Masks, Soap, & Food: You can give all 3!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1QHO33QBvY

In partnership with Espérance et Vie, tailors in Terrier Rouge have joined together to make masks out of bed sheets. Watch the video to see them in action!

Almost 1,000 masks . . .

have been produced and delivered to people who have the highest risk of being exposed to COVID-19 including those working in local markets.The long-term goal is to provide a mask for 2,500 people! Masks slow the spread of the virus and help provide a greater sense of calm in a community anxious about the threat of the illness.

More than 9,000 bars & 120 gallons . . . 

of soap produced by Jatrofa Projenou have been delivered to hospitals, orphanages, homeless shelters, schools, and communities throughout Northern Haiti. Our amazing donors gave 1,728 bars of soap through our Clean Hands Campaign. Thank you!

Food Distribution

Many Haitians purchase food and supplies from their neighboring country, the Dominican Republic, but currently the border is closed. With access to food limited and the cost of goods rising, Espérance et Vie is working hard to ensure families in Terrier Rouge and surrounding communities don't go hungry by delivering food right to their door. This also provides an opportunity to educate families on the ways they can stay healthy and stop the spread of COVID-19.

You can help!

By donating to Bethlehem Ministry's humanitarian aid fund, you will support these efforts. You can protect a person from a potentially life-threatening virus and feed a family that is struggling to make ends meet. You can make a difference in Haiti today!

Click Here to Donate

"Many of us will soon receive stimulus checks. We will, of course, be glad to have the additional money, but truthfully there are so many who need the help a lot more. I hope you will consider joining me in making a stimulus check contribution to Bethlehem Ministry. " 

-Dan Horton, Board of Directors

Help Us Get Soap to Families in Haiti

Last week we updated you on the latest news of COVID-19 in Haiti. Sadly, since that time there have been multiple confirmed cases, and at least 2 deaths. As you know, the first line of defense against the spread of coronavirus is hand washing but in Haiti soap is nearly impossible to find or to afford. Fortunately, Jatrofa Projenou (JP) has been producing soap for years using the glycerin byproduct of Jatrofa oil production. They have supplied soaps for hospitals, schools, and hotels but now they are increasing production to meet the demands in the fight against COVID-19, most recently having delivered several thousand bars of soap to an orphanage and a hospital in the town of Milot.

To support the efforts of Jatrofa Projenou, we are kicking off Clean Hands - A Campaign to Keep Haitians Healthy in the Midst of COVID-19.

Partner with us in the fight against COVID-19 by donating soap from Jatrofa Projenou to Haitian families for just $0.90 a bar. Consider adding a donation in any amount to support outreach efforts in rural communities throughout northeast Haiti. Opportunities to educate families about the dangers of COVID-19 and the protection provided by proper hand washing increase the chances of success for this campaign.

Fighting COVID-19 has become a global effort that relies on each of us to do our part. In the time it takes to wash your hands, you can donate a bar of soap to a family in Haiti. Click on the link below to give the life-saving gift of Clean Hands. Thank you and stay well!

Support Clean Hands

Making bars of soap at Jatrofa Projenou

Responding to COVID-19

Greetings to all of you from Terrier Rouge. With the Lord's grace we are all in good health. We are full of energy to do His work. 

Two weeks ago the government decided to close the schools, reduce some activities, confine people in their homes, impose a curfew from 8PM to 5 AM. They do not allow gatherings of more than 10 people. Those measures are more or less what every country is taken to control the spread of the COVID-19.  But in Haiti those measures, although very important, put more burden on the poor people whose activities are on the streets in search for their daily bread. Some of our open public markets are not allowed to function. Today the biggest open market which serves almost the whole North will be closed. 

The prices of goods are reaching the sky and some of the products are becoming delicacies. But anyway we are surviving with God's help.

At Saint Barthélémy, we concentrate on helping our brothers and sisters in needs. We do not stop working. We are using the individual approach, we go from door to door to deliver the food to the people. Our volunteers work hard to do so. In two days we gave food to 300 households. Today we are going to Phaeton and Paulette. Tomorrow will be Grand basin's turn along with our neighborhood and other places in Terrier Rouge. Families in Patrico received already 130 bags of rice, pasta and oil. 

We also add to our distribution soap for the people to wash their hands as one of the measures of  prevention. Some of our volunteers take that opportunity to talk about the danger of the corona virus and the way to prevent it.

For the time been we are in good shape. The Lord is taking good care of us. We keep you in our daily prayers as you have to deal also with the corona virus epidemic.

In His name,

JMB+