Even in crisis, our Haiti Promise is being fulfilled!
June 1, 2024 E-Newsletter
As we enter into the final days of our Haiti Promise campaign, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of who have made or renewed their Haiti Promise. Your unwavering commitment and generosity are making a tangible difference, especially in these challenging times for our friends in southern Haiti.
As many of you are aware, Haiti is facing a severe crisis. We are earnestly praying for the successful intervention of Kenya and other nations being supported by the U.S. and other countries. We are hoping their efforts will bring relief and stability. However, even with this new hope, there is still a long road ahead. Despite the adversity, there are glimmers of progress being made in the communities where Overture serves. Our commitment to the Haiti Promise—investing in the long-term, sustainable development of southern Haiti—remains steadfast. We are dedicated to empowering the people of Haiti to build thriving, self-reliant communities. Together our Haiti Promise can and will be fulfilled!!
We’re excited to share just a few examples of progress and your Haiti Promise in action.
As some of you may recall, Overture refocused our Young Adult Empowerment Program to address the needs of the most vulnerable youth in the communities we serve. These are the young adults who have fallen in with gangs, ended up incarcerated, or living on the streets. They are the ones who are rejected by their communities. We call this new program Rejuvenation because it provides a fresh start for these young people.
The program consists of intervention initiatives on the streets and in prisons as well as access to education, morals training, vocational training, nutritious meals, social services support, healthcare and mentorship within the community, all aligning with the Five Pillars of our Overture Social Support Model (Empowerment, Education, Nutrition, Healthcare and Infrastructure). We’re already seeing Rejuvenation make a significant impact on the lives of young people like Joseph (alias for privacy).
Joseph, one of our Rejuvenation participants, recently expressed his profound gratitude for the opportunities the program has offered him. "I've come to say a big thank you for this life plan training. Thank you for everything you've given us. This training reached me and made me realize that I was leading my life without a plan. If there's one person who has to decide to change my life, it's myself. I decided to be a different person and organize my life differently. I now have hope that I can live a better life."
Joseph is just one of the first four participants in Rejuvenation. All of them have made progress in the program and are working to begin anew, to be productive members of their community, and to be self-reliant. Because of your support, because of your Haiti Promise, Joseph now has hope and a future he could have only dreamed of in the past.
We recently inaugurated the Dory Community Facilitation Center, a truly transformative project for this community of Maniche and surrounding communities. This center is designed to support various development initiatives and provide the ability to respond rapidly in times of crisis and disasters. During the inauguration ceremony, our Overture Social Worker and Empowerment Manager, Wijems Sainval, shared his vision of the Dory Dome's impact on the people and community.
"The creation of this community center is a beacon of light that shows all members of the Dory community that development will come from within. With support and coaching like that provided by Overture, the community can boost its development initiatives and develop its potential in all sectors. The creation of this center sends out the message that, while the community needs support and guidance from outside (such as from the state and humanitarian organizations), this support and guidance needs to be channeled so that it can support local development initiatives led by community members, and thus enable the community to develop its own potential in all sectors."
This transformative project has only been possible because of the generosity of donors and your commitment to fulfilling our Haiti Promise! With your continued support, we are already seeing how great an impact this project can make on the community, and the potential for the future seems endless.
Like so many of us, families in Haiti face unexpected challenges that have the potential to be catastrophic if we don’t have access to the support and resources needed to overcome them. Joler, a father of nine in a community near our campus, faced a dire situation after a motorcycle accident severely damaged his ankle. His daughters sought help from our psychosocial team when his condition worsened, and he faced the risk of amputation because the family could not afford to pay for the surgery that would save his foot.
Thanks to the intervention and support from OOI, Joler received the funding for and access to the necessary medical treatment and avoided amputation. Because of your Haiti Promise, Joler can continue to provide for his family and work towards a better, more self-reliant future.
These stories are just a few examples of the Haiti Promise being fulfilled. But many more stories are waiting to happen, and there is still much work to be done to fulfill it. Thank you once again for your continued support and dedication to our friends in southern Haiti.
Together, we are making a difference and helping build a brighter future for the people of Haiti.
To learn more about Overture’s work and how you can continue to fulfill your Haiti Promise, please visit our Haiti Promise Page. If you are ready to make your Haiti Promise today, click below to make a donation!
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