Letter From Founder

Dear Friend,

For 2008, I wish you and your family a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.

As you are seated around your table during the holiday, I am begging you not to forget the poor people in Lascahobas, Haiti. You may be wondering why I only request help for those who are destitute in Lascahobas. After all, that is my hometown. The place I was born and reared. However, the situation in Haiti is so deplorable that, despite our strong desire to help everyone who is in need, we simply do not have enough funds to reach our goal. In fact, we received fewer donations this year - while the cost of goods and shipping continued to rise, and that further limited what we could provide. It is a blessing that FCLH has been able to continue to serve the people for thirty-one years largely through small donations from dedicated people. We never could have accomplished so much without our devoted donors.

As usual, I will be going to Haiti to bring a little joy from FCLH to the destitute people of Lascahobas. Everybody is waiting for my arrival. A few years ago, I got to Haiti after Christmas and learned that the people had been coming to the FCLH Nutrition Center every day asking whether I had arrived yet. They said, "At least when Aunty Estelle is here, we have hope."

Second Group of Terre Blanche

We have made a great effort to ensure that each of the 529 mothers is our Cooperative Economic Group Project will receive a pair of school shoes, so that they can send at least one child to school. The women have many children, and it is a pity that our minimal budget cannot provide shoes for all of them. (We have been looking for a shoe company that would be willing to donate shoes, but we have not yet found one that would give them for Haiti.)

Second Group of Malantial

Women of the Cooperative Economic Group Project continue to progress well. Those in the first in the first ten groups that completed have already been granted a second loan. The ladies feel so proud that they had enough money in the bank to facilitate getting loans to expand their businesses and, when appropriate, can renew such loans every six months. We anticipate that the next ten groups will follow their example and also will qualify. These women have such a great need to be able to help their children that I hope we can add new groups of women to the project soon.

Children of the Third Group of Lahoye

For children in families outside outside the Group Project, malnutrition remains a major concern. For many years, therefore, FCLH has provided the nutritional supplement, Akamil, free of charge to patients of the FCLH Hospital. This has encouraged women to bring their children in for care. They thereby receive both the benefits of this high-protein mixture - which has been proven by UNICEF to curb malnutrition in populations with deficient diets - and of pediatric care.

Akamil is prepared with either beans and rice or beans and corn. FCLH employs a man to operate the equipment to grind the mixture and a woman to seal the product into plastic bags for storage and distribution. Until now, a small fee has allowed the project to continue. Unfortunately, although we want to increase production of Akamil, the grinding mill broke down and must be replaced.

We received a generous donation of a new mill, but it requires a more powerful generator than we have, and the gasoline it needs is also expensive. We are seeking donations to purchase a 10KW diesel generator, which - although expensive - uses less fuel. Without this new generator, the community cannot operate its much larger new mill and continue the initial component of a now flourishing Akamil Marketing Project. With the additional funds, this project would serve as an excellent vehicle for new Cooperative Economic Group Project members. Newly participating women would be given seed money to obtain Akamil that they then would sell in the wider community beyond Lascahobas.

Finally, we want you to know that the FCLH Hospital continues to operate. Medicines are extremely costly, however, and we reach out to all possible resources to try to keep our patients supplied. If you know anyone who can contribute medications and supplies, please let us know, and we will contact them.

In the June 2007 Newsletter, I notified our supporters that we would no longer raise funds through the awards dinner-dance, because the cost has become so expensive that FCLH cannot charge enough to make a profit. We are counting on you to continue to send your donations to sustain the FCLH program on behalf of the destitute children.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you - our devoted friends and donors - for your continuing support.

Sincerely yours,

FCLH Founder and President