Rood-Djevlo & his family will get a goat!!!

During the one day sale yesterday, one more person purchased the final beanie baby that made up the 8 beanies= 1 goat. Now, the first Danda, Haiti child and their family will get a goat!!! I know the family will be very happy. Rood-Djevlo's family is extremely large in number (there are 9 members in his home). This goat will be very useful. It will provide them with food & give them a sense of security.

Even better news to share, 5 additional beanie babies were purchased, which means we only need 3 more to sell before the next child will get his goat!!! It is all very exciting. Thank you to all who have helped make this happen!!!

And, on another note, His Hands for Haiti now only has 80 children in need of a sponsor!!! They are trying to get all80 sponsored before their group trip to Haiti in March. At the time of the trip, they will be adding the children from the earthquake who have now relocated to the sponsorship program! If you know anyone who may be able to sponsor a child in Haiti, please tell them about the program. 100% of the money goes to Haiti to help the children. It provides them with an education & a hot meal a day. Also, if you are a praying person, please put these children and their families in your prayers. School has reopened (after being closed for almost a month since the earthquake), but many of the children are now too frightened to attend!! If you already have a Haitian child, please write to them and offer word of comfort and encouragement. They need all of the love and support they can get. To sponsor a child, you can see the waiting children here

5 Beanie Babies = 1 Goat!

We have an awesome opportunity that has been provided for us by a kind woman named Kathy. She recently sent some beanie babies to be used to raise money for Haiti. I have posted the beanie babies on the web store, and they are now ready for purchase! The cool thing is after 5 beanie babies have been purchased, a Haitian family receives a goat!! To be a part of this great opportunity, you can purchase a beanie baby here.

The beanie baby sells will help Emerlie, Julnise, Adnel, Francelyn, Renel, Rood-Djevlo, and Wedson’s families! These seven great kids are sponsored through the His Hands for Haiti program by Sara, Mack, Shana, Katja, & Heather. We are raising money to provide each child with a goat. In Haiti, goats are like living banks. They provide families with milk, meat and a source of income.

Emerlie, Julnise, Adnel, Francelyn, Renel, Rood-Djevlo, and Wedson all live in a rural area of Haiti known as Danda. As most of you know by now, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Most Haitians survive on less than $2 a day, and more than a quarter of Haitian children suffer from chronic malnutrition. Danda (which means "Silly People") is a prime example of how difficult life can get it Haiti. This is a small community of approximately 1,000 people. Fourteen other small villages in the area are home to an additional 3,500 people. The area is very remote and very rural. Most people survive as subsistence farmers.

Goats are valuable property in Haiti, the equivalent of a 401(k) in the States. Goat’s milk, the primary milk in Haiti, can add protein to a family’s diet and help prevent malnutrition. Additionally, a full-grown goat can reproduce one to three times a year, providing offspring that can be used for meat or sold. The income that results from selling goat kids can help families buy basic (but otherwise unaffordable) necessities like food, shelter, clothing, schooling and medical care. You can see why, for many rural Haitians, owning a goat is the first step out of poverty.

Here is a bit more information about the sponsored children this project will benefit: Emerlie is 6 years old, and in the 2nd level at school. She lives with her mother and father, 1 brother and 2 sisters. Julnise is 9 years old, in the 1st level at school. She lives with her parents, 3 brothers and 3 sisters. Francelyn, Renel, Rood-Djevlo, Adnel and Wedson are all ten-year-old boys. Francelyn and Adnel are both in the 3rd level in school. Francelyn lives with his father, 1 brother and 1 sister. Adnel lives with his parents and 5 brothers. Renel and Rood-Djevlo are both in the 1st level at school. Renel lives with his mother and 3 sisters. Rood-Djevlo lives with his mother and father, 5 brothers and 2 sisters. Last, but not least, Wedson is in the 4th level at school. He lives with his mother and 1 brother.

One final note: When these children receive their goats, each will be required to give the goat’s first offspring back to the His Hands for Haiti program. The offspring will then be given to another child in the program, allowing a new family to benefit this reliable source of food and income. So these goats are truly the gift that gives twice!

Each goat costs $40, so the total cost of this Income Generating Project, which will aid seven families now (and more in the future!) is only $280!

Thank you for taking the time to learn about this project. Any donation you can offer is greatly appreciated!

Help for Haiti Part 6

Jolanda Geffrad, age 7

Dalinx Bernadin, age 11

Djouvensly Joseph, age 7

Ansley-Donald Louis, age 5

Eneitgh Charles, age 6

Wilkenson Lazarre, age 6

Luckenson Nicolas, age 7

Johnverly Alexis, age 8

Fiselande Jean, age 9

Julnise Jean, age 9

Wilgens Cador, age 9

Rica Francois, age 10

Dalandy Geffrad, age 11

Fadelin Louis, age 11

Chedeline Joseph, age 12

Gregory Daniel, age 13

Fritznel Blaise, age 14
*pictures removed because most of them now have sponsors!!

All of the children shown above attend school in Danda. Today I am looking for sponsors especially for the children of Danda. Some time next week, I will be launching the plan for those who do take on children from Danda.

The Danda program through His Hands for Haiti began in October 2006. According to their web-site, 71 children were added to the sponsorship program at that time. There are currently approximately 300 children attending the primary school there now.

This is taken directly from their web-site, and gives you more information about the special children of Danda, and what their community is like:

"Danda (which means "Silly People") is a small community of approximately 1,000 people 18 kilometers from Terrier Rouge in a very remote, very rural area that feels like the end of the earth. There are 14 smaller "habitations" in the area surrounding Danda and the combined population of all these areas is approximately 4,000 to 5,000 people.

Because Danda is a very rural area, most of the people survive as subsistence farmers. Pastor Elima arranges for agronomists to come to Danda twice a year to help instruct the people on more modern and successful ways of growing their own food.

Another one of the ministries of the Danda Baptist Church is their clinic. This clinic, which has been operating for 10 years, is open to see patients Monday through Friday, with 3 nurses, a lab technician, pharmacists, and other support staff including someone from the church to counsel and pray with any patients who wish to have this type of assistance. Because this clinic is the only health care facility in the area, they see approximately 60 patients a day which helps make the clinic fully self-supported."

Now, I would like to add a little bit to what you just read. It is estimated that in Haiti, there is 1 doctor for every 10,000 people!!! In the US, it is approximately 1 doctor to every 350! How cool is it that the people in Danda have been provided with a clinic!? Considering the statistics, they are very fortunate to have this service.

Also, because they are farmers, they are able to grow their own food! How cool is it that they have agronomists that come to help the farmers twice a year to make their crops more successful?! The, also have a mill where the families can take their corn to be ground into cornmeal!

Here is the super-awesome thing that I have planned for next week. Once every one has a chance to grab a child from Danda, send me an e-mail letting me know who you chose. I will get a list of all of the Danda children sponsored by people in our group. THEN, I have some items that were donated (and just arrived today!) to be sold. The person who donated the items would like to proceeds to help the children in Haiti. I will set up the items for sell. The proceeds of the sell will go to provide each Danda family our group sponsors with a goat!!!

The goat will provide the families with security. How? Well, they can sell the milk, cheese, and other items that come from their goat. They can, also, feed their own families!! Plus, the babies will provide continued income, food, and a sense of prosperity.

The program, unfortunately, is only offered in Danda, so that is why I am being community specific with this plan.

Take a look at the children, and let me know which ones you choose/have already chosen in Danda. They will then be put on the list to get a goat!

Once your child is chosen, send an e-mail to jamie@hishandsforhaiti.org