Today on the Hope Grows compound, 300 children will arrive, crowd into the small church and sing a few favorite songs, perhaps have a short story, then head over to the outdoor kitchen to receive a hefty meal of beans and rice from our team of cooks. They line up in order of age, littlest ones first, then are helped to a place to sit and eat in the shade of a giant mango tree.
We have been serving food three days a week for the past eight years and in 2016, due to a recent donation, we increased it to five days a week. Our meals are often the only ones these kids have to fill their empty tummies.
Food prepared is sometimes from Kids Against Hunger, which has an added component of nutrition, but when that is gone we buy huge bags of rice, clean and cook black beans, then add dried vegetables and protein mix. Every meal is consumed with enthusiasm, and we are so excited to see a difference in their physical appearance and overall health.
Everyday we have kids come to the compound dressed in what we would call rags. Too big, too small, torn or worn, it is usually all they own. Having them at our feeding program gives us an opportunity to discreetly take them into a building, change their clothing into one that fits and looks new, then roll their old ones up and tuck it under their arm to take home.
Four years ago Gord Rodin, Co-founder of Hope Grows, developed a building system specific to the needs and challenges of Haiti. It is a panel system that incorporates wire mesh and concrete that can be produced manually by the Haitians, and one that he believes to be Hurricane proof and Earthquake resistant. This system also provides cool and sturdy buildings in this hot and humid climate.
When Hope Grows began their mission in 2007, most of the schools in the mountain regions of Grand Goave had been closed as the government had ceased to pay teachers. Of the 120,000 people in that region, 110,000 lived in the mountains. Education became a priority.
Until April 2016, medical help was restricted to wound care and occasional teams including nurses and doctors. The church was used to run a few days of clinics, but otherwise daily available help was not possible.