Voices from Haiti

Plant With Purpose is responding to the catastrophic earthquake of January 12th with a relief and recovery project that is helping Haitians get back on their feet and giving them hope for the future. Plant With Purpose is providing emergency relief to victims and their families through road clearing, food and seed distribution, and a short-term employment project.

Edzer (not pictured) is a farmer from the Bwanef group who has benefitted from Plant With Purpose’s soil conservation program. He has worked with Plant With Purpose since 1997, and he says that the group has helped him with a lot of things. They have showed him how to protect his land with ramps, soil conservation, and many other techniques, as well as how to plant trees and create nurseries.

Following the January 12th earthquake, Edzer became involved in Plant With Purpose’s “Cash for Work” program. With the cash he is making from this program, he said he is able to get a bit of food to feed his family. Edzer says that planting trees and protecting the land is the most important thing he can do following the earthquake. In February he was given bean seed to plant, and he is already starting to see the first harvest!

“For those who support Plant With Purpose, I want to say a big thank you,” said Edzer. “I don’t know what will happen next, but we are waiting on God and we are thankful for all he has provided for us so far. Things could have been a lot worse for us.”

Three Ways you can Help Haiti:

>Pray that Plant With Purpose will be able to give an appropriate response to the needs of the victims of the earthquake, and for protection against any perils the rainy season may bring.

>Sponsor a Village in Haiti and help transform an entire rural community by empowering them to create economic opportunity and to protect their greatest asset, the land.

>Give to long-term Haiti recovery efforts at www.plantwithpurpose.org.

More voices...

Desire Toussaint'mem of the Davi group sells lotto tickets to support himself. Generally the lotto owner gives him 50 gourdes on every 500 gourdes he sells per day (500 Haitian gourdes=$12.42 US dollars.)

Madam Rigaud Pierre Louis is a farmer in Koray, Haiti who has benefited from Plant With Purpose’s soil conservation program. She also runs a business selling soap, notebooks, cream, and other products. Here, a client visits Madam Riguad at her business in the Blokos Market.