One of the things I learned when I went to Cambodia back in 2011 is sometimes it is best to go into a new country or place with little to no expectations of what it will be like. I can’t say that I was totally successful about going into Haiti with this mindset but I’d like to think I was pretty close. I honestly had no clue what month two was going to look like and boy, was I pleasantly surprised.
Let me take a couple minutes to brag about Mission of Hope. Mission of Hope was our host for the month and I would like to say that they are one of the most well run organizations I have ever been a part of. A majority of their focus as an organization is sustainability for the people of Haiti. Over the past year or so, I have realized that I have a passion for sustainability when it comes to someone or an organization coming in to help people who are impoverished or broken. Mission of Hope does this very well. They have seen the need for jobs and education for Haitians and they have decided to do something about it. One of the ways that they have put sustainability into action is by employing over 400 Haitians and around 16 North Americans to work on their Haitian campus. They have created a place that cultivates sustainability.
Another way they try and create sustainability is through what they call “village champions.” Village champions are basically the middle men/women between mission of hope and the people in the surrounding villages. These men and women can be pastors, local leaders or “men of peace” (essentially someone who knows the village and the villagers look up to this person). These men/women are the ones who will be in the villages after the North Americans leave. They are the ones cultivating relationships with the people and ultimately bringing them to know Jesus and his love. If anything is to be given out (i.e. Water purification tablets or clothes or shoes) they are passed through the hands of a village champion, not through a North American. Mission of Hope also creates sustainability through their sponsorship program. MOH has 4 schools and there are 13 other schools that use its curriculum. This curriculum provides biblically based teachings and is preparing Haitian students to be ready for government exams and be ready for life after they graduate. Another great thing about this curriculum is that it comes with a meal each day. MOH is currently feeding over 91,000 children a day through their program. So sponsorships, many of the children that are in the MOH schools are able to go to school and be fed because of their sponsorships. If you want to find out more about their sponsorship, you can do so on their website (http://www.mohhaiti.org).
There are so many other things that I could say about Mission of Hope but then I would just have to start copying and pasting from their website. They are such an amazing organization and, in my opinion, what they are doing for Haiti is unparalleled. So how can you help? There are so many ways that a person can take action, whether that is from your home or taking a trip to Haiti to work in country. The best place to find out more information is on their ‘Take Action’ page on their website (http://www.mohhaiti.org/take-action).
If you want to know more about the work Mission of Hope is doing or more about what my squad did there this month, feel free to email ([email protected]) or Facebook me and we can talk more about it!
