The country of Haiti is located in the Caribbean as the western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic. Although Haiti was the first black republic to declare it’s independence in 1804 (from France), today the nation stands as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of it’s people living below the poverty line, and 54% living in absolute poverty. Almost 40% of it’s population are 14 years old or younger, while 90% of Haitian children suffer with waterborne diseases and intestinal parasites.
In October of 2009, the Bridge Ministry began to feel a pull in their heart to Haiti, and made the first of their visits to Port Au Prince. After seeing such a need for food, shelter, and education, the Bridge Ministry felt that their next step in Haiti would be working towards building an orphanage. That November, the Bridge Ministry obtained a building in Port Au Prince called “The Candy House” , where they began to feed and educate children daily while also housing as many as their space would allow.
January 2010 brought great heartache and devastation to Haiti and its people though a catastrophic earthquake registering at a magnitude of 7.0. This natural disaster claimed the lives of nearly 250,000 people, while leaving around 300,000 injured, and an estimated 1,000,000 Haitians homeless. Unfortunately, “The Candy House” was reduced to rubble, and made many more children orphaned and hungry. In February 2010, The Bridge Ministry founder, Candy Christmas, and her family were able to make their first trip back to Haiti since the earthquake and assess the damage. Although the devastation and urgent needs are overwhelming, The Bridge Ministry came back with hope and a vision to rebuild and expand.
In 2010 and the coming years, it is The Bridge Ministry’s desire to purchase property on which to build an orphanage to house, feed, and educate Haitian orphans. Though the generous hearts of many donors, The Bridge Ministry is closer than ever to seeing that goal accomplished, and will continue to push forward until that vision is made a reality. We encourage everyone to be apart of our Haiti mission, whether through prayer, volunteering, or financially. Mathew 25:40 says, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Join with The Bridge Ministry today in bringing hope to the hopeless and helping people who can’t help themselves.
Photos from our last trip
Sources:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Haiti_earthquake
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiti#Environment
