Fall 2024 Update

Greetings from Fond-des-Blancs in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Haiti has been a major news story for the past few years and none of it has been good. The semi-legitimate president was assassinated. He was replaced by a series of incompetent transitional prime ministers who were only interested in their own financial gains. The international community paid lip service to the horror that was unfolding every day as violent gangs gained more and more territory in the capital city of Port-au-Prince and nearby town. Pleas for help from various sectors of the country went unanswered both by the local leaders and the international community.

Finally, a contingent of soldiers from Kenya has arrived and are beginning to patrol some of the streets of Port-au-Prince but the gangs remain a formidable force, and questions remain if they will be able to restore enough security for elections to take place by 2026.

For those of us living in the southern part of Haiti, we have enjoyed some relative peace with no major gang activities, but we are totally disconnected from the rest of the country. To travel internationally, you have to go to the small commuter airport in Les Cayes, fly to the municipal airport in Port au Prince, take a taxi for the one-mile drive to the international airport, a connection that is usually safe, and catch a flight from the international airport to your destination. Most people cannot afford the cost of the flight from Les Cayes to Port-au-Prince. Needless to say, supplies are difficult to find and usually very expensive.

Summer is almost over. By this time, we would be completing our preparations for the new school year that starts September 9. New teachers need to be hired, school uniforms and supplies purchased, and needed repairs nearing completion. Unfortunately, none of those things are happening because we are facing an unprecedented lack of funding.

I am sending out this desperate plea for a special gift in the next few days. If you are receiving this letter in your email, then the most effective way is to do it online at this link: Auxilia (theauxilia.com). A snail mail contribution can be sent to this address:

Haiti Christian Development Fund

Post Office Box 934696

Margate, FL 33093

You have come to our rescue so many times in the past that I am almost ashamed to ask but we are desperate. With over 1,000 students getting ready for school, we cannot disappoint them when the school doors open next month.

Shalom,

Jean L Thomas

Founder/President