Stichting Projecthulp Haïti

Oktober 2007

Tom proposes to continue the goat project in Arnoux and to begin another one in Caiman. (We have schools in both places. Both are schools of about 500 students.)

Arnoux is a small village located about 70 miles from Port-au-Prince. It is situated at the foot of the mountains behind Lake Miragoane. It is approximately a 3 1/2 hour drive by truck.

The people, for the most part, make their living by farming corn, sweet potatoes, and sorghum, or by raising pigs, goats, and a few cows.

The hurricane activity two years ago increased the size of Lake Miragoane and flooded many of the people's gardens. The water from the flooding has yet to recede. Other gardens have been destroyed by erosion by heavy rainfall this fall. This combination has had a devastating impact on the econony of the area.

By expanding our existing goat program, which is to give a family a goat and, once they produce offspring, they give one back, we hope to ease the financial struggles of the families selected for the program. For those in the program, the goat they received has been like a financial investment that has yielded promising returns. Several families have been able to sell one or two goats from their offspring to send their children to school.

Our local pastor in Arnoux oversees the program. Before giving a goat to a family (child), he meets with the family and explains to them their responsibilites, as well as teaches the child how to take care of the goat. He has periodic meetings with the children involved to insure proper care is being given.

Caiman is a small village nestled in the mountains of southeast Haiti. It is approximately a four-hour drive by truck from the capital, Port-au-Prince. The last twenty minutes of the journey must be made on foot as the passageways turn into simple animal paths or mountains of jutting rock.

The local population subsists of farm crops of corn, sorghum, and beans, as well as fruit trees.

We feel that initiating a goat project in Caiman will produce the same economic benefits for the participants, as it has in Arnoux. Caiman is a three hour walk up the mountain from Arnoux. Pastor Noel (pastor in Arnoux) will meet with students and parents describing the expectations and conditions of the goat project.

The school principal and the church lay minister will have daily contact with the children. This will be under Pastor Noel's supervision.

Pastor Noel is excited about the possibility of these projects and the number of children, as well as their families, that this will benefit.

Thank you so much for your interest in this project!
Tom and Bev

Juni 2007

Just wanted to give you a little update about the Goat Project that we started.
To date, 10 students in Arnoux and 8 in Zoranger have been given goats to care for.
They are also being taught how to raise and feed them properly.

Many of the goats in Arnoux have already had litters.
When the kids are weaned, the child will give one from the first litter back to the school.
Then, that goat will be given to another pupil. And so, the program will continue.

This program has excited the parents and is a real blessing to the two communities.

Thank you for making it possible for us to teach these students and to financially help their families.

Blessings,

Bev

Klik op de foto's voor
een grotere versie.