Construction and Micro-lending

I just returned from another short visit to see my friends in Haiti and see how we can best encourage and help them in their efforts to bring recovery and improvement to this beautiful land. It was encouraging to see continued progress on Pastor Val's site in Bongnotte. A new church is almost complete. Temporary housing and school buildings are in place. Children are healthy and well-fed. There is still a long way to go, but each time I hike up the hills behind the orphanage, I look out over the beautiful countryside and think that this is the future of Haiti, out here, where the quality of life is so much better than in the city. I hugged some kids I have seen for years at the orphanage, and saw some new faces. Two little boys (brothers?) clung together, the older one who was maybe 4, taking care of the little two-year old, sharing his candy and holding his hand everywhere they went.

I have wondered for a long time, why it is a relatively accepted practice in some places to give up your children, if you cannot afford to feed them. It is an affront to our middle-class American sensitivities to even imagine such a thing. It is a rare instance here in the US that a precious son or daughter is given to a relative to raise, due to death, incarceration or abuse. But very seldom do we hear of a child being given over to a local pastor with little explanation other than, "I just can't afford to have another mouth to feed."

This is not unusual in places that suffer from such a deplorable lack of income producing activities. So many heads-of-households lack jobs. Some may possess a decent amount of education, and even some skills, but nationwide, Haiti and other countries like it, doesn't have a healthy economy to create and sustain jobs.

The problems in Haiti are numerous, and I would not pretend to understand the all the causes, or the solutions. It is overwhelming to think about, and to look into the faces of happy children, and wonder what the future holds for each of them.

But, there are some glimmers of hope, and I believe some doors of opportunity are opening in the little village of Bongnotte, in Leogane Province. And we have the privilege to partner with some forward thinking locals. Perhaps Bongnotte will be a model for other rural towns to grow, coax people out of filthy, overcrowded Port au Prince, and back to their respective home towns.

Bongnotte is where our friend, Pastor Franklin Val has been pastoring a church for over 40 years and where he established Val Children's Home Care some 24 years ago. After visiting him and the children several times, I learned that not all the kids there are orphans. They almost all have some family, and some even have parents. So I started to ask why. Why do families give up their beloved children? The answer is simply that they cannot afford to take care of them. And why not? Because there is no work.

So what is the answer? Well, one answer is to help grow the economy and give people the tools needed to provide for their families. This can be done through a micro-lending program.

Pastor Val has been thinking on this. He selected 5 trustworthy men in his church that needed work, to partner with him in a motorcycle taxi business. This is the most efficient method of travel on the rutted and muddy rural roads. The idea is this: five motorcycles are funded from donations. The bike is then lease/purchased over a one year period, with the owner working off his low-interest loan for the bike. As the owner begins to make money as a taxi service, each month, he makes a payment, some of which goes to pay off the bike, and some of which goes into another account to finance other small businesses. At the end of the payment period, the man owns the bike outright and can keep all of his profits. The money can then be re-invested into another bike or small business venture, a service is provided to the community, and a family is provided for!

Another idea that is brewing, is the construction of a solar bakery. Bongnotte sits three miles from the main road, and is the gateway to many more mountain villages even more remote. Access to bread is non-existent, but is something that everyone wants. By building a bakery (using donated funds to kick-start the project), jobs and skills training can be provided. Everyone from the manager to the bakers to the sales force can benefit, as well as the community having some coveted bread. And it will potentially run on power/heat from the sun. Research is commencing on how this can be accomplished.

Further still, another friend is starting a business that will benefit farmers, produce better crops and provide income for himself. Again, it is being launched in the rural agricultural areas in and around places like Bongnotte, where there is vast verdant farmland.

What I especially like about this, is that the ideas were birthed by people to whom the culture belongs. It is not my idea, but the brain-child of a man who has labored in this community for the better part of his adult life. He knows what would work. He knows what is needed. We are just his friends who can help kick-start it.

My favorite quote of the trip embodies the feisty spirit of Pastor Val, who is 70 years old. While talking about his replacement, he said, "I am getting old. And I might only have 50 years left..."

I love that. May he live to be 120!