ASAP Haiti
Your Sponsorship can Keep a Child in School
A Piece of Chalk
In 1993, a Haitian born young professional visited Sam in his office, and with tears in his eyes said, “My father’s school in Haiti is going to close.” Sam asked, “Why is it to close?” thinking he would hear how people are dying of starvation, and teachers and students are fainting from hunger. But Sam soon learned that the Haitian people are too proud to even let hunger close down a school. Education is their greatest hope to a better life. Their crisis was – “The school had run out of chalk. Teachers could not teach without chalk.” When a school has no pencils, paper, or books – all a teacher has to teach with is the information held in their own heads, a piece of chalk and a chalk board. When visiting a Haitian school it is exhilarating to hear the chanting of words, numbers, equations, etc. back and forth between the teacher and students.
It should be of no surprise that Sam Muyskens is a man of action. When the young Haitian visitor left his office he immediately called Harold Millard, a seasoned traveler with the Kansas West Conference United Methodist Volunteer in Mission program. Within a few weeks Harold and Sam were on their way to Haiti with boxes of chalk. The school was re-opened, and before Harold and Sam left Haiti they had purchased gasoline smuggled into Haiti from the Dominican Republic, for $18.00 a gallon, filled the tank of a borrowed truck, and hired a driver who drove to the Haitian coast and loaded the truck with donated food stranded in the harbor because there were no ‘gasoline filled’ trucks to transport the food. The food was delivered safely to Lambert, Haitian lives were saved, a long-term relationship was developed, and the small school remained open.
(Click here if you want to sponsor a child, only $15 a month)
For sixteen years volunteer doctors, nurses, contractors, laborers, teachers, and religious leaders have traveled to Lambert, Haiti. Together we have worked along side the Haitian people. The school has grown and now serves over 400 students. The project has also helped create a small clinic, initiate a micro-lending project for women, plant thousands of trees, and with the help of Rotary International, Wichita Rotary Clubs and the Cap Haitian Rotary Club in Haiti, we have installed a solar powered water system for the school and community, created a solar powered computer lab, introduced cooking with solar ovens, and initiated a small solar oven factory. Today the school has books, pencils, paper, computers, and “yes” they have chalk!
Click here if you desire to sponsor a child
Today, a New Crisis
STUDENTS NEED A SPONSOR TO STAY IN SCHOOL!
For nearly ten years students have been sponsored through a program located in Kansas City. The Kansas City program provided sponsorship for 200 students. We have recently learned that the organization can no longer support the several schools, including our school in Lambert. The school will lose the sponsorship of 200 students in January 1, 2010. It is our goal at Global Faith in Action to keep every student in school! Would you help?
(Click here to sponsor a child for $15 a month)
Give a Child Hope and a Future for Just $15 a month
The cost is $15 a month or $180 a year. You will be helping children of families who are the poorest households in the Western Hemisphere. If they do not have a sponsor they will not be able to go to school. The government provides public schooling for approximately one percent of the children in Haiti. Over 60% of the Haiti’s children do not go to school. Your $15 a month will pay for the child’s uniform, one meal, and a valued education. We are proud of the education they receive, students from our school rank with the highest in the nation of Haiti.
A New Doctor for Lambert – Dr. Tony St. Martin
Sixteen years ago, when Rev. Sam Muyskens and Harold Millard first traveled to Haiti, Tony St. Martin was ten years old. Already at that age he was interested in “getting an education.” Life was not easy for him. His father left the family for the United States when Tony was very young. The family never heard from him again. Tony’s mother worked hard, became a cook for the Lambert Community School and sold items in a small shop trying to care for her children. Tony did all he could to help. When Tony was around 14 years of age, his family suddenly grew with the addition of three cousins. Their mother and father died and they were left orphaned. Tony’s mom just worked that much harder and Tony again did all he could to help. Despite the additional chores Tony graduated from Secondary School with high honors!
After hearing Tony’s story some doctors from Wichita agreed to help him study to become a doctor. Tony was accepted into Medical School in the Dominican Republic, a nation that shares the same island as Haiti. In Haiti they speak Creole and French. In the Dominican Republic they speak Spanish. Tony had a new challenge. Not only did he have to keep up with the other students studying medicine, but he had to learn Spanish at the same time. Just like his mom, Tony does not let anything defeat him. This summer he graduated from Medical School! We are so proud of him. He was offered a paid position in a Dominican Republic hospital, but that is not what Tony had in mind. He was tempted, but not enough to give up his dream of returning to the area where he grew up. Tony is now back home, living in his mom’s small crowded home. His dream is to give back to the people he loves and desires. Due to the lack of nutrition, poor living and working conditions many people in Tony’s community become gravely ill. A sick family member, who is often the only one who gathers food and supplies for the family, would result in an entire household going hungry and without daily necessities. And so Tony’s first goal is to prevent sickness and disease before it starts.
(click here if you would like to sponsor a child or make a donation to the Lambert Medical Clinic where Dr. Tony St. Martin will be the first doctor ever to serve the area)
Sponsor a Child as an Alternative Holiday Gift!
Make an “alternative gift” to a loved one during this season of giving. Someone who has a compassionate heart and really has everything they need. Perhaps you have several persons on your holiday shopping list that would be overjoyed that you sponsored a child for one year in their name. Global Faith In Action will provide you with a card and a one-page photo album of the school, students, and typical students home. The card will also state the actual name of the child and will be sent to them no later than February 1, and that they would have the opportunity to send a greeting card or correspond with the school children if they desired.
(click here to sponsor a child)
Your Sponsorship is Tax deductible!
Global Faith In Action is a 501 ( c)( 3) non-profit organization.
Your sponsorship contribution is income tax deductible. When they click on Sponsoring a Child it should give them two options. You can either use Pay Pal, or send a check payable to Global Faith In Action and mail it to: Global Faith In Action, 1103 N. Topeka, Wichita, KS 67214.
Over the next few months, with your help, Global Faith in Action can accomplish these projects:
PROJECT ONE: Computer Technology Center
Complete Construction – $ 1,600
Equip with Satellite Dish, Solar Panels & Battery Power, 27 Dell Lap Tops w/French Keyboards (at $300 each)
Total Cost: $14,700
You can make a donation via PayPal here:
You can make a donation via PayPal here:
You can make a donation via PayPal here:
Or you can write a check payable to: Global Faith In Action (write Project 5 in the memo). Mail the donation to: Global Faith In Action, 1103 N. Topeka, Wichita, KS 67214
