Hello fellow supporters,
I’m Courtney, a follower of Second Mile Haiti for four years now. I was introduced in 2019 through a friend of mine who’s sister (the one and only Jenn Schenk) began this non-profit organization with co-founder, Amy Syres, in 2013.
I got to meet both Jenn and Amy in person, and I was instantly smitten with their effort to pour some of our privilege in America into people in under-served communities around the world, such as those in Haiti.
The focus on women and children further heightened its significance for me. Women, who nurture the world's most vulnerable, and children, the epitome of innocence and helplessness, undoubtedly deserve access to basic nutritional and medical needs.
I subscribed to their newsletter with an e-mail address that I didn’t use often, and I can see now that that was a mistake. I was missing out on so much action and current happenings within Second Mile Haiti! I was missing the magic.
Only now, in 2023 when I’ve gotten the opportunity to help transfer their newsletters to their website, do I realize the multitude of decisions and actions that Second Mile Haiti’s leaders make daily. Nothing small, either. Things like securing electricity, coordinating travel, seeking resources, and providing blood for transfusions. By applying their innovative, informed, and inspired ideas, Second Mile Haiti is solving problems that a whole country is suffering from. The best part? Their humility about it all.
By reading through the newsletters, I’ve learned the multitude of ways that communities in Haiti are benefiting from Second Mile Haiti’s efforts.
First and foremost, caregivers in Haiti now have a refuge to bring their sick children for medical care instead of having to watch them perish from illness and malnutrition. Did you hear that? When their parents do not have the resources to pay for medical care elsewhere, babies now have a place to go to get the care they need! Surrendering their ill children to an orphanage seemed to be the best answer for these families before Second Mile Haiti came to the scene. Can you imagine?
LIFE.
Second Mile Haiti reached further to the expectant mother population in Haiti to provide them with medical care that a pregnancy and delivery require but that has never been accessible to them before. Having appropriate medical care decreases maternal morality rate and ensures a greater likelihood that the mother will get to see her baby grow up. What a relief for families.
The Second Mile Haiti team works tirelessly to make all of this happen. Behind every accomplishment there are a multitude of steps completed by staff members. They organize events, access medical equipment, and ensure that mothers and caregivers are never alone or without answers. This crew of more than fifty members are like a community of bees working together to take care of one another!
LOVE.
I’ve learned that the children who grow through the malnutrition program continue to receive medical care, nutrition follow ups, and scholarships to attend school! Access to education allows more opportunity for these children as they become adults.
Second Mile Haiti didn’t stop there, either.
Caregivers of children in the Malnutrition center are receiving invaluable information on their children’s wellness. They also have access to business and education classes so that they can produce an income for themselves. They learn and practice gardening techniques so they can provide food to their children and avoid a malnutrition relapse. They grow a supportive community of other caregivers who can relate to their situation. Caregivers are blossoming here, too.
HAPPINESS.
I also learned that Second Mile Haiti hires their staff locally in Haiti including nurses, midwives, chefs, psychologists, architects, photographer, gardener and any other specialist they could need. That means that the Haitian economy is improving with more jobs and income to go into the community!
Second Mile Haiti has also enhanced the community by providing solar lamps and trash services along the street-sides. This allows for businesses to stay open longer, kids to play safer, trash to be disposed of, and makes travel easier as the sun goes down. People in the community are also sent meals for the holidays from Second Mile Haiti— a special treat to many.
Finally, I learned that Second Mile Haiti has ignited hope in one particular community, by installing a water filtration system. This means they are safe from the Cholera outbreak, something that they’ve worried about every single day. Until now.
So, cheers to Second Mile Haiti, its founders Jenn and Amy, and all of the people who play a role in it’s operation.
Reading the newsletters has also taught me about the violence from gangs trying to overthrow the government, how dangerous it can be to travel south, and about the shortages of gasoline and blood and fresh water for the entire country. I’ve learned about the risk of cholera. I learned that expecting mother’s didn’t have medical care or a safe place to deliver their babies and that many mothers die in childbirth because of this. I’ve learned about the dangers of malnutrition and other illnesses in children. I’ve learned that malnutrition isn’t always about the food. Most of all, I’ve learned how necessary Second Mile Haiti is to this community by providing life, love, and happiness to the Haitian population.
Love from Texas,
Courtney Belue