March Email Update

Great things are happening at our sister church and surrounding communities amidst the difficult problems Haiti is facing nationally. Haiti Ap Grandi serves our brothers and sisters in southwestern Haiti through our many partners there: Etienne Francois and his team at Passion for Haiti, Reciprocal Ministries International, and the Les Anglais sister church and school. Here are some projects recently completed and others currently underway.Disaster Recovery ActivitiesThe Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Foundation provided $2275 to purchase roof tins (corrugated metal roofing) through RMI to weatherproof damaged houses. $65 buys six 3×6’ tins, meaning 35 homes were re-roofed with these funds.

Disaster Recovery Activities

The Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Foundation provided $2275 to purchase roof tins (corrugated metal roofing) through RMI to weatherproof damaged houses. $65 buys six 3×6’ tins, meaning 35 homes were re-roofed with these funds.

$4000 in additional funding from the OSLC Foundation was allocated to the Retreat Center Rebuild Fund for repairs and rebuilding of the beautiful retreat center in Zanglais that feeds and houses our team members during part of their time in Haiti. The OSLC congregation also provided roof tins for 38 additional family homes ($2520) from their Haiti Mission General Fund, thanks to donations from congregation members and from people who read about our recovery efforts in the Lake Oswego Review. Critical agronomy projects being conducted by Etienne Francois and his Passion for Haiti organization received $4000 from OSLC to help restore crop and livestock productivity.

Agronomy Programs

Community of Faith, as part of their Benevolence program, provided $6000 for first-quarter support of the agronomy agents working with Etienne. These young people plant, grow, transport, and transplant thousands of coffee, cacao, and shade trees (for reforestation and to protect the cacao plants) each year, educate farmers, provide veterinary care for the Kids for Kidz goats, haul supplies to distant villages, and serve in many other ways. In addition to funding important work, paychecks for the agents support their extended families and flow into the local economy.

Sister Church Repair

Our sister church in Les Anglais was spared from structural damage during the August earthquake but it’s interior sanctuary walls needed some repair. A donation by Sally and Loren Lundberg covered the complete plastering of the walls and all is finished as you can see in the photo below. Click here or on the photo below to open your browser and watch one of the deacons, fondly called “Maestro”, express the congregation’s thanks for these gifts.