What we envisioned more than 25 years ago — providing basic medical care for those in need — has blossomed into a ministry we could not have seen coming, and didn’t expect.
When Steve Smith made his first trip to Haiti in December 1994 all he could see were sick people — adults and children. The majority had no money to pay for medicine, much less seeing a doctor. In most areas it’s the same today as it was 25 years ago. Children in Haiti die of common sicknesses we see here. In the US we help or cure them with over the counter medicines. Some of those medicines are available in Haiti but at prices few can afford.
Although it’s mandated by law for a child to enter school and attend to at least 16 years of age, very few do. Although school is free, children still must pay for enrollment, books, uniforms, supplies, new shoes, and the list goes on. Our schools are free because of you who give to pay teacher salaries. The ministry provides uniforms, and current or former schoolteachers here donate most of the school’s supplies.
Malnutrition is a major problem in Haiti. But because of church VBS programs here, women’s groups donating vitamins, and yearly giving by several churches, our programs serve thousands of meals a year to the school children and elderly adults that live near each school. After a disaster such as the 2010 earthquake or any hurricane, programs such as these are a life saver to the general population. Thankfully, people here respond to those needs, allowing us to serve everyone that comes.
It all began as a ministry out of a small Free-will Baptist church in Wentzville, Missouri. We are very thankful for the relationships we have built across denominational lines. From Free-will Baptist in Strawberry, Arkansas and those in Missouri to United Methodist in S.E. Missouri, Lutheran churches in Denver to Florala, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida, Presbyterian women’s groups, churches in Florida and individuals from Montana to Texas and the east coast – all of us working together to help change a child’s life. You give them the gift of education and, hopefully, the ability the change the world around them.
“About” usually means “us,” but this is far more than about a couple of people. It is about all of you we have listed — and surely some we missed — who open their hearts and pockets each year to help those in need. That is what it’s “about.”
