Dear Friends and Family,
A while back, we shared the news of our newest adventure with you -Haiti. Since then, we've been able to see some of you to share moreabout what this is all about, when we're going, etc – but we wanted toput something in writing for all of you – just briefly.
We have been hired by the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to work inHaiti. You can find out more about MCC at http://www.mcc.org. Wewill leave September 18 and plan on being in Haiti for 3 years. Wewill live in a small town (10,000) called Desarmes, which is about 3hours north of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital.
Here's a bit more about our work - at least what we think we might do(sorta, kinda.)
Esther: I am going to be working with Haitian teachers and theirstudents, as well as other community members in the field ofenvironmental education. This program has grown out MCC'sagro-forestry program, but MCC has recently identified this as one oftheir key priorities, so part of my job will be to help expand theprogram.
Matt: I will be working primarily with an agro-forestry program thatMCC has been running for the last 10 years. Deforestation is one ofHaiti's biggest challenges. The country has gone from 98% forest coverto about 2% in the last 100 years! My role will be on the managementside, but I'm sure I'll also be learning a lot on the technical sideas well. I'll also be providing general consultation support andtraining to all of MCC's partners in Haiti. That's an open-ended partof my assignment that we have to bring some definition to.
We are excited about these opportunities for new learning and growthfor us, as well as the chance to get out and experience life in a newpart of the world!
Here is how you can contact us should you wish:
Esther deGroot and Matt Van Geest (MCC Haiti)
c/o Lynx Air
PO Box 407139
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33340-7139 USA
Email: greatspirit@gmail.com
Thanks, we hope to hear from you and hope that we can share some ofour stories and adventures with you over the next few years.
Peace and love!
Esther and Matt
