Adat Shalom, working with an Israeli NGO, Tevel B'Tzedek (The Earth in Justice) has made a commitment to support Pastor Johnny's school and community center in Legone, Haiti. Support includes need-based scholarships for tuition, supporting core school expenses such as teacher salaries, and equipment for the school and community center. This past December, Rabbi Sid & 18 Adat Shalomers traveled to Haiti; and under the auspices of the Fuller Center for Housing, assisted in the rebuilding efforts.
Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere with a per capita income of less than $2.00/day for
80% of the population. Public education is not provided and education must be privately funded. Your gift will help in supporting a child's primary education!
Join your fellow congregants & pledge $100 for 5 years. The committee has asked that the funds be roughly divided into three baskets: 1) To pay the tuition
of children who otherwise would be unable to attend Pastor Johnny's school; 2) Support for teachers'
salaries at the school; 3) Support for equipment for the community center, including computers and sports
equipment. Adat Shalom will get quarterly reports from Tevel B'Tzedek accounting for the use of all
funds transferred for these purposes.
Use the attached form to make a pledge, to express interest in participating in a future mission trip to Haiti or to volunteer to work on the committee.
The Haiti Sermon from Adat Shalom on Vimeo. See also "Adat Shalom's incredible mission" in Washington Jewish Week, March 21, 2012.
School: Nouvelle Institution Chretienne de Leogane (NICL)
The school, which was founded by Pastor Johnny Felix, educates 141 students attending 9 classes,
preschool-grade 6. The school is open to all boys and girls and is certified and supervised by the Leogane
branch of the National Education Ministry.
The formal curriculum of the school includes French, Creole, social sciences, math, Bible, English, art
and sports. Currently a Boston-based 501(c)3, NGO called All Hands Volunteers is helping to build a
new school building for NICL.
Pastor Johnny Felix is the founder of both the school and of a non-denominational Christian church
called The Center for the Praise of God's Chosen. Pastor Johnny has a BA in education in addition to his
theological degree. The school he founded has no ties to any political/religious organization either in Haiti
or in the US. Pastor Johnny refers and encourages all students from his school (both boys and girls) to attend
high school. His church has a "sickness program" which provides funds, clothes and other necessities for the
sick (including people with HIV/AIDS). They visit the sick in the hospital and deliver the money and goods.
Women play an active leadership role in Pastor Johnny's church and are well represented on the faculty of
the school (more than half of the faculty).
Community Center in Guerin, Haiti (Leogane Region):
The community center was established seven months ago by volunteers from the Israeli NGO Tevel
b'Tzedek (TbT). They are using Pastor Johnny's church as a base for the project. Activities in the
community centers are carried out by community volunteers and are geared towards both children and
adults. The TbT team is training some 40 Haitian volunteers to become effective teachers and leaders in
various villages where similar programs are initiated.
The following activities take place at the community center:
Sports, arts & crafts activities for children and teens.
Creole literacy and numeracy lessons for adults (men and women).
French lessons--mainly attended by young adults. In Haiti, French is the language of the media and formal communications and therefore crucial for communication.
English lessons for teens and young adults. English is considered an important language in Haiti and crucial for professional development.
Youth groups. Aiming to teach teens and social skills, and group empowerment that will benefit the community.
DAM DAM - Womens' Cooperative--Focusing on art work that can be sold for income and volunteering in the community.
Tevel b'Tzedek (The Earth in Justice) is an Israel based non-profit organization promoting social and environmental justice. TBT will be financially accountable for distribution and allocation of donations given by AS members. Their staff on the ground will monitor the use of funds and will issue reports to Adat Shalom. TbT currently is committed to stay in Haiti until June 2014. Should they leave Haiti prior to the end of Adat Shalom's five year commitment they will propose an alternate NGO to ensure proper oversight of Adat Shalom's funds. Adat Shalom will review the proposed new NGO and will reserve the right to continue its support based on that review. If TbT leaves Haiti prior to 2016 and no suitable new NGO is found, Adat Shalom will inform all Adat Shalom donors and provide alternatives for the continuation of the program or release donors from their multi-year commitments.
Wendy
- A group of 10 rehearsed and sang for 45 minutes on a small school bus in preparation for going to Pastor Johnny's Church. As we stopped along the street, local Haitians would look at us, smile. At a prolonged stop at the local Notre Dame Hospital, a group of women who were selling shoes near a very dirty pool of water and trash started smiling. By the end of our 5-7 minute wait, the women started humming Sim Shalom with us.
- Music was a powerful way to connect with the Haitians, as well as our faith. I have never sung Hebrew songs before a local population. I believe that they understand we were singing religious music and that experience demonstrated music truly is a universal language.
- When we entered Pastor Johnny's church, congregants were singing a hymn to the tune of Hatikvah.
Kay--I was very taken by the painted inscription on Pastor Johnny's school, which says "The highly educated man has the dignity of his being." I was also very moved by the "singing bus" and by the wonderful bond that formed among our group as a whole and among the teens in particular.
Ari--It was really interesting to see how religious Haitian society is, with all the Biblical references on shops and trucks and buses ("La Torah" Machine Shop, "El Shadai" bus, and more). I also really enjoyed making friends on the job site, both with the Haitian men I worked alongside with and with the kids.
Charlotte--the children!
Vicki--I was impressed by the resilience of the people and their energy and resourcefulness; I fully expected to see much more evidence of the destruction from the earthquake. I was outraged to learn (from Tevel B'Tzedek) that Haiti, once self-sufficient in rice production, now finds it cheaper to BUY American rice (that we tax payers subsidize our farmers to grow) than to grow and harvest rice themselves. I'm studying about, and contacting others working to change, this situation. Stay tuned to hear more on how you can help.
Joel--Great gratification in building 3/4 of a duplex/house in a week with Haitians even though the housing and other problems appear insurmountable. There is truth in "...whoever preserves a single soul...(it is) as though he had preserved a complete world."---abbreviated from Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5.
Diane
- Sharing this powerful experience with my son and valuing the camaraderie that formed among the group
- Hearing the insightful reflections each night, particularly from the young people in our group, as we tried to process the devastating and overwhelming images and interactions we experienced each day.
- Hearing the Haitian saying from Pastor Johnny, "A hungry stomach has no ears" and realizing how far Haiti has to come before all children have access to education.
Click here for pictures from the trip.
Hanukkah brochure--eight suggestions for connecting with Haiti over the holidays.
Danticat, E. (1998).The farming of bones. New York: Soho Press.
Farmer, P. (2011). Haiti after the earthquake. New York: PublicAffairs.
Kidder, T. (2004). Mountains beyond mountains: The quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A man who would
cure the world. New York: Random House.
Jan 7, 2012 Economist article on hope for Haiti
Interesting statistics about Haiti in the CIA World Factbook
Audio of Interview of Dr. Paul Farmer rebroadcast by WBUR Boston (on Fresh Air)
Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation
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