nearly 12 million people — not a council member, not a mayor and certainly not a president.” (Read more) Gangs control an estimated two thirds of the capital as well as key areas outside the capital. Three of the four highways out of the city are completely impassible if you value your life. Extreme hunger is widespread. Prices continue to rise as the gourde (Haitian currency) continues to fall.

At this point, Haiti is a failed state. Thankfully, we don’t place our hope or identity in politics or worldly leaders. We know God is on His throne. There is a war happening in Haiti - not just the war between the gangs or the daily battle to survive - but a spiritual war. If Haiti is going to emerge from this situation, it’s going to take a generation that works together and works for the betterment of their communities and country. Corruption, greed, and a thirst for power must be stamped out. Leaders must rise up. Evil must be called out. New strategies must be implemented. Advances in technology must be utilized. Things on the national level remain complicated and the issues are multifaceted. So how does PLH fit in? 

PLH holds firm to its mission to empower Haitians to build a stronger Haiti. We believe we can influence change by investing in the community of Camp Marie and the surrounding area. These investments include providing training, creating opportunities, building sustainability, mentoring youth, and partnering with local leaders to create a unified effort. 

PLH has seen growth in our staff, in our coaches, in our players, and in our partnerships with the community, and we have set goals to encourage more growth in 2023. As we have shared, our Haitian staff ran the day-to-day operations of the organization while I was in Oregon for 3 months during the summer of 2022. The staff organized and carried out 8 weeks of new programming for kids from the community, they managed projects on the campus, and they were responsible for tracking all financial activities. This year, we will continue to provide training for the staff and entrust them with more responsibility. 

We have trimmed our number of soccer coaches from nine to six and we see in these six a commitment to PLH, to the players, and to the program. We plan to provide additional training and mentoring to the coaches this year to help them continue to grow in their coaching methods, in their walk with Christ, and in their mentoring of the players. The players in the soccer academy made good progress this past year in their technical ability. This year, we hope to be able to provide them with more tournaments and competitive opportunities to challenge them. We also plan to provide more training in other aspects of their lives as PLH seeks to train our players holistically in their faith, sport and future. 

In January of 2022, PLH, through the generous support of Lenexa Baptist Church, partnered with the 14 churches in the Camp Marie area to provide food relief to members of the community. This year, we are preparing to do the same, but in an even more impactful way. Rather than coming together for a single initiative, PLH is fostering relationships with and among the leaders of these churches. This year, in addition to providing immediate food relief, the funds will be used to invest in farmers within the churches’ congregations so that they can plant gardens to build sustainability within the community and give back from their harvest. We are excited to see the unity developing among the pastors and church leaders and we are eager to see where this initiative leads. PLH has many plans and goals for creating small businesses and offering job skills training and job opportunities, and we would love to see the churches and community join us in these ventures. 

While the national situation in Haiti is bleak, the vision that PLH has and the hope we have for the future is great. We put our trust in God and look to Him as our guiding light. Thank you for walking beside us and partnering with us on this journey. To God be the glory as we work together to empower Haitians to build a stronger Haiti. 

Blessings, 

Laura Polynice
Administrative Assistant and Haiti Liaison

What’s going on in Haiti? Part 1: The History

By Laura Polynice (Nott)

Haiti fades in and out of the US news and media. We hear reports of earthquakes, hurricanes, protests, unrest, and kidnappings. Then the story gets old, and news outlets move on. Sadly, the people of Haiti don’t have that option.  

Haiti won its independence from France in 1804 after slaves revolted against their masters and took their freedom by force through a 13-year revolution.Haiti became the first black nation and the only nation to be founded by former slaves. The world at that time, however, wasn’t ready for a nation of former slaves, and France returned in 1825 with war ships and forced Haiti to agree to buy the freedom that they had already earned with their blood. The world allowed this to happen. 

The payments on this Independence Debt were far greater than Haiti could afford, and so the nation was forced to take out loans from French banks creating what is sometimes referred to as the Double Debt. Estimates say that Haiti, over the years, paid France more than $21 billion in today’s dollar. This meant that all of those funds were not being poured into building and developing their country. Economists have estimated that if this money had been invested into the country and Haiti’s economy had developed at the same rate as other nations in the area, this amount would have equaled $115 billion today. How was a state founded by slaves meant to progress into the next era when they were paying back debiliating debts? 

The young nation founded by slaves brought from various parts of Africa also soon fell into civil war as various leaders vied for power. More than two centuries after winning its independence, the effects of debt and disunion are still hugely evident. The infrastructure and education system were never developed and are still major hurdles for the nation as a whole and for each citizen.  

There is no telling what Haiti would look like today if it hadn’t been saddled with the Independence Debt and Double Debt and if, instead, the leaders had invested in the development of the country. If you look at Haiti’s neighbor, the Dominican Republic, however, you will see a country with modern healthcare, schools, and education; with access to power and clean water; and with roads and infrastructure throughout the country. Today, most Haitians do not have access to power, running water, or even clean drinking water in their area. Hospitals struggle to provide quality care as they face power outages and lack of medication and resources. The majority of school classrooms are children crammed on wooden benches in a stuffy, window-lit room with a chalkboard and a teacher with limited training and few resources or materials beyond the students’ workbooks. 

It’s true that Haiti has had a long history with corruption, mismanagement of resources, and disunion, but we cannot ignore the huge impact that the Independence Debt has had on the nation. 

While we can recognize the past and acknowledge the fact that every nation abandoned the young nation of Haiti and allowed it to be abused, we cannot change the past. In the next part of this series, we will look at what is happening in Haiti today. 

What can you do today? 

• Consider how this history that we briefly touched on has affected the country of Haiti. Does hearing this history reshape the way you look at Haiti?

• Learn more: This short podcast by the New York Times gives more insight into the Independence Debt and some of the effects it has had on Haiti.

• Support organizations that are working to provide water, healthcare, education and other basic essentials to communities in Haiti. PLH works in some of these areas, but there are many organizations doing great work in these areas.

Responding to the Haiti Earthquake and Looking Forward at Disaster Preparedness

In the wake of the August 14th earthquake in Haiti, many people have asked how they can help. When considering how to help, it’s important to understand the bigger picture. This post looks at three stages of disaster response and gives some ways you can help with each stage. 

After a disaster, the immediate need is RELIEF, defined as “urgent and temporary provision of emergency aid to reduce immediate suffering.”  Relief may include emergency medical care, food and shelter for those displaced. In regards to the recent earthquake in Haiti, there are several organizations that are providing immediate relief. If you would like to give to this effort, here are a few to check out:

• HERO

• HaitiOne

• Haiti Air Ambulance

These organizations and others are currently providing medical care for those injured, advocacy and family support for those transferred to hospitals in Port-au-Prince, tarps, tents, food and supplies to those displaced, and trauma therapists for those suffering unbearable losses. Follow @HEROClientRescue to see what they have been doing. 

After a few weeks to a month, relief is no longer the appropriate response and the need becomes to REBUILD. When a disaster such as an earthquake or a hurricane hits, there are often thousands of people displaced. Rather than packs of rice and a tarp to sleep under, the needs become rebuilding homes and restoring social structures. Extollo International is a Christian organization that provides training in high-standard construction and is working to bring better building practices to the country.  In addition to buildings, social reconstruction is also needed. Local NGOs, churches and other social organizations are key to helping the communities rebuild, and rebuild stronger. 

Once a community has rebuilt, the need becomes DEVELOPMENT. This stage is focused on improving the “normal” and looks well into the future. Development may include job creation, economic development, and strengthening social systems. Also a part of development is PREPAREDNESS. This includes creating strategic plans for future disaster response and educating and equipping response teams. 

Project Living Hope has continued to emphasize DEVELOPMENT through our mission to Empower Haitians to Build a Stronger Haiti. PLH programs in athletics, job skills training, and community development all work towards this goal of development by working to create stronger communities, jobs, servant leaders, and a united effort. The fourth key area of PLH is disaster preparedness. This program has responded to urgent and widespread needs in our community through food assistance, job creation and partnerships with local churches. This program is ready to grow to provide disaster relief, rebuilding and development to help families and communities affected by natural and man-made disasters. The program will focus on community preparedness before disaster hits and partner with organizations already working in relief and rebuilding efforts.

PLH is starting to put together a small committee to head up the development of the PLH disaster preparedness program. This committee will help develop a formal written plan which will outline the process of training locals, stocking emergency supplies, carrying out disaster response plans, and using our campus and facilities to best support these efforts. If you have knowledge and experience in the area of disaster preparedness, we would love to speak with you about an opportunity to serve on the committee. Email us at info@plhope.org.

How you can pray: 

• Pray for the displaced. Thousands of people are still unable to return to their homes as aftershocks continue daily and engineers have not yet cleared buildings for reentry. 

• Pray for those who have lost loved ones. The earthquake occurred around 8:30am local time, so thankfully most people were up and out of their homes. Many people, however, had loved ones back at home or in other locations who were killed by collapsed structures. 

• Pray for the relief workers as they work long days and nights to provide care.

• Pray for the local organizations, churches, and communities in the affected areas that they can work together to bring fast and effective rebuilding and development. 

• Pray that in the wake of this tragedy, God can be seen at work and His love, grace and provision are felt by all.

Update: 2021 Haiti Earthquake and Tropical Storm Grace

Map Tracking Grace’s Path

Thank you for your prayers. While the south-western part of Haiti is still working on rescue and relief efforts from Saturday’s earthquake, tropical storm Grace approaches. The storm was expected to hit the northern coast; however, its path shifted south and it is now beginning to rain down on the southern coast and other parts of the country. Pray for shelter and protection for those displaced during this storm. Updates on the earthquake report 1,297 deaths and 5,700 injured. Please pray for the affected communities and families.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

While PLH is not near enough to the area to effectively assist in the rescue and relief efforts, there are many organizations that have been providing first response care and are organizing support for those injured and displaced, here are a few organizations that could use your financial support at this time: HERO Foundation, HaitiONE and Haitian Air Ambulance.

Thank you for your partnership and prayers. PLH will continue to provide you with updates as we can.

2021 Haiti Earthquake

Earlier this morning, a 7.2 earthquake hit the southern peninsula of Haiti and was felt throughout the country. Our community in Camp Marie felt a shake for about 30 seconds, but there was no damage in the area. The southern part of the country, around Jeremie and Aux Cayes, were hit the hardest, reporting a collapsed church building and university apartment as well as damage to other buildings and a major bridge. We do not yet know about fatalities or injuries. Reports say the hospital in Jeremie is crowded but that there is a well-organized effort there providing medical care. Organizations and communities in the area have sent out first responders and are beginning to arrange relief efforts. 

How can you help?

Pray. Please pray for the people affected. Pray for those responding that they may be able to rescue those trapped and provide service to those displaced or otherwise affected. Please pray for Haiti as a nation. The whole country was deeply affected by the 2010 earthquake, so each earthquake brings back a lot of memories and emotions for everyone here.

Thank you for your continued prayers, support, and partnership.