Second Quarter 2020 Newsletter
Hello to everyone in the Schools for Haiti family. We hope you and all of your family members are safe and healthy. We would like to take a few minutes and give you an update on the work our team has done in Haiti the last three months.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, food scarcity has become a major challenge in our Haitian communities and in the lives of our students. Food and gas prices continue to rise significantly as local farmers can not keep up with demand and ports of entry remain closed. Haiti currently has 6,371 documented COVID-19 cases, another 13,659 pending cases and 113 recorded deaths.
Your generosity has gone such a long way in this difficult time. Your faithful giving has allowed us to provide over 11,000 care packages of food and soap to our students and their families. Each care package is loaded with a two-week food supply for a family of six. In total, we have been able to provide over 960,000 meals since April 2020. As this work continues to carry on into July, we will serve over 1.2 million meals in 4 months. To put that into perspective, we normally serve around 440,000 meals in an entire school year. Thank you for partnering with us to complete this monumental accomplishment. But we are not done yet. We need your help to keep this going. Please watch this short video to see for yourself what your giving has accomplished.
Update from Managing Director, Milca Pierre
July 1st marks one year and one month since starting with Schools for Haiti as the Managing Director in Haiti. It’s amazing how time flies! I remember when I first got word of the offer from Pastor Matt. I was so elated that I quickly started conducting research on managing school systems and producing a 30-60-90 plan for the transition. And then, I got to Haiti. I didn’t scrap the plan but let’s just say that I rarely visited it once I got into the thick of things. It’s one thing to grow up hearing about the birthplace of your parents and a completely different thing to make that place your home. On top of having to learn people and systems, I experienced a political crisis that shut down the country for 3 months and a global pandemic that shut down our schools for 3 months and counting.
Just last week, while I was cleaning up my computer, I found the plan that I originally wrote when I was offered the position as Managing Director. I am proud to say that in this past year I’ve been able to establish relationships with our staff members and principals, coach SFH principals on a number of subjects, walk through school communities and meet with parents and maintain a regular meeting schedule with our principals and office staff. Perhaps more importantly, I’ve accomplished so much more than what I wrote in that document one year ago. I am thankful that God has given SFH such a faithful family of supporters to help us accomplish the plans he places in our hearts. God continues to make a way for His gospel message to reach the hearts of our students and for their basic needs to be met. He uses each and every one of you as a vessel for His work to go forward in Haiti.
Proverbs 19:21 (NIV) states that “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails”. I know we can do great things when we dream big and let God lead the way. God will do immeasurably more than you can ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within you (Ephesians 3.20)!
Thank you for your helping us make a difference in Haiti.
God bless you and stay safe!
Milca Pierre
Please help us to continue feeding our students and their families. You’ve answered the call in the darkest of times and our students need your help now more than ever.
Please click the ‘Give Now’ button which will take you to our giving page. If you prefer to give by check you can mail in your donation to:
Schools for Haiti
C/O Gil Bailie
PO Box 273848
Tampa, FL 33688
Please know that you are all in our prayers. We pray that you will continue to see God at work in a mighty way during this time. God bless you and your families. Stay safe.
Blessings to all,
Schools for Haiti Team
