Hope Force Team in Haiti

Following the brutal earthquake of January 2010 in Haiti, Hope Force International (HFI) had personnel on the ground within days of the cataclysmic disaster. Official estimates now project that upwards of 230,000 people lost their lives in the impoverished Caribbean nation. Hurricanes, lack of infrastructure and election violence have served to substantially slow efforts toward recovery and millions are still grappling with the painful road to recovery. A cholera epidemic has affected 400,000 people and killed nearly 6,000 with the numbers expected to rise as the rainy season and hurricane season expand the reach of this deadly waterborne disease.
Following numerous short-term deployments to Haiti, HFI is now establishing a long-term team to bring much-needed aid and development. "The scriptures make it very plain that we are to be generous as followers of Jesus," explains Jack Minton, Founder and President of Hope Force International. "It's a natural thing to be generous of heart and spirit when you're walking with the Lord. Hope Force is not the largest relief agency in Haiti in terms of quantity -- we believe God looks at the heart and examines the quality of what we choose to give generously to those He brings across our path."

As seasoned field veterans, HFI staffers Rene and Marianne Lako were deployed to Haiti on August 21st to begin preparations for a long-term Hope Force presence. "Our first priority is to find housing and arrange transportation," explains Rene. "One of our key partners, Pastor Samuel will initially be locating housing for us with a local family, which will serve as a temporary base for us. It will also be a time of assessment in conjunction with field partners to determine further needs. Our hope to host deployment teams at the end of September, then in November and December." Click here for deployment details.

The Lakos have extensive experience in aid operations due to assignments in West Africa and Haiti, with nearly three decades of work with international relief and development projects. More recently, they responded to the tornadoes in Alabama and Missouri, while basing from the HFI head office in Brentwood, Tennessee. "Rene and Marianne are a quality couple and represent us so well," said Chuck Duby, Chaplain for Hope Force. "They are unified in their approach and we're so thankful for the privilege of watching the launch of something new. Without faith, it's impossible to please the Lord, and it's certainly a faith walk as we start this expanded initiative in Haiti."

The Hope Force Child Sponsorship program has been running successfully since November of 2010 and continues to focus on the village of Sous Savanne -- a small hamlet of roughly 2,000 people within the epicenter of last year's earthquake. One of the Lako's first activities was to be involved with the monthly food distribution. Food vouchers had been delivered to the families the day before and each family representative came with the voucher and was cross-referenced to the list of sponsored children. Families were represented by the father, mother or one of the children and sometimes they had a neighbor's voucher and collected supplies for them.

Believeme is one of the little girls in the HFI Child Sponsorship Program. She is 4 years old and hopes to go to her 2nd year of Kindergarten this year. Her father, Wesner Pierre works in the fields around Sous Savanne and sells what they farm. He and his wife have eight children. She also helps provide for the family selling their produce in the local market. "He says the help from Hope Force is very important to them as they have no other help to supplement their meager income and take care of the kids," explains Rene. "They live in a small home and have a Hope Force tent. They recently received a World Relief Maxima home. Hope Force was instrumental in opening the doors for World Relief to come and build 18 Maxima homes in the village."

"Some people came and had questions about new people joining the program; is there a waiting list, can new people be added and who would they see?" concludes Rene. If you would like to sponsor a child in Sous Savanne, please click here to read more about the program. Funds are being sought to establish the long-term presence of Hope Force in Haiti.