Project Location: Haiti South
Project Code: HDP HSS0422
The primary and growing concern facing Haiti’s southern region since the earthquake is food insecurity. Chalice has been working in the communities on Haiti’s southern tip since 2000, currently partnering with Missionnaires de l’Annonciation - Semeurs d’Espoir, an organization led by a religious Sister and staffed by religious brothers/lay associates.
Even before the devastating earthquake in August 2021, Haiti has been struggling with significant political upheaval and contracting economy. The primary and growing concern facing Haiti’s southern region since the earthquake is food insecurity.
To combat this, the Haiti South site supports several school lunch programs. In schools that do not have a school meal program, families receive kits of food to prepare at home. In the months of January to March 2022, these programs served 164,736 meals to 2788 sponsored and non-sponsored children. Haiti South has been conducting a school feeding program for many years. The supported schools and families rely heavily on this additional and critical support for the children.
The school meals are important to the students’ success, because many walk long distances from home to attend school. At the Collège Alexandre Duma in Latibolière, the teachers know that some students walk for more than two hours to reach school, and often have not eaten before coming. Their academic performance has improved significantly with the introduction of the canteen meal programs, as well as their motivation. “With the presence of the canteen we notice a kind of motivation among our students,” writes Br. Junel, the principal, “there is joy, cheerfulness, good learning atmosphere and community life.”
The cost of food in Haiti has risen exponentially and many families cannot keep up with the rising prices. For most children, their best chance for at least one nutritious meal per day is to attend school and receive lunch at school. The Haiti South site has requested funding assistance to continue their nutrition program and ensure that school children in Previle, Latibolière, Carrefour-Sanon, and Roseaux receive a nutritious meal daily, following a menu that will be reviewed and monitored by Haiti South staff. This program also provides food kits for sponsored families in the sub-site community of Jérémie.
Additionally, qualified nurses will conduct education workshops about diseases common to the area, including typhoid, malaria, tuberculosis, cholera, and COVID-19. They will learn how to prevent contagion and address sources of water and food contamination. They will reinforce previous education in hygiene and help families identify early symptoms of these conditions.
To run the program in five communities, Haiti South site requires a budget of $80,723.78 CAD. This includes all the supplies the four school kitchens need, the food kit distribution to the families in Jérémie, and the workshop costs. Your support will ensure healthy, hot meals for 1386 sponsored children and their 1274 family members across five communities struggling with a lack of nourishing food.
Budget in Canadian Funds: $80,723.78 CAD
Please note that any donations that exceed the request will be used to fund other community projects/programs that may arise.
