Remember to Pray for Haiti....

This past week we received an update email from Compassion on our Child Survival Program:

We have received a letter from Pastor Ronaldo Etienne at Redeemed Christian Church (Eglise Chretienne) – your CSP church partner.   Praise God that he has survived and that it appears the children were protected during the earthquake. Apparently he wrote the letter at the end of January, so we are trying to confirm if the details he included are still accurate.  It appears as though their church building did receive significant damage and there were several injuries, but minimal fatalities.

Please continue to be in prayer for all of Haiti, and specifically the children in our CSP program, Pastor Etienne, and our CSP church partner Redeemed Christian Church.  Take a moment and read about what the Child Survivor Program does and some more details about our specific project...

HAITI CHILD SURVIVAL PROGRAM  

The Well's monthly support enables Compassion's local church partner (Redeemed Christian Church) to meet these basic needs:  

1) Prenatal Care 

2)Nutritious Food and Supplements 

3)Ongoing Health Care and Vaccinations 

4)Infant Survival Training 

5)Education and Encouragement 

6)Spiritual Nurturing and Faith Community 

7)Income Generating Opportunities 

Our CSP Project Information
The Child Development Center HA-751 is an important project in the Nazon vicinity of Port-au-Prince where nearly 300 children are receiving an education in spiritual, social-emotional, intellectual, and physical aspects. For six years, the Haiti Redeemed Christian Church project has partnered with Compassion and has touched assisted children through school tuition and holistic child development: spiritual, cognitive, socio-emotional, and economical.

The Needs
Children in this community suffer from malnutrition, typhoid, malaria, respiratory diseases, and other types of illnesses. Also, some children are involved in gangs and lead a dangerous life. 

The community is urban but underdeveloped. Most roads are unpaved and heavy with dust and trash. Homes are mostly one-room shanties that share common toilet and water areas. Unemployment is severe. Security has been a problem in the past but has improved in recent years with increased police presence.

The church took a census in the area and discovered how great the needs of mothers were. The under-five mortality rate was very high, as was the morbidity rate. Teenage pregnancies were very common. Only half of all births were occurring at licensed medical facilities. Only 22.6% of adults in the community were literate. 

The Opportunity

In August 2006 Compassion partnered with Haiti Redeemed Christian Church to implement a Child Survival Program. Through the Child Survival Program, mothers are learning how to better raise their children, receiving good nutrition and hygiene care, given literacy training, and instructed in sewing and other vocational training. They receive spiritual care and instruction. They also receive medical care during and post pregnancy and ongoing medical treatment for their children.

Each enrolled mother has an average of three visits to her home per month. She receives supplemental food such as milk, cereal, eggs, rice, corn, oil and sugar. Age appropriate toys are distributed quarterly. She also receives group instruction and encouragement at the church project. 

Thank you for your partnership with Haiti Redeemed Christian Church. In the words of Pastor Ronaldo Etienne: “Let me express my deepest gratitude to them in the name of the community. They would never imagine how many lives they help us save through this ministry. God will bless them over and over.”

For more details on the Child Survival Program go to:  http://rescuebabiesnow.org/rescue-babies/