Beyond the mountains,
there are more mountains.
-Traditional Haitian Proverb
OUR Mountains
In Haiti, as one problem is solved, another seems to present itself hence the traditional proverb about mountains. The three areas of focus in our mission are the mountains we are working to climb.
Maternal Health Care
THE REALITY
-
No access to doctors
-
No access to hospitals
-
No pre or post natal education
-
Birth given on dirt floors
-
Umbilical cords cut with
non-sterile objects -
Travel from the mountains
on the backs of motorcycles -
Mothers are often young teenagers
THE ESPWA (HOPE)
-
Prenatal education for mothers
and Haitian birth assistants -
Free birth kits provide a safer
birthing environment -
Kay Espwa (House of Hope=our center) is a safe place with safe people to go to for resources
-
Connection to outlying villages in the mountains allows for communication about needs and access to resource
Education
THE REALITY
-
No public education
-
Unattainable yearly tuition
-
Students must have a specific uniform
-
Some students walk for miles
to school and live for the week in a nearby village (sometimes with a family, sometimes just outside on their own) -
Most students eat one meal a day at school (and save some food for their families)
THE ESPWA (HOPE)
-
School sponsorships provide funding for students to go to school for the year (including tuition, supplies, book, a daily meal,
and a uniform) -
Education Center at Kay Espwa
has a FREE preschool and adult literacy program
Job Creation
THE REALITY
-
The average Haitian earns about $2 per day, however in the area we serve, it is less
-
99% of adults in our area are illiterate and have no formal education
-
Few opportunities exists to find employment
-
THE ESPWA (HOPE)
-
The Sewing Center at Kay Espwa teaches women sewing basics and educates them on how to use those learned skills
-
Providing jobs for our 12 Haitian staff and the women who are sewing uniforms for the sponsored students
