News From Sassier: 2018 is off to a good start!
Zanmi Sasye’s President, Gerry Keenan, is visiting Sassier this week and sent us the following update:
The rainy weather of the past few weeks has cleared, so everyone’s activities are back to normal as the sun shines on the Sassier area. 2018 is off to a good start. Here are some of the highlights:
Nearly 600 students returned to the SassierParish schools after a two week break, ready for studies and fun. Teachers and students seem enthusiastic about the New Year. Last year was very hard, as most families struggled to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Matthew. While there are still struggles ahead, families can again eat from the produce of their own gardens and fear of hunger is dissipating.
The Schools’ principal received word yesterday that the Haitian Government will be providing food for the students for the rest of the school year. This includes a healthy morning snack and a hot lunch every day. It reduces the strain on the school budget and fills little tummies. Everyone wins.
The Sassier Clinic continues to assist more patients every week. Last week, a young boy with serious diarrhea was saved because the Clinic had the right medicines and the kid-sized IV needles to deliver the meds. Our dedicated nurse stayed with the boy overnight to ensure his recovery. The boy’s family was filled with thanks to the nurse and Clinic.
The organization of the new Farmers Cooperative is underway. As a part of the Coop’s plan, the first group of 35 farmers will be receiving 10 trees each, along with very rich compost and detailed training on proper planting and tree care. The majority of the trees’ production will be sold to the Coop’s agriculture processing business, which is in development. All 230 farmers seems very excited about participating and raising their families’ incomes through this mutually beneficial enterprise.
