Imagine your typical weekday morning commute.
What does a good morning look like? What makes it a "bad" morning?
Now imagine that same commute in the narrow, crowded, crumbling streets of urban Haiti. Imagine those streets filled with gangs and gunfire, barricades set ablaze to block your path, and the all-too-real risk you are taking by going to a place the gangs seem intent on shutting down, such as schools and businesses.
And now, imagine that fuel is so scarce that even public transportation has disappeared, so you must make that journey on foot. Perhaps those couple of miles by car become an hour or more of what amounts to crossing a minefield.
And you do it every day, because without the income of your job, you and your family will starve. Because your hope for a better future is your education. Because you will not give up on your country, your friends, your family, or the next generation. Because you are willing to fight with whatever means you have to win against those whose every effort is to tear apart your country, your home, your culture, everyone and everything you love, your world.
This, friends, is the typical morning our staff and students experience.
And they do it all over again at the end of each day.
Enter the war zone.
The graphic scenes pictured here occurred this week about 20 minutes’ walk from our school. Gang members set several cars ablaze and opened gunfire on passersby, taking a number of lives. Residents in the building pictured behind the cars poured water on the flames in a futile attempt to quench the fire. This is not unusual; this is an all-too-common scene and only a single example of what has been happening daily throughout the country for the past year to 18 months.
Every person in our community has been impacted.
Every student has witnessed atrocities that have layered trauma upon scar upon trauma. Every staff member has a story (or stories) that would leave you trembling. Most have been displaced from their homes, either turned out by the gangs who invaded the premises or by fleeing out of fear, often leaving behind everything they own. Some have been kidnapped for ransom, others injured, and most have lost loved ones to this senseless violence.
One of our most accomplished students, Douce, who is one of only a handful of graduates to receive a scholarship for university, is struggling to complete his studies:
“…You can imagine how stressful it is… the kidnappers send letters to each university so that they (must) close their doors, and (although I want) to continue so that I can finish, with this situation it's very hard for me… I'm doing my best to complete this cycle, (but) shots (are being heard) all over my neighboring area, a business owner (was killed,) and I ran home…”
But even in the midst of such oppression and terror, Hope is alive and well. Our Assistant Mission Director shared this:
“Haiti, in recent days, is experiencing more than difficult times. We know an incalculable number of displacements, kidnappings, murders, rapes and so on. Going out every day becomes a titanic act. Despite everything, parents and children show a real enthusiasm for education. It is a pleasure to see the children showing up to school day by day, despite heavy gunfire, demonstrations, and strikes.”
“(We) believe that only God and education can help us make a difference. For this reason, we will encourage all our donors to keep supporting our mission, because (Three Angels) is a source of hope, a success story, and a sure motivation for our kids and the families we serve.”
How can you help?
PRAY. First and foremost, please pray!
ADVOCATE. Tell others about Three Angels and Haiti. There is very little media coverage of this current crisis, and the Haitian people are very discouraged, many feeling forgotten and alone.
SUPPORT. Sponsoring a student not only provides quality education for a child, but it also gives them access to medical care, compassionate leaders and mentors, skilled training, nutritious meals, and a safe place to spend each day. It also helps to keep our mission financially afloat and provides an enormously appreciated source of encouragement for our staff.
We believe that childhood should look like the image below, NOT like the images above. Every child deserves innocence, and every childhood should include protection, education, good nutrition, healthcare, and love.
Together, we can turn those ideals into reality.
