Hope Community Project had an incredible year of growth and encouragement during 2018. In our ninth year in Haiti, we acquired our own property to develop into a ministry center. We strengthened and solidified our Economic and Educational Scholarship programs. And, we hired a Full-Time Chaplain to bring the gospel alongside our existing mission. This impact you are making is real. Read the story below and see how!
JOLIMET
EMPOWERMENT THROUGH ADULT LITERACY
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” — Frederick Douglass
As of 2015, 4 out of 10 Haitian adults (over the age of 15) are considered illiterate – one who is not able to, with understanding, read and write a simple sentence. This is not even the working definition of illiteracy in the US, which begins to measure illiteracy with consideration to education (grade level) and ability to carry out life functions. The stresses of poverty and lack of public education in Haiti deeply undercut the basic literacy that enables all men and women to experience independence and freedom of choice, the kind of literacy we can easily take for granted.
Through Jolimet, our new literacy program, we have developed three literacy centers that currently serve a total of 76 people. One of the ladies told us about how proud she felt when she was able to sign a legal document— until now, she had spent her whole life avoiding those situations because she couldn’t even tell people how her name was spelled. Julie has mentioned how some of her patients at the clinic are coming back to her to tell her that they need new patient cards because our clinic administrator spelled their name wrong. These experiences may seem small, but for people who have spent most of their lives feeling like victims of their circumstance, it is a big step towards dignity.
Bringing programs like JOLIMET to life in Gonaives brings us deep joy and excitement. But sustaining programs like this, along with our existing programs like the KOPEDAG Co-Op, the Medical Klink, Education Scholarships, as well as providing jobs for our Hope Staff Team in Gonaives is costly. Currently we have 21 people with jobs in Haiti, 18 of which are Haitian! The cost of all of our programs is almost $30,000 per month. At this time, we have about $16,000 in donations coming each in month – not nearly enough to meet our ongoing expenses.
As we near the end of 2018 we need you to help us close the gap. We need $100,000 by December 31 to make up the difference.
The good news is we have some donors who have stepped up and offered to match dollar for dollar up to $50,000! So your gift to help us help families will be doubled.
As well, this year we are pleased to offer ALL DONORS of $100 or more the gift of a FREE PRAYER CALENDAR featuring photos and prayer requests from Hope Community Project. (This gift is only for donations received in support of our matching gift and will be delivered in January 2019.)
Would you consider a gift of $500, $200 or $100 to help us meet our $100,000 goal? If you have ever considered partnering with us, now is a great time to do so since our matching gift of $50,000 will double the impact of your gift!
CLICK HERE and select “2018 Year End Donation” to make a tax-deductible matching gift and you can be a part of helping programs like JOLIMET bring hope and dignity to Haiti.
Thank you for your continued and generous support of
Hope Community Project!
Watch the video below to see a Jolimet class in action.