Hello Friends
Greetings, and thanks for visiting our website. Since the time of the January 2010 earthquake, our urban and rural partnership efforts in Haiti have kept us really busy and we apologize for the delay in getting our website updated!
Who are we?
Haiti Allies was founded in 2002 as an outreach of the Madison Christian Community-a multi-denominational entity. Members of our organization have been in working relationship with our partners in Haiti for over twenty years. Solid, well-built partnership has been and continues to be the key to our successful efforts in Haiti. Haiti Allies has approximately twenty-five active core members, with hundreds more both nation wide and world wide following our efforts.
Group Trips:
Haiti Allies offers group trips twice annually. Joining us on a trip to Haiti is the best way to see our partnership efforts first hand. The next trip is from August 9-17, 2012, and there are still a couple of spots open! Just select the Trips to Haiti icon and you can read more about trips.
Two Years After the earthquake:
Overall, in the greater Port au Prince area, many of the areas hard hit by the earthquake look no different. Rubble still sits, and houses are still lying toppled. There is no large scale relief or housing effort that is visible. Thousands of people still live in tent camps and still only a fraction of that massive amount of aid money that was collected for Haiti, has ever been released to Haiti.
Partnership Efforts-Urban:
1. CSCS (Cite Soleil Community School)
Though the structure itself is in desperate need of a rebuild, Cite Soleil Community School continues to shine as a beacon of light in a ravaged landscape.
Cite Soleil, Haiti is one of the poorest, most dangerous places in the Western Hemisphere. It is a shantytown or slum just outside the capitol city of Port au Prince. Residents live crammed on top of one another, in structures made from scraps. Residents live without electricity, without access to medical care, and there are very few schools. CSCS aides in providing a critical education need in the community.
CSCS is home to 225 students from kindergarten through 7th grade. Educational curriculum is typical of an elementary school, with studies including reading, writing, math, science, geography and history.
Built in March of 2010 to serve as a temporary, post-earthquake structure, the plywood and tarps are no longer holding up to sun, rain, wind, heat and termites. We are hoping to find a solution soon. Estimated cost of a permanent structure for CSCS is 150,000 USD.
2. S.P.A.R.E - Secondary School Sponsorship Program (45 Students in secondary school, trade school, and/or university). SPARE was designed so that students finished with Cite Soleil Elementary School could continue on with secondary level education, keep off the streets, away from a life of gangs and guns. This program unites in relationship an individual student with a foreign (American, Canadian…) sponsor. The student and sponsor have an e-mail relationship throughout the year, and Haiti Allies runs group trips several times annually where sponsors and others can experience Haiti and sponsors can visit their student if desired. The sponsor agrees to pay between $900 USD and $1200 USD annually to provide their student with an education, including books, tuition, and uniform.
3. Community School Feeding Program: 225 students, one meal per day (cost of this program is $60,000 annually).
The feeding program at CSCS developed out of the realization that a hungry, sick child cannot learn. Most children in Cite Soleil are severely malnourished, therefore even if an education is provided, many children were missing school due to illness, and lack of energy, of even if in attendance could not concentrate. The meal program made an almost immediate difference in the health and attentiveness of the children.
The daily meal that we are currently struggling to provide is locally grown and locally purchased Haitian food. A kitchen staff of five purchases this food at a local market daily, and cooks it on site daily. The meal is one serving of beans and rice, served with a bit of salad and a lemonade drink made with purified water.
4. Adult Education
We currently offer some extra adult education classes at CSCS-English and Computer skills.
Partnership Effort-Rural:
1. Tent City Relocation
On the night of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, many ran from their homes. In subsequent months (now years) people squatting in fields, living in cardboard and sheet dwellings, hoped aid would arrive. The aid did not arrive.
The Delmas 19 Tent Camp is home to 125 families; mostly women and children. Residents of this camp have been in danger for the past month because the land that they currently squat on is desired by a bank. Thus far two resident deaths have been reported, from violent attempts to drive these people off of the land.
Haiti Allies secured a piece of government appointed land in the countryside two weeks ago so that we can begin the process of relocating the families to safety. Next steps are to secure a shelter for each family. The total cost of relocation per family is $200 USD. This fee includes entrance badges for the members of the family (permission to be on this land), water rights, and a basic shelter.
| Photo Gallery (Click on any photo to view a larger version) |
|
 Effort 1-CSCS students lining up for a new day at school! |
 Effort 2-A group of SPARE students along with SPARE director Guy Morelus |
 Effort 3-CSCS Feeding Program |
 Effort 3-CSCS Feeding Program |
 Effort 3-CSCS Feeding Program |
 Effort 4: Adult Education-Computer Skills |
 Adult Education-English Class |
 Tent Camp Relocation-From This... |
 To This |
 And This |