Living Hope Haiti Christian Mission (LHHCM) is a partner organization with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). FMSC supplies packages of chicken flavored rice and soy specifically designed to fight malnourishment in children.
LHHCM feeds our 1400 students each school day with this food, and provides it to other schools, orphanages, and missions in Northern Haiti. You can see more about the food at FMSC.org.
In March 2010, Baptist Health South Florida did a mobile packaging event with FMSC at South Miami Hospital. Here is the description of the event from Baptists Resource Magazine:
"BAPTIST HEALTH GIVES 1 MILLION MEALS TO HAITI"
Even before the devastating earthquake in January, malnourishment was a huge problem in Haiti. Markets sell cookies made of clay for 4 cents so mothers can stave off their children's hunger pangs. To tackle the hunger problem, Baptist Health is committing some $200,000 to purchase the ingredients for one million meals for Haiti through an organization called Feed My Starving Children. Calvin Babcock, chairman of the Baptist Board, has worked with this organization through Living Hope Haiti Christian Mission.
The meals are packages of rice, soy protein, chicken broth and vitamins, and will be assembled in March by Baptist Health employees. (Hundreds of employees have already expressed a willingness to help with the Haiti Relief effort.) Baptist Healths chief operating officer, Wayne Brackin, has appointed a task force that is organizing the employee volunteer effort.
"Not everyone may be in a position to write a check. But any employee can assist in this hands-on effort to provide desperately needed food, Mr. Brackin said."
http://www.fmsc.org
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Love Bears for the Children
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Psalm 46: 1-3
LOVE BEARS FOR HAITI The idea of creating Love Bears for Haiti began when I received an email from an associate of Double Harvest. He was telling of the plight of the earthquake and it's Haitian victims. He mentioned how a few donated toys brought smiles to the tear stained faces of the youngest of patients. Living Hope Haiti uses the surgical facility at Double Harvest , having made 15 surgical trips over the last two years.
cI knew we would be going and going soon, if all plans came together the way we were hoping. (All things work together for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28) I began Love Bears for Haiti in my mind at that moment. Friends and family joined forces and we were able to take 50+ Love Bears on our February 4th trip! Ladies are still sewing and gearing up for the Love Bears to be distributed to the many young patients at Double Harvest, St. Damien's pediatric hospital and our soon to be orphanage in Camathe.
Blessings,
Becky Babcock
LOVE BEARS FOR HAITI The idea of creating Love Bears for Haiti began when I received an email from an associate of Double Harvest. He was telling of the plight of the earthquake and it's Haitian victims. He mentioned how a few donated toys brought smiles to the tear stained faces of the youngest of patients. Living Hope Haiti uses the surgical facility at Double Harvest , having made 15 surgical trips over the last two years.
cI knew we would be going and going soon, if all plans came together the way we were hoping. (All things work together for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28) I began Love Bears for Haiti in my mind at that moment. Friends and family joined forces and we were able to take 50+ Love Bears on our February 4th trip! Ladies are still sewing and gearing up for the Love Bears to be distributed to the many young patients at Double Harvest, St. Damien's pediatric hospital and our soon to be orphanage in Camathe.
Blessings,
Becky Babcock
Vocational School
Another chapter in the life of Living Hope Haiti Christian Mission is the dawn of a hopeful day for the people of greater St Michel. Sunday November 17 was a rare day in St Michel history. As long as I can remember, this was one of the few days where all groups of society gathered together at Living Hopes new technical school of St Michel. Priest, pastors, a voodoo priest, the mayor of St Michel and the first technical school students in St Michel came to celebrate the opening of this new era.
Good music by a local Christian band and good food made this afternoon more fun. Powered by our 7K Kubota diesel generator, the biggest one story building in St Michel was ready to light up. Let there be light. The visitors were invited to visit our equipped classrooms. Amazing, but understandable, the center of activity was the computer lab with 25 Dell computers.
Early Monday morning was the first day of school. Staff members and teachers were there to welcome our new students. One Hundred and seventy six (176) students are enrolled to learn computer skills. They are divided into four groups of students. Each group is meeting two days per week and two hours of class per day. Classes meet Monday through Saturday.
The computer classes may have more students, however, it is not the only skill to learn at our school. We have 21 students in the trade school, 17 students learning construction, and 20 learning how to become electricians in two years.
With a student body of over 200, a staff of 5, and 5 teachers and your support, we are preparing people for a better society that glorifies God. This
goal will be accomplished through our curriculum that balances Christian and citizenship duties with technical skills.
I am reminded of the story of Nehemia when he learned that the wall and the Temple of Jerusalem were destroyed, he decided to rebuild the wall before rebuilding the temple. As he helped rebuild the wall, the people realized the need to serve the God who gave them a sense of security by helping them rebuild the wall, so they may have the peace of mind to worship Him with all their mind and body. As a result, they rebuilt the Temple to worship God.
This is also our hope that students whom we are helping secure their future through the skills they are learning, will see the love of God in us and will join us as we build the Temple of God in greater St Michel.
Dr. Gueillant Dorcinvil
President of Living Hope Haiti Christian Mission
Good music by a local Christian band and good food made this afternoon more fun. Powered by our 7K Kubota diesel generator, the biggest one story building in St Michel was ready to light up. Let there be light. The visitors were invited to visit our equipped classrooms. Amazing, but understandable, the center of activity was the computer lab with 25 Dell computers.
Early Monday morning was the first day of school. Staff members and teachers were there to welcome our new students. One Hundred and seventy six (176) students are enrolled to learn computer skills. They are divided into four groups of students. Each group is meeting two days per week and two hours of class per day. Classes meet Monday through Saturday.
The computer classes may have more students, however, it is not the only skill to learn at our school. We have 21 students in the trade school, 17 students learning construction, and 20 learning how to become electricians in two years.
With a student body of over 200, a staff of 5, and 5 teachers and your support, we are preparing people for a better society that glorifies God. This
goal will be accomplished through our curriculum that balances Christian and citizenship duties with technical skills.
I am reminded of the story of Nehemia when he learned that the wall and the Temple of Jerusalem were destroyed, he decided to rebuild the wall before rebuilding the temple. As he helped rebuild the wall, the people realized the need to serve the God who gave them a sense of security by helping them rebuild the wall, so they may have the peace of mind to worship Him with all their mind and body. As a result, they rebuilt the Temple to worship God.
This is also our hope that students whom we are helping secure their future through the skills they are learning, will see the love of God in us and will join us as we build the Temple of God in greater St Michel.
Dr. Gueillant Dorcinvil
President of Living Hope Haiti Christian Mission
Dental and Vision Services
This is a portion of a letter written by a volunteer that participated in the July 2009 medical team trip to Haiti. She was part of the dental services group that traveled with the medical team.
"I am writing to thank you for allowing me to participate in one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I had the best time and have not yet come down from the natural high, it was so moving and so rewarding that words can not describe the feeling. I have tried to explain it to my family but words can not express the feeling of being there. Upon our departure, I met a young man that I can not seem to get my mind off of, and I am looking into the possibility of sponsoring him specifically, and trying to help assure that he gets an education. With all the needs over there, it seems the education is at the top of the priority list.
The medical staff was absolutely welcoming in every way and made me feel like part of the team. I met some friends that I will probably have for life. Spiritually it was very fulfilling, you felt the presence of God at all times and that was wonderful to know that everyone was on the same page.
Thank you and God Bless! Judy"
"I am writing to thank you for allowing me to participate in one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I had the best time and have not yet come down from the natural high, it was so moving and so rewarding that words can not describe the feeling. I have tried to explain it to my family but words can not express the feeling of being there. Upon our departure, I met a young man that I can not seem to get my mind off of, and I am looking into the possibility of sponsoring him specifically, and trying to help assure that he gets an education. With all the needs over there, it seems the education is at the top of the priority list.
The medical staff was absolutely welcoming in every way and made me feel like part of the team. I met some friends that I will probably have for life. Spiritually it was very fulfilling, you felt the presence of God at all times and that was wonderful to know that everyone was on the same page.
Thank you and God Bless! Judy"
L'attalaye Elementary School
Mary Babcock Christian Elementary School of L'Attalaye
There is a Haitian Saying, "Kote Gen kou pa gen kolye" which means where there is means there isn't needs. This can be used to describe the village of L'Attalaye. With more than 2,000 kids in need to go to school about only 200 can afford to go to the small state school. The rest and their parents want to be in school but there is no school to go to.
Because of our school, kids and parents in L'Attalaye are now saying, "Kote gen kou kolye" where there is need there is means. In L'Attalaye kids come to learn and they come to eat.
There is a Haitian Saying, "Kote Gen kou pa gen kolye" which means where there is means there isn't needs. This can be used to describe the village of L'Attalaye. With more than 2,000 kids in need to go to school about only 200 can afford to go to the small state school. The rest and their parents want to be in school but there is no school to go to.
Because of our school, kids and parents in L'Attalaye are now saying, "Kote gen kou kolye" where there is need there is means. In L'Attalaye kids come to learn and they come to eat.
Camathe Elementary School
Mary Babcock Christian Elementary School of Camathe
In the village of Camathe, just west of the northern city of Saint-Michel de Attalaye, there is no water or electricity. There was one mediocre elementary school that taught 200 children, yet an estimated 2,000 children ages 5 to 12 live in the village. Living Hope's first endeavor was to provide more of this village's needy children with an excellent education.
With this desire in mind, our first school opened in Camathe in October 2002. The three classroom building is on six acres of land, nicely landscaped and attractive. A well has been dug on the site for use by the school and the villagers. Children are provided with a daily lunch, and receive annual health screenings.
Life is a constant struggle for survival in Haiti. In this daily struggle, education has taken a back seat, as few parents can afford to send their children to private schools and public schools are not available. Most children currently work on farms or help their parents at flea markets, in lieu of getting an education.
The school's French-based curriculum is taught by qualified teachers and not only provides the 750 elementary-aged students an excellent educational foundation, but also provides them with a greater possibility of continuing their studies at a secondary level.
In the village of Camathe, just west of the northern city of Saint-Michel de Attalaye, there is no water or electricity. There was one mediocre elementary school that taught 200 children, yet an estimated 2,000 children ages 5 to 12 live in the village. Living Hope's first endeavor was to provide more of this village's needy children with an excellent education.
With this desire in mind, our first school opened in Camathe in October 2002. The three classroom building is on six acres of land, nicely landscaped and attractive. A well has been dug on the site for use by the school and the villagers. Children are provided with a daily lunch, and receive annual health screenings.
Life is a constant struggle for survival in Haiti. In this daily struggle, education has taken a back seat, as few parents can afford to send their children to private schools and public schools are not available. Most children currently work on farms or help their parents at flea markets, in lieu of getting an education.
The school's French-based curriculum is taught by qualified teachers and not only provides the 750 elementary-aged students an excellent educational foundation, but also provides them with a greater possibility of continuing their studies at a secondary level.
Medical Team
In August 17 through 20 of 2006 the surgical team completed 43 procedures on 34 people- half from St Michel area where Living Hope is, and half from the local area around Double Harvest (the mission that has the operating room). Our team was comprised of two surgeons, one anesthesiologist, two CRNAs, and eight nurses and OR techs, and two support people.
The folks from St Michel drove 12 hours in our school bus, bringing Pastor Edner and Dr. John (our clinic doctor) and several ladies to cook for the entire crew.
Some of the medical conditions that we treated were horrendous. To accomplish 34 surgeries in two days, the team started early, worked fast, and worked late. Everyone's attitude was incredible-there were no complaints about the workload at all. All of the surgeries were very successful.
Our second surgical trip to Haiti (Nov 16-19) was an incredible success. We took three Baptist Hospital Surgeons and operated on 48 patients in two and half days. Some of the medical condition were incredibly bad - the entire team (20 people) was delighted to be able to help some of the people that Jesus referred to as "the least of these". Tim Hawkins, an executive at Baptist, organizes all of the people and details for these surgical trips.
One of the surgeons ( Harvard trained) Dr. Michael Canning, emailed me two days after the trip: "Haiti was a life-changing experience for me. Our lives here are so rich and we have so much to be thankful for."
A three year old little girl came into the clinic on 11/18 with a huge abscess on her abdominal wall. The physicians were convinced that she would die in 48 hours without surgery. They operated on her with excellent results. She is expected to make a full recovery.
The folks from St Michel drove 12 hours in our school bus, bringing Pastor Edner and Dr. John (our clinic doctor) and several ladies to cook for the entire crew.
Some of the medical conditions that we treated were horrendous. To accomplish 34 surgeries in two days, the team started early, worked fast, and worked late. Everyone's attitude was incredible-there were no complaints about the workload at all. All of the surgeries were very successful.
Our second surgical trip to Haiti (Nov 16-19) was an incredible success. We took three Baptist Hospital Surgeons and operated on 48 patients in two and half days. Some of the medical condition were incredibly bad - the entire team (20 people) was delighted to be able to help some of the people that Jesus referred to as "the least of these". Tim Hawkins, an executive at Baptist, organizes all of the people and details for these surgical trips.
One of the surgeons ( Harvard trained) Dr. Michael Canning, emailed me two days after the trip: "Haiti was a life-changing experience for me. Our lives here are so rich and we have so much to be thankful for."
A three year old little girl came into the clinic on 11/18 with a huge abscess on her abdominal wall. The physicians were convinced that she would die in 48 hours without surgery. They operated on her with excellent results. She is expected to make a full recovery.
Habitat for Humanity - Haiti
Habitat for Humanity of St Micheles first community will consist of 14 single family homes on a roughly three acre site that has a number of large mango and avocado trees. We purchased the site, and started building the first three homes in December 2009. The home design will be a three room concrete block home with a tin roof. The home will be 540 square feet, and will include a four foot wide front porch. Each room is 12 by 15 feet. The exterior will be stucco and paint. The windows will be ventilated concrete block, and there will be no interior plumbing. The homes will be prewired for a light bulb and switch in each room and on the porch, in case we electrify the community in the future. For bathrooms, we will build three common outhouse buildings on the site. Each of the 14 families will have a private bathroom in one of the outhouse buildings.
We will construct a well on the site so that the families can have access to clean water. We will test the water quarterly to insure that it remains up to standards.
Each home will include a plot of land that each family owns, and will be able to farm. All of the fruit trees on the site will be owned cooperatively by all of the families on the site. There will be a childrens playground on the site, in a shaded area.
The construction cost of each home is estimated at $6000 USD. Although Haiti is a Third World country, the cement and steel is expensive there, as it is world-wide. The land and development (outhouses and a well) will be roughly $800 per home, for a total of $6800. We will sell the homes for $2500 each, payable over 10 years at $250 per year. That is the most that folks in the area can afford to pay. There is no mortgage system in Haiti, but we will have an agreement for deed with each family.
The commitment from Living Hope is that all monies donated to the effort will go towards building materials. The small overhead that is needed to conduct the family selection, training, monitoring and community management will be paid for by Living Hope.
The Habitat Homes project has been made possible by the generous support of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami, Inc.
We thank them for their generosity and wise counsel.
We will construct a well on the site so that the families can have access to clean water. We will test the water quarterly to insure that it remains up to standards.
Each home will include a plot of land that each family owns, and will be able to farm. All of the fruit trees on the site will be owned cooperatively by all of the families on the site. There will be a childrens playground on the site, in a shaded area.
The construction cost of each home is estimated at $6000 USD. Although Haiti is a Third World country, the cement and steel is expensive there, as it is world-wide. The land and development (outhouses and a well) will be roughly $800 per home, for a total of $6800. We will sell the homes for $2500 each, payable over 10 years at $250 per year. That is the most that folks in the area can afford to pay. There is no mortgage system in Haiti, but we will have an agreement for deed with each family.
The commitment from Living Hope is that all monies donated to the effort will go towards building materials. The small overhead that is needed to conduct the family selection, training, monitoring and community management will be paid for by Living Hope.
The Habitat Homes project has been made possible by the generous support of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami, Inc.
We thank them for their generosity and wise counsel.
Camathe Clinic
Living Hope Haiti Christian Mission has three Medical Clinics.
The Living Hope Haiti Medical Clinic at Camathe was opened in July 2003, and our physician started full time in August. We also have a head nurse and two assistant nurses on staff. Due to the severe medical needs in the area patients often are kept overnight turning the clinic into a small hospital. Even with just the basic medical equipment and medicines we are saving lives.
The Living Hope Haiti Medical Clinic at Camathe was opened in July 2003, and our physician started full time in August. We also have a head nurse and two assistant nurses on staff. Due to the severe medical needs in the area patients often are kept overnight turning the clinic into a small hospital. Even with just the basic medical equipment and medicines we are saving lives.
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