Wishing for the gift of water

This holiday season, I am wishing for the gift of water. Here’s why:

Isnido sent me a message from Haiti last week on Whatsapp:

"Those up the street can’t go down, those down can’t go up. One gallon gas is 2000 HTG ($20). Everything is quiet. Every kind of oppression sits upon the head of our nation. The hungry do not speak. Misery is everywhere. No one knows what to do anymore."

I have known Isnido for almost 20 years. He is a carpenter who long ago volunteered his skill when we were repairing the “Poor House,” a simple shelter for the homeless, in Borgne, Haiti. He is also a farmer. He currently lives in Vodrey outside of Cap Haitien where he organized a local community farm which feeds its own members and gives away extra produce to those in need. They use a few different plots of land donated for their use by the church and community members. A few years ago, I helped them purchase their first batch of seeds. They struggle at the mercy of the weather. Drought dried their peppers on the plants last year and hurricanes can blow down corn stalks before the ears are ripe. But sometimes, things go right. When the harvest is especially abundant, Isnido sends the surplus to the Pen ak Pwason program in Borgne, Haiti (a group I support through St. Joseph’s House of Hospitality in Rochester) which feeds 100 elderly and disabled guests two times a week. Isnido’s community farm group is trying to have a well dug to irrigate one of their large fields so that they can improve their harvests and share the food with more people. They need $2000 more to dig the well, line it and add a pump.

The Pen ak Pwason program also has a special water need this year. Their water storage drum cracked when it was blown around in a hurricane. Our cooks have had to carry water from a good distance away to use for preparing the food for the last year. They are hoping to purchase a new drum and create a concrete bracket to better hold it in place. They need about $800 for these repairs.

Hunger in Haiti is growing because of COVID closures, the political crisis and the gas shortage. These two programs are local efforts to blunt the force of it. They are proof that small acts multiplied 7+ billion times will see us through. As the holiday season begins, many are wishing for snow. Some are wishing for new toys…but I am wishing for water, water to grow and serve food, to nourish bodies, and to sustain hope in Haiti during these dark times.