Michigan Area Haiti Task Force

The Haiti Hot Lunch Program

"Sak vid pa kanpe"

Hungry children do not learn and are absent from school because of sickness and exhaustion. The Haitian proverb, "Sak vid pa Kanpe!" (An empty sack can not stand) is used to describe the plight of children whose daily struggle is to survive in a country of unnecessary mass starvation.

Joining with UMCOR, the Michigan Area of the United Methodist Church has been involved in providing a nutritious mid-morning lunch for the children.

This project has been very successful in lowering absenteeism, increasing the general health of the students, and raising the average test scores on national exams. The Haiti School Hot Lunch program has also provided summer programs of Bible study, recreation, and community activities for children. Michigan Methodists have been an important part of this program with 70% of the hot lunch costs coming from the generous giving of United Methodists throughout the state.

This is an on going project, and there is much more that needs to be done to help these children; children that normally walk miles to get to and from school. The recent political crisis in Haiti has caused severe problems for the people. There is a severe shortage of food, uncontrollable inflation, and the citizenry are without security. Working in cooperation with the church in Haiti and UMCOR to help alleviate Haiti's major problems has developed the Michigan Area Haiti Task Force programs.

The average cost of a single meal for a student is 30 cents, but it can be as much as 75 cents depending on the area, cost and availability of food. The meal of the traditional rice and beans is for many children the only meal they will receive each day. The average cost to provide a child an education is about $250.00 a year and parents make great sacrifices to provide schooling in a Methodist school where there is a hot lunch (canteen) program. It takes a larger percentage of the family income to educate a child in Haiti than anywhere else in the world, considering the average family income is between $250.00 and $300.00 per year.

What can you do to help? Financial gifts for the Haiti Hot Lunch Program can be put in the offering plate on Sunday and the local church treasurer will forward it to the conference treasurer to be sent to UMCOR. Your generous gift goes 100% to support the program. Please write the advance number, UMCOR Advance #418790, on the envelope.