Because of its extraordinary human needs, the Methodist Church in Haiti is one of two in the world designated as a Covenant Partner by the Detroit Conference. In 1790 Haiti was the wealthiest Caribbean colony. After two centuries of exploitation it is now the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. The per capita income averages less than $400 a year. Unemployment is at least 80%, and most people live in abject poverty. Living conditions are very difficult. The land is rugged, there is little arable land, and water is in short supply.

The Methodist Church has been a presence in Haiti since 1817. Today it has 136 churches, 9 medical clinics, a teacher's college, a vocational program, and 105 schools. The schools are considered to be some of the best in the country, and parents sacrifice to send their children to them. There is often no money left for school supplies or uniforms or even food for the table. The hot lunch of beans and rice provided by many Methodist schools is often the only meal a child will get that day.

In the spring of 2003, we participated in a conference project to provide supplies to Haiti. Our congregation assembed 99 individual school, health, sewing, and layette kits and also donated money to purchase ten medicine boxes, each with sufficient supplies to respond to needs for nutritional supplements, illnesses and injuries in a population of 1000 for a period of about three months. For details of this project, see the Supplies for Haiti page.

Pictures of an earlier trip to Haiti are available on the 1998 Volunteers in Mission Trip page.