Dear Friends/Colleagues,
As some of you may or may not know, I
am involved with a 501(c)3 non-profit organization called Community2Community Haiti
(C2C Haiti). My family hails from the island nation which occupies the western
third of the island of Hispaniola. I have been blessed enough to visit several
times, and can tell you that the country is so much more than the oft-moniker
“poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.”
It is a beautiful country full of amazing scenery, wonderful food, rich
history and culture, and a warmhearted, hard-working, resilient people who want
nothing more than to move forward.
When I looked for an organization to
volunteer my time/financial support with, I wanted to choose one that is honest
and making a tangible impact. An organization that is about more than just heartbreaking
photos of malnourished children, as these campaigns (while well-meaning) tend
to provide short-term solutions to the much greater economic, political,
educational, and infrastructure challenges. Many of these solutions also hinder
economic development by fostering dependence, and contribute to the cycle of
poverty – putting local farmers, merchants, clothing manufacturers,
construction workers, etc. out of business.
Since the earthquake...
While thousands of NGOs flocked to
Haiti before, during, and after the horrific earthquake in 2010, progress has been
slow and has many asking where the money has gone. Sustainable and long-term
progress in moving things forward doesn’t come from charity and handouts – it comes from
empowering people to become self-sufficient, independent, and to participate in
rebuilding their own communities - creating jobs, improving public infrastructure, and providing access to education and healthcare.
Why Community2Community Haiti (c2c Haiti)
That’s just what Community2Community Haiti is
all about - developing communities by working WITH the community. C2C works side-by-side local community groups in Petit Goave, Haiti – passionate engineers,
architects, teachers, and medical professionals, building solutions from the
ground up – built for the people, by the people.
I am writing to ask for your support in helping me raise funds as
a Community2Community Haiti Ambassador. You’ll be supporting:
Our Water Initiative: building a water distribution system that will give our
community partner on the mountainside access to clean, potable water and developing
commerce with sales of surplus water to neighboring communities
Our Reforestation Initiative: planting one
million trees in Haiti, raising awareness about the root causes and severe
impacts of deforestation
Our Education Initiative: we
sponsor a school program that educates 315 children in our mountainside
community, building a temporary school shelter and paying teacher stipends. Community2Community's
central education initiative is the construction of the Saul Louis Community
School - a state of the art facility that will allow the children in the
community to prepare for higher educational platforms and provide adults with
training programs regarding health, business and economic development.
Our Road Initiative: building a road
that will connect our mountainside community with surrounding towns –
facilitating commerce and travel to and from work and school.
So says the proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man
how to fish and he will eat for a life time.” Please join me by considering
making a one-time donation or becoming a C2C neighbor. You can become a C2C
neighbor for as little as $15 a month, and one-time donations of any size would
be greatly appreciated by the people of Petit Goave! Donations are tax deductible and go straight towards the project we are running in Haiti.
Please view this
short video (with yours truly making a cameo appearance) to learn more about how your contribution can make a difference: http://bit.ly/1Gj5dtJ
Warm regards,
Eveline Dominique
To become a C2C Neighbor for as little as $15 per month, click here: www.community2community.info/c2c-neighbor
To learn more about C2CHaiti please visit us online: www.community2community.info
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