Apparent Project Continues Its Work After Covid-19 is Found in Haiti

Coronavirus Causes Peyi Lok (lockdown) in Haiti

This is a crazy time that we are living in right now! In the US, schools have been canceled indefinitely with online learning being figured out by teachers. Most events have been canceled at least through the end of April. Libraries, gyms, restaurants, and many businesses have been closed, hopefully only temporarily. This is new territory to us.

Until Thursday, Haiti had no confirmed cases of the coronavirus. But that changed when Covid-19 was officially detected in Haiti. Thursday evening, the president of Haiti quickly and immediately shut down all schools, factories, airports, and borders and also enacted a daily curfew.

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“Peyi Lok” (“the country is locked”) is not new to Haitians. In fact, they were on a pretty tight lockdown from September-December 2019, due to political instability. However, unlike here where we still have food and healthcare available, the opportunity to do school online, and so many more resources available to us; for Haiti this is a potential disaster.

Most Haitians do not have the resources to stock up on supplies and food, in fact many of them purchase their food daily- they do not have money to buy more than what they need for the day nor do they have the refrigeration to store it. Grocery stores are closing their gates to control the amount of people allowed in, and at this rate they will be emptied quickly.

The “social distancing” and lockdown means that more children in Haiti will go to bed with empty bellies than normally do. Clean water for drinking will also become harder to purchase.  And, reports are coming in that many places have begun price gouging sanitary products in Haiti. Soap, bleach, and toilet paper have seen a huge increase in price at many markets and maches.

Realizing that the virus is now in Haiti is overwhelming to think about! A serious respiratory virus could ravage a country with 10 million people and a lack of medical supplies. On a normal day, most hospitals in Haiti are not the place you want to be when you are sick. And, payment is required before any treatment is given. Imagine what it may be like if this virus moves through Haiti like it has in other countries.

In order to prevent the virus from traveling throughout the country, all Haitian schools have been cancelled indefinitely. Many schools did not actually start until December or January because of the danger in Haiti during the fall months. And, online learning is not a possibility when many people do not have electricity and most do not have regular access to the internet. This means that for the children who are able to attend school in Haiti, they have basically missed this entire year of school.

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Apparent Project Continues its Work

 
[one_fourth][/one_fourth][three_fourth_last]At the Apparent Project, as with other schools, we have struggled in many ways this year. But we have an incredibly dedicated staff! In the fall, teachers came in every day possible and taught the children who showed up. In fact, the teachers figured that the kids at AP were completely caught up to where they should have been by mid-February. The teachers have continued to work hard with the children, teaching and loving them every day. Yesterday, staff connected with parents to figure out how they, together, can help the children continue learning so they don’t lose this year of school. We are so thankful for this group of skilled people who work so hard to empower Haitian families and raise future leaders.[/three_fourth_last]
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YOU Can Make a Difference!

Thank you for joining with us in this challenging but rewarding work! We couldn’t do it without you.

Please continue to pray for Haiti – that this virus would stop and that God would use this situation to bring peace to the nation. And, pray for the Apparent Project – that our staff, children, and families would escape illness; that the children would continue to learn and grow through this hard time; and that we would have the financial resources that we need to pay our bills.

If you would like to help us financially during this lean time, you can easily donate:

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We will be offering a virtual “come and see” experience this Thursday, March 26 @ 8PM CST so that we can share more hope-filled stories about the Apparent Project with you.  If you are interested in joining us for this event online and want to receive an invitation, please fill out the form below:

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