In His Hands

About 2 years ago one of the elderly men in the village came to David and I and asked if we would help with a water project. We immediately knew what he really meant. They needed money. Dinero. Moula.

We went and looked at the past water system they had. It was long. I was all broken up. The villagers explained to us how an organization helped them build it in the 80's and then the hurricane in 2008 destroyed it.

Then I asked the big question...

"Where do you all get water now?"

And then we headed off to follow the women and kids carrying their empty buckets and jugs.

When we got there I was hot, sweaty and heartbroken. We had walked for 40 minutes just to get to the water source. 

When we started talking to the people we had followed, they explained to us that there were people that lived even further away up the mountain who came down to the same water source. And they filled up their 5 gallon buckets, put them on their heads and started the trek back home.

I sat down, exhausted, and waited for David to go back and get the truck to bring it closer so I didn't have to walk all the way back. Lazy white lady...I know...but it was HOT!

Long story short...Invest Hope did not have the funds to help with this project. So we encouraged the people to pray and I cringed everytime I passed someone walking past me with an empty OR full bucket.

Earlier this year, Hungry for Life, had a donor who wanted to do a water project outside Jacmel, Haiti and David remembered this project and asked me to write up a proposal to them. I did and guess what????

They accepted!

So that brings us to today...

Invest Hope is partnering with Hungry for Life and the villagers in Peredo, Haiti to redo a spring water capture system to bring clean spring water to thousands of people!

And yes, it is literally a partnership with the community of Peredo also. They are providing the labor of digging cisterns and ditches free of charge. Invest Hope believes in helping people help themselves. And since they will be the beneficiaries of this project, they are putting in the sweat equity.

And to my delight, they are doing a wonderful job!

 The project materials are trucked up the mountain and then volunteers (including the children!) carry it in by hand. This include cement blocks, sacks of cement, sand to mix into the cement, rebar and piping.

Helping these people get water is something that was only a wish of mine...

But the Lord had a bigger plan when he sent an 80 something year old Haitian man to talk with a 30 something year old American woman. 

He sent a non-profit Canadian organization to provide the funds.

It IS a small world!

And I'm so glad it's in His hands!

Sheree visits

 Board member, Sheree Tata visited Haiti last week! 

She brought some cool cake decorating supplies and taught Chantal and Odessa some skills. 

There was lots of giggling and chocolate eating that day.

Sheree and her sister in law collected suitcases of school supplies for a school in Peredo. Sheree even carried a globe onto multiple planes to get it delivered here safely. They also brought a donated brand new lap top, a filing cabinet bought here, classroom decorations in French and books in French.

This smiles sums it up...

the kids were happy to get drawstring bags with school supplies inside.

Thanks Sheree and Sue for your collecting and distributing. Most of all for encouraging this struggling Haitian school!

And thanks to all the donors who sent supplies and funds with them!

Most good things in Haiti are more expensive than in the states. Well, that's my opinion of course. 

Cheese, chocolate, bacon...are ridiculously expensive.

 And therefore rationed in our house.

But, there are certain things that are much much much cheaper here in Haiti. I never tasted Lobster in the states before. Mainly because of the price tag (and partially because I HATE shrimp and always thought they had the same taste). I have been buying lobster off a local fisherman here for 4 years now. He dives down and gets the lobster fresh in the morning and come by the house around 11 or 12 selling them. 

In the past he has always sold them for $1 US each. Today he came by the house and said he was sorry but he has to raise the price of the lobsters. 

My. Heart. Sank.

Until he said he was raising it to $1.25 US a lobster!

Of course I had to hide my joy deep down inside to not mess up the bartering/bargaining game played here in Haiti. And then I ran into my house and got 12.50 to pay for my 10 lobsters!

So we have no cheese, chocolate or bacon in our house...

but there's a pot full of boiling lobsters that are calling my name!

Coming along!

Here are the most recent pics (taken yesterday) of the depot!

This is the first building on Invest Hope's property in Peredo, Haiti.

We are still waiting on the door to be finished and for the outside walls to be smoothed with concrete. But it is looking good! 

This will serve as a place to store building materials for the other building projects and for general storage after construction is complete.

The best part of this project is that it was entirely built by Haitians. Me and the other Americans on the Invest Hope board raised the funds for the project and then it was turned over to Haitian hands. And they are doing a wonderful job!

Thank you for your support in our mission and for continuing to work to bring jobs to the Haitian people. 

The community in Peredo has provided us with lots of ideas of how we can come along side and help them help themselves. It is important for us to build functionally on the land to be able to provide these services. 

If you are interested in helping us financially...

Our website is now set up for online giving. You can give a one time donation or set up recurring donations.

Click here to be directly taken to the online donation link.

Happy 4th of July!

But...does it work?

This is the most frequently asked question by donors and potential donors after they listen to how the programs Invest Hope offers works.

Does it work?

Do they really repay their loans?

Do they really contribute to their child's school fund?

Does it really help Haitian families stay together?

And the answer is...

 Yes! Yes they do! Yes they do! Yes it really does!

 Amicie finished repaying her first loan this past Sunday!

 

 Rosemirline finished paying off her 3rd loan this past Sunday!

 Family who was reunited with help from Invest Hope and remains together through help from our programs!

One of the perks of our microloan program is that the funds are loaned out and then as they come back in, new loans are given out with the same funds that were originally given.

In 3 years, 60 Haitians have participated in our microloan program. Out of those 60 people, only 2 have not repaid their loans.

96% of our loan participants have repayed or are currently successfully repaying their loans!

You are directly helping families stay together!

That being said, we are currently raising funds to build on our mission property in Peredo, Haiti!

This land will house our mission office, which currently housed in a shoulder bag that I carry around!

 For the past 3 years, we have been setting up office under a tarp with a small table.

 

 As you can see, this is not the best set-up for a loan type program. Plans for the land include an office and a large gazebo to offer classes and waiting space. Haiti is very hot so the open sides of the gazebo will allow air to pass through while offering shelter from the sun.

This gazebo will also be open for the public to reserve for meetings, weddings and funerals. 

This is just a taste of what we dream of doing for the people of Peredo on the mission property!

To do this, we need the funds. This is the largest fundraising task I have ever taken on! But my Father in heaven owns the cattle on a thousand hills! Psalms 50:10.

 We are trusting in Him to provide!

If you would like to help us in this project, please contact me at ginnyandrews@hotmail.com. We are looking for new partnerships with new churches and further partnerships with churches who currently support us.

Direct donations can be sent to:

Invest Hope

1578 Dayton Rd

Newark, OH 43055

I look forward to hearing from you!