Photos

Here is a picture of the Haitian-American Tennis player Victoria Duval who managed to come up with an upset win over the 2011 champion Samantha Stosur during the US Open first round tennis tournament in 2013.

This was quite a victory and an accomplishment for the young Haitian-American tennis player who was a heavy underdog coming into the match against Stosur. Prior to this game, Samantha Stosur who is a former US Open champion, was ranked 11th in the world

Victoria Duval had to deal with two major issues in her life before the age of 17 when she actually became a superstar in tennis. She experienced the terror of being held hostage by a kidnap gang in Haiti. Also, her father almost lost his life during the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Victoria Duval was born in Miami on November 30, 1995 of Haitian family but spent most of her childhood in Haiti. She acquired most of her tennis skills Haiti while training at the JOTAC Tennis Academy in Port-au-Prince. She plays right-handed, with a two-handed backhand. Her coach is Nick Bollettieri.

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Here is a picture of two American citizen as they are spending time in Haiti jail for kidnapping Haitian children. The American missionaries are stating that the Haitian children were not kidnapped. Children are usually kidnapped for many reasons. They are often used for sex, slavery and other reasons

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The land of Fonds-Verrettes is usually green in the month of April. However this year the fields were dusty and struggling crops were withering in the fields after the land experienced a long drought from November 2012 to April 2013. There will not be a harvest this season and the residents are awaiting a response from the government as they anticipate difficult moments.

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Our visit to Haiti helped us understand the transport challenges facing the peple of Haiti and especially those from Fonds-Verrettes. Fonds-Verretes is 53km from Port-au-Prince along the Haitian border with Dominican Republic. It took us over 2 hours to drive from the capital to the remote village. Even with good performing trucks, we couldn't make over 35 miles per hour. The road is paved for a short distance and the rest is dirty road. The road is narrow and has several dropping cliffs. It is two way traffic and vehicles easily roll down the steep inclines. Like this tap-tap we found which rolled about 20m down a steep cliff.

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In Fonds-Verrettes the ravines are flat, with water running through which makes it a tempting place for the residents to live in. However, the residents of Fonds-Verrettes have a fearful story attached to the ravines. The area is prone to storms and lethal storm waters from the mountains flow through the ravines. A devastating storm happened in 2004 in Hurricane Georges when storm waters washed through leaving 680 locals dead and several others homeless. The cost of these floods is being felt even to date and the town is now growing away from the path of the storm waters.

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From Fonds-Verrettes the closest places include La Mission, Nan Catte, Trois Mats and Haut Mome. La Mission is actually located in Fonds-Verrettes while Nan Catte and Trois Mats are both 1.2km from Fonds-Verrettes. Haut Mome is 1.4 km from Fonds-Verrettes. If you are looking for a bigger city Delmas is 50km away while Port-au-Prince, the capital city of Haiti is 53km.

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Here is a picture of Market day in Fond Verrettes

Fond Verrette Schools received global solar ovens to support the feeding program in schools. After arrival in September three Haitians were offered training on how to operate the ovens. The plan is to equip schools to be able to provide pupils with at least one meal a day. The feeding program is led by Pastor Sylvio. The Pastor urged wiling persons to contribute towards the program and have an opportunity to feed a hungry child.

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After five months of drought Fonds-Verrettes received rains this April. Farmers had already given up after losing their seeds during the drought that hit the area from November 2012 to march 2013. The region normally receives rains in March a time when most of the farmers have sowed their crops. The harvest time is usually in May. But this year the residents of Fonds-Verrettes await a difficult moment of food shortage. The ground is dusty and crops wither in the fields. The situation is desperate and local farmers have made an outcry for emergency response.

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I had an opportunity this February to tour Fonds-Verrettes and was able to see the great work that Plant with Purpose has been able to do for the community. Plant with Purpose began its mission in Fonds Verrettes in 2004 a time when the area experienced devastating floods that saw over 4,000 people die in both Haiti and Dominican republic along the border. For the three days I spend there I and the visiting partners were able to witness the transformation that Plant with Purpose has brought to the region through development programs. The program has empowered Haitian powers enormously and there has been Environmental, Economic and Spiritual transformation in the area. Our visitors had time to relate with local farmers and our regional Plant with Purpose staff.

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Fonds Verrettes municipality which borders Dominican Republic hosts people who have developed mixed cultures, interdependent economies and shared cultural practices as well as common environmental challenges.

Most of the communities along the border are living on small scale farming. The earthquake experienced in Haiti in January 2010 left the situation worse for an already suffering community. We welcome your generous sponsorship of Fonds Verrettes. The donations will help us lift the lives of the bordering communities through improvement of food security for the rural population. We will also work towards environmental restoration through establishment of reforestation projects. Your contribution will also help us to facilitate reconciliation between the communities living along the border.

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