Hait Crisis – A Real Paine?

Thomas Paine, the author of The Crisis, wrote at the outset of the American Revolution - " These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." And so it is in Haiti today - a country sun-drenched in turmoil with no readily available solutions to bring relief to the suffering of its people. The word "politician" has become synonymous with the word "corrupt" and the non-politicians are rebelling amidst an under belly of riotous and self-defeating conduct. I do not know what the adults are thinking, but I do know that they do not seem to care about the negative impact being inflicted upon the children and the future of Haiti.

This year, 2019, COHH celebrates its 15th Anniversary in Haiti. Our mission has never been political. It has always been focused on providing a viable education for children in Haiti who would not otherwise have an opportunity for an education. We started small - one class of 15 children, in the first grade, from the poorest of the poor families in Hinche, Haiti. Through the generosity of donors of all ages (including children), from various parts of the world, COHH has grown to 126 children in grades 1-9, on a 14 acre campus that is slowly being built out to meet the growth. It has not been an easy mission to accomplish and we struggle every day with issues the solutions for which we find ourselves turning to God.

We've had to close our school doors several times this year due to road blocks and threats of violence that keep our children and teachers at home. The children miss two meals a day and the teachers miss their pay checks, but most of all, the children are being denied a proper education that will help them as leaders of tomorrow change the paradigm that is now Haiti. 

We began construction on our desperately needed third classroom building in May with the hope and expectation of finishing the building in January 2020. We have been fundraising over two years to raise the money to build the building. Knowing the perils of stopping construction in mid-stream, we did not want to start construction and then have to stop due to a lack of funds to complete the building. Today, we stopped construction - not because of a lack of funds, but because of the inability to get construction materials out of Port Au Prince due to road blocks, riots and the lack of fuel for transportation. 

The shutdown of construction will have a tidal wave impact. The classrooms will not be available for the children. The construction workers will lose their jobs and their families will lose the desperately needed income. The local vendors will not make deliveries and benefit from a working labor force in the community. The price to complete construction will go up and the existing sitework will be subject to deterioration. Perhaps the worst outcome from the COHH point of view will be the potential for fundraising to achieve our mission - educate the children, being diminished

These are indeed times that try men and women's souls.  Where are the people that stand up for the future of Haiti. Let them step forward and be loved by all.