Clinic Update!

The beginning of many enriched life stories!

We are THRILLED to share with you photos from the very first eye* surgery completed onsite at the Clinic using its new state-of-the-art equipment! We are truly thankful to the nonprofit organization Iris Mundial, which supplied the equipment and has supported the Clinic's vision program in many ways, and to our donors for their faithful support of the Clinic. Congratulations to the talented team in Terrier Rouge, led by Dr. Marie-Carmelle Lucien-Guerrier, on this achievement!

A dedicated medical team performed the Clinic's eye* surgery, including Dr. Bendson Louima. The capacity of the Clinic to perform this type of surgery is the result of the support of the organization Iris Mundial and others. Please enjoy this video made by Dr. Louima himself about the surgery and the support for the eye* surgery project. This is an amazing new chapter for the Clinic, and we are so thankful to the many donors, whose support made the creation and continued operation of the Clinic possible.

*We had inadvertently reported this eye procedure as a cataract surgery; however, the complex surgery that was performed was a pterygium excision and graft to cure pterygium (surfer's eye)

Happy 52nd Wedding Anniversary!

Joyeux anniversaire de mariage Pere Bruno & Madame Bruno!

Today, March 29th, is Father Bruno and Madame Bruno’s 52nd wedding anniversary!

Did you know Madame Bruno saw Father Bruno in a picture before meeting him? And that they lived across the street from each other? The two met in their twenties and married just one year after having met. They raised five lovely daughters, first in Cap-Haitien and then in Santo Domingo, and proudly watched their daughters follow in their footsteps by teaching younger generations at the church. Click above to watch the sweet video as the couple walks down memory lane, each telling their side of the Bruno love story - as well as marriage advice!

*A special thank you to Dominique Bruno for getting current video footage and photos of historical locations, including the street where Father Bruno and Madame Bruno met and the church that brought them together - in addition to sharing these very special photos of the couple's wedding day!

HONORING MOMS AND BUILDING RESILIENCE IN HAITI AT THE FAMILY FARM LEVEL

For 2025, Jatrofa Projenou, the

agricultural/economic program that

Bethlehem Ministry supports, has a major initiative: 100,000 Trees... AND MORE.

Our historical Mother's Day fundraiser, Kids for Change, will take a break this year so that JP can focus on 100,000 Trees. . . AND MORE! Please consider giving your mom and the other special women in your life the gift of trees for Haiti this year!

Click this link to donate and make an incredible difference today (designate your donation for "Sustainability"): https://secure.etransfer.com/eft/custom/bethlehemMinistry/flexblockcode/donation1.cfm?d2org=BethlehemMinistry&d2tool=HopeandLife

Jatrofa Projenou has optimized how to achieve sustainable results that rescue impoverished, poverty-stricken family farms and has a proven track record. Rob Fisher explains more about the project: “When talking about the 100,000 tree project, the trees are important, but the essence of our undertaking is the resilience we are building, i.e., a food supply a family can count on every day, the ability to earn enough to buy the things that cannot be grown, and vouchsafing the most valuable asset a family has, the land it tills. The stress of uncertainty is cruel. I would add that given the dysfunction of the Haitian government and the economy, which is bound to last for many years, creating resilient self-sufficiency at the grassroots where people dwell is of paramount importance. One of the assets that this troubled country has is its family farms. They hold the potential to feed the people in the absence of a functional government and a national economy that can generate wealth and employment.”

Now it is time to SCALE UP, but we need your help to do that! Amazingly, the cost to rescue one entire family farm, which typically supports 8-15 people, including planting approximately 1300 trees at that farm, is only $1800! That is less than $1.50 per tree!

Rob Fisher is the Director of Partner for People and Place, a U.S. 501(c)(3) that supports JP with technical and financial support. Rob was recently honored as "One of 12 persons who left their mark in the Haitian agricultural sector in 2024"! An organization of Haitian agronomists honored Rob and invited him to make a presentation via Zoom, which he did in January 2025. Rob shares, "I was touched. Being the only non-Haitian made it even more special." This honor truly speaks to the strength and credibility of the JP program in Haiti!