FFP HQ & Gonaives

Today, we spent the afternoon meeting with the CEO of Food for the Poor, Robin Mafood, learning more about the desperate situation in Haiti.  Of immediate need are more wells and better roads.  Other projects on-going through Food for the Poor include Talapia farms, fishing villages and housing along the coast.  

After FFP, we headed to our hotel for dinner and a discussion of Haiti's history and the projects we are working on and considering.  

Tomorrow -- after a 5:00 am alarm -- our travel team, Delane Bailey with Food for the Poor, Ed Buckley, Father Bill Deneke, John Beasley, Amanda Farahany and Ben Barrett, will fly to Port au Prince and immediately proceed by jeep and truck north towards Gonaives, a region recently ravaged by hurricanes and floods.  We plan to investigate whether artesian wells or some other water system will assist in supporting the population.  This will be a mid-point on our drive through the country to Port de Paix, which is expected to take approximately 10 hours.  Along the way we hope to visit a number of villages.  Ed has brought along soccer and footballs for the kids at each of our stops.  

We hope to text updates along the way.  

Food for the Poor HQ

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

At the airport and headed for FT Lauderdale

Follow Our Journey

Tomorrow a small group of those committed to this project and led by Ed Buckley along with guides from Food for the Poor will embark on yet another journey to and across Haiti to visit the sites of many of the wells, dedicate several that have recently been constructed and view areas in need of assistance. Please follow our journey, comment and consider joining the cause.

One of the Wells in Haiti

This is one of the many wells our project has funded through partnership with Food For The Poor. Water-Life-Hope is a partnership with Food For The Poor to raise $500,000 for the construction of water wells in Haiti. So far the project has raised enough money to fund over 100 such wells, 70 of which are now in place and each of which provides 5,000 or more people with clean, safe, drinking water.

The website for our project with Food For The Poor can be accessed here.

Trip to Haiti - Itinerary

Monday, Nov. 30
1:00 pm Food For The Poor in Coconut Creek for lunch, orientation & tour
4:00 pm Transfer to Ramada Inn
6:00 pm Dinner at hotel

Tuesday, Dec 1
8:35 am Depart Ft. Lauderdale on American Airlines flight # 807
10:25 am Arrive in Port au Prince
Drive to Port de Paix
Breakfast/ Lunch on the road
Gonaives
Check in to local hotel in Port de Paix
Dinner on the road or at hotel depending on time of arrival

Wednesday, Dec 2
6:30 am Breakfast
7:30 am Check out of hotel and depart for local airport
8:30 am Tortug Air charter flight from Port de Paix to Cap Haitien
8:50 am Arrive in Cap Haitien
Check in to the Hotel Picolet
Water project sites
Prolonge swamp
6:00 pm Reflection meeting & dinner at hotel

Thursday, Dec 3
6:00 am Check out of the Picolet and depart to airport
6:50 am Tortug Air flight from Cap Haitien to Port au Prince
7:20 am Arrive in Port au Prince
Breakfast at FFP office
Warehouse feeding program – participate in distribution
Little Children of Jesus Home at Santo – handicapped children
Santo Farm – Pangassius fish project
Lunch at Santo
Cite Soleil:
• Marguerite Nasseau
• Ti Haiti School
• Housing – old and new
Check in to the Hotel Montana
6:00 pm Reflection meeting & dinner at hotel

Friday, Dec 4
7:00 am Breakfast
8:00 am Check out of the Montana and depart to airport
11:30 am Depart Port au Prince on America Airlines flight # 1988
1:35 pm Arrive in Ft. Lauderdale

The Haiti Water Project

One third of the children in Haiti will never make it to age five. In Haiti, most people do not have taps, water fountains or access to clean bottled water. The filthy, parasite ridden water they drink is slowly killing them, and for the small and frail, it kills them sooner rather than later. That is why we am so passionate about this project. Go to the link in this Cause. Today you can save a life in a place where every day is a desperate struggle. Look at the photos, watch the video.

Then, if you would, do one more thing. Pay it forward. Even if you don’t have the money to contribute, forward this email or just the link www.foodforthepoor.org/portdepaix to your friends. Tell them that their charitable dollars will have an immediate and tangible impact on Haitian water relief. And here is the impact: For every dollar spent, at least one more Haitian has clean water.

When we visit Haiti, and come upon a new well that this effort has funded people often throw street parties. In these areas, they use freshly picked flowers to form hearts or other designs in the dirt in front of the wells - their way of saying not just thanks, but “we love you for what you are doing.” Communities gather and form at these sites. Small trade occurs. Clothes are washed, children are bathed. This is tangible. This is real. This changes lives – permanently.

These wells survive hurricanes, flooding and other natural disasters (and there are many in Haiti). We have checked o them after these events. They are still pumping and saving lives during disasterous times. Ask them to help, and ask them to pay it forward to others. Together we can raise people out of poverty, sickness and despair in Haiti. Go to www.foodforthepor.org/portdepaix now and make an immediate difference. It will take about the same amount of time to do this as it would to take to have a long cool drink of water. And what a difference it will make.