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Disciples Women Get A First-Hand Look At Issues In HaitiHaiti is not an easy country to understand in one visit. Its complex politics and history and the poverty of its people makes one want to take a deeper look at this tiny country, nestled in the Caribbean just a short distance from the U.S. mainland.
The poverty that confronts you on every street corner in Haiti is both shocking and alarming. In many Caribbean countries, stark contrasts are apparent between the rich and the poor. But in Haiti, while there are certainly some affluent communities, most people in this small, primarily mountainous country are very poor, with an average income of only about $400 a year. The unemployment rate approaches 80 percent and nearly half of Haiti's citizens are functionally illiterate. Violence, including abductions, continues to rise in Haiti, scaring away missionaries and other humanitarian workers from a country that so desperately needs help. To understand Haiti better, one needs to understand a little about its geography. Haiti sits on the western third of the island of Hispaniola, an island that it shares with the Dominican Republic. Shaped like a horseshoe on its side, Haiti, a country slightly smaller than Maryland. is located about 90 miles west of Cuba. The countryside shows tropical beauty in some places, but overall its land displays the effects of extensive deforestation. Blacks make up 95 percent of the 8.3 million inhabitants in Haiti, with mulattos and whites comprising the remainder. During the days that we were in Haiti, our visit allowed us to see the spirit of God working among his people, giving hope where sometimes little seemed possible, and reminding us of Jesus' abiding love. Much of our time was spent with the leaders of CONASPEH - the National Spiritual Council of Haitian Churches - where Patrick Villier and his wife Francoise, are the effusive and warm-hearted directors. CONASPEH, based in Port au Prince, Haiti's capital city, started 20 years ago with 50 churches, and today represents 5000 churches around the island. Although Haiti is 80 percent Roman Catholic, CONASPEH works with smaller Protestant churches that are reaching out to the less fortunate. At its Port au Prince site, CONASPEH runs a seminary, an adult literacy program, a grade school, high school and a medical ministry that reaches out to neglected and isolated people in rural provinces.
There is so much to tell about Haiti... about the people who work 10 to 12 hours a day selling everything from fresh chickens to mangoes to charcoal from baskets on the street, about the political corruption that has helped undermine Haiti's progress, about the foreign occupations that have generally not worked in Haiti's favor, about the upper middle class who drive late model SUVs and shop in fancy stores, about the young high school students at CONASPEH who fear the society holds no future for them... Some missionary groups and outreach workers have given up on Haiti. They say its problems are too complex, and corruption runs too deep. But the people who live there each day gave us encouragement. The beautiful, hard-working men, women and children we encountered strive mightily to survive in a country that has faced an enormous share of political and economic problems. They look in part to their history, to find messages of inspiration and pride for all people of color. Haiti remains the only country in recorded history where slaves, who had been brought from Africa to work on the sugar cane plantations, rebelled against their owners, and received their freedom. More than 200 years ago, Toussaint L'Ouverture and other freedom fighters led a successful revolt and defeated the French soldiers that had been stationed there by Napoleon. In 1804, Haiti became the first independent, black-led republic in the modern world. The people of Haiti, who speak both French and Creole (Creole is a combination of French and African dialects), talk about a deep love for their country and a certain resilience that comes from knowing their history. They say Haiti was once known as the "Jewel of the Caribbean" and believe that with education, persistence and a continued belief in God's love, this tiny island country will once again find hope and promise for its future. By: Wanda Bryant Wills Our appreciation goes out to Lonnie Graves, a director in the Office of Disciples Women part of Disciples Home Missions; Elizabeth Carrasquillo, former Program Associate for the Latin America and Caribbean Office, in Global Ministries; Felix Ortiz-Cotta, Area Executive for the Latin America and Caribbean Office in Global Ministries, and Daniel Gourdet, who recently completed a missionary assignment in Haiti on behalf of Global Ministries. Each person provided tremendous support and assistance during our trip. ** Woman-to-Woman is sponsored by the International Christian Women's Fellowship and administered through the Office of Disciples Women, Disciples Home Missions in conjunction with the Division of Overseas Ministries, Council on Christian Unity and other units of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Its annual trips are sponsored in partnership with Global Ministries, a common witness of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. For further information visit: http://www.discipleshomemissions.org/Women/womantowoman.htm For more information on Global Ministries, go to www.globalministries.org |
Twelve women from the United States and Canada visited Haiti in October for five days as part of the Disciples Woman-to-Woman Worldwide trip. Representing states that included Texas, Mississippi, Indiana, and California as well as Toronto and Nova Scotia in Canada, our group included pastors and lay persons, each of whom said she felt open to God's call for us on this special trip. I was fortunate to get the opportunity to attend, partly in my role as Executive Director of Communications Ministries, for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ.) Each year, the Office of Disciples Women, part of Disciples Home Missions, along with Global Ministries coordinates a trip that puts North American Disciples women in contact with people in other countries to learn about their faith journey.
Our mission outreach for the trip, included bringing a "second suitcase" from the States, packed with school supplies and new undergarments for the men, women and children who participate in CONASPEH's programs. Two nurses also were part of our Woman-to-Woman delegation, and presented a life-size mannequin to the nursing students at CONASPEH for use in their studies. The donation was made by and on behalf of Global Ministries churches. We were grateful for the opportunity to speak with the women, youth and church pastors who participate in CONASPEH programs, and to see how Disciples Mission dollars are used. Disciples outreach dollars have supported a daily children's lunch program at CONASPEH for several years and a Disciples church in the Northeast area of the United States helped to furnish the seminary library.