Thanks have been expressed to British Christians who, through their giving to BMS World Mission relief work, assisted in helping children worst-hit by natural disaster in Haiti.
In late 2008, floods caused by a series of hurricanes left 800 people dead in the Caribbean island. A BMS Relief grant was given to help provide schooling for children affected by the devastation.
A report by BMS partners in the area has given voice to those closest to the relief assistance, which provided funding for the education of 200 affected children, many of whose families were left destitute by the disaster.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!” said Telus Mona Mityl, headteacher of Ecole Siloe Interdenominationelle, a school in the affected area.
“The parents were so happy to receive this money. They really didn’t know what they would have done, so this money was a great relief. Because it helped their education, it will help for a lifetime.”
Pastor Gedeon Eugene, Vice President of the Baptist Convention of Haiti, also thanked British Christians who, through BMS, had made the grant.
“During the hurricanes, many parents lost their houses, their businesses and their jobs, so they didn’t have any income,” he said.
While those affected had received food and medicine from various NGOs, many families were left unable to finance their children’s education.
The BMS grant contributed significantly to covering tuition fees. “From the bottom of its heart, The Haitian Baptist Convention wants to express its gratitude for this support. And on behalf of the parents and the 200 children, we give you thanks,” he said.
Jean Lamajonne, a mother of four, said: “I’d like to thank you for the help you gave my children. Without your help, one of my children wouldn’t have been able to go to school.”
Jean also looks after an orphaned child whose mother was killed during the hurricane. “Thank you also for the help supporting her. I thank you for the hands that thought of us here. All we can say is a simple ‘thank you.’”
The only reason any of these lives could have been affected in this way is that ‘ordinary’ Christians were willing to give to BMS relief work. On behalf of the children helped through education, BMS thanks you.