Kids in Progress
In December of 2014, my wife and I decided to take a trip to Haiti. Our visit led us to the steps of a small church named Assembly Evangelical Church of Christ in the locality of St. Michel de L’Attalaye. We had a lovely service, but this would be followed by the discovery of something truly heartbreaking – most of the children seemed really exhausted and could barely stay awake once the workshop was over. My wife and I quickly realized that malnutrition could be the reason behind this.
Malnutrition is a common problem across the world. In Haiti, about three out of five Haitians survive on less than $2.41 a day, translating to about 60% of the population. Plagued by decades of economic troubles and repeated natural disasters, Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. No child should die from malnutrition, not when there are long-term solutions that can take root in our communities.
So in our bid to make a difference in the world, we initiated “Kids in Progress,” a small program that aims to transform the lives of these children. We are absolutely pleased with the response we received. After speaking to the pastor, we were fortunate to have Brothers Roussel Morgene, Gary George, and Isaac Laguerre join our effort to help feed the kids.
How we help:
- We provide funding for school uniforms, supplies, field trips, and camping.
- We organize and support daily prayer, meditation, and memorization of scripture.
Our short-term goals:
- Serve 150+ children attending the Assembly Evangelical Church of Christ and Baptist Churches of Beree.
- Ensure children have a place to get a warm meal every day of the week.
- Provide school uniforms, needed supplies, and equipment.
- Raise roughly $10,000 bi-annually for the continued support of this project.
Our long-term goals:
In the long run, we hope to expand our program to serve beyond Haiti. We want to be an impactful global voice against world hunger. Ending hunger demands more than just offering people a meal or two every day. It requires affording people the resources they need to put food on the table. With that said, some of our long-term goals for this program include:
- Advocating for policies that address hunger on a larger scale.
- Support economic empowerment of the people.
- Mobilize action and reflection for food justice
- Provide opportunities for education on the right to food and sustainable agriculture among faith communities