CASEDHAI

One of the programs of Rays of Hope for Haiti is CASEDHAI (pronounced: CAAS-duh) which is an acronym of the "Committee to Support the Unprovided Children of Haiti" It is located in a very poor slum area known as Cite Pele, which is an impoverished ghetto area of Port au Prince. In these areas there are many shanty homes built with old pieces of scrap metal, cardboard, or whatever people can find to make a shelter.
Unfortunately the area is located at the base of the Capital City, Port au Prince. So when it rains, the flood waters rush into the community and stagnate, mixing with sewage, waste, and the garbage from the streets. People in these communities have nowhere else to go, so they live in the flooded debris until the water subsides.
Life in these communities is very hard. There is no electricity, no clean water, no hope for jobs, no way of growing food, no education, and no medical care. The people are intensely poor, and they have continued to be that way for generations.
CASEDHAI is a grassroots Haitian program established in 1999 by Pastor Amable Constantine. He was a good friend of mine who worked at the airport in Port au Prince. He lived in the community where CASEDHAI ministers. Constantine died at the age of 32 from TB. He left behind his wife, Malourne and four children Jean Baptiste, Lovely, Chester, and Dooglas.
Constantine's early death is common for people who live in these slums. It can be very disheartening to see such poverty and know that although we, as visitors, can walk out of the area, over 30,000 people will remain there, and many will die soon.
Whenever we visit Haiti it is my hope that we can meet with some of the children of CASEDHAI. Our program is not monumental. Fund prevent us from helping no more than 50 families per month. But of those 50 families there are countless children who are able to have food because of our partnership with CASEDHAI. Each month we send the committee $800 to purchase food for 50 families. Unfortunately the cost of food has skyrocketed and what the committee could purchase a year ago was much more than what they can buy now. In fact, rice is so expensive they no longer purchase rice for the children, but some pasta.
On this upcoming outreach to Haiti, I am not sure we will be able to visit or meet with the Children of CASEDHAI because of our time constraints. However, please keep them in your prayers.
I will post some photos of CASEDHAI so that you can see the children and the community.
Blessings
Doug