Projects
Education & Tuition support
In September of 2023 we will be supporting 109 children in elementary, middle and high schools throughout the Thiotte, Haiti region. Even during the extreme unrest of everyday life in Haiti, the children in this remote community, about 50 miles from Port au Prince, the children are attending school in person. The Compassion Project Tutors/teachers have been important in preparing the children for school. In Haiti, children will go in to the grade of their age (e.g. at age 9 they are in 4th grade) even if they had never attended school before. The teachers, through the Compassion Project prepare them for school and then complete homework with them through three weekly meetings with the children.
What we’ve done:
The women enrolled 83 children in the Compassion Project initially .
We have hired three teachers who prepare the children to start school and then provide assistance with homework and tutoring to assure the children’s success.
In 2016 we supported 14 children with scholarships for school -25% did not succeed in passing their final test for advancement. In 2022-23 we supported 109 children with scholarships. We are still awaiting their report cards for this year.
What we still want to do:
Continue to support the 109 children for the 2023-2024 school year.
We will continue to work with our Haitian partners to develop some special education and some vocational training for the children
What you can do:
SUPPORT EDUCATION
Tuition for one child is $200 / year. This provides them with education, a backpack, books, uniform and tutor.
Food and
Essential Resources
During the pandemic shut down in Haiti - the women switched from providing a Saturday meal for the children to providing food for each family.
With the COVID crisis abating - the women have restored the Saturday meal program for the children.
What we’ve done:
We began our Saturday meal program with help from Feed My Starving Children, we instituted Saturday meal program. This program is NO LONGER AVAILABLE TO US due to the unrest in Haiti.
THVCR has provided the additional financial support needed as they increased their numbers of children and dealt with the 200% inflation rate of their food costs.
During the pandemic, although they did not meet weekly, the women provided food staples to the families. (rice, beans, oil, spices, soap and water purifying tabs)
What we still want to do:
As the ladies are able to manage, we will continue to work with them to expand the meal program in either numbers served or frequency of servings.
What you can do:
SUPPORT THE FOOD PROGRAM
One month of meals for the 120 children is about $500.
THVCR is committed to assuring that the KoFAT Compassion Project children will have vaccines, wellness checks and acute healthcare when needed.
We work in partnership with the CSST - The Health Care Center of the Sacred Heart (which also receives support through the Haiti Medical Mission of Wisconsin).
We are also working to assure that all children are granted a birth certificate. This is not “automatic” in Haiti, and “Vulnerable” also means that they are not “somebody” until they have this important document.
Pediatric Healthcare
What we’ve done:
Provide financial coverage for visits needed to the clinic for the children’s illnesses.
Provided financial coverage to purchase prescribed medicines
Provided vitamins and worm medicine to the KoFAT ladies for distribution to the children.
What we still want to do:
Continue to assure that each child is seen by the doctor at least once each year.
Assure that all children are up-to-date on their vaccinations.
File legal requests for the children without birth certificates.
What you can do:
SUPPORT THEIR HEALTH
A typical visit and medication is about $15.
THVCR, with funding received through the Madison West-Town Middleton Rotary and other generous donors, purchased an Oil Press for use in Thiotte. Due to the Pandemic and then the unrest in Haiti, we have not been able to arrange training or the building of a workshop to continue this project. We look forward to this project being self-sustaining and a future job for the children when they become young adults.
Oil Project
What we’ve done:
We have purchased and oil press
What we still want to do:
Due to political unrest and COVID we have not been able to return to Haiti for the
training
maintenance
start-up work needed
Building a workshop.
What you can do:
SUPPORT THE BUSINESS
Building the storage and operations shed will cost about $5000.
Paying for a trainer to travel to Haiti will cost about $1000.
Purchase of a generator will cost about $1800.
Farming/Gardening and
Practical Training
In 2018 the ladies of KoFAT boldly purchased just over one acre of land that is lush with fruit and potential pig pasture. They were able to achieve this through wise re-investment of a micro-finance project, and based on the fact that they are perceived as successful business women of Thiotte.
The immediate future goal is to build a wall around this property to increase the security of the area.
What we’ve done:
KoFAT purchased just a bit more than one acre of land
This land has banana, coffee, pineapple, grapefruit, oranges and Yum (like a sweet potato)
THVCR assisted in the payoff of their loan to purchase the land.
What we still want to do:
build a wall around the property.
purchase some pigs (very useful in Haiti
purchase some more land as “vocational” training site for the children-when-young adults.
What you can do:
SUPPORT THEIR LAND MANAGEMENT
An acre of land cost about $1600 in 2018.
Cost of the wall is being determined at this time.
Sustainable Handbags
The women began by crocheting handbags out of plastic bags - yes - these are plastic.
What we’ve done:
Eradicated plastic bag garbage in the streets of Thiotte
Put money in women’s pockets for a change (#genderequality)
Gave women in the community a sense of pride, greater purpose, and status as “businesswomen”.
These women have been unstoppable ever since!!!
The women formed a legal business entity known as a Komite.
What we still want to do:
The women have moved on to bigger and better projects, as described above, in large part due to the empowerment this project fostered.
What you can do:
Consider a gift that would allow us to maximize vocational training for our students.