For the past number of years, Haiti, like so many other areas of our planet, has been undergoing “desertification,” degrading the landscape, reducing the capacity of the land to produce food, and drying up water sources. This makes many areas of Haiti very difficult for the people to live in. Reforestation is the long-term countermeasure to improve the conditions.

Because the positive impacts of reforestation are so great, our Agricultural Training Center (ATC) is working on a large Reforestation Project this year. Our goal is to promote planting 2,500 new trees in the communities around us in Fond Parisien. Wilner and his team now have 1,700 seedlings of four different varieties of trees, both woody and fruit-bearing: Neem; Moringa; Jujube; and Mango.

All trees clean the environment by taking the carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and returning bio-mass and even fruit. All trees help reduce the global temperature, stabilize the soil, and promote the return of reliable rainfall. A few weeks ago, we planted 400 new “D’olive” (Moringa) trees around Love A Child. Later this year, we will involve the communities to help us plant the seedlings we are now preparing in our nurseries. Community involvement is critical so that families who will benefit from the effects of the trees will help take care of them and make sure they grow up to benefit their environment. When you help by supporting our Sustainability Outreaches, you are providing benefits that last for years and years to come. Our Sustainability projects are helping Haitians to help themselves for the long term. God Bless you for making a difference.

Rad Hazelip, Assistant Executive Director