Island ofLa Gonave, Haiti 120,000 people need food

Dear brothers and sisters,

Current update 8/17/21

We are getting hit hard by Tropical Storm Grace and are unable to go to mainland to get food and supplies. When it opens up again, passage will be very expensive as will food prices because of supply and demand. Thank you for praying for us and supporting us during this difficult time. Please pray for our Southern Haitian people as they are still recovering from the earthquake and getting hit by the storm. 

 We at Association of Caring for the Handicapped people and Orphans of La Gonave Island, Haiti (ASHOG) hope you are having a wonderful day. We would like to introduce our organization to you.  ASHOG was founded in 1996, by me, Pastor Jean Rony Toussaint; ASHOG is an Evangelical Christian organization that provides basic services to children, the elderly, and the disabled across La Gonave. La Gonave is one of the poorest and most forgotten regions of Haiti.

 Our goal is to increase the livelihood of orphans, children, and the disabled throughout La Gonave. We do not receive financial assistance from the Haitian government. We’ve been operating on the generous donations of visitors, locals, and small donations we receive from children sponsorships donors. This is not sustainable we know, but the living conditions are terrible. Help us help them!
Since the Coronavirus scare, we are even more isolated from the mainland. They have made it impossible for us to get food from the mainland and what food does get smuggled in is priced too high for most to be able to buy it. 

 We are therefore appealing to you for help, your organizations is respected throughout the international community. We would like to establish a partnership with you or a church or if you could assist us by donating.

 Our Mission Statement

Our vision is to assist the residents of La Gonave Island to live in dignity and hope through providing nutrition, clean water, financial support for medical care, safe housing, and education. We believe that this support will enable the community to thrive in a sustainable manner. And to support the poor, especially the disabled those struggling to survive is the purest form of respect for all human rights.

To present our Lord Jesus Christ in faith and actions by improving the living conditions of the underprivileged and disadvantaged.

Core Values:

• Love • Integrity • Synergy • Involvement • Leadership • Equity

Goal

Let’s speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves!

ASHOG is a registered Haitian charity, working on La Gonave. We liaise closely with the Office of the State Secretary for the integration of disabled people in Haiti and with local authorities.

Www.helpashog-Haiti.org

The island of La Gonave 
La Gonave is the largest of the Island adjacent of Haiti’s Republic, It is situated in a distance of 12 kilometers west of the Port-au-Prince. La Gonave is 743 square meters is 60 kilometers in length and 15 kilometers wide. It is part of the part western Department along with Haiti’s capital.

 It has its limited: West of the “ Cotes des Arcadains”, an important tourist area. West cross Canal duvant, North Canal Saint Marc and south Island of La Gonave.

 It has an altitude of 770 meters at the peak of its highest mountain range and is at an equal distance to Haiti’s major’s cities: Jeremie, Port de Paix, Cap Haitian, and the Haitian-Dominicans border offering a superb panoramic view of the Island of Haiti.

 And the Island around are the mountains. It has the amount of a hundred and twenty thousand people ( 120 000)  who’s living in it. And after the earthquake the amount is over because of a lots people left the capital to rescue in this Island to be safe. The surface is eight hundred fifty five kilometers.

 La Gonave Island is an arrondissement which has two communes “ Anse-A-Galets, Pointe-A-Raquette”  with eleven communal sections.

Health

In healthy condition, it has four small health centers which belong to missions. The Government has invested nothing in them and it has not public hospital on the Island. It is a forgotten place even by the Haitian Government. Sometimes there are some people who die with the sickness before getting Port-AU-Prince in order to see a Doctor.  It’s because sometimes the life is so expensive, they don’t have money to  pay. For this huge Island we get only one Haitian doctor for a hundred and treny thousand people.

 Education 
La Gonave has 70% of the population who are not educated; it is is very critical for a country’s development. The poorness has been caused a lots people can’t even go to school .Those who have got to school  stop going after 2 or 3 years because the Island live is so expensive. Then, that situation also has been caused a lots people of La Gonave died in Port-AU-Prince especially during the earthquake 2010 January 12.

During the French-colonialism in the late 1700s, runaway slaves sought refuge on the island having escaped their owners - a safe-haven, cut off from the mainland. To date, la Govâve remains isolated, meaning food and clean water are scarce. The island itself is largely made up of limestone, meaning the dry, barren soil has long prevented any agriculture development. Only 5 -10% of the households have electricity, roads and infrastructure are poorly built and sewerage systems were never considered, leaving la Gonâve severely disadvantaged. The poverty is overwhelming. Unemployment levels are extremely high meaning few families have enough money to feed, house, medicate and educate themselves and their children.

​Despite the debilitating conditions on the island, Gonâvians are wonderfully vibrant, generous, strong and kind people - forever grateful for the support they receive.

Making a living

The biggest activities of the Island people are: Land famer, breeding, fishing and business. All those activities have been made in the Island with out technical because there is no technician. Those are helpless.

Water

For this huge Island we have only tree water fountains. Those fountains have taken place on top and middle of the Island. According the books we saw the scholars have been said: there much water under grown but we till have no tools and technicians to have them out. We only have little bit water sometimes when it’s rain!!!...................

Planting of Vegetables and beans It started in the middle of November led by pastor Jean Rony Toussaint, the Director of ASHOG 'school and 2 others Teachers, Ekency and John in order to provide vegetables to ASHOG'S SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM.
The goal for the project in 6 months, it's to help and keeping ASHOG'S SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM alive by providing the good and healthy vegetables to more than 50 children.

in 1 year, our hope it's to build a cistern at the school to catch rain water so that to get water to produce more vegetables.

 In 5 years: our hope is to buy a big piece of land for a Community garden to help ASHOG'S SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM in other to reach out more needed children in need .

Malnutrition is a serious threat to the children of La Gonâve. 1 out of 3 children are underweight, and 1 out of 5 children die before the age of 6. It is common on La Gonâve go for days without food and have no idea when the next meal might be. Children who suffer from malnutrition are at risk for other complications, such as not being able to fight a simple infection or illness. The Hungry Tummies Project was created to address the needs of the most vulnerable children on the island. It provides young children suffering from malnutrition with Plumpy Nut, a life-saving peanut butter paste. Also, the project serves a nutritious daily meal, along with unlimited filtered drinking water, to every student at our school.

Currently, the school is closed due to Covid-19 threat, so children who had access to one meal a day have none. Please, if you know of a church or organization that could sponsor us, please help!

Our link in the United States is Tammy Bruce Edwards  (on Facebook) of Warrenville, Illinois. She came here on a mission trip a few years ago to help at the orphanage, school and clinic. Please contact me,Jean, her, our Facebook or website, if you know how we can get a church group to help us. Until then, God can use any donation to help and sustain us. 

Thank you!