1080x1080.png)
Haiti Christian Development Fund
bringing good news to the poor through relocation, reconciliation and redistribution
February 2022 Newsletter The year 2022 is a new year that brings with it new opportunities for a better future. We are certain that great challenges await us, but we are even more certain that our optimism, resilience, and enthusiasm will enable us to see things differently and work harder to complete our projects. The previous years have been difficult for the entire world. For the past ten years the Haitian community have not been spared. It has been hit by a slew of natural disasters, including several earthquakes, cholera outbreaks, hurricanes, kidnapping and murder cases, and the covid-19 pandemic, which has upended the natural order. The political crisis and insecurity have had disastrous consequences, paralyzing the socioeconomic activities of certain towns throughout the country. Despite this, the HCDF initiatives and projects allow us to hope for better living conditions in the Fond des Blancs community and to provide solutions to current and future needs. Thanks to your unconditional collaboration, HCDF is able to successfully continue many community development projects, including the construction of new classrooms and a dormitory to house our teachers. The development of old buildings and playgrounds. Modernizing agriculture, that infuses the community with fresh crops for consumption and sale. The continual improvement of the quality of education for our children by adopting modern educational standards.
EDUCATION
The HCDF has always placed a significant emphasis on education. Our mission is to break the cycle of poverty and eliminate all inequalities and social barriers by providing quality education and more inclusive opportunities to children regardless of ethnic origin or social class. P4H Global provided excellent training to our teachers, our various satellites schools, and schools throughout the regions over the summer, and as a result of this training, our teachers have become more efficient and self-assured. This training enabled them to create new pedagogical and didactic methods that focus primarily on the learner. We have completed the construction of a large library and two new classrooms at the secondary school. We run reading programs to teach them the fundamental strategies for reading and summarizing a book. This is done to instill a love of reading in them as well as to help them gain a better understanding of the various types and genres of texts. At the primary school, an inter-school engineering competition was held. Throughout the year, various competitive activities are held on our campuses to help our students develop their skills and discover their talents. A writing competition is currently taking place at the secondary school. Scholarships, certificates, and gifts are awarded to the winners, as is customary. “How can family education, in conjunction with school education, contribute to human development?" is this year's topic. Due to the current political crises and scarcity of fuel, students and parents are frequently forced to walk for several hours, sometimes in the rain and mud, to accompany their children to school. We are extremely proud of them, which gives us great hope that we will be able to solve their problems. This shows their attachment to and belonging to our schools, as well as their sense of responsibility to their children. Students have been forced to travel to Port-au-Prince, Les Cayes, or Miragoane after completing their classical or secondary education for many years. Political unrest, numerous reported kidnapping cases, and the recent earthquake in Haiti's southern peninsula are all causing concern among students and parents. As a result of these factors, many of our former students and others have dropped out of college and have been forced to return to their hometowns, with no hope of returning and continuing their studies. This disastrous and elusive situation emphasizes the critical importance of considering the establishment of a university in Fond-des-Blancs to avoid the danger that gnaws at our people's future. Meetings are being held with several school principals and notables/community leaders to investigate the viability of this much-anticipated project with a start for September 2022. The ADF (Association for the Development of Fond-des-Blancs) recently conducted a survey in Fond-des-Blancs schools, which was conducted in November 2021. The outcomes demonstrated and expressed students' and teachers' desire to see this dream come true. They also expressed vocational schools that offered courses in plumbing, masonry, electricity, computing, tiling, culinary arts, crafts, and other fields as a huge interest. The start of this university and trade school will be a significant step forward in the development of the area as well as the strengthening of the educational system.
JUBILEE FARM
Hurricanes and tropical storms have long been a threat to agriculture. Natural disasters such as floods and droughts have worsened as a result of environmental degradation. An agricultural drainage plan has been implemented to alleviate major constraints associated with the presence of temporary excess winter water or when it rains heavily in the cultivated plots to address some of these issues. Because of these factors, as well as a lack of necessary tools and training, local landowners were unable to fully utilize their plots of land. They now benefit from many socioeconomic benefits as a result of the farm, allowing them to develop their plots of land and meet their needs and beyond, quadrupling their rate of production. We can now confirm that the transition from traditional subsistence agriculture to mechanized agriculture has completely revolutionized production methods and techniques, thereby strengthening the economic and financial capacities of the inhabitants, who are the primary beneficiaries. This year, we're growing black beans and corn. We anticipate harvesting 6.4 tons of corn and 75.6 tons of beans. Nutrition influences children's learning, physical, and mental development. As a result, a portion of the harvest is donated to schools, ensuring that students have a hot meal every day. Jubilee Farm has a farm education program in which several students have participated and worked. It welcomes agronomic sciences students this year. It offers postgraduate support to students through the use of cutting-edge technology. It serves as a laboratory for experimentation and internships, as well as a learning center for students to learn how to operate agricultural equipment and improve their academic skills. Students in their final year who want to be agronomists or agricultural technicians come to familiarize themselves with the farm's various activities during certain visits. On the Jubilee Farm, there is a nursery where you can find a variety of plant species. These will help with the regeneration and reproduction of certain endangered species, as well as the preservation of a suitable, healthy, and pleasant environment. In addition, the nursery grows and prepares its own seeds. We used to have to get our supplies from other seed storage facilities. On a small scale, we are processing and packaging some of our products for sale in the local market. We are striving to become a production and processing center that adheres to high standards and operates in a healthy, sanitary environment. A larger, more efficient transformation workshop will be operational very soon.
THANK YOU
Our work would be impossible with out everyone's support. Thank you for supporting us and believing in our mission. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please contact us. We would love to talk to you.
Wilner Bernadel
Communication Director
619-395-4982