The People of Bondeau, Haiti Receive Much Needed Assistance
Haiti is a country with limited resources and is susceptible to many natural disasters. According to The World Bank, it is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Enduring natural disasters doesn’t make life any easier for the people there.
The South Florida Haiti Project is a philanthropic group that strives to uplift the people of Haiti. It is a nonprofit organization of St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Boca Raton, FL. Their mission is to help better the lives of the people of Bondeau, Haiti by providing resources and support that would not be available to them otherwise.
It started in 2003 when the St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church launched its outreach program for Bondeau, Haiti. They focus on the city of Bondeau because of the partnership formed between them 16 years ago.
With the help of donors and other Episcopal Churches in South Florida the charitable group has been able to further advance their work. They provide resources such as clean water, food, education, and healthcare.
In 2015, they finished the construction of the Bon Samaritan Episcopal Church in Bondeau. People attend this church to gain emotional and spiritual support. It is a place where they can go to help restore and grow their faith.
In addition, there is a Bon Samaritan Episcopal School in the area. The organization works with their partners to sponsor teacher salaries, teacher training and other expenses regarding the school.
Treasurer of the organization David Gury said that the majority of funds raised by the organization has gone towards improving the school in Bondeau. This has helped enhance education and increase classroom sizes to accommodate more students.
The school also has a lunch program that supplies children with nutritious meals every day. Food packing events are held in South Florida. This food is then shipped to Haiti for the school children to eat.
There is a literacy program for adults who never learned how to read and write. Now over 30 adults in the program are learning these skills. In Haiti almost half the people age 15 or older don’t possess these necessary skills.
Reverend Andrew Sherman is the president of the South Florida Haiti Project. Sherman visits Bondeau, Haiti annually along with other members of the association’s board. Throughout these visits they meet with the head priest John Phanord along with leaders of the school and church.
President Sherman said, it’s an opportunity to assess how they’re doing in supporting the people in terms of economic development and health. He also said that it allows them to strengthen their relationship and partnership with the citizens of Haiti.
Many Haitians die because their country lacks the healthcare needed to elevate their well-being.
The South Florida Haiti Project provides healthcare through medical missions. During these medical missions the school is closed and used as a health clinic. People meet with nurses, doctors, and dentists inside the classrooms, where they are treated.
A group of doctors and nurses travel from South Florida to Haiti. When they arrive, they work together with doctors from Haiti to treat those who need medical attention.
Before St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church paired up with Bondeau, Haiti there were no wells for water. Since then the organization has raised enough money to dig four wells there.
The water from these wells can only be used for sanitation such as bathing and washing clothes. To obtain drinking water people must walk to the springs in the mountains which is about two miles away. The organization now hopes to raise funds for a project that would change that.
They are working to create a pipe from the springs in the mountains. This would allow them to bring drinking water into the community. Drinking water would then be more easily accessible to the people.
Treasurer Gury explained that creating this pipeline will be a challenge because they will need permission from property owners to do so. “It will cost almost $60,000 to get it done,” said Gury.
Haiti endured its most devastating earthquake in January of 2010. According to World Vision, about 1.5 million people lost their homes and 250,000 people died as a result.
The earthquake was slightly felt in Bondeau, but the damage was minimal. It had its biggest impact in Haiti’s capital Port Au Prince.
Vice President of the association Kathleen Gannon said that Bondeau was used as a place of refuge for people coming out of Port Au Prince.
Gannon also said that they were able to raise a lot of money in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. President Sherman attributed this to people being motivated to aid the people of Haiti especially given the circumstances at the time.
TPS (Temporary Protected Status) allows Haitian citizens to live and work in the US. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California prohibited the Department of Homeland Security from ending TPS for Haiti and other countries in October of 2018.
If TPS were to end, people who have traveled from Haiti to the US to make a better life would have to go back. “To send people back would be cruel and unusual,” said Gannon.
She explained that Haiti is still so devastated that sending people back after they have become productive citizens in the US is not right.
The South Florida Haiti Project continues their mission to improve the quality of living for the people of Bondeau, Haiti. Their work has already had a major impact on the development of the community. Resources that were lacking have now been added as a result of their efforts. There is now access to water wells, more food, better education and healthcare. “We’re very proud of the overall growth of the community,” said Sherman.
