Seeds of Hope for Haiti Inc

Twinning. For more than ten years, the Haiti Ministry of Sacred Heart Church in Southbury, Connecticut, and its successor non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable corporation, Seeds of Hope for Haiti (SHH), have been building a relationship with the parish of Our Lady of Sorrows (OLS) and the people of Grand Boulage, Haiti. We call that relationship “Twinned.”

Twinning is not unique, but it differs from many other well-meaning NGO relationships in that it is not transient. On the contrary, it can be likened to a marriage where the couple is responsible to one another for life. It is personal, loving, collaborative, and prayerful.

Collaborative. When our two parishes signed our Twinning Covenant in October 2009, we promised to work together to improve the lives of Grand Boulage villagers while helping both our parishes grow in faith together. The collaboration began, not by us offering a solution, but rather asking the village elders and the Parish Priest what their most pressing needs were. The collaboration continues today with SHH trips to Grand Boulage to jointly assess the never ending but frequently evolving needs. Moreover, together we developed strategic goals for Grand Boulage and Our Lady of Sorrows that guide our mutual efforts:

• An educated population,
• A healthy population,
• A Grand Boulage community that is self-reliant, and
• Spiritual Growth for the parishes of Our Lady of Sorrows and Sacred Heart Church (SHC) – “Growing in Faith Together”

Our Operating Model. Seeds of Hope for Haiti has no permanent presence in Haiti. Rather we partner with organizations who have on-going operations in Haiti, willing to provide services and perform tasks in Haiti that can aid us in meeting our goals. For example, we partnered with Food for the Poor, and Medicines for Humanity to establish a permanent clinic in Grand Boulage in February 2019.

Seeds of Hope for Haiti is sustainable.

Over the past ten years, our fundraising efforts have blossomed from approximately $40,000 per year to over $180,000 per year as we have added programs in support of our strategic goals. For more than five years, we have conducted two major fundraisers: An annual 5k Run/Walk raises an average of $18,955 net. Our annual Seeds of Hope Gala raises an average of $52,272 net. For the past two years, several private grants earmarked for the clinic have totaled $86,000 per year. They are projected to continue for at least one more year. We regularly receive $10,000 - $14,000 per year of non-grant donations from local supporters not associated with fundraisers. We continually reach out to philanthropic organizations and potential grantors for new and sustaining sources of revenue.

Since 2009, we have supported a school in Grand Boulage with teacher salary supplements, schoolbooks, and a canteen which feeds lunch to more than 450 students, K-9.

In just the past year, the new clinic has seen more than 2500 patients. Here is a sample from August 2019 through March 2020

Number of prenatal visits 118
Number of postnatal visits (within 6 weeks of birth) 11
Number of patient visits from children under 5 637
Number of patient visits for children 6-18 years old 223
Number of patient visits for women (not including pre/postnatal visits) 686
Number of patient visits for men 342
Number of total patient visits 2,017
Number of laboratory tests preformed 1,386
Number of vaccinations provided to children under 5 by Community Health Workers 2,624
Number of children receiving anti-parasite treatments and Vitamin A 567
Mothers/caregivers receiving information on preventing illnesses in children, nutrition and breastfeeding at the clinic 767