“Well done, good & faithful servant”

FRITZNER ‘FRITZYPOO’ PIERRE

March 24, 1959 – January 17, 2025

Fritzner Geithner Pierre was born March 24, 1959, near Port au Prince, Haiti, the second child of itinerant parents.  At an early age Fritz was left with an uncle who had no desire to feed another mouth in a country plagued with poverty.  Fritz had no opportunity to attend school and instead was forced by his uncle to go to the local garbage dump every day to find scraps of food to feed to the swine that his uncle was raising.  Fritz was so hungry that he ate the scraps himself.

During the years that Fritz longed to be in school, he would hang around the local hotel each day after spending his time gathering the scraps at the dump.  After a few weeks, the owner of the hotel took pity on Fritz and offered him a few cents each day to weed the flowers and pick up debris on the hotel grounds.  After Fritz had made some money, he used some of it to buy food and the rest he paid to someone who taught him English.

The next big break for Fritz came in 1972 when he met Alice Roges from North Carolina who was doing mission work in Haiti.  Alice sponsored Fritz in school until 1977 when he met a missionary nurse, also from North Carolina, that lived by the hospital in Port au Prince.  Edith West took Fritz under her wing and continued to sponsor his schooling.  Thanks to Edith, Fritz was able to finish grade school and graduate high school.  After Fritz finished high school, finding a job was nearly impossible.  However, the ability to speak English landed Fritz a job as an interpreter for mission teams that came to Haiti.

In December of 1989 Fritz was the interpreter for a mission team from South Dakota.  Dave & Jerilyn Hansen were on that team, and they quickly became friends with Fritz.  The following December, Dave led a team to Haiti and once again Fritz was the interpreter.  A strong bond developed between Dave and Fritz.  The following year when Haiti became politically unstable, the mission team was not allowed to come because of travel dangers.  Dave and his nephew, Kelly Hansen, went to Haiti on their own where Fritz met them at the airport and the mission team of Fritz and Dave had it’s beginning.  Helping Hands for Haiti had taken roots!

The ensuing years brought more than 80 mission teams and over 500 team members to Haiti through Helping Hands for Haiti.  Fritz loved to meet the members of the mission teams, to show them the needs of his country and how he was working for God to make a better life for those less fortunate.  Through the years two new churches, two rice mills, three schools and over 70 homes were built in the Artibonite under the direction of Fritz.  Teams came to provide medical services, teach Bible school, do construction work and best of all to interact and work with the people they came to serve.  For many years these projects ran smoothly because of Fritz.

From humble beginnings, Fritz rose up to serve God for the betterment of so many people in Haiti.  Fritz is survived by his daughter, Deany, and grandchildren Irener, Enrique and Stacie, sisters Lillian and Micheline, numerous nieces and nephews as well as a host of relatives and friends in Haiti and many friends in the United States.  Blessed be his memory.

Memorial gifts may be given to the Fritzner Scholarship Fund which will be used to send needy children to school.  You may donate on the Helping Hands for Haiti website or send contributions to:  Helping Hands for Haiti 45406 295th St. Irene, SD 57037

Memorial services for Fritz will be announced in Yankton and Sioux Falls at a later date.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

The bullet removed from Sophia’s skull.

As violence in Haiti continues to escalate, it is only a matter of time before it strikes close to home.

Sophia is a 12 year old school girl who recently was caught in the crossfire of gang activity in Haiti. A bullet was lodged behind her eye socket and Sophia was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. A scan revealed that removing the bullet was a very risky operation and the doctor would not take that risk.

Through our connections in Haiti we were able to locate a hospital that was better equipped to deal with the tragedy and Sophia was moved to that hospital. The bullet was successfully removed and Sophia is recovering although we don’t know if there are any long term issues with her sight.

Sophia is not her real name. We can’t post a picture of her because of the threat that she might be kidnapped for ransom. We only know about Sophia because her mother is a friend of a friend. We can’t give you the friend’s name either because of security risks. What we can tell you is that we asked our friend to work with kids in her neighborhood to teach them to read and write.

She started out with three kids and it quickly grew to fifteen students.  The students were eager learners but they came to their class very hungry. Helping Hands for Haiti started feeding the kids and soon her class swelled to thirty students, all of which were not going to a regular school. The teacher said she had to split the class, not because of the size, but because half of the kids had tuberculosis and she didn’t want to expose the other half!

These are the realities of life in Haiti.

We now have nearly 50 students. We feed them five days a week at a cost of $625 per week. We have funds to send nearly half of them to regular school at a cost of $300 per student per year thanks to someone who thinks that all children should have an opportunity for an education.

The stories out of Haiti remind us of a very powerful scripture: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  Romans 12:21

We can’t post pictures of these heroic people. We can’t share their names or locations. But thanks to your generosity, we can make a difference.

Dave & Jerilyn Hansen -  Helping Hands for Haiti 

dave@helpinghandsforhaiti.com

Peace and Rest for Wisleida

We met Wisleida when she was seven years old. She was a seemingly happy, healthy girl who lived just down the path from our Mission house in Mauger. This beautiful child of God suffered a stroke that left her unable to walk, talk, or even hold her head up straight. 

Helping Hands for Haiti got involved and provided some support for the family. Wisleida seemed to get better over the next three years with physical therapy from the Albert Schweitzer Hospital and loving care from her family. 

One of the things we remember about Wisleida is how brave she was. Many teams that came to Haiti laid hands on and prayed for her. Even with strangers so close, she was never afraid when we prayed over her. The other thing we recall is that she was generous with her smile, in spite of the challenging life God chose for her.

When Carolyn and her daughter Kels(above ) visited us in Haiti, they spent a lot of time with Wisleida. When the generous pair departed for home, they gifted Kels’ wheelchair to Wisleida to keep.

Our faith tells us Wisleida can now sing and run free in heaven! We can see your big, beautiful smile from here little girl.

WHEN DREAMS BECOME REALITY

Running Water for School & Mission House

Dream #1 - There is nothing more heart wrenching in Haiti than to see a child who is denied the opportunity to attend school.  That situation is very common because it costs money to go to school.  Uniforms, books, tuition, and money to take exams mean that parents must decide which child might go to school or if they can afford to send any of their children to get an education.  The dream of building a “free” school in the mission house area became a reality in 2021 and classes started in September of that year allowing all the children to go to school.

Dream #2 - There is nothing more heart wrenching in Haiti than to see a child in school who is hungry.  Most families only eat once a day, and that is in the evening, so many children come to our “free” school with nothing in their stomachs. The families who send their children to school are working hard to give them a better life. So it’s important to encourage and support their efforts to build a brighter future for their children and for Haiti. The dream of feeding the children became a reality when generous donors provided funds to support a hot lunch program.

Dream #3 - There is nothing more heart wrenching in Haiti than to see a child carrying water a great distance each day for family use.  The dream of providing water for the community and the “free” school became a reality just last week when Fritz turned on the spigot at the school and announced “victory” as the fresh water flowed all the way from the spring box at the top of the mountain to various pumping stations for community use and eventually to the “free” school.

THANK YOU TO THE MANY SUPPORTERS WHO HELPED MAKE THESE THREE DREAMS BECOME REALITIES!

New Spring Box Feeds Fresh Water to New School

“Spring Box” under construction on the mountainside

One of the many struggles that Haitians in rural areas face is access to clean water.  Oftentimes families have to carry water a half mile or more each day.  The community of Mauger that surrounds the mission house gets water from a “spring box” far up the mountain.  Over the years the system has deteriorated limiting the amount of water available to the community.

The “Free School” does not have a water source and drilling a well in the rocky terrain would be very expensive to provide water for the school.  After meeting with the local water committee, Helping Hands Coordinator, Pierre Fritzner, presented a plan to construct a new spring box and pipe the water to the school and several locations along the way.  Although it would cost more than drilling a well, the benefit to the community would also be much greater and the committee welcomed the opportunity to have the water system updated.

Nearly 70 local residents agreed to work on the project at less than the going wage as they would all benefit from the project.  The workers would also be fed one meal each day.  Fritz said there are many men and women receiving much needed income and a good meal in a win-win situation for the community and the school.  (Thank you John for your part in providing funding for part of this project.)

Thank you Cornerstone Church

Last fall, after completing construction the church at Mauger near our mission house, we turned our attention to raising the funds to operate the school. To operate as a ‘Free School’ we would need to cover teachers, books, uniforms and if possible, meals for the children. And as always, the Lord provides. Many of you contributed. And Cornerstone Church in Watertown, South Dakota offered to commit half of its Christmas offering for school operations. They asked us to produce a short film to show at the Christmas services. Here’s what we sent.

New School Opening

Two young girls enjoy a meal at the new school built by Helping Hands for Haiti

It was an exciting day for Helping Hands for Haiti and the community near our Mission House a few weeks ago. We opened a new “free” school and the nearby village rolled out the red carpet.

The literacy rate in Haiti is about 61%. It’s even less in rural areas such as ours and less for girls than boys. So education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and building a better life. 

Joined by Helping Hands for Haiti friends, Zachary and Nichole Fevilien, our recent trip to Haiti was was uneventful. But because of recent violence and unrest in Haiti, we had to keep our trip quiet until Dave and his team returned to the U.S. It was a risk, but Dave felt it was necessary. COVID and the violence had prevented him from visiting Haiti for almost two years. We urged our slightly stubborn leader to take ‘extra precautions’. For Dave, that means flying into Cape-Haitien instead of Port-au-Prince and taking a 90 mile, eight-hour drive on bad roads to the Mission House! (He is a South Dakota farmer after-all.)

The grueling drive was all worthwhile as Dave and his team got to experience the dedication and opening of the new school amidst much hoopla. Highlighted by a march down the highway led by students carrying the Haitian flag and the school banner and everyone kept in step by the rhythm of local musicians in a ragtag band. The many issues that trouble Haiti took a temporary backseat to the gala celebration.

A parade on the highway near the school to thank Helping Hands for Haiti

Dave addressed the overjoyed gathering of parents, teachers, and students with words of gratitude: “The funding of the school was primarily from one individual who had come to Haiti and seen the need and offered his support, said Dave. Most of the uniforms were the result of fundraisers from a high school girl in Ponca, Nebraska. And the books came from a generous donation from a retired friend with a big heart who has never even been to Haiti.”

Dave said, “there were countless others who helped with the books and uniforms and now the community of Mauger had the responsibility to help maintain the facilities and encourage the students to attend.  Education is the road to a better life!”

 School was in session the following day and the students enjoyed a hot lunch prepared on site at the school kitchen.  There were many smiling faces throughout the day, especially the ones captured on a selfie!  Thanks to all who helped make this day possible!

If you’d like to support the school or our mission, please visit the Giving page or send us a message at ‘dave@helpinghandsforhaiti.com’.

God Bless

Ebens Anjoute Obituary

Our friend and interpreter, Ebens Anjoute, passed away in a vehicle accident on Sunday, September 5, 2021. Funeral arrangements are pending. The only obituary is the one that I will attempt to write because I owe it to the kind of person that Ebens was and all that he did for Helping Hands for Haiti. I have never written an obituary and I ask that God's hand be in my writing to do justice to my friend Ebens.

Ebens Anjoute was born in Petite Rivierre, Haiti, on December 19, 1988. Somehow Ebens survived his early childhood years in Uncle Marcel's village. I say "somehow survived," because unlike my childhood, food was scarce and living to the next day was uncertain. Uncle Marcel was not Ebens uncle. Uncle Marcel was Fritz's uncle and Ebens was related to them and lived in the area that included many family members.

As a young boy, Ebens came to Port au Prince to live with Fritz where he would be assured that he would have food each day and would be able to go to school. During my many trips to Haiti over the years, I watched Ebens grow into a young man and eventually become an interpreter for Helping Hands for Haiti. Ebens worked very hard to do a good job with the teams. Here are some comments that team members made after hearing of Ebens passing.

Matt Dvorak: I remember Ebens well and really enjoyed his politeness and helpfulness. He was a gentleman. My heartfelt condolences to all his family and friends.

Ashton Mednansky: Prayers to Ebens' family! He was so sweet and always willing to help anyone. He will be missed by so many!

Kiley Marie: Such a wonderful man of God and faith. I will forever miss playing "Spot it" with all of them and miss his kind and friendly heart!! Will never forget his messages to me on Facebook..."Hi Friend!" Will really miss those messages every week. Prayers and hugs to Ebens' family...in my thoughts and prayers!!

Rosemarie Maly: My sympathy to all of Ebens' family. Ebens was very good to me when we were in Haiti in January, 2020. He was often at my side to help walk up the steep hills or over rugged terrain.

Stephanie Moser: My thoughts and prayers are with his family and the Helping Hands for Haiti family. I was fortunate to meet Ebens when I was in Haiti and enjoyed spending time with him. He will be greatly missed.

Geraldine Schnabel: What a special caring young man!

These tributes given to Ebens exemplify the Ebens that I knew!

Ebens was married last March and is survived by his wife, Stephanie, and their one month old son, Ebens Stephane Anjoute, Jr.

Blessed by his memory.

Helping Hands for Haiti has had many inquiries as to how people may help. We are accepting donations to defray funeral expenses and help his wife Stephanie to make it through the next few months without any income and a baby to care for. You can donate on our website here: DONATE or make checks payable to: "Helping Hands for Haiti" and send them to:

Helping Hands for Haiti

45406 295th St.

Irene, SD 57037

Ebens

Ebens’ son, Ebens Stephane Anjoute, Jr.