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The primary focus of Mountains of Hope has
been in the village of Furcy, a small mountain village about 30 miles southeast
of Port-au-Prince.
 Furcy
is accessible only by 4-wheel vehicles, foot, or horse. The site is absolutely
spectacular, sitting on a ridge overlooking valleys and mountains. The village
has a small Methodist Church and school, no running water, no electricity, very
little food and small block or watle and daub (wood) homes.
In 2004 "The Friends of Furcy" Project
began. Its purpose is to encourage, support and assist the local church and
community leaders in their efforts, and to empower the community in improving
the quality of life for the people of Furcy.
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In 2006 at the request of the resident missionaries,
plans for a medical clinic in Furcy were begun. Funds were raised by New York
Annual Conference churches and teams began working side by side with Haitians to
make the dream a reality. In 2007 the clinic was completed and saw its first
patients. The Furcy Clinic now provides basic medical care to the thousands who
live in the surrounding hills and valleys and have little to no access to
medical care. Through the Furcy Clinic, Mountains of Hope now offers salary
support for a full-time, live-in nurse, a doctor (once a week), a lab
technician, a field agent offering inoculations and other services, a watchman
and a bursar.
In addition to day to day and preventive medical care,
the Clinic now now provides pre- and post-natal programs, classes on basic
health care, and preventive health information to the community and surrounding
area. Mountains of Hope for Haiti supplies funds to purchase medications for the
small pharmacy at the Clinic. We have sent two medical mission teams and have
sponsored “Clinic Days” providing medical, dental and eye care to many.
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A typical "Clinic Day" |
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The Methodist School in Furcy plays a vital role in the
community as more than 100 children get their first taste for formal learning. MHH provides scholarships for 45 students to attend school;
otherwise, the children wouldn't have any opportunity for education. Over the years, we have provided school supplies
and supported the teachers. We painted classrooms, repaired roofs, rebuilt
desks, helped rebuild a retaining wall, and put up a basketball hoop. We have
also helped to teach classes and are developing education modules as part of our
connection with the village and school. More recently, we have begun a Hot Lunch Program to provide
students with a mid-day meal. Often, this is the only
meal students will have in a day.
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Through the Friends of Furcy project, MHH works to
encourage and support the small Methodist Church. The Church is the center of
community life in the village. The Clinic, in addition to providing medical care,
serves also as a place for group meetings, Bible study, choir practices and other
community activities. Teams have led Vacation Bible School-type programs, sports
programs, and other activities, involving children, youth and adults. As it is
anywhere in the world, despite the hardships, people enjoy just having fun.
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In 2008, following four devastating fall hurricanes which
took most of the crops and what little livestock people had, the Methodist
Church began a Farmer’s Association. MHH provided emergency food, seed and fertilizer
and farmers began planting cooperative plots on church property.
In March 2009, the first of those crops were harvested. There are now 61
farmers participating in the Association. In 2009 new farm tools
were provided to help with their efforts.
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OTHER PROJECTS
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Holy
Angels Orphanage is a small, privately-run orphanage, on the outskirts of
Port-au-Prince. It is the home of, mostly, special needs children. Over the
years we
provided food, clothing, medical supplies, and other items, and have assisted the
caretakers with painting and doing minor repairs to the building. Very
importantly, teams spent time with the children, playing, singing, holding
and providing much needed human touch.
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In 2007 and 2008 two teams visited the town of Jeremie,
located on the far west side of the island. Our work there was with “Good
Samaritan,” a home for seniors, who mostly have disabilities and little family
contact. We cleaned and
painted the facility and provided new bedding, linens, clothes, food, and water
for all the residents.
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Copyright © 2012
Mountains of Hope for Haiti
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