COVID-19 Update from Lifesong Haiti
Above: Students quarantined in our Family Life Residences gather for a Bible study.
In the last few months of 2019, political unrest and protests broke out in Haiti. This March, just as the country began to regain its footing, the COVID-19 pandemic brought a new wave of challenges. But amid every trial and struggle, God remains steadfast and faithful. Here’s the most recent update from the Lifesong team in Bercy, Haiti.
New Challenges
At the end of March, the Haitian government officially declared a state of emergency. Schools and factories are closed, all gatherings are limited to a maximum of 10 people, and social distancing and quarantine are encouraged.
In a nation like Haiti, however, social distancing is nearly impossible. Society is much more collective than individualistic. Transportation is usually a crowded bus or taxi. Very few homes have refrigerators, so most people go to the crowded market each day to pick up fresh food.
These constraints have left many Haitians with the difficult choice: either go out and risk getting the coronavirus, or stay home and starve.
Taking Caution
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lifesong MBO closed its school and limited its campus staff. The 165 students who would normally be on campus are practicing distance learning on laptops (for those who have access).
Sadly, many of these students are dependent upon the meals they receive on our campus. So with school being closed, we’re praying that their needs—physical & spiritual—are met.
35 children still live in our transition homes on campus and receive three meals a day. They stay busy helping with chores around campus and working on the farm.
Light Shines in the Darkness
Though circumstances seem bleak, our team has the opportunity to shine the light of Jesus into the community around them.
Water & Food Distribution
Our campus uses a water truck to provide clean water to the community. Additionally, we’ve set-up handwashing stations around the village, including two in the police station.
Lifesong ministry sites around the world are also donating food & hygiene care packages. For $25, one package provides three days of food for a household of five. Our in-country staff delivers the kits safely with the love and hope of the Gospel message. Each kit contains rice, beans, oil, spaghetti, butter, flavorings, soap, Clorox, and a bucket with spout for hand washing.
Interested in helping? Send kits to the most vulnerable.
Health Clinic
The new health clinic on our campus is an immense blessing during this crisis. At the start of each day, the line at our gate is 50-60 patients a day. Most of these patients are mothers and babies.
“We do not stop. The ministry keeps going.”
—Mike Rivas, Director of Lifesong MBO-Haiti
Would you pray for Haiti?
Specifically, lift up the following requests.
- Mission trips through June have been canceled or postponed. Unfortunately, these trips make up a large part of the Lifesong MBO-Haiti funding. Please ask God to provide funding.
- Pray for the nation of Haiti to take seriously the rules for quarantine and social distancing.
- Pray for our students as they spend their time at home and in the village. Ask God to protect them and meet their needs.
Your gift ensures orphaned and vulnerable children in Haiti will be reached in the midst of COVID-19.
Thanks to TMG Foundation and key partners, all of our fundraising and administrative costs are covered. 100% of your gift will go where it’s most needed to support vulnerable children in places where coronavirus is a real and present threat.