Project Gonaives
Gonaives is a large city on the western coast of Haiti, and was battered successively by repeat hurricanes in the fall of 2008. The roads were destroyed and the town flooded, and the city is yet to recover. People waited on 3rd story rooftops for days without assistance until the water level descended far enough so that they could swim to higher parts of the town for safety. Thousands of people died, and thousands of homes, businesses, schools, and churches were permanently ruined by the sludge from the flood waters.
Zions’s Children of Haiti, "Les Enfants de Sion," was conceived by Herby Dalencourt, Isabelle Flecher, and Harry Flecher- lifelong residents of Gonaives. They had dreamt of increased access to education as a ray of hope for the future of their community in Gonaives. This concept was developed before the hurricane in 2008, and afterwards, their project and the need for immediate action became urgent. Jeff Bigelow, Alexis Bigelow, and Lauren Lyons first visited Gonaives in May 2009. There they witnessed firsthand the destruction still in disarray throughout the city. They were able to meet members of the board and meet some of the children and families in need of education. It was then that they decided to partner with Herby and his friends to start an organization to help their dreams come to realization.
In 2009 we were able to gather funds to sponsor education for 11 primary school aged children. In 2010, we are planning to replicate and expand this. We have a trip planned in August 2010 where 6 of our board members will be traveling to Gonaives to meet with Herby, Isabelle and others to discuss plans Zion's Children's plans for the future, to analyze sustainability, and to meet more of the children and families in need.
Annual school support costs around only US $220 per child, including uniform and books. This cost is small but is far out of the reach of most families in Gonaives. As the public school system is effectively defunct, private school education is the only method to ensure education and French language training, which truly opens doors for future employment. In addition, since the earthquake on January 12, 2010 in Port-au-Prince, though Gonaives was spared further physical damage, many refugees from Port-au-Prince have fled to Gonaives, and the education system is going to be more overwhelmed than ever.
Herby's, Isabelle's, and Harry's dreams include:
- providing education for 24 children (or more) on a regular yearly basis
- plans for an afterschool program, including English education
- establishing an orphanage for the street children of Gonaives
- skills training program for adults to learn an employable skills, including establishing a computer-training center
We have partnered with our colleagues in Gonaives to help make their dreams happen. "Men anpil, chay pa lou" (Many hands make light work).
