The following excerpt is from a commentary in the BostonHaitian.com [1].

Several years ago I [spent] some time in India, and my last several days were spent in the city of Delhi. Every morning I would walk to a little computer shack where I was able to e-mail letters home.

Next to the computer shack was an area of dirt [where] lived a family — a mother, a father, a boy, a grandfather and a baby. They lived with no shelter, just a small tarp and a few belongings.

On my last morning in Delhi, I stopped by and asked for permission to enter their living space. I gave them the rest of the money that I had left over from my trip.

I motioned that this was for them to feed the baby. The mother nodded to me in gratitude.

I walked away and left that baby living in the dirt. I got on airplane and I flew back to the incredibly rich Valley of Hope in Rhode Island.

For several years, I wondered what would come of that moment.

Then, in 2007 a representative from Food For The Poor spoke at the Catholic Church of Saint Joseph’s in Hope Valley that I attend. He told the congregation that [we] could donate money for food, support a child in a school or even build a village for the poor in Haiti.

Father Michael Leckie, my parish priest, [presented] to the congregation the idea of building a village in Haiti as a parish project. Father Leckie wasn’t sure if our little parish could raise enough money to build even one house.

However, many parishioners were excited about this idea and so Project Starfish was conceived: We would build 28 homes, dig a well, and create a community center for the educational, medical and social needs of the community.

This $150,000 project was part of a larger $2 million-dollar project happening in Bord de Mer, on the northern shores of Haiti.

When I was asked to chair Project Starfish, I knew the time had come to put what I had experienced in India into action.

In less than four months, our little church of working-class families opened their hearts and their wallets and surpassed our goal, giving and pledging about $154,000!

The homes have now been built and the well is being dug. The community center is awaiting the final funds to come in. A group from the parish is headed to Haiti in October. Several, including me, will travel with Food For The Poor to Saint Joseph’s new village in Bord de Mer.

There I will find other families like the one I met in India. There we will reach out to another little child; this time, we will not leave that little child living in the dirt. We will return to the Valley of Hope knowing we have left hope behind in Haiti.

Homes. Clean water. A community center. Hope.

It is my prayer that other churches and community groups will consider such a project.
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Author Seeks Illustrator for Childrens’ Book
Kiki Latimer has written a children’s book, Islands of Hope, that is being published by Educa Vision. It is based on the true story of a church in Rhode Island that builds a village in Haiti. Living in poverty in Haiti are little Chante and her family. Chante dreams of becoming an artist. Her mama and papa hope only for enough food to keep her alive. Papa encourages Chante to hold onto the old African songs and never lose hope. Then, one day a man from Rhode Island comes to visit them, and the lives of the people will be changed forever.
Kiki Latimer is seeking a Haitian artist to work on this project. Inquire at islandsofhope [AT] hotmail.com.

Source: bostonhaitian.com [2]

Copyright 2008 New England Ethnic News, EthnicNewz.org. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express permission of the news source. Contact Newz for more information.

Map of Haiti, below, from www.state.gov [3].

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