The Issue.  Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. (MORE THAN HALF OF HAITIANS ARE LIVING ON LESS THAN $1 A DAY). Despite living in material poverty, the people of Haiti have an enormous amount of endurance, hope and dignity, as well as deep spiritual faith, but they need help in this fight against extreme poverty.  Read the astounding statistics indicating the severity of Haiti’s problems.

How the Haiti Micah Project Can Help.  In order to address this problem, a group comprised of inter-denominational Christians has gathered to envision a center that will serve to respond to the various needs of children in Mirebalais (located in the central plateau in Haiti about 40 miles outside of the capital city) and the surrounding towns. The Haiti Micah Project is split into two phases:

• Phase I - Meal Program & Education. The first immediate project has been to provide regular funding to feed an initial number of children of up to 115 per day and to ensure that every child attends school. The cash flow needed for this is about $2,500 per month. A space and staff have been identified for the feeding program. With funds raised to date, Haiti Micah Project began the feeding program in November of 2006.
  
  The HMP insures that every child in the program attend school. Working in partnership with the local schools, the HMP has responded to the needs of the children in the program by providing entrance fees, tuition, uniforms, shoes and school supplies.
  
  The program is currently housed at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church/School in Mirebalais. A staff of three persons is employed for the feeding program. With funds raised to date, Haiti Micah Project began the first phase of the project in November of 2006.
  
  In the first year of operations, HMP provided over 36,000 meals to the street children of Mirebalais.
  
  In 2007, HMP constructed a new kitchen for the program at St. Peter’s Church/School. The HMP received a $6,000 grant from the Diocese of Virginia to construct a new kitchen for the feeding program.
  
   
• Phase II – Facility Construction.  The second phase will see the construction of a residential and educational center for 120 children ages 3 to 16 in Mirebalais. This larger facility will be a 16- room, 15,000 square foot structure and will include dormitories, worship space, activity and social service space. The center will be named “Les Enfants de Sion (LES)” or Children of Zion. LES will ensure that children are receiving a primary and secondary education, vocational education, meal, medical care, religious education, a path to higher education or employment.
  
  The total funding for construction of the second phase of this project is about $300,000. When construction is complete, it is estimated that the cash flow to support the orphanage is about $100,000 per year

Project Location. The HMP is in the process of finalizing a lease for land with the City of Mirebalais. The site is large, and will accommodate our residence for the children, farm land and allow for future development.

While we are only using a portion of the land for our building, our design process will include creating a master development plan for the site, so that while we design our building, we are also looking at what could be the future, including a possible vocational school.

Primary/Secondary Education. LES will ensure that all the children attend a local school. The center will be located near St. Peter’s Episcopal School. St Peter’s Church runs a wonderful elementary and secondary school program. The program will provide tuition, books, school supplies and uniforms, which is far more cost effective than running our own school.

Les Enfants de Sion Board Members. Currently, we have established a working group in Haiti who is providing oversight to the feeding program. This group includes Church representatives, business owners, school administrators, and members of the medical field.

What about older youth?   For older youth, training will be provided through partnership with local trade schools in various areas such as: Carpentry, Sewing, Mechanics, Agriculture, Ironwork, Arts (Paintings, Woodwork) and Home Economics. The goal is to ensure that these young people will be empowered and become well-rounded and productive adults. Our purpose is to provide the necessary training to the children with skills that they will use to earn a living.

Once their training is over, given the scarcity of jobs, our next stop will be for the HMP, in conjunction with the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti, to help the program graduate form a cooperative based on what they have learned. The HMP will create peer-lending groups to fund small businesses. The local churches will identify leaders in the community to provide leadership to encourage the community to support the young entrepreneurs. Small business training will be provided to maximize their chances of a successful business.

We strongly believe that education and vocational skills can provide enormous future opportunities to the street children of Haiti. In turn, these children, once empowered will provide hope for the future of the country. It is the goal to create a model program in Mirebalais that can be replicated in other regions of Haiti.

We need your help to raise the funds necessary to fulfill the tasks outlined above. We are asking that you make a special gift to help raise these funds. This residential/orphanage/education facility is important for the future of Haiti.  Give today.

How you can help:

• Support the Feeding and Educational Program of Les Enfants de Sion. Just $600 covers the cost of a daily meal hot meal, tuition, and uniforms for a child in Mirebalais for one year. Please consider making a donation and take care of a child in Haiti.
   
• By giving today, you can support Phase II of the project and raise the $400,000 for construction and yearly operation.
   
• Consider making the HMP your MDGs mission partner. The mission of the Haiti Micah Project corresponds with the objectives of the UN's Millennium Development Goals.

Give today!