*Please note that due civil unrest in Haiti, CCH is not sending US volunteers to Haiti.
A message from Clark Seipt, Executive Director of CCH (September 2022)
As many of you know, CCH has been unable to plan, participate in or sponsor any travel to Haiti for the past two and a half years. We have been in “wait and see” mode, hoping that conditions would improve, but the risk is simply too high. Taking teams to Haiti right now would not be safe for our US travelers or our Haitian staff. Having been diligently tracking what’s happening in Haiti and having consulted our Board, we wanted to share an update with you. Apologies for the longer email; I’m trading brevity for comprehensiveness.
US volunteers will not be able to physically travel to Haiti in the foreseeable future. We are restructuring CCH activities with that limitation in mind.
Here’s what we’re doing:
- CCH’s Haitian staff continue to do the amazing work they’ve always done healing the sick, partnering with schools, and building stronger communities.
- CCH Education volunteers continue to train Haitan teachers via Zoom, and we’re exploring training needs and opportunities re: healthcare.
- We continue to do our best to connect patients who need surgery with other CCH partners in Haiti and the Caribbean.
- CCH US staff continue to look for new partnership and funding opportunities that will help us advance this critical mission and ministry.
- We are investing in our communications equipment and will soon be installing an upgraded satellite-based internet system at the CCH Clinics and Program Center.
Here’s what YOU can do to stay energized in the Coalition:
- With better internet connectivity, we’ll be offering you more opportunities to talk with our Haitian staff via videoconference. Stay tuned for future invitations.
- Collect over the counter children’s medications. These can be shipped to Haiti and put to good use at our Primary Care Clinic and in school-based clinics. Children’s medications are becoming cost-prohibitive and hard to find in Haiti. Organizing a collection drive in your neighborhood, office, or church would be a wonderful way to support CCH!
- Join a “challenge group” in your area of expertise. Periodically, the CCH board or staff may have an issue requiring specialty input. We will reach out to ask for help in those situations and hope you’ll be willing to jump in and help us think through the problem. This will be an ad hoc, time-bound type of request.
- Pray for CCH! We believe in the power of prayer, and if you do too, please join us as a CCH prayer warrior. We’ll share prayer requests with the Coalition via email and hope that you’ll join with us in lifting up those joys and concerns to the Lord.
- Participate in our Spring Gathering. Instead of a gala, we’ll be trying something new in 2023. It will be interesting, interactive, and inspiring. Stay tuned for more details.
While we recognize that none of these options are the same as traveling to Haiti, we want to be clear and realistic. We have to adapt to these challenges and find new ways to transform lives in the US and in Haiti. We wish we could give you a timetable for when travel to Haiti may resume, but we cannot predict the future. Make no mistake, you are vital to the Coalition, and we look forward to the day when travel to Haiti is a regular part of our ministry again!
Right now, however, we need you to engage with us in these new ways. We must lean on each other during hard times. All of us know that seasons of challenge can often be opportunities for growth. Please grow with us! We cannot wait to see how you’ll be able to add your special gifts to transform lives with CCH in the years ahead.
Thank you,
Clark
