Haiti - Our Sister Parish

The Haiti Mission

In the 1980s, the parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi voted to participate in a Parish Twinning Program with St. Paul’s parish in Leon, Haiti. Located in the rugged mountains of western Haiti, the town of Leon is comprised of about 20,000 poor but warm and kind people. Led by Pat Labuda, Joan Treacy, Sister Grace and Father Don Worch, the first St. Francis parishioners traveled to St. Paul’s and learned that the people there asked for help with health care, education, and economic development. Through the ongoing generosity of its parishioners, St. Francis of Assisi has promoted positive change in St. Paul’s. In exchange, St. Francis parishioners have received a real treasure – the love of the Haitian people.

Medical Clinic Video

Economic Development
In 2013, St. Francis helped organize the coffee growers in Leon to form an association with the non-profit “Just Haiti, Inc”. Just Haiti works with growers to improve the coffee and make it available for sale in the USA.

In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew destroyed much of the vegetation in Leon, including the coffee trees and nurseries.  However, the St. Francis Haiti Committee teamed up with Just Haiti, Inc., and together raised enough money so that they could develop a plan for reforestation of the immediate area.  This ambitious but achievable plan calls for the planting of between 10,000 and 16,000 trees in Leon over the next three years.  Moreover, other coffee grower associations elsewhere in Haiti (i.e. regions not affected by the hurricane) in the Just Haiti, Inc. system have agreed to share their beans so that St. Francis can continue selling Just Haiti coffee.  In this way, St. Francis and Just Haiti, Inc. are helping Haitians help Haitians to solve their problems, and everyone will benefit.

HealthCare
In 1995, St. Francis parishioner and pharmacist Dr. Frank Nice visited Leon, along with Father Worch and other St. Francis parishioners. Seeing the medical needs in Haiti he worked at putting together a medical team to set up a health clinic the following year.



Education
In the 1980s, St. Paul’s had only a modest schoolhouse with few students in a couple primary grades.  There were no school supplies and little money to pay teachers.  Since that time, the school (now called “Bon Pasteur School”) has blossomed into a school of hundreds of students, and provides both a primary and secondary education.

St. Francis continues to diligently support Bon Pasteur. The support from St. Francis significantly subsidizes the teachers' salaries, making it possible for the school to function.  Additionally, individuals from St. Francis sponsor the poorest children in town whose families cannot afford even this low tuition.  Note there is no functioning free public education in that part of Haiti; even the "public" schools have a cost that most families in our sister parish cannot afford, potentially leaving many children with no education at all.

St. Francis parishioners have responded with generosity and, as a result, there has been substantial positive change.  Though the work was particularly slow and difficult at first, eventually there were encouraging signs of real progress.  Since 2004, St. Francis has sponsored the Haiti Education Program, adding a new grade every year or two to Bon Pasteur School, and expanding the classrooms to support the increasing number of Haitian students.  Our program is unique in that it supports formal primary and secondary education for the children of our sister parish, which has approximately 500 students. 

Throughout the school year St. Francis contributes over $25,000 towards the essential costs of running Bon Pasteur School.  The majority of funds raised are from St. Francis parishioner contributions and direct parishioner student sponsorship.  However, the St. Francis Haiti Committee is always actively working to raise money through other means such as grant writing and event planning.  Many Haitian families are able to pay some money to send their children to Bon Pasteur, and this is indeed an important source of revenue to keep the school running and to keep the community involved.  The Haiti Committee works to encourage this Haitian involvement so that someday our assistance may not be needed.  However, without the support of the St. Francis, at this time, Bon Pasteur School would cease to function.
 
Allowing the children of Leon to move from a second or third grade education to a complete secondary school experience is the bedrock for real positive change in our sister parish.  St. Francis parishioners can take pride in the fact that their contributions are going to effectuate this improvement in the lives of numerous poor Haitian families.

Go to Service Globally for information on how you can support our work in Haiti..

The St. Francis parish community supports several fundraisers each year to benefit its sister parish in Haiti. Each fundraising event brings the talents and work of generous volunteers from our community to help provide additional funds to subsidize economic development, healthcare and education in Leon.