Is There Anything We CAN Do In Haiti That’s Really Going To Matter?

(Continuation from previous post)

D)  Is there anything we can do in Haiti that’s really going to matter?

Don’t get me wrong – whenever I hear news of some kind of political protests, or demonstrations, or other general chaos in Haiti I do the same thing that a lot of you probably do – I roll my eyes, shake my head, and think, “Oh brother, here we go again – ground hog’s day in Haiti.”  That doesn’t make it any less tragic – it’s always the weakest, most helpless, most vulnerable who get hurt the most by those events – even though they had nothing to do with causing or creating them.

The good news is, as I said in my previous post, it really is possible to do tremendous good in Haiti if you go about it the right way, but you have to be smart about what you do, how you do it, and who you do it through.

So first let’s talk about the “what you do” part.  There are myriads of international relief and development organizations that pump insane amounts of money into projects in Haiti, often with little or no results to show for it.  Every secular organization comes in with their well-researched, well designed package of solutions – they’ve got an economic solution…an educational solution…a medical solution…an agricultural solution…a political solution…a whatever solution.

The longer I’ve been going to Haiti (24 trips since 2011), and the more I’ve studied the history of the country, there’s one thing that I’ve become increasingly certain of:  The only kind of solution that’s ever going to transform Haiti is going to have to be a God-driven spiritual solution.

That’s why our primary focus (and when I say “our” I’m referring to The Haiti Fund) has been on finding ways to have the greatest possible impact in the spiritual realm – things like evangelism, church growth, and the development of strong Christian leaders in Haiti.  I could give many examples, but one of the more significant ones – for those of you who don’t know about this:  Prior to 2014 there had never been a preachers’ training school in all of southern Haiti that was associated with the Churches of Christ.  In January of 2014 we helped start Delmas Christian University in Port-au-Prince and helped get it fully accredited with the Haitian Ministry of Education to grant 4-year baccalaureate degrees in Theology, Biblical Studies, and Practical Ministry.  This past December we graduated our first 36 students, and there are now 50 new students enrolled in that program.

At the same time, as we’ve developed very close and meaningful relationships with many of our Christian brothers and sisters in different congregations all over Haiti, we often come across humanitarian needs that are both desperate and gut-wrenching.  In truth, the needs – and I mean real, real needs – are always overwhelming, and far surpass our capacity and our resources.  We always feel driven to try to do something, and this is where I think the “how you do it, and who you do it through” become paramount.

I can’t tell you how any other organizations do it, but here are a few components of our vetting process – i.e., the primary considerations that drive all of our decisions re: what to prioritize, and how to effectively implement:

• 1)  Even in addressing humanitarian needs, we do it through churches.

• 2)  We work primarily with congregations which:
  • have never had any kind of outside support or assistance (many of the congregations that have become most dear to us, like St. Michel and Bout Savane, are places that no Americans but us have ever even visited);
  • are led by men that JT trusts and commends to us (“JT” is Jeantyrard Elmera, the Haitian evangelist we’ve been working with closely since 2011);
  • are places that we intend to have an ongoing relationship with, by visiting and bringing groups to as often as possible

• 3)  We focus on finding and addressing the greatest, most life-threatening needs that no one else is addressing – the things we look at and realize, “If we don’t do something about this…there’s nobody else who’s gonna do it” (like getting a well drilled at Bout Savane, and helping with the orphans in St. Michel)

• 4)  We only do things in situations where we can maintain complete control over the flow of money, and can confirm the completion of projects on our follow up visits  

Ok…(whew!)…for those of you who actually read all the way through all 4 parts of this – thank you for your encouragement, and I hope it was interesting and/or useful!

Love & Prayers,

Greg