She said, "Jacmel is on the south coast. It is four hours
drive from Port au Prince Airport across the mountains. United Caribbean
Trust has a base at Restoration Ministries Haiti, which was planted
by pastor La Fleur three years ago. The main focus there is with
the youth of the community.
| The biggest problem in Port au Prince is that
rural Haiti offers little education and little employment. It
is a common finding for youth as young as ten years old to seek
employment. |
|
 |
Sometimes they are sent to work or sold by family
to work as child labourers in Port au Prince. They are required
to work from early in the morning to late at night. After a
while these children run away and make up the “street
rat” population. |
| These are gangs of children who are homeless and
live in dire conditions. They are also exploited by political
sectors and become armed street gangs." |
|
| Jenny Tryhane diverted to highlight
the severity of criminal activity in Haiti. She noted that she
was told that there was some improvement with the rate of kidnapping
which has reduced from eighty kidnappings per month in December
2006. |
 |
Jenny Tryhane went on to describe
the challenges United Caribbean Trust is faced with as it seeks
to effect the situation in rural Haiti. |
|
|
She noted that while she is conscious
of the fact that there are no over night solutions, she is hopeful
that there will be increments of change resulting in great change
for the next generation of Haitians. |
The problem needs to be addressed
in rural Haiti. UCT needs to get sponsorship to educate children
in Jacmel and offer vocational training so they would not
run to Port au Prince. This is the key reason for the child
sponsorship programme, which is facilitated by the shoebox
project- the conduit into Haiti.
|
Seen here an orphan in the Bon Repos orphanage
holding the card sent to them by the children of the Caribbean
Development Bank After School Club.
Below the children receiving their Make
Jesus Smile shoeboxes. |
 |
|
