Faces from Haiti

Lucien Frances is the youngest member of a Plant With Purpose work team in Trouin, Haiti. As part of Plant With Purpose’s short-term employment program he has helped dig contour canals and plant trees. Lucien was displaced from Port au Prince, where he was living and attending high school before the quake. The quake destroyed one wall of his home, and he and four family members relocated to rural Trouin to stay with his grandmother. Back in the city, Lucien’s mother sold sandals, shoes and other items, which they would buy at the port in Port au Prince and then resell in a sidewalk market near Carrefour. His father sold lottery tickets from a small “bank” which was destroyed in the earthquake.

Plant With Purpose’s short-term employment program has been the first work they have had since they arrived on January 18^th, six days after the earthquake. They are using the much-needed income to buy food for the whole family. Lucien hopes to go back to school again when it opens (many schools opened in early April, but not all).

Currently Plant With Purpose is employing 600 people at a time: 30 teams of 20 creating soil erosion barriers, planting trees and rehabilitating watersheds. Every two weeks we hire new teams to spread the benefit out as much as possible. To date 1,300 people have been put to work.

We are grateful to be able to provide individuals like Lucien with employment opportunities that reinvigorate the local economy, and accomplish something very necessary: the rehabilitation and restoration of Haitian agricultural lands. We are inspired by the resilience we’ve seen, and are grateful to partner with Haitians to spark a glimmer of hope in a desperate situation.

Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti! You can also help by donating online at www.plantwithpurpose.org toward our relief and long-term recovery efforts. Or, consider sponsoring a village in Haiti. Your $30 a month sponsorship will double thanks to a matching grant, which will greatly impact the lives of a Haitian community by providing them with the food and shelter they so desperately need. Thank you for your support!