Saturday, May 11, 2013

Coram Deo Haiti Update - May 11, 2013


“And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”;  and it was so.”  Genesis 1:29, 30
Hi! May 1st was a holiday here in Haiti. It was Workers’ Day and Agricultural Day at the same time. Schools were closed. We took 11 people here from Coram Deo and went to the Agricultural Fair at the State Agricultural Grounds in Damier. As we drove past the Sonapi Industrial Complex we saw a group of protesters who were carrying signs and banners about worker conditions and rights.  The traffic was busy in the Damier area. A lot of people were heading to the Agricultural Fair. There was no charge to enter inside the grounds and we walked around visiting all the booths that were set up. One area was set up with artisans selling different types of souvenirs and art. All of these items were handmade by Haitian crafters and artists. Another area had cooks selling Haitian food. We even bought some rice that was grown here in Haiti. It is known as “Shella”. We bought a couple of packages for our Sunday meal.

Haiti has been hit hard with lower price imports. This has discouraged farmers from growing rice. We visited booths that were about agricultural themes. The Ministry of Agriculture had a booth set up and had cd’s available for purchase about studies done by the government on agriculture at a national and provincial level. We were able to get posters and brochures at the different booths and will use these in educating our students and others that we come into contact with.
Another section of the fair was the area dealing with animals. Chickens, rabbits, pigeons, doves, parrots, goats and cows were on display. The children enjoyed getting close to the animals. The busiest section was where the quail and quail eggs were being sold. People were lined up to buy quail kebabs! We were able to buy a weeks’ supply of chicken eggs and purchased them at a wholesale price. When we left the gates of the fairgrounds we noticed the same group of worker protesters from the Sonapi Industrial Complex had walked the distance to the Agricultural Grounds. We listened to the spokesman read off a list of worker demands and rights. Later on the news we found out that these protesters had been blocked by the police for some time at a crossroads while President Martelly was visiting the agricultural fair. When the president’s convoy passed them by they weren’t very happy that they couldn’t obtain their goal of protesting at the agricultural fair while he was there.

The Kenscoff area where Pastor Pierre lives is an agricultural area. Potatoes, carrots, onions and cabbage are sold in the markets of Port-au-Prince from that area. Pastor Pierre is concerned for the people in his community. The farms are not as productive as they used to be. We have begun seeking people and organizations who work in the agricultural area to help him. Through the pastor training seminars the people we sponsor come from 4 areas: Kenscoff, Belladere, Leogane, and Port-au-Prince. As part of building community we want to help these pastors work in their communities to help improve the lives of their congregation members and the community in which they live. A couple of weeks ago we got a donation of seeds from Hope Seeds, through Love A Child. We were able to distribute onion, cabbage, tomato, carrot, pepper, kale, lettuce and mustard seeds to the pastors involved in the pastor training program. They in turn will distribute it amongst some of their people. We hope to follow up with the pastors to see how these seeds grow and hopefully prosper into a harvestable crop. Hope Seeds is on the internet at www.hopeseeds.org. They are a Christian, charitable organization which provides seeds and agricultural support to missionaries and mission teams around the world. On their website we were able to access a few articles written in Creole and French. There is a children’s coloring book written in French that we downloaded and will use as part of teaching children about farming and agriculture. One of their board members runs a mission in Cap Haitien called Living Hope Mission ( http://livinghopemission.org ). Part of their mission focus is in agriculture. I believe strongly in networking. So many missions here in Haiti focus on their own thing and don’t involve themselves with other missions. I am glad that Love A Child and Hope Seeds are eager to work with others in encouraging and supporting God’s work being done here in Haiti.
The government is starting a program this year encouraging people to plant Moringa trees. It is known in Haiti as Doliv. The tree is rich in vitamins and nutrients. Moringa contains 7 times more vitamin C than an orange, 4 times more calcium than a glass of milk, 4 times more vitamin A than carrots, 3 times more potassium than a banana, and 2 times more protein than in a glass of milk. Both the pods and leaves of the Moringa can be eaten. Moringa leaves are rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. The bean can be used to prepare a high-quality oil. The dried leaves of the Moringa can be used as a food supplement for children suffering from anaemia or facing malnutrition. It can also be used for improving animal health. Dried moringa leaves can replace soybeans to feed cattle or poultry. The government intends to promote the cultivation of Moringa against both malnutrition and deforestation.  We were out at Love A Child this week and spoke with one of the missionaries there about the moringa. They are going to encourage families to plant the moringa to build a natural hedge. The moringa tree foliates every 45 days. By planting the tree 1 foot apart a hedge can be grown and the family can harvest the leaves off of one tree every day. By the time 45 days pass the first tree will foliate again and be ready for harvesting. We talked about this with Pastor Pierre and the other pastors this week. We hope to encourage the Haitian people to use the moringa  tree as a food source. It will help to improve the health of their families.  Genesis 1:29,30 sure does apply to the moringa. Pray that the people in the churches of Belladere, Kenscoff, and Leogane will be encouraged to use the tree. The pastors here are listening and we hope the people in these areas will listen too.  Pray for the current agricultural season. Rainy season has begun and so has planting. Have a blessed weekend.

Karen Bultje,  Coram Deo

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