Fraternite Notre Dame has been working in Haiti for 19 years, helping the most destitute in a mountainous, very isolated and neglected area, and this in various fields of activity, such as the education of children, health care and development. Various other NGOs help us in the task.
UNICEF. In 2012, Unicef built a school for Fraternite Notre Dame, to accommodate 500 pupils. Unicef also contributed pupil' school kits for the new 2012-2013 school year, as we operate three different schools, in various sections of the mountains. In this beginning of 2013, they gave us large tents for the poorest families whose houses were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, and who could not afford to rebuild them.
Unicef also supports our dispensary, by donating medicine on a regular basis. On the occasion of World Washing Hands Day 2012, Unicef members in Haiti made it a point to spend the day at our school, to sensitize the children to hygiene basics. In December, Princess Mathilde of Belgium, who sponsors Unicef, came to pay our Mission a visit; she appreciated the work we perform and assessed the help we need to expand our services.
WFP (World Food Programme). In 2011, this Agency financed an important project for us: construction of a road to open up the population of a particular area in the mountains. The project gave a job to 600 people from the surroundings, for a duration of three months. Each worker would receive a salary and some food. WFP also gave us a 4x4 Nissan pickup truck, to transport the sick and convey food supplies. Thanks to the vehicle, we can take care of the ill in the premises of the dispensary. Again, WFP, through the intermediary of an affiliated NGO called the Bureau of Nutrition and Development (BND), gave us the food we needed to offer a free midday meal to all the students attending our schools.
After the January 2010 earthquake, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), gave us 100 wooden shelters to temporarily house the families whose homes had been destroyed. During the cholera epidemic which followed the earthquake, the same organization gave us first aid healthcare kits. In 2012, a breakbone fever broke out, and the OIM gave us 200 mosquito nets to protect the population.
Food for the Poor. On a regular basis, Food for the Poor give us food for the population, along with clothing and various items. In 2012, they gave us 15 concrete block houses for the most disfavored residents, and also some medicine.
Catholic Relief Services (CRS), after the earthquake, gave us also 140 shelters (wooden houses) for those who reside in the mountains.
The MINUSTAH (United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti) and in particular the Peruvian contingent, have been helping and supporting us since the 2010 earthquake. In 2012, on several occasions, they brought us water for our schools. They organized regular celebrations called CIMIC Activity (Civil Military Cooperation) in our schools. During these feasts, games and a good meal are organized. A hairdresser, medical doctor and dentist are also present to take care of the children.
The last one of these feasts took place on November 27th, and General Fernando Fitzcarrald Guerrero from Peru came to pay us a visit during the November and December feasts. They gave cooking lessons, called "Agronomia Cocina", to some women from the mountains and taught them some recipes. The latter really appreciated them.
The Peruvian Contingent's mechanics maintain and fix our vehicle with dedication, because it is already worn out. On Thursdays, a medical doctor, a dentist and a nurse come up and offer free consulations at our dispensary. At times, they are accompanied by an Argentinian doctor. Finally, for Christmas, the Colonel asked us to come and celebrate the midnight Mass for his troops and officers.
Most Reverend Bishop Jean Marie, Founder of Fraternite Notre Dame, along with the Religious Priests, Friars and Nuns working there in Haiti, wholeheartedly thank the UN and various relief agencies or NGOs for their presence close to us, and their faithful support. May God bless them all for their dedication.
