Shoes for Sassier
Once again this year, we are collecting gently-used shoes, sandals, sports shoes, etc. for the people of St Jean Baptiste Parish in Sassier, Haiti. In Sassier, many of their parishioners walk up and down the mountains with no shoes or ones that are badly worn. Children come to school barefoot and many people walk more than 2 hours to the nearest market in nothing more than flip-flops, if they have shoes at all.
The nurses in the parish’s medical clinic frequently treat infected foot wounds. All kinds of shoes are welcomed, except winter boots–it doesn’t get cold or snow in Sassier. Please drop off your shoes in the SHOES for SASSIER containers in the Gathering Space at Sacred Heart Parish Church or in the Sacred Heart School lobby from February 25 to April 1.
Read MoreHaiti Teen Trip 2012
Haiti Teen Trip 2012
Sponsored by ZanmiSasye and Sacred Heart Parish
ZanmiSasye and Sacred Heart Parish are sponsoring the 2nd Teen Trip to Haiti this Summer. This is a great opportunity for Teens to experience Haiti and to share themselves and their talents with the teens of St Jean Baptiste, Sacred Heart’s twin Parish in Sassier, Haiti. If you know someone who might be interested, please pass this information along to them.
Teens! Are you interested in a Mission/Adventure trip that you will remember for the rest of your life? If you are, the Teen Trip to Haiti 2012 is for you. You will have the chance to experience a new culture, make new friends, and work side-by-side with Teens from Sassier to make a real impact.
In 2008, 16 Sacred Heart Teens journeyed to Sassier for 10 days and were transformed by their experiences. Several of them are planning an Alumni trip next Summer. Even though their languages weren’t the same, all the Teens (American and Haitian) found it easy to communicate-through music, sports, dance, prayer and laughter. Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation from the 2008 trip!
We will leave Chicago Saturday, July 28 and return Monday or Tuesday, August 6 or 7 (this is after the end of summer school at New Trier and Loyola). We will stay together in Sassier in the same accommodations as the 2008 trip.
The first Teen Trip Team meeting is Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 3 PM at Sacred Heart Parish in Winnetka, IL. For more information contact the Team Trip organizer, Deacon Gerry Keenan at gkeenan@shparish.com or 773-251-6626.
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Voldrogue School Construction Update
On December 11, we broke ground for a new preschool and primary school building in Voldrogue, about 45 minutes’ walk from Sassier, although still in the Sassier Parish. For a number of years, children from Kindergarten to 3rd grade have been attending school in the Chapel of St Ann there. Every day, more than 150 students attend classes.
After finishing 3rd grade, the students now have to walk 45 minutes each way to attend school in Sassier. Thanks to the generosity of the German Government, the Germany Catholic group Kindermisionswerk and the Association for Schools in Hispaniola, children in Voldrogue will soon be able to attend school through 6th grade near their homes.
Construction is expected to be completed in time for the beginning of the 2012-13 school year in September. Check out construction pictures below (from January 2012).
Concrete blocks are made on- site.
Ironworkers tying rebars for columns for new school in Voldrogue.
Click here to view some pictures of the excavation work.
Read MoreNew Sassier School Construction Moving Ahead Rapidly
Work on the construction of the new preschool and primary school is now moving ahead very well. The 2nd floor roof on the smaller building was finished in mid-November. Work is now focusing on 2nd floor of the larger building, which should be complete in early January. The doors and windows of the rooms on the 1st floor of the large building have been ordered and will be installed in December. The new building should be ready for occupancy in March 2012. The whole Sassier community is getting very excited about the completion of the new school. Everyone is grateful to the German Government, the Germany Catholic group Kindermisionswerk and the Association for Schools in Hispaniola for providing all the funding for the new school, new school furnishings and a new playground. Sassier is also becoming the talk of the provincial capital, about 10 miles away. In the past month, the local national Parliamentary Delegate (Congressman) and the local national Senator came to Sassier to look at the new school building and the new concrete road, amazed that such things could be happening in such a remote area. In our last new letter we showed you a picture of the workers completing the first floor roof of the larger portion of the new building. Here is a picture of the same building December 14 and a picture of the smaller building, which is now structurally complete.
Large building–note work on roof beams to hold the concrete roof.
Small building–note that the three rooms on the first floor are already being used for classrooms. There is no other place to put all the children!! There are 28 classrooms of students but only 20 classrooms in the existing school building.
Gift Quandary? Adopt a Sassier Student!!
The end of the first trimester of studies is approaching quickly at the Parish School in Sassier. Examinations have begun and students are studying hard to do their best. Taking examinations is a real challenge for all students, but doing well is a great reward. So also is the vacation that begins at the completion of the examination period.
Our challenge is providing enough money to pay the teachers, buy the books, provide hot lunches every day and cover all the other myriad expenses of operating a school with 850 students. Our preschool and primary school students will be moving into a brand new school next Spring (see below) that was funded entirely by the German Government, the Germany Catholic group Kindermisionswerk and the Association for Schools in Hispaniola. However, they do not provide any operating funds for School. We rely solely on donations, large and small, to provide the Gift of Education to all these students.
Our Adopt a Student 2011 project is a great way to support the Sassier School. Sponsoring a preschool or primary school child costs only $100 per year. Imagine, being able to provide an whole year’s education to a child for less than 30 cents per day!
To sponsor one or more students in the primary school, mail a check for $100 per student to: Adopt a Student 2011, 1077 Tower Road, Winnetka, IL 60022. You can donate online by clicking here, or on the Donate Now button to the right and indicate that your donation is for the Adopt a Student Project.
Adopt a Student 2011 is a join project of Sacred Heart’s Haiti Ministry and Zanmi Sasye–Partners with Sassier. All contributions are deductible to the full extent of the law.
Thank you for your generous support of the children of Sassier!
For more information, please contact Gerry Keenan at gkeenan@palmerbellevue.com.
Read MoreMedical Team to Visit Sassier in January
A team of medical professionals from Holland Hospital in Holland, Michigan will visit Sassier from January 14 to 20 to provide primary medical care in both Sassier and Voldrogue (about 45 minutes from Sassier). Most Sassier area residents rarely have access to a doctor, since the closest ones are in the provincial capital of Jeremie, about 2 hours walk away. Medicines that we have easily available are expensive and hard to obtain. Little medical problems such as lacerations and sore throats can be deadly.
Several of the Holland Hospital Team have been to Sassier twice in the past two years. The teams are likely to treat more than 1,500 patients during the medical clinics. Each of the Team members pays all their own expenses and most make a contribution to the cost of medicine or other expenses. Without these incredibly generous folks, the medical care situation in Sassier would be dire. We are most grateful to them for their generous spirit and their willingness to share themselves and their skills with our sisters and brothers in Sassier.
Watch for pictures and updates on our website, Facebook and Twitter while the Team is in Sassier from January 14 to 20!
The cost of medicines, logistics, translators and other necessities for this medical trip will be about $10,000. If you can help us with these costs, please click on the Donate Now button and indicate that your donation is for the January medical clinic. Thank you very much for your generosity.
Read MoreIn-Kind Donations
We gratefully accept donations of medicine, medical supplies and equipment, books, educational software, computer hardware and peripherals, tools, frequent flier air miles, and the like if they meet the needs of current and planned projects. Please contact us to find out more about in-kind donations.
Read MoreWhat You Can Do
To help Sassier sustain its school, medical care, and agricultural and development projects, please send your check to:
Zanmi Sasye – Partners with Sassier
675 Greenwood Avenue
Glencoe, IL 60022-1649 USA
Or click the button below to donate through Network for Good:
Donate NowA matching grant or gift can make your contribution even more powerful. Please include any matching grant request documents with your contribution.
We have received a Federal income tax exemption under Internal Revenue Code section 501 (c) (3). All donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. All donations are acknowledged in writing.
We will make your contribution go far in Sassier. Since we operate with virtually no overhead, more than 98% of the funds we raise goes directly to our projects.
All of ZANMI SASYE—PARTNERS WITH SASSIER’s services are provided solely on basis of need, without respect to race, sex, or religious or political affiliation.
Read MoreVolunteer
We welcome new members enthusiastically.
Volunteers with experience in education, health care, agriculture, and small-scale economic development will find many ways to contribute their talents. We offer all members, regardless of background or skills, a variety of opportunities to make an immediate and important difference in many lives. Every contribution of time, effort, and financial support—large or small—has a huge impact in Sassier.
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