A Hard Life

Their life is not about fun. It's a hard, hard life. Children in the country and the mountains of Haiti where most of our ministry is, have a more difficult life than you or I could ever imagine. My pictures don't come close to catching the misery in the lives of most of these children. We believe they all deserve a chance to be children. Imagine being left for the day with little or no food and a three year old and a crying infant and you yourself are only six. Sadly enough this is the story for so many young children in Haiti.

Young girls, like the little one on the mule, are used to rising before sunrise, around 4:30 in the morning. They must leave early with all the produce from their garden in order to make the long walk to arrive at the market place around 7:30am. They pass the whole day in the hot sun, selling what little produce they have in order to buy a few things such as laundry soap, spices and rice to take back home. They make the long three or sometimes four hour walk back home after a long day. Many of them walk the treacherous route barefooted, trudging through mud and stepping on jagged rocks and thorns that are sometimes fatal when the wound becomes infected. This is all in a days work for them and they must be up early to do it again tomorrow to survive. Young children don't get up to get ready for school because there isn't one for miles. Where there is school, the parents can't spare all the children. One is chosen to attend school and the others must help care for the garden, go to the market and care for younger siblings. There are clothes to wash and hung out to dry over the cactus fence or rocks. The children are the driving force but if they are born it is difficult to survive. Malnutrition, tuberculosis, and many other childhood diseases seek to end the lives of these children. Many of them never receive an immunization or see a medical doctor. If they become ill they will be treated with home remedies. Many are taken to the leaf doctor and some even to the witch doctor.

It is for this reason that we feel your support of our schools in Haiti is so important. There is no other way to help them change. It is only education and coming to know Christ as their personal Savior that can change their whole life.

These are some of the children you are giving a new lease on life by supporting them for school through our sponsorship program. These are some of the children that we have convinced the parents to let us teach for a few hours each day. Putting their bright green uniform on and coming and braiding their hair with bright green and white ribbons and barrettes gives them a great sense of pride. They are thrilled to remove themselves from that other life if only for a few moments. Thank you for making a difference with Blessing Hearts International in Haiti. The children thank you and we thank you.

Please continue to pray for the children in our schools. Pray the parents would continue to send them. Pray for them to become the Christian people we need to change the country of Haiti.