“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.

You Can Pay for a Student's Uniforms and Books!

Our "Free School" is scheduled to open in September and the building process is nearly complete. It is a tragedy in this day and age that any child is denied the opportunity for an education. Most families in the mission house area of Haiti cannot afford the books and uniforms that are required to attend school.

Through the generosity of a couple of donors, we have the funding for about two thirds of the uniforms and some of the books for the 300 students that will start school in September!

A uniform costs $12 and books for the year for one student are $30. Please consider buying a uniform or making a contribution for books by making a payment on our website at Helping Hands for Haiti, or sending a check to Helping Hands for Haiti, 45406 295th St., Irene, SD 57037. Your donation helps guarantee that all of the children in the mission house area can go to school! The parents and students thank you!