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The Power of Partnerships – The Episcopal Diocese of Haiti

Nowhere is the power of partnerships more vividly illustrated than in Haiti, a country plagued by poverty, social strife and environmental degradation. Though the country has no functioning public health or educational system, and its economy is in tatters, there are institutions that make a real difference as they work to create opportunity, rebuild infrastructure and restore the land.

A leading force in these efforts is the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti, Episcopal Relief & Development’s principle program partner in the country. Our partnership focuses on supporting education and alleviating hunger, including an innovative school canteen program that ensures students receive at least one good meal a day. These programs, along with our shared support of micro-finance projects that assist local communities in identifying needs and implementing small development projects, touch thousands of lives each year.

Episcopal Relief & Development also partners with Haiti Fund, Inc. to support the Comprehensive Development Project (CODEP), which is working to alleviate hunger by implementing reforestation and training programs that teach the fundamentals of sound agricultural and water management to local farmers.

The stamina and resources of our partners were tested last summer when four major hurricanes hit Haiti in the space of one month. Due in part to widespread deforestation, the destruction around the country was devastating. An already weak infrastructure was taxed beyond repair, entire communities were stranded, and harvests were obliterated, interrupting the flow of an already stressed society.

The priests and development officers working to implement our programs suffered greatly during the storms. Many lost their own homes and spent their time coordinating relief efforts while assisting their own families as they struggled to recover.

Yet, even under these dire circumstances, our partners in Haiti see reason for hope. They are still engaged, adapting, pushing forward and touching more lives. For example, the Haitian Development Initiative recently refocused its program on hunger alleviation to respond to the growing food crisis and added a water and sanitation component to repair the water systems destroyed by storms. Because the level of environmental destruction in Haiti is directly related to deforestation, CODEP scaled-up its reforestation program and planted one million trees in 2008.

Here at Episcopal Relief & Development, we’re proud to help make these life-saving programs possible. To learn more about our partnerships with churches and organizations around the globe go to www.er-d.org/Power_of_Partnerships.

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