I was privileged in many ways to be able to participate in a short-term missions trip to Haiti during the first week of September 2013. During this trip to Haiti we visited the cities of Port-au-prince, Titanyen, Petit-Goave, and the mountain villages south of Petit-Goave. I hope to be able to share with you some of the insights gains, lessons learned, and stories that can be applied to our lives here in America through this blogpost.
The four red squares are where we visited while we were in Haiti
Before we left we received a phonecall from one of the ministries down there in Haiti that we were going to be spending a night with saying that they were going to be driving through one of the most impoverished areas of Haiti the day after we arrived in Haiti and asked if we could bring down some clothes for the children. The report was that most of these children had absolutely nothing to wear. So we sent out an email to our local church members and asked if they had any extra children's clothes and/or old suitcases that we could take down to Haiti. The response was overwhelming. The picture below shows about half of the clothes we received.
 |
| Half of the clothes we took down to Haiti from home |
We (my Father & I) left from home at 6:00 PM on Sunday September 1, 2013. We stopped to pickup Jeff Bowman who lives 20 minutes away from our house on our way to the airport.
 |
| From left to right (myself, Jeff Bowman, Ann Bowman, Ann's Parents, Jeff & Ann's two little girls |
We left San Francisco Airport at 12:15 AM on September 2, 2013. We spent most of the day Monday flying down to Haiti. From SFO, we stopped in DFW, MIA, and finally to PAP (Port-au-prince). When we got close to the ground flying into Haiti I was struck by the poverty of even those living close to the airport in Port-au-Prince.
 |
| Industrial Zone in Haiti |
After we landed and made our way through customs and security we were met by Darv Siebel and "Grandpa" Harold Herr (all the natives and other missionaries in Haiti call him Grandpa Harold).
Soon after we left the airport in Port-au-Prince we we hailed with the effects of the rainy season. It poured most of our drive from Port-au-Prince to Petit-Goave. We were met by Kieth & Arlene Brubaker (Administrators of Christian Aid Ministries in Haiti) right after we had pulled out of the airport. We gave the clothes that we had taken down with us to Kieth & Arlene and they said that they would make sure that the clothes got to the correct location.
 |
| Kieth & Arlene Brubaker |
When we made it to Petit-Goave (called Ti-Goave for short) our group was split up to stay at two different homes of local missionaries in Ti-Goave. The first couple was Clint & Brenda Bower and the second was Darvin & Jo Siebel.
 |
| Clint & Brenda Bower and their two girls |
 |
Darv & Jo Siebel
(their family was gone at the moment this picture was taken - they have seven children, if I remember correctly) |
That first evening, Monday, we had our first "learning" presentation of the S.A.L.T. (Shared Accountability Lending and Teaching) Program given by Leonard Meador. Leonard gave an overview of the Microloan Program. He shared the problem of just giving and giving and giving without discernment. Then, Leonard shared some facts regarding Microloans.
 |
| Discussing the S.A.L.T. Program |
Early the next morning on Tuesday we woke up to the humid, wet, and sticky Haiti. Actually, it was identical to the weather that we were met with from the moment that we landed in Port-au-prince but it sunk in that this was the kind of weather we would have for our whole trip. We started off with breakfast and then had a season of devotions given by Ervin Esh. After devotions we loaded up in the back of two trucks (as you can see below) which had cages around them that we could hang on to. We drove through Ti-Goave on our way up to the mountains.
 |
| Riding in the back of the caged trucks through Ti-Goave |
While we were in Ti-Goave we stopped at one of the markets to meet some of the loan clients in town. We talked to them for a little while and then got back on the trucks to continue to head up to the mountains. Pastor CJ (pictured below) rode up with us and accompanied us throughout our trip. Pastor CJ is the administrator over the other pastors who teach the S.A.L.T. material to the loan clients.
 |
| Pastor Sujay (pronounced CJ) |
While we were driving up the mountainside, we encountered many villagers carrying huge loads of beans and other supplies on their heads as they went to market. I asked Pastor CJ if they have any chiropractors in the area and he said that they didn't. I couldn't imagine carrying a load like that up the mountainside and never stopping. Most of the ladies (and men) don't even try to balance the goods on top of their head with their hands. That's what I call real balance. :)
 |
| Most of the villagers carry their goods to market on their heads |
When we arrived to where we were headed up in the mountains, we came upon one of the country-side markets (pictured below). There were people everywhere as you can see just browsing through all of the goods for sale. Some of the businesses represented in these markets were restaurants, clothing piles, shoe racks, food supplies, and misc. goods.
 |
| Entering one of the markets we attended |
From the opposite side of the market looking back (as pictured below) we saw the big huge bean bags being loaded into the back of a big truck headed down the mountainside to the city of Port-au-prince. These bags have been filled by villagers who work all day to fill a bag to sell to purchase enough food for the day and maybe some clothes and something else to prepare for the non-growing season.
 |
| Looking through the market |
While we were at the markets we talked to many of the loan clients and bought some of their goods, food, etc. We found out about their situations in the past and how the microloans are helping them to alleviate the handout mentality and to break free from poverty. Some of the clients who have been in the program for multiple loans now have established businesses who make a profit of up to $15-20 per day. This is much better than the average $2 a day that most workers make. With the $15-20 per day they are able to set aside enough to feed their families, clothe their children, send their children to school, help their parents and family members in difficult times, and to learn the power of giving to other needs. Every person has a God-given natural instinct wanting to give something to someone else. We find this same situation here in America where for example a gang member steals something to give it to their mother. Rarely are the goods that are stolen used for their own gain but rather it is used to benefit someone else in need. While this method is not ethical or moral it does show how each person wants to contribute to a greater need than themselves.
 |
| Our group having a lively anabaptist discussion in the evening |
In the picture above, after we finished visiting the
clinic administered by Gospel to Haiti we had a lively Anabaptist discussion talking about the Internet, Facebook, Community or Individualism, the divide between the Older and Younger Generations, etc. This was a profitable discussion that helped us all understand each other and our different backgrounds a little bit better.
 |
| Pastor CJ giving his animated talk about the wasteful use of cellphones |
On Tuesday evening we stayed at the
Gospel to Haiti Mission for the night. In the picture above, Pastor CJ is giving an animated talk about how Haitians wastefully use their cellphones. He said that the Haitians answer the phone and say, Hey, Hey, multiple times. Then they will say something funny and will laugh and laugh for minutes. After demonstrating this for us, CJ said that he tells the Haitians that they are paying money that they should be saving or using to pay for their children's education to say hey and to laugh. Instead of saying hey and laughing CJ says that they should only use their cellphones for necessary short phonecalls.
 |
| Hiking up to Grandpa Harold's House |
On Wednesday Morning, we hiked up to "Grandpa" Harold's house way up on the mountainside. The picture above is a picture of our group hiking up to his house.
 |
| The incredible view from Grandpa Harold's House |
When the
earthquake in 2010 hit Haiti, "Grandpa" Harold (79 years old) said that he was hiking up to his house. Grandpa illustrated how that when it hit he was thrown to the ground with velocity that almost hurt him. When he looked up he say the mountains all around him shaking incessantly. His first thought was that the Lord had returned to call his remnant bride home to heaven. Then he noticed that he was still here on earth. After making the rest of the hike up to his home he only found minimal damages in his house structure. Haitians, according to Grandpa Harold, were scared to hike on the trail for months following the quake in fear that they would be killed by another quake.
 |
| Grandpa Harold explaining his experience when the earthquake hit in 2010 |
After talking to Grandpa up at his house we made our way back to the Gospel to Haiti Mission where we packed our bags again and said goodbye to Steve & Shaina Simmons (pictured below) who are the directors of the mission.
 |
| Steve & Shaina Simmons at Gospel to Haiti Compound |
After leaving the Gospel to Haiti compound we visited a church rebuilding project (pictured below) facilitated by the Gospel to Haiti. This is a church that was not built properly in the first place and was structurally damaged in the earthquake of 2010.
 |
| Church Rebuilding Project |
Later on Wednesday we went back to a few markets to talk to a few more of the loan clients. Below, Clint Bower, the administrator of the Ag Plus S.A.L.T. program, is talking to one of his clients.
 |
| Clint talking with one of the clients at market |
Later on Wednesday afternoon we traveled back down the mountainside to the city of Ti-Goave to the main S.A.L.T. office where we spent the evening meeting one of the local pastors (pictured below) who teach the S.A.L.T. material. We also participated in a bi-weekly loan meeting with one of the loan groups. This was fascinating to experience. Of course I couldn't understand what was said because it was all spoken in Creole but it was easy to understand what was being conveyed through body language. We also had a little bit of interpretation by Clint Bower & Darv Siebel.
 |
| A pastor at the bi-weekly loan meeting |
Below is a picture of the loan group I mentioned above. Over 70% of the loan clients are women. The reason for this statistic is that the women feel responsible for the well being of their children whereas the men are more slackers and care very little about what happens in their family.
 |
| The group of six at the bi-weekly loan meeting |
On Thursday we traveled back to the city of Port-au-prince and visited some of the Americanized markets. While we there we purchased some of the local Haitian coffee and some of the wooden bowls and misc other products. One of the boys there who was approximately 12 years old came up to me as I was passing out Creole tracts and started talking to me in English. That was a big surprise. After spending the past few days in the country where none of the Haitians talk English it was almost a breath of fresh air. This young boy said that his parents died when he was young and he has raised himself alone in the streets of Port-au-prince. He said that the Lord saved him a few years ago and that he has been attending church ever since.
We then left Port-au-prince and headed to the
Blue Ridge International compound. On the Blue Ridge compound there is another ministry called
LIFE Literature. Grandpa Harold is the Haiti representative for LIFE Literature. Grandpa Harold gave us a tour of their office and how their ministry operates.
 |
| Simeon & Melanie Shankster (and Solomon whom they are in the process of adopting) |
After visiting the LIFE Literature office on the Blue Ridge compound we walked back to Simeon and Melanie Shankster's house. Simeon is the local pastor on the Blue Ridge Compound.
In the picture below, is one of the Blue Ridge trucks that was not in operation when we visited. Blue Ridge has 10-20 or so staff that go out into the countrysides up in the mountain areas and drill wells for the villages. They charge a small fee to drill the wells. This fee does not cover the cost so the rest of the expense is covered by donations. The mindset behind charging for the service is that the village will take better responsibility of the well and they will have a sense of ownership in the well that they don't have when they are given a service free of charge.
 |
| Blue Ridge Truck |
Thursday evening, after visiting the Blue Ridge compound we made it to our final destination in Haiti - the
Christian Aid Ministries compound. While we were there for the evening, we took our group photo as you can see below. As you can probably tell, I was by far the youngest one in the group. I was blessed beyond measure to experience this trip with all of these older & much wiser men of God. I also gained a few new relationships through this venture with other Accountants. Of those pictured below, 7 are accountants and 2 are business owners.
 |
| Our Group Photo from left to right, starting on the top row (Arlin Martin, Kevin Jacobs, Curt Wagoner, Jeff Bowman, Darv Seibel, David Flory, Ervin Esh, Leonard Meador, myself, Randy Jenkins |
 |
| Getting ready to leave Haiti |
What is the S.A.L.T. Program?
SALT stands for Shared Accountability Lending & Teaching. This is a program that gives out small loans to help poor people make a living on their own.
In the words of Christian Aid Ministries:
Our goal is to provide sustainable Christ-centered solutions, and to break the cycle of physical and spiritual poverty that grips communities around the world today. We believe this is best accomplished by giving opportunity for men and women to put their God-given abilities to work. These are not individuals looking for a free handout, but simply people in need of both capital and training.
The primary purpose of SALT microfinance is to help men and women find eternal life through Jesus Christ. Secondly, we want to walk with them as they make the transition from poverty to providing for themselves.
One of the greatest hurdles that confronts aid organizations today is the challenge of providing sustainable solutions. Poverty continues to grow, and many countries have become addicted to continual foreign aid. Our vision is to provide a path out of the seemingly endless cycle of poverty that plagues many families around the world. Our desire is to help the struggling by giving them opportunity to provide for themselves.
To accomplish this, we offer business and spiritual teaching and provide loans to develop small enterprises. These businesses are intended to supply a steady income, enabling families to purchase good food, decent housing, and education for their families. As these businesses expand, the effects spread beyond the family into the community and local economy.
In-Text Citation (Christian Aid Ministries, 2013) *1
The Problem: Relief
To illustrate the problem with relief, I will use the story of mosquitoes. A few years ago a news article written by Wall Street Journal told about a village in Africa that had a big problem with malaria. A church group had came to this village and saw the problem and wrote back home about the problem and the need for mosquito nets. The church back in the states gathered together enough money to buy 10,000 nets to send to this village in Africa. When the report was brought back to the states when this church group came back everything was cheery and rosy. The report detailed how the problem had been solved in this village. Then a year later a news reporter from WSJ decided to visit this village and check up on the progress of these mosquito nets. What he found was appalling. The problem with malaria was worse than ever and the unemployment in this village was much worse than it was before the church group had come down to "solve the problem." What this news reporter shared was the fact that the 10,000 mosquito nets brought down from America had put out of business a local mosquito factory. This in turn created higher unemployment in the village. On top of that, when the next rainy season came around there was no local mosquito net company to purchase mosquito nets from.
The Solution: Development
To illustrate the solution of development I will use the story of rickshaws. There was a small group of villagers in Asia who worked everyday carrying goods on top of their heads for a local company and barely made enough money to live on. One day, one of these workers had an idea that he shared with the other villagers. His idea was for each worker in their group to set aside a dollar each week and combine it into a group pool of money. A few months later the group had enough money set aside to loan money to one of the workers to be able to purchase a rickshaw. This continued until each worker had purchased their own rickshaw. Once this was accomplished they had enough money to send their children to school and to give to others' needs. Then this worker had another idea. Since they were making more money than they had before they could each contribute a greater amount to the savings account and in turn purchase trucks to haul their goods. This was a successful venture that solved the problem of poverty by just setting aside a little money up front to solve the problem for future generations.
Job 29:16 says, "I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out." In this verse Job shows the need for discernment. We can apply this verse to the problem of poverty to discern the difference between chronic poverty and critical poverty. The way we do this is by focusing first on the cause rather than just the effect of poverty. A few critical basic points to microfinance lending in countries like Haiti are:
- It is important to discern to right tool to use before trying to help.
- It is probable that the people of Haiti don't really need everything exactly like we have.
- It is necessary to identify the cause of poverty first and then decide what the best tool to use is.
- Which tool is the most important? The most important tool is absolutely the one that fits and fixes the problem.
- Different tools are necessary at different times.
- Take the time necessary to discern which tool is the correct tool to use.
The tools that I refer to above are the tools of relief and development. The tool of relief is necessary when the problem is a direct or indirect result of a calamity (e.g. 2010 Earthquake). The tool of development is necessary when the problem has developed over time and possibly many generations.
The problem with providing the tool of relief when the tool of development should be used is that it tells the poor that they are incapable of solving the problem on their own. This also creates a shift of focus from their resources, gifts, and capabilities to our resources.
In recap, I have shared what the SALT program is, along with the problem of continual relief and the solution to poverty by using development. This trip to Haiti was an incredible time to learn through serving about the problem and solution to poverty. I hope to continue learning how that God created each individual capable of solving most of their own problems when they have the correct tools to do so.
Resources & References:
No comments:
Post a Comment