An Archdiocese of Baltimore and Diocese of Gonaïves Collaboration
Mission: To assist the parishioners of Gonaïves, Haiti and provide them the teachings and skills to help themselves in the future.
Objectives: To provide educational opportunities to the poor living in the Diocese of Gonaives, Haiti. The Outreach project began with the building of the school, The Good Samaritans by the Mortel Family Charitable Foundation. A trade school was also built to provide a variety of vocational skills to young men and women. In addition a literacy school serves adults of both sexes in a three year program. Furthermore a sister program provides opportunities to Baltimore parishes to partner with parishes in the Diocese of Gonaives and assist them in their feeding program and their projects of education and evangelization.
It's through the building of close relationships between the parishes of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and its sister Diocese of Gonaïves, Haiti that The Outreach Project hopes to accomplish its mission of support and education.
The Outreach Project focuses on the following areas:
New Outreach Opportunities
The program provides service opportunities for adult parishioners in the Archdiocese to participate in community and construction programs in Haiti and to assist in the teaching of various trades at the Cardinal Keeler Vocational school in Gonaives.
The program also provides high school and college students from the Archdiocese the opportunity to experience the Haitian culture and to work with students of various schools in Haiti.
The Rationale: The Haitian statistics of malnutrition, infectious diseases and illiteracy are staggering. Your help to relieve the daily suffering of hopelessness and the bondage of illiteracy can bring new life to this small nation.
- One of every five Haitian children dies before the age of 5 of infectious diseases and malnutrition.
- Of the survivors, only 20% attend school because of the paucity of schools and lack of funds to provide shoes and clothes to students.
- The illiteracy rate for adults in Haiti is 80% and the unemployment rate around St. Marc is 85%.
- 90% of Haitian women have no profession or trade.
For more information, visit baltimorehaitiproject.org.
