“We are living a disaster.”

Chavannes leads protests in the streets of Hinche.

Perhaps you remember Chavannes, founder of the EcoVillages in rural Haiti, as the grandfatherly gentleman who visited Atlanta last year. He thanked us for building the EcoVillage School and asked us to help finish the project.  

Today, he is more Jeremiah than grandpa, prophetically calling on the President and his wealthy supporters to mend their ways.  He is helping lead the nationwide, peaceful rebellion against corruption in government and oppression of Haiti’s poor.  

Haiti is in crisis. What began months ago as occasional demonstrations has escalated into a full-fledged effort to shut down the country until the government falls. Schools, government functions, ports and banks are closed. President Moise refuses to resign, with the support of the U.S. government. (To learn more about the backstory of the people’s revolt read “ ’There Is No Hope’: Crisis Pushes Haiti to Brink of Collapse,” New York Times, October 21  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/20/world/americas/Haiti-crisis-violence.html )

The unrest, which in the first months was concentrated in the capitol Port-au-Prince, has now reached our friends in the Central Plateau. 

Pressure and threats to join the nationwide shutdown led to the closing of the EcoVillage School in October. A few days ago, Director Ramain and the parents courageously reopened the school, watching to see if it will be safe. Almost all of the other schools in the country are closed.

Our friends in the EcoVillages are fortunate to have their own food.  They can subsist, but many others are in trouble. 60% of Haiti’s food comes from imports.  NGOs report that as many as 3.5 million people need emergency food assistance now. (To learn more about the current food crisis read, NGOs warn about deterioration of food security in Haiti,” ReliefWeb, November 21 https://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/ngos-warn-about-deterioration-food-security-haiti-more-35-million-people-need-emergency )

The Atlanta EcoVillage School Partnership will keep you informed about events.  Haiti was in the news on January 12, the 10th anniversary of the greatest natural disaster in the history of the Western Hemisphere, in which as many as 250,000 people died.  Please keep the Haitian people in your prayers.

Life Improves in the EcoVillages

Education. Enrollment at the school has grown from 170 last year to 267 this year. A new 7th grade classroom was added. 

The thirst for learning is contagious. Parents are now clamoring for adult literacy classes so that they can learn to read and help their kids in school.

Electricity.  It doesn’t look like much, but a pole can be a beautiful thing.  Our partners at the Unitarian-Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) in Boston approved a grant to bring electricity to the six EcoVillages this year.  The power is now on! There is a pole next to the community center building in each village which provides light at night.  Residents must buy a meter to bring power to their own homes, which some have already done.  Residents are already imagining how their lives might change.

Water. Wells in two of the villages were broken last year. UUSC paid to have them fixed.  Now there is nearby water for everyone. Clean clothes feel good.

Food. Everywhere you look there is food: congo beans, cassava, plantains, papaya, bananas, peppers, cabbage, squash.  You even hear chickens peck and goats bleat and an occasional pig grunt.  The days of empty pots and lean harvests are behind them – at least for now. 

Collaboration.  Parents understand that they must coordinate their efforts to grow food for school lunches.  Thanks in part to a grant from PATH (Atlanta’s Presbyterian Answer to Hunger) new school gardens have been planted, expanding their contribution dramatically. Hot, organic meals are served to the students every day of the week. Cassava came in this month, cabbage next week and squash in November.  As a result, the school budget for food has been slashed so that precious funds can be allocated elsewhere.

When asked about his life in the village, one man replied matter-of-factly, “Sometimes it’s good, sometimes not.” In other words, for many life has returned to familiar routines.  The struggle for basics -- survival and safety and a place to belong – is being replaced by the struggle to get ahead.  You know -- normalcy. 

Give a gift to Tanisha and Djemima and all our friends in School in Haiti

Today please remember our special friends and partners in Haiti.  The children who now attend school are relying on your help to continue in their studies and create productive, meaningful lives. They have hope and faith because you have helped them.  Won't you help them today?

Planning with Partners

This week, Oct. 16-20, delegates are gathering from UUSC in Boston and The Haiti EcoVillage School Partners (formerly known as Atlanta Church Group). They are traveling to The EcoVillages to meet with the Executive Team at MPP to discuss plans for the coming year. 

Scott Grosse and Chris Calia, from Atlanta, will be sending news updates and photos as the internet connections allow. 

This time together builds our bonds, enhances our connections and strengthens our goals as we enter our last year of building the classrooms for our school.  

Follow their journey and keep the families and friends of the EcoVillages in your heart and mind.