 Shoes
and five gallon buckets were a major topic of conversation at Noon
Sertoma today. Tom Rosenberger and his wife Betty were our
speakers and they reported on the progress at the Society of Our
Lady Mission in Haiti.
Tom and his wife along with several other Brainerd area people
are committed to helping the mission and their major goal is to
provide this poverty stricken area that is called the forgotten
country with a high school. This, however, is on hold due to the
instability of the government.
The shoes and the buckets were part of a large shipment of
goods that went to Haiti with the Rosenbergers in September and
October. The mission currently serves 10 villages. The container
that delivered all these shoes and buckets along with some farming
equipment and clothing was expensive but worth it. Tom as an
educator has been promoting Shoes
for Haiti since he became involved in the mission.
The government will not allow Haitian children to attend school
unless they own a pair of shoes. Since the mission serves 10
villages and about 20,000 people, the shoes are also necessary so
the elementary students can walk to school. The elementary
education facility has made a tremendous difference in reducing
the 98% illiteracy rate.
Water is very scarce and the buckets are the only means of
transporting clean water to the homes. Another container will be
in the Brainerd area next year and you will be able to contribute.
Tom is very impressed with the progress that the villagers have
made toward establishing an economy and becoming self sufficient.
However, the Catholic Relief Agency funds have been cu t
off and the children are now looking for direct sponsors. The
money is all spent on the children with absolutely no
administrative costs.
See Tom if you are interested in adopting a child or a family.
He and Betty are pictured with their Haitian family. The Mission
serves all no matter what religion and priorities are food,
clothing, and education not religion. Tom ended his presentation
with the statement, "Visiting Haiti is an incredibly humbling
experience and it makes me realize just how very much we have." |
