The PEACE Project
The PEACE Project (Promoting Education And Community Empowerment) oversees the funding and running of three schools in Carrefour, Haiti. All are monitored by the Haiti Ministry of Education and follow government published curricula. Farmers in three villages outside Carrefour are getting help growing better, more abundant crops. Derival Guertho, a college-trained agronomist, teaches people better farming methods. He teaches each group in a community classroom setting weekly and works with the farmers in their fields. Derival also teaches botany in the three schools. In his "small space gardening" classes, he includes lessons on ecology and protecting the environment.
The farmers in the PEACE Project Agricultural Support Program asked for assistance learning to read and write. They want to be able to sign their names. With donor support, the PEACE Project is able to help the farming communities of Kaduit, Dufresney and Pwossy become literate! Official figures put unemployment in Haiti as high as 70%. Getting a high school diploma isn't enough. So PEACE Project has begun a vocational school to teach graduates (and others) a useful, money-making trade. Classes now include training in dressmaking, tailoring, refrigeration repair, tile laying, plumbing, and electrical work. Students pay a modest fee for classes, less than the going rate at similar schools.
PEACE Project provides a guaranteed salary for the teachers, a facility for classes, and covers administrative costs. This is part of "promoting education" and "community empowerment." PEACE Project began Banm Zel Micro Loans in 2022 to help people in Carrefour start small businesses. Banm Zel is Haitian Creole for "Give Me Wings," and the program is helping 20-30 people, mostly women, at any given time. Micro loans are small loans typically given to individuals or small businesses who lack access to traditional banking services. These loans are often used to start or expand a business, purchase equipment, or cover unexpected expenses. Many of the businesses are food-related, with cooking being done at home and the product then sold on the street. Other businesses include textbook sales, printing services, and motorcycle taxis. Banm Zel provides loans up to $400, using a field worker who keeps in constant contact with the entrepreneur to monitor success, troubleshoot, and solve problems.
PEACE Project is also funding medical field trips to remote areas outside of Carrefour. These villagers have little access to quality medical treatment. PEACE Project now has two four-wheel drive vehicles to reach remote areas to deliver medical assistance to people struggling with day to day survival. PEACE hires a team of doctors, nurses, and dentists to travel to and minister care where these people live.
Many of those involved in the PEACE Project, both in NA and in Haiti, are brothers and sisters. There is an active, vibrant Christadelphian community in Haiti, who is reaching out to those around them to promote education, as well as to spread the Gospel to those in their communities.