Origin of the Virginia Haiti Collaborative
One cannot travel to Haiti (even pre-earthquake Haiti), see the real Haiti, and return to the U.S. without being deeply changed. It is this internal change that leads those of us who have been there to seek to do more to help progress in Haiti.
Forty-five Haitian priests work indefatigably in very difficult conditions to establish and maintain church schools. They travel by jeep, or horse or foot, negotiating treacherous mountain trails and fording rivers, to reach the thatched huts that serve as churches, schools and clinics for their Haitian communities.
Founding and supporting schools has become the heart of the Episcopal Church's mission in Haiti. Living in one of the world's poorest countries, the majority of Haitians lack the basic things we take for granted as essential to maintaining a good standard of living. In a country where 60% of the people are unable to read, literacy is a step toward self-determination. The only hope for survival of these schools, during their early years particularly, is for them to establish "partnerships" with schools and parishes in the United States.
In April, 2009, Father Walin DeCamps, a Haitian priest with several parishes and schools preached at Trinity Episcopal Church in Staunton, Virginia. His presence and proclamation were so moving that a number of parishioners wanted to organize some way to help his mission. With the help of Roger Bowen, a retired Episcopal priest who has helped other groups connect with Haiti, the idea of helping Father Walin's mission led to the creation of the collaborative.
On September 8, 2009, 15 representatives, (mostly from the Augusta Convocation) from Emmanuel Church, Staunton; Trinity Church, Staunton; Good Shepherd Church, Blue Grass; St. John’s Church, Waynesboro and Stuart Hall School, Staunton; and News Leader reporter Cindy Corell met to discuss a potential collaborative effort to support one Episcopal school in rural Haiti – St. Marc’s School in Cerca-la-Source. With much guidance and leadership from Roger Bowen, the Virginia Haiti Collaborative was created out of love and concern for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
The Virginia Haiti Collaborative has met monthly to plan fundraising events and trips to Haiti. In 2010, seven people from the Collaborative, an architect, and a member from another partnership traveled to Haiti to begin our relationship with the people of Cerca-la-Source. We believe that the relationships we build with our brothers and sisters in Cerca-la-Source are of great importance.
Since the completion of the school building in 2011, the Collaborative turned its fundraising efforts to paying teachers' salaries and purchasing school supplies for students and teachers. As of 2019, the school is educating approximately 300 students from preschool through middle school. Dozens of Virginians have traveled to visit our partners since 2009 and we are grateful for the opportunity to serve in Haiti.
Forty-five Haitian priests work indefatigably in very difficult conditions to establish and maintain church schools. They travel by jeep, or horse or foot, negotiating treacherous mountain trails and fording rivers, to reach the thatched huts that serve as churches, schools and clinics for their Haitian communities.
Founding and supporting schools has become the heart of the Episcopal Church's mission in Haiti. Living in one of the world's poorest countries, the majority of Haitians lack the basic things we take for granted as essential to maintaining a good standard of living. In a country where 60% of the people are unable to read, literacy is a step toward self-determination. The only hope for survival of these schools, during their early years particularly, is for them to establish "partnerships" with schools and parishes in the United States.
In April, 2009, Father Walin DeCamps, a Haitian priest with several parishes and schools preached at Trinity Episcopal Church in Staunton, Virginia. His presence and proclamation were so moving that a number of parishioners wanted to organize some way to help his mission. With the help of Roger Bowen, a retired Episcopal priest who has helped other groups connect with Haiti, the idea of helping Father Walin's mission led to the creation of the collaborative.
On September 8, 2009, 15 representatives, (mostly from the Augusta Convocation) from Emmanuel Church, Staunton; Trinity Church, Staunton; Good Shepherd Church, Blue Grass; St. John’s Church, Waynesboro and Stuart Hall School, Staunton; and News Leader reporter Cindy Corell met to discuss a potential collaborative effort to support one Episcopal school in rural Haiti – St. Marc’s School in Cerca-la-Source. With much guidance and leadership from Roger Bowen, the Virginia Haiti Collaborative was created out of love and concern for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
The Virginia Haiti Collaborative has met monthly to plan fundraising events and trips to Haiti. In 2010, seven people from the Collaborative, an architect, and a member from another partnership traveled to Haiti to begin our relationship with the people of Cerca-la-Source. We believe that the relationships we build with our brothers and sisters in Cerca-la-Source are of great importance.
Since the completion of the school building in 2011, the Collaborative turned its fundraising efforts to paying teachers' salaries and purchasing school supplies for students and teachers. As of 2019, the school is educating approximately 300 students from preschool through middle school. Dozens of Virginians have traveled to visit our partners since 2009 and we are grateful for the opportunity to serve in Haiti.