I first met Chris when he came to Haiti last summer. He came with Zach, who I already knew from college. Their trip was short and hectic, as we flew and drove all over the Northwest department of Haiti. Luckily, within the few days of the trip we had several moments to sit and discuss some of the things that they saw and experienced.
We ate Dominoes under the awning of the Coconut Hotel in Port au Prince, and discussed everything from inner city ministry to social justice, church politics to t-shirts, and sweatshops to college basketball. The problems of Haiti were a recurring topic.
They asked me my opinion on Haiti’s most pressing needs, specifically in the area in which NWHCM works. My response was the lack of trees/erosion along with access to clean water. In many ways the two topics are interwoven. Trees and water go hand in hand, and I think this idea is portrayed in the shirt that they put together (pictured above). Without trees desertification of arable land becomes an issue. Without trees, erosion will pollute not only drinking water sources, but also the ocean, driving off fish that are an essential part of the Haitian economy and diet. Polluted water sources, or the lack of water sources in general, cause a myriad of diseases and other health issues. In a country where children die from the dehydration caused by diarrhea, clean sources of water are not things to be taken lightly. The lack of drinking water also hits the Haitian home economically. Many people are forced to buy clean water by the jug or bucket, others pay expensive medical bills at government hospitals for illnesses that could have been prevented by access to a clean source of water.
If one dug deep enough would they find that there are other underlying factors that contribute to the lack of clean water and trees in Haiti? Most likely, and so a holistic ministry that teaches responsibility and respect is crucial in this work to help Haiti. We have yet to see the long-term results from the disastrous earthquakes that hit Haiti earlier this month, but one can almost guarantee that they will affect every aspect of Haiti life, including access to clean water as well as food production.
The folks over at Spendyourself have put together a shirt the proceeds of which all go to support NWHCM. They have already raised a large amount of money for the purpose of buying equipment to drill wells for some of the remote areas in the Northwest. Since the earthquake they had to call an audible at the line and are now diverting some of the funds from the shirts towards earthquake relief as well. This has been a long process that started with a trip to Haiti and some great conversations between the people at Spend Yourself and the staff and leadership from NWHCM. Where the story ends is another question.
The word on the shirt “espere” is the Creole verb for “hope.” The implications/interpretations of the word in reference to the shirt seem limitless. As an organization we hope that Haiti can pull through this disaster. We hope for a Haiti in which people have access to clean water. We hope for a Haiti that reflects the natural beauty and fertile mountainsides that it was once known for. We hope for a Haiti in which people are treated fairly and with respect by citizens within the country and the global community. We hope for a Haiti that will continue to see growth in the body of believers, one in which the global body will show solidarity with, not as all-mighty, benevolent Americans or members of the first world, but as the body of Christ being the body of Christ (I think I stole that phrase from someone).
Essentially, we hope for Haiti the same things that we hope for our own lives and those around us. We can no longer ignore the people living from the margins, living in the parts of the world that are only discussed during times of war and natural disaster. The reality is that these people not only live the moments that we periodically see on CNN but they also live in the expanse of years between the disasters that make it on the news, and sometimes those normal days are harder than the ones that garner international attention and aid.
It is a big message for a t-shirt right? Nevertheless it is a message that we cannot afford to forget, not for Haiti or for any other group of people as well.
-Curtis Rogers
(Curtis is currently on staff with NWHCM and serves on the ground in northwest Haiti)
For more information on how you can help those in Haiti, please click here.
Buy a shirt to support Earthquake relief in Haiti. Read More
Proceeds from the Resc\You shirt will go directly toward funding a scholarship fund for the children of sex workers. “Trafficking is essentially modern day slavery, and currently there are 27 million people in slavery.” Read more on Resc\You… Read More
Scarlet Hope works with women and men in the sex industry. Read More
Did you know: The San Francisco earthquake of 1989 was at the same time of day as the Haiti quake, and was of the same magnitude. Over 200,000 Haitians died. EIGHTY NINE San Franciscans died. How could that be? Read more on Did You Know?… Read More
Our New Club! Walking into an unfamiliar place. Not knowing what to expect we anxiously awaited to see what the owners would say. God has been preparing the hearts of our team for quite some time to step out and take on another club or two. The only way to be able to start serving in a new club is to GO into the club and ask. Read more on Scarlet Hope Journal Entry 2/27/2010… Read More
The story behind our Espere shirt. Two members of Spendyourself were able to travel with Northside Christian Church and film this video as part of their Advent Conspiracy event in December. We thought it certainly helped tell the story as to why we feel so strongly about this project. To read more about the story behind this shirt, please click here. Read more on Haiti Clean Water Video… Read More