We Did It! Boca Grande Builds a Village in Haiti

The Boca Grande Friendship Village Committee set an aggressive goal of building an entire village in Haiti, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the struggling country. More than 200 mothers, fathers and children have moved into 40 two-room homes in the village, and committee members will travel there in February to celebrate with the residents.

“When we set out to build the village, we knew it was a big goal, but we also knew that the people in the community have generous hearts and a spirit to get things done,” said Committee Chairman Ben Scott, who led the initiative to raise $410,000. “Even then, we were surprised when we were able to accomplish it in a year.”

The 24-person committee joined forces months before the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, and their resolve was further strengthened when they learned of the devastating impact the quake had on Haitian families. Since then, the country has faced an outbreak of cholera and a late-season storm that threatened the million-plus people still living in tents.

In Pierre Payen, at the Boca Grande Friendship Village, lives already are being transformed. The village is providing impoverished families with safe housing, clean water, sanitation, agriculture, animal husbandry, a community chicken farm, a vocational center, a community center and a solar-charging system for electricity.

“This community has poured out its hearts to the people of Haiti, and what a blessing it will be to witness what a difference one idea and a dedicated group of individuals can make,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor.

To watch a short video from the village and hear a thank you from Aloma, please visit Food For The Poor's YouTube channel.

Food For The Poor, the third-largest international relief and development organization in the United States, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian agency provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.foodforthepoor.org.