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This is a quick update
The Haiti Hope House Facebook Hyperlink has been changed. Effective immediately, it is as follows" www.facebook.com/OfficialHHHIncPage Any previous Haiti Hope House Facebook Page hyperlink is to be discarded and un-followed.
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HAITI HOPE HOUSE April 2023 Newsletter a better future through education and vocational training www.haitihopehouse.org PO Box 292 Orange, NJ 07051 www.facebook.com/haitihopehouse In This Issue: Still Going Strong An Unexpected Recognition Meet Some of the 2022-2023 HHH Children Contact Us  Still Going Strong Rev. Aguilh It has been about one year since my last Newsletter; too long. I have been waiting to go back to Haiti, as I used to do, two or three times a year. And usually, the news from the trip would be shared with you in the Newsletter. Unfortunately, because of the turmoil in Haiti, the ever increasing violence by armed gangs that have proliferated at an unbelievable rate, and the indiscriminate kidnapping of people for ransom, I have not returned to Haiti since my last trip in October 2020. The situation has gotten so bad that even the latest means of travel, as difficult as they were, have become too risky to make the trip. You may remember the picture on the left with me being taken to the small airport in Jacmel to catch a “puddle jumper” to get me to the international airport for a flight home. That was my last flight out of Mizak since 2020. The insecurity has reached a point where I could not even take the risk of not making it there safely, or worse, ending up in the hands of kidnapping gangsters. So like I said I have not been to Mizak since the Fall of 2020. However, thanks be to God, and the dedication of the young man driving the motorcycle, the Liaison for Haiti Hope House in Mizak, Haiti, the mission is still going strong, is continuing to make a positive difference in the life of the people, through education, in the name of Jesus Christ, and for the glory of God. You might have read, or seen, or heard about the current situation in Haiti. The information is probably right, and possibly even worse. And with such a long silence, you may have wondered if we were still operating. So, it is important to reassure everyone, especially those of you who have continued to support the mission, that indeed despite the challenges, HHH is still going on strong. Though I am not on sight, I am constantly on the phone with the Liaison, coordinating, organizing, and supporting all the HHH’s activities by long distance. The last time I was in Mizak, I redesigned the solar energy system to reduce its capacity because of the inability to procure replacements for the failing batteries, because of the country’s chaos. I replaced the fixtures in both bathrooms and the LC’s hallway. I visited all 14 schools participating in the education program, and met with all the parents. There were 95 students in the program for the 2020-2021 school year, including 13 new kids. There were 90 students in the program for the 2021-2022 school year, including 18 new ones, and again 90 for the 2022-2023 school year, with 20 new students. An Unexpected Recognition Rev. Aguilh What a surprise it was when my daughter Frankie, currently living in Washington State called me to let me know that Haiti Hope House was the recipient of the Anthem Awards’ Bronze Medal in the Education, Art and Culture category, Non-Profit Leader of the Year. I must confess that I never heard of the Anthem Awards before. But, she knew about their work, and knowing about the work of HHH, she had unbeknown to me, submitted HHH’s name to the Academy’s 2nd Anthem Awards. Briefly, “The Anthem Awards honors the purpose and mission-driven work of People, Companies, and Organizations Worldwide. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, we are defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their own communities.” You can see and read all about the Anthem Awards by visiting www.anthemawards.com. And, to see Haiti Hope House among all the 2023 awards winners, you can go to www.anthemawards.com/winners. Select a cause. For us it is Education, Art, & Culture. Click on Awards, then Bronze. Under the headline Team & Workplace Initiatives (NONPROFIT) you will see my picture with some children, a page from Haiti Hope House’s website, under which is the caption “Non Profit Leader of the Year. Though there is no monetary benefit attached to this award, it is nevertheless encouraging to know that our work is recognized in such a forum. The PR opportunity of such an award can be significant. I have not posted my brief “Call to Action” speech on the Anthem website yet, however I did record it and I want to share it with you right here. I am Rev. Franck Aguilh, I am the Founder and Chairperson of Haiti Hope House Inc. It is a great honor to be chosen by The Academy to receive the Bronze medal in the Education, Arts, & Culture category, Non-Profit Leader of The Year. My Call to Action is to everyone who, like myself, believe that education is a vehicle to a better tomorrow- especially in 3rd World countries like Haiti, where Education cannot be taken for granted. Help educate the disadvantaged children just like HHH does. Many children in these countries are not going to school, not because their parents do not understand the importance of an education. But rather, because they just cannot afford to send them to school. Thank you. Meet Some of the 2022-2023 HHH Children Rev. Aguilh Usually, I include in the Newsletter pictures of new children entering the program, or children who have been in the program for many years. This time, I want to do something different, and that is to include pictures of some of the children being supported by Haiti Hope house in a class picture. Two or three children may have been absent when we visited their schools, and of course, are missing from the group picture. 
This group of 12 children attends the school Institution Fondamentale de la Nouvelle Vie. There are 13 children from that school, in the program. One was absent. They range from 2AF (2nd grade) to 9AF (9th grade).
 These five children attend the School Moderne de la Vallee. There are six children from
this school in the HHH program, one was absent when we visited the school. By the way, if you would like to sponsor the education of any of these children, or another boy or girl, please contact me for all information. My email address and cell phone number are listed below in the Contact Us section that follows. Contact Us Please visit our website www.haitihopehouse.org. You can also contact any of the Board Members listed below with your questions. Rev. Franck Aguilh, Chair [email protected] telephone: 973 495-7206 Mrs. Langirene Aguilh, Secretary telephone: 973 420 -7284 Dr. Michael Stewart, Treasurer telephone: 917 584 - 6758 Rev. Geralda Aldajuste telephone: 732 207-7185 Mr. Ivan Kelly telephone: 347 451-1592 Dr. Joy Traille telephone: 914 643-0617 Mr. Richard Figaro telephone: 917 696-9851 HAITI HOPE HOUSE April 2019 Newsletter a better future through education and vocational training www.haitihopehouse.org PO Box 292 Orange, NJ 07051 www.facebook.com/haitihopehouse ___________________________________________________________________________ Our Mission Statement The mission of Haiti Hope House, Inc. is to seek opportunities to help educate Haitian children, and train young adults in marketable skills in partnership with existing organizations and local communities in order to equip them for a better future and give them hope. In This Issue: Through It All Touring the Haiti Hope House Learning Center Contact Us Through It All … Rev. Aguilh “Are you aware of what is currently going on in Haiti?” I asked the JetBlue agent. “Yes” she replied. “And you are still planning to fly there?” I continued. “I am aware,” she said, “but we have not received any order to cancel, so yes we are planning to fly there as usual.” “Well” I added, “I am not going with you and I would like to cancel my flight or postpone it to a later date.” So began the first of many conversations that I would have with JetBlue agents for the next few weeks as I tried to confirm my flight to Haiti last February in the midst of the political unrest and the violence in the streets of Port-au-Prince and most of the major cities of the country. Operation “peyi lok” (country lock down) brought the country to a standstill for two weeks as roads are blocked with burning tires, boulders, or even tree trunks while angry mobs break into stores, looted and set them on fire. Sick people could not get to a hospital and school children had to stay home. These two weeks of total chaos landed Haiti on the “no fly” list of the U.S. States Department and the “black list” of travel agencies. I just want to share with you a YouTube link to a short video giving a glimpse at how things were. Ironically, this video was released at the end of March by a coalition of leaders opposing further unrest and violence which were being planned by some, and scheduled to begin on March 29th to mark the departure of Baby Doc Duvalier, and commemorate the country’s 1987 constitution which replaced the dictatorship of the Duvaliers. What they were saying is that the two weeks of lock, of chaos, of breaking, burning, and destroying, has done nothing for the country. Instead, it has caused Haiti to lose over $750 million of dollars in revenue. It has pushed the country out of the community of nations, and caused more misery for the people. They were saying NO to the proposed demonstrations. They will not take to the street on March 29. They were instead advocating for dialog as a way out of the crisis. (just do Ctrl+Click) https://youtu.be/zEvCbVkOGU0 As usual, I travel to Haiti every six months. Since the earthquake of January 2010, I have been to Haiti 20 times. This trip, my 21st, proved to be the most difficult and the most expensive of them all. The situation as it were was very dangerous. Travel by land was at one’s own risk even after the “peyi lok” (country lock down) was over. In consultation with the folks in Haiti, it was decided that the safest way to make it to Mizak, is to reserve a small plane to fly me to Jacmel. So upon landing at the International airport, the liaison’s brother picked me up and drove me to the small airport a short distance away. I was forced to spend an extra $285 to fly a small plane (three seater) over Port-au-Prince and surrounding towns with the burning tires and other debris still littering some streets. I landed in Jacmel in about 20 minutes. From there I was picked up by a bus which took me to the Learning Center, about 30 minutes away. Instead of spending 4 hours on the dangerous road, I was in Mizak by 2.30 pm, approximately one hour after I landed in Port-au-Prince. "Through it all," as the Andraé Crouch’s hymn says, “I learned to trust in Jesus, I learned to trust in God.” For I understand that I am on His mission, and I am confident that He will see me through. I had many items on my agenda for this trip which was originally scheduled for five weeks, but had to be reduced to four. I had an ESL class to teach for the young adults, separate meetings scheduled with the parents and the children, and many other activities planned, including the purchase of books for the library, installation of surveillance cameras, electrical work, etc… I arrived Saturday and on Monday the ESL class began. Because of the many postponements, we lost a few of the original 20 young men and women who had registered for it. We met everyday for 5 hours, for three weeks. The course was intensive and wide ranging, covering everything from reading, grammar, conversation, pronunciation, composition, translation, expressions, and vocabulary. Very satisfying !!!  As I usually do whenever I am in Mizak, I met with the parents with two purposes in mind: to hear them and get their opinion as to how they feel about the HHH education program, and also to inform them as well as encourage them in their role as one leg of the three legged stool supporting their children’s education, HHH and the school where their children attend being the other two. Many take the time to offer a testimony, and express their gratitude. I also met with the children with the objective to connect with them on a personal level. There are many children in the program that I only know my name and the school they attend. There are many who only know me by name, but would not recognize me in the street. So, our meeting was not only to encourage them to work hard in order to achieve a passing grade, but also to get acquainted with each other. Besides the pep talk and the introductions, we spent some time watching a movie together, and sharing some refreshment afterwards. All of us were happy about our encounter which lasted about four hours.  One of the major items on my list was the purchase of books for the library. I took care of that as soon as the ESL class was over. The people of Mizak are very excited about the library, the first and only library in the community; and so are we. I designed and built it myself. We still have many empty shelves to fill, but I am grateful for what we were able to do so far.  I want to take the opportunity to thank all of you who have made specific donations for the purchase of books for the library. It is so appreciated. Including the books I purchased during this trip, we have bought over $3000 worth of books, so far, and it is like a drop in the bucket. So, if you would like to make a tax- deductible book donation, it would be appreciated. You can do so on-line by going to the Haiti Hope House website: www.haitihopehouse.org or mail your gift to: Haiti Hope House PO Box 292 Orange NJ 07051 Below is a short YouTube video showing the activities in the library as the students are preparing for the third marking period exams. (just do Ctrl+Click) https://youtu.be/V7KQX9-o4O8 Things have quieted down to some extent and I was able to do everything I planned to do during the four weeks trip, and I returned safely back home on 3/23. I took the bus back to the airport. Except for the inevitable traffic jam, I made it in about four hours without any incident. Lest one thinks that everything is now OK, it is not so. Heavily armed gangs are terrorizing the country, specially in the poor sections of Port-au-Prince, and the police, outmanned and outgunned, seems totally helpless. Just this week, six people were killed and over twenty people injured when for whatever reason a gang leader decided to flex his muscles in a community of Port-au-Prince known as Carrefour Feuille. To make matter worse, rumors have it that these gangs are being armed and financed by some members of the parliament for their own personal/political objectives. On the political scene, there is no government at this time. The Prime Minister who was present during the “lock down” was forced to resign. There is an interim care taker Prime Minister whom the President just nominated for the post. He has to be confirmed by the parliament before he can put together a cabinet to run the affairs of the country. Of course, there is a lot of back room deals going on; the members of the parliament have to extract their “pound of flesh” in order to approve the new Prime Minister. That is the way things are done in Haiti. Problem is, there is no flesh to extract anything from. For all intent and purposes, the country is broke. They were supposed to have elections in the coming months for members of the upper and lower chambers of the parliament, mayors, and other municipal posts. The smart bet is that the elections will not take place. What is going to happen? Nobody knows. Can the uprising and violence resume? Quite possible, and it can happen anytime, anywhere, and for any reason. But, THROUGH IT ALL: 17% inflation, a devalued currency, $450 million deficit, over 50% unemployment, violence, etc…the Haitian people perseveres, struggling to survive and hoping against hope that by God’s grace things will begin to change for the better. They have been hoping and waiting for a long time, but it seems that far from getting better, things have become worse. I am already planning for my next trip in mid-August. School opens in September, and I have to be there to get the children ready to begin the new school year. My prayer is that indeed in His Grace and Mercy, God who is a God of order, and not of chaos; a God of justice, and not of injustice; a God of peace, a God of hope, will finally smile upon Haiti and her people. Some may doubt that it will ever happen, but: “THROUGH IT All, I have learned to depend upon God’s word.” Touring the Learning Center Rev. Aguilh It is hard to believe, but it is true: this coming September will mark HHH’s 9th anniversary in the mission field of Mizak, Haiti. As we continue to subvention the education of more than 100 children every year, we have continued the construction of the HHH Learning Center which was inaugurated on 9/2/18, and put in service to the people. The picture below shows the LC in April 2016.  The following picture shows the latest view of the Learning Center as of this writing.  Below are two YouTube links to a video giving a tour of the Learning Center outside and inside. We have come a long way though we still have some work to do on the security wall. I thank all of you who helped us get here. https://youtu.be/gGvfOYruMVU https://youtu.be/B-bHHsKYkvw Contact Us Please visit our website www.haitihopehouse.org . You can contact any of us listed below with your questions. Rev. Franck Aguilh, Chair [email protected] telephone: 973 495-7206 Mrs. Langirene Aguilh, Secretary [email protected] telephone: 973 420 -7284 Dr. Michael Stewart, Treasurer [email protected] telephone: 917 584 - 6758 Rev. Geralda Aldajuste [email protected] telephone: 732 207-7185 Mr. Ivan Kelly [email protected] telephone: 347 451-1592 Mrs. Saundra Austin-Benn [email protected] telephone: 908 313 8628 Dr. Joy Traille [email protected] telephone: HAITI HOPE HOUSE a better future through education and vocational training PO Box 292 Orange, NJ 07051 www.haitihopehouse.org Our Mission Statement The mission of Haiti Hope House, Inc. is to seek opportunities to help educate Haitian children, and train young adults in marketable skills in partnership with existing organizations and local communities in order to equip them for a better future and give them hope. In This Issue: Keeping the Power On 24/7 Summer Vacations Are Around the Corner One Step Closer to Inauguration Day Contact Us Keeping The Power On 24/7 Rev. Aguilh Last September, we activated the Haiti Hope House Solar Energy System. It is expected to provide uninterrupted electrical power to the Learning Center for a very long time, provided that it is properly maintained. And when we talk about maintenance, though a periodic check of the other components of the system such as the Combiner, the Charge Controller, the Inverter, or even the Surge Protector (lighting arrester), and their associated cables and fuses is important, we are really talking about the scheduled maintenance of the solar panels, and specially the batteries and their cables.  This picture shows the panels wired in series and parallel strings connected to the combiner on the roof, with the SPD The panels produce the DC voltage that charges the batteries. These panels are exposed to the elements, and the amount of power they produce may be reduced if they are covered with dust, birds’ dropping or other sun blocking dirt. Part of the scheduled (at least once a month) service of the system includes washing the panels clean. As for the batteries, the most important part of their maintenance is to ensure that each cell (each battery has three cells, and the system has 16 batteries) has the correct amount of water, and to top them up as necessary with approved distilled battery water and not with any other type of water. The terminal must be checked for any sign of oxidation and loose connection. All oxidation must be washed away using baking soda and all terminals greased.  This picture shows the charge controller and the E Panel where all the inside connections are made. On the right is the main breaker box, and the timer which controls all outside lighting. The batteries and the inverter, in the corner, are also shown.  An hydrometer is also used during all scheduled maintenance to measure the specific gravity of each cell’s electrolyte. Based on the specific gravity, we can determine the acid density which correlates to the state of charge of the battery. The value must be recorded and compared with previous readings in order to determine if there has been any deterioration in the charging capability of the batteries. In this picture Rev. Aguilh is servicing the batteries during his last trip. That is what is required to keep the power on 24/7. Summer Vacatioins Are Around the Corner Rev. Aguilh We too often hear the question that nobody could ever answer “where has the time gone?” It seems like it was yesterday that I was writing about another September and another school opening. We were sifting through the countless number of applications received for entrance in the Haiti Hope House Education program. Of course there were more applicants than we could admit and a great number of them ended up on the waiting list, hoping that they might get in in 2018. When the dust settled, we had a total of 102 children for the 2017-2018 school year, including 25 new admissions. Though we would like to have more children in the program, our budgeted limit was 100. The last two hardship cases were added at the last minute. We had one drop out in mid-September and ended up with 101. It is already April and we are talking about Summer vacations. Some of the children who are in schools such as the congregational schools are currently taking exams for the 4th marking period. They will have one more set of exams to take for the 5th and final marking period. Some schools with only four marking periods are getting ready for exams next month. One thing that is certain is that by the end of next month, beginning of June, all the children will be out of school with most of them having nothing to do, nowhere to go until school reopens in September. This is why completing and inaugurating the Haiti Hope House Learning Center, with its media room active, and its library well stocked is so important. I have no way of knowing what the final outcome will be for the 2017-2018 group at the end of the school year: how many will pass, how many will fail with a chance to repeat the class, how many will fail with no chance to repeat. The final grades report I have shows 21 failures out of 101 in the program, about 20%. Of these, 7 could repeat without penalty, if they stay where they are, or could well make a big push at the end and score enough to pass. Many are in the 4 and below group and may be on their way out of the program. One encouraging sign is the fact that all the newcomers are scoring passing grades, with many scoring 7 and above. That tells us that the new admission procedures we implemented last September are working.  This picture shows the children from the school “Centre de Formation Classique Baptiste Bethanie” who are in the program, with the school Principal Michelet Celestin crouching in front, the Administrator, Pastor Pierre Jean Robinson on the right, and the HHH Liason, Fernand Isidor on the left. All five of these new children in the program have scored high passing grades ranging from 6.57 to 7.76 so far this year. Congratulations to them, their teachers, Principal, and Administrator. One Step Closer to Inauguration Day Rev. Aguilh It is almost five years since with very little money but armed with our faith and a vision, we began this audacious project known as the Haiti Hope House Learning Center. The Learning Center is intended to be an oasis in the Mizak community where learning can continue to happen in a safe environment when the doors of the schools are closed, specially during the Summer vacations as I mentioned in the previous article. It is designed to have the first and only public library in the community. It is designed to include a media/computer room and make access to the Internet possible without a half hour motorcycle ride to Jacmel, the nearest town to a cyber café. It includes two classrooms where vocational training can take place not just once or twice a year, but on an ongoing basis. These rooms are separated by a moving partition making it possible to create a large meeting space when the partition is opened and the two rooms become one.  The LC also includes two offices, a regular meeting room, and a power/electricity lab room. It is designated to be solar energy powered. By the grace of God, with patience, perseverance, hard work, and the generosity of many, we are as of my last trip, one step closer to Inauguration Day.  This is the latest picture of the Learning Center fully painted outside. It is also fully painted inside. In the October 2017 Newsletter, I listed 9 items, including 2 non critical ones, that needed to be completed in order to open the LC to the people of Mizak. I am glad to report that since then, 5 of the 7 critical items have been completed, either fully or partially. This is why I say that we are one step closer to Inauguration Day. We have:
 3. installed the 18 windows (double vertical panes). 4. purchased office desks and chairs and placed orders for library tables and classrooms desks 5. built the library and the media center which includes the 2 HP printers. (see pictures) 
Rev Aguilh is mounting the main bookcases supports to the wall of the library, and painting the supports and the shelves  This picture shows the wall mounted bookcases on the right side of the library.  This picture shows part of the media room, including one of the new HP All in One printers.  This picture shows another section of the media center. The second HP printer is seen, and so is the white board for Basic Computer classes.
Here is what is left to be done in order for the inauguration to happen in September as we hope, and to put the Learning Center to the service of the people of Mizak:
It is estimated that it will cost about $25,000 for these final tasks to be completed. This five years dream is on the cusp of becoming a reality for the community of Mizak and its people. We need your help however to push us across the finish line, to help us cross over from the realm of dream to the realm of reality. Maybe you can donate a door: about $200, or help us buy the router and associated wifi equipment needed for Internet service, besides the service contract, or maybe you would like to help us buy some books to begin stocking the library: $100, $200, $250. Whatever you feel moved to donate will be greatly appreciated. Unless specifically designated, your tax deductible gift will be applied to books, Internet Access, and doors, in that order. Please be as generous as you can. WILL YOU HELP US? THANK YOU. DONATE HERE |
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