For the past 18 months, the Church of the Brethren has been addressing the need for pure drinking water in our related communities in Haiti through the work of the Haiti Medical Project in cooperation with l’Eglise des Freres Haitiens (Church of the Brethren in Haiti). The mobile medical clinics offered since late 2011 treat many children and adults suffering from dysentery and other serious infectious diseases that often result from untreated water.
The Haiti Medical Project began as a partnership of American and Haitian Brethren responding to health needs in the wake of a devastating earthquake in 2010. In the time since, the project has grown tremendously with the help of grants from the Global Food Initiative (formerly the Global Food Crisis Fund) and the Royer Family Foundation, and the drive of passionate individuals from both the Church of the Brethren and L’Eglise des Freres Haitiens (Church of the Brethren in Haiti).
Thirty leaders of Eglise des Freres Haitiens (the Church of the Brethren in Haiti) gathered with about 20 persons from the United States for the first Haiti Service Ministries Consultation on Nov. 19-23. The focus was learning about Brethren ministries underway in Haiti, and building bridges of partnership among the Haitian Brethren and American Brethren. It was sponsored by the Global Mission and Service of the Church of the Brethren and organized by Dale Minnich, a volunteer with the Haiti Medical Project.
For the second year the Royer Family Charitable Foundation of Lancaster, Pa., is providing major support to the Church of the Brethren Haiti Medical Project. The current grant of $126,300 will support an expanded program of mobile clinics, a first Social Ministries Consultation in Haiti, a new thrust into community health and pure water projects, and an endowment fund.
The Haiti Medical Project attained a 30-month milestone this summer in June, reports Dale Minnich who serves as a volunteer fundraiser for the project. Also this summer, Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren surpassed its fundraising goal of $100,000 to raise an actual amount of $103,700, reported by Lancaster member Otto Schaudel.
The Haiti Medical Project is receiving a major multi-year grant from the Royer Family Charitable Foundation that will enable a doubling of the number of communities in Haiti that are served by mobile clinics. The grant in addition will help the project purchase a truck and will contribute to an endowment fund.
Anna Speicher and Cyndi Fecher are completing their employment with Gather ’Round, the Christian education curriculum produced jointly by Brethren Press and MennoMedia. Gather ’Round is in its final year of production and will be available through the summer of 2014. The successor curriculum, Shine, will be available beginning next fall.
Nancy Young provided the report below on efforts at McPherson (Kan.) Church of the Brethren to help grow the Haiti Medical Project–but McPherson is just one of the congregations, groups, and individuals across the country who, along with the Church of the Brethren Global Mission and Service department, are helping make the project a success. The endowment fund for the project recently attained the key level of $100,000, and the project also has a new website.
On Feb. 28-March 3 a consultation about the Haiti Medical Project was held with leaders of L’Eglise des Freres Haitiens (the Haitian Church of the Brethren) and the Global Mission and Service arm of the US church.
The Haiti Medical Project is growing with strong support from Brethren congregations and individuals. The support is making possible new developments, among them construction of a simple building on the headquarters compound of L’Eglise des Freres Haitiens (the Church of the Brethren in Haiti), the planning of more clinics in cooperation with the Haitian Brethren, and exploration of expansion into other areas such as neo-natal care and public health education.