In listening to Chanette’s story over the phone, we learned that she grew up in Williamson and her father had left her family at a young age. She only attended school through third grade because her mother couldn’t afford school tuition. Chanette shared with Peter that her mother passed away when she was only 14 years old. She felt very much alone in the world, aside from her young daughter.
Over the last 10 years Chanette has earned a living washing clothes. It is exhausting work – hauling water from the well, scrubbing clothes on a washboard, hauling more water for rinsing and then hanging the clothes to dry. All this work for very little pay.
Yet as many families have fled from Williamson, Chanette has found it nearly impossible to make ends meet. The few families remaining in Williamson haven’t been able to afford her services and she has had virtually no work.
After Chanette was done sharing her story, I heard Peter’s voice crack. In English he whispered, “I have to walk away. I can’t stop the tears.” This man who has witnessed so much poverty in Haiti over the years was brought to tears by the story of this young mom with little hope in this world.
Once Peter was able to compose himself, our team made a plan. They first prayed with Chanette and reminded her of God’s love. Chanette also received a food pack that would feed her family for two months, and World Wide Village paid her daughter’s tuition so she could attend preschool and receive nutritious school lunches.
For our amazing staff in Haiti, meeting daily needs can be exhausting. Sometimes it feels like we’re just putting a Band-Aid on a complex problem that can’t be solved in a day. But our hope is that Chanette, and others like her, might catch a glimpse of God’s love through our small, daily acts of care. Thank you for making this important work possible.
FOOD PACKS:
Many families in Haiti are hungry. With soaring food prices and no end in sight for the violence and chaos, these families need our help. Thanks to your ongoing generosity, the Pierre Family, the Estainma Family and many more received food packs this month.
These packages of food are a lifeline to families in desperate need of help and bring big smiles from young to old. Thank you for helping meet needs and showing the love of Christ to the people of Haiti who are hurting.
FLAG DAY:
Last month, children in the schools were able to enjoy a little fun on Haitian Flag Day. For many children, this is their favorite day of the year. The people of Haiti celebrate the culture and heritage of their country on Flag Day with brightly colored red and blue clothing and the Haitian flag flying high. Even as Haiti has faced ongoing violence, Haitians love and take pride in their country as they commemorate the first sewing of the Haitian Flag in 1803.
As we celebrated Haitian Flag Day this year, we also recognized the struggles of this beautiful country with its beautiful people. Many cannot afford to put food on the table. Even more have been forced from their homes due to gang activity. All feel the heavy weight of living in a country torn by violence.
Thank you for continuing to lift up families in Haiti through World Wide Village. God is blessing His people in Haiti through your generosity!
