Haiti Micah Project Update

The Haiti Micah Project (HMP) Board of Directors had its most recent meeting on 18 April 2008 at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, VA. Highlights of the meeting are as follows:

Joseph Constant reviewed his recent trip to Haiti during the week of 17 March 2008.

He said that the food crisis was at a boiling point when he arrived. It has since erupted into political turmoil in Haiti, with the Prime Minister being fired, and violence in Port-au-Prince. The price of rice has tripled. The price of gas is $6.00 per gallon. With 50% of the people in Haiti living on $1 per day, many people cannot even afford basic food needs. Many are even eating dirt cakes. Father Constant said that the violence has not spread to the central plateau including Mirebalais, but the stress of high food prices is everywhere in the country. The HMP board is monitoring the situation to determine if its $2,000 per month funding is sufficient to feed our 115 homeless children.

Father Constant met with several of our children and he said that they all feel very grateful to HMP for its help, and that we give them hope. Many of the children dream of becoming educated so that they can become teachers, doctors, nurses, etc. to help their community in the future.

HMP has submitted its application to the Haiti government to become an official non-profit charity in Haiti. When officially approved, HMP will be eligible for charitable activities in Haiti, such as Food for the Poor. In addition, HMP will be allowed to own property in Haiti.

Father Constant visited the home in Mirebalais that has been offered as a potential home for up to twenty children. The owners will hold the house available to us until we do our cost analysis to determine if we can expand our efforts at this time to house some of the children in addition to the feeding program. A church in Massachusetts is considering covering the rent for this.

Father Constant also visited the house in Port-au-Prince that has been offered to HMP for ownership, and potential sale for HMP project support. HMP cannot currently own property in Haiti until its charity status in Haiti is made official. The current owner will either sell the property himself and donate the proceeds to HMP, or will wait until HMP is officially approved in Haiti for the property transfer.

Father Constant also inspected the SUV that HMP wishes to purchase to support its efforts. The owner is currently in the U.S. and we will complete the sale when he returns to Haiti.

Several boxes of donated supplies from St. Paul’s were delivered to HMP. This will be the first set of items that will be sent to Haiti, as a test case to see how this process will work.

St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Taunton, MA has agreed to be a partner church to HMP.

Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Vienna, VA has signed up as a partner church to HMP.

Sankofa International Baptist Church in Washington, DC has pledged $1,200 to HMP for this year.

HMP submitted for a $10,000 grant from the Daughters of the King organization.

Final plans will be made by 1 June for the HMP trip to Haiti planned for 30 June – 5 July. Currently seven people have indicated that they will go to Haiti on this trip. While we are there, a contingent of doctors from the U.S. representing the National Organization for the Advancement of Haitians (NOAH) have agreed to partner with HMP and visit Mirebalais to initiate a medical program for our 115 children.