by John Hagerman
As a nonprofit who hosts about 400 mission team members in Haiti each year we’re often asked about whether taking a short-term mission is really the best way to help the people of Haiti. We understand the concern and constantly seek to make the return on investment powerful for the people we serve in Haiti. Before we take a group to Haiti we ask:
When the priorities of the community are ignored it fosters a loss of dignity and damages the long-term relationships that are a requirement of being effective partners. Are the projects we will be working on something the Haitians can do for themselves?
We strive to never do for others what they can do for themselves (teach a man to fish). Are we supporting local workers and the local economy?
One-way giving fosters dependence .We limit one-way giving to emergencies and try to always buy or hire locally.
So what have we learned?
The number one priority for the communities we serve is education.
The literacy rate in Haiti is below 50% – without education it’s impossible to build a strong future. Number two is permanent, safe housing.
350,000 people still live in temporary shelters as a result of the 2010 earthquake.
You can’t build a strong future without a solid foundation. Number three is jobs.
The inability to provide food, shelter and clothing for a family destroys dignity and hope.
The lack of skills and training translates into permanent poverty.
How are mission teams a part of the answers to these questions?
We constantly seek to set up projects and opportunities for mission team members to transfer their skills and knowledge to local Haitians and provide a foundation for communities to grow out of poverty. Such as:
- Teacher training
- Pastor training
- Family development
- Teaching construction techniques
- Economic development training
We ask people to come to Haiti with us not to “do” but to “learn.”
If they can return home with a better understanding of what the needs and challenges facing the people of Haiti, and an awakened spirit, they become long-term advocates for building a brighter future for Haiti.
Too often times the focus is on providing cheap mission travel to people, which can mean mission teams can become an economic burden on the communities they visit.
About 50% of the cost of a mission trip with WWV goes towards paying for materials and supplies needed on mission projects during a teams time in Haiti. What isn’t used during the trip support programs when there are no mission teams present.
The bottom line is that taking a mission trip to Haiti with World Wide Village is about more than feeling good or seeking a spiritual awakening. It is about providing concrete, needed and sustainable support for local communities in ways that can actually build a brighter future for generations of Haitians to come.
Oh, and no matter how hard we work to make our mission teams create long-term positive good for the people of Haiti, mission team members constantly tell us how powerfully transformative the experience was to them personally. Imagine that.
You know you want to help. Isn’t it time you finally took a mission trip to Haiti? The change for Haiti, and you, starts the moment you contact us…do it today.
