Protecting Children
Preserving Families
Promoting Economic Independence
Proclaiming the Gospel
In 2015 HOPE Community Project came into being after deciding we could no longer in good conscience remain a part of the orphanage system in Haiti. We have since operated on rented, begged and borrowed space to run our family preservation programs. Early in 2017, we realized we were in a situation where our lack of facilities was beginning to limit our program development and implementation.
Change is happening!
HOPE purchased land! We now own almost 2 acres on two adjacent parcels. We have completed a comprehensive design process and the construction of our largest building is well underway! The first and larger lot will be focused on the community with a soccer field, 3 on 3 basketball court, clinic and community center. The second lot will be HOPE Headquarters and Economic center, which will contain offices for our programs including KOPEDAG (the poultry cooperative), staff apartments and guest housing.
We are excited about the building project and having our own facilities, but we are also excited about how we have chosen to go about construction. We are working with Mark Gilbert, a dear friend with a background in construction and development both stateside and in Haiti, to design and manage the project. We have hired a Haitian Engineer to work alongside Mark to execute the construction and help run our construction team. Construction requires working hands and there are many people in our community desperate for work. Instead of hiring an outside firm to build, we have committed to using labor from the community in which we live and work. The goal from the beginning has been to use the project as both an educational and economic opportunity for our community. Thus far the project has already proven to be an incredible opportunity to teach people ways to improve building practices, develop the skills necessary to make them more marketable as tradesmen and earn a consistent and fair wage.
Our crew from the community has grown to almost 40 workers since the beginning of 2019 and everything is being fabricated, designed and built on site using locally sourced materials. The economic and educational impact of the project is huge. Though it hasn’t always been easy, we have seen the crew learn and adapt to a different way of building. Furthermore, we are watching young men develop the skills to become masons, steel workers and carpenters. We are looking forward to new facilities. However, we know the process is important and we deeply desire the community to benefit from the construction process as well. We have learned how important that is to positive community engagement and ownership!
Below are conceptual site plans of these exciting facilities for the community and HCP.
What will be the Economic Impact on the local Communities during construction?
- 40-50 local community members will be hired on a weekly basis performing foundation preparation, masonry, carpentry, metal work, electrical, plumbing and even cooking (a meal will be furnished to the working crew each day). Work crews will be rotated on a regular basis to allow all wishing and able to work the opportunity to do so.
- Every aspect of the project will be constructed on site including fabrication of metal work, doors, cabinetry and furnishings. This allows us to provide community tradespeople an opportunity to work and to teach others their trade.
- Approximately $60,000 US dollars will be infused directly into the hands of the community over the 1 ½ year construction period. In a country where the average income is said to be a little as 2 dollars a day, this is a significant economic impact.
What will be the ongoing benefits to the local community and HOPE once the project is completed?
Beyond the current programs that HOPE has developed and maintains, information on which is available at www.hopecommunityproject.org, the additional benefits will include:
- Expanded Medical Services to the local Communities– The combination of a larger Medical Clinic and Team Housing will allow Hope to increase the number of medical, dental and specialty medical teams that come to Haiti to work with HOPE Clinic’s Haitian staff to provide training and services.
- Increased Community Education– The Community Center will provide opportunity for increasing Hope’s current efforts in health education and adult literacy. Programs being explored include dental care, managing personal finances, trade skills training, dealing with hyper tension, water and sanitation concerns and practices, etc. The list is endless!
- Community Events and Recreation– The Haitian people love to gather and celebrate life through events and recreation. Many communities lack the physical space to do so. The Community Center and recreation fields will be available for groups, teams and families to reserve for these types of activities.
- Improved sustainability for Hope’s Programs– Though Hope has developed a wonderful support base for its efforts in Haiti, there is always need and as such, avenues to generate revenue are important. HOPE has had significant interest to access dorm facilities from partner organizations and other teams and it is estimated that this income will provide more than enough funds to maintain the new facilities and the surplus will help support new programing.
What will the project cost?
If you would like to make a tax-deductible gift to help us complete this project, please click on the button below.
Follow our progress on Facebook.
