We Have Solar!
 | | Jenn, Dale, Don, and Mike on top of mom and baby homes |
Back in April we began the process of bringing power to the Second Mile Haiti compound. We knew that solar power was the ultimate goal but had to do some serious planning, work, and fundraising to get there. Guess what? It just happened! The electricians who installed our battery and inverter system arrived on Friday morning to begin the solar panel installation. They were finished by Saturday evening! We still have these amazing volunteers with us for a few more days. They will be doing work to make our system more efficient and expand what we can accomplish because of solar energy. PTL for this big milestone for Second Mile Ministries!
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Current Needs
Want to know how you can help? Here are a few things that we need help with.
Medications = $150
Most of the moms and babies come to Second Mile straight from the hospital where they have been given prescriptions that they cannot afford to fill. Can you help us keep a stocked inventory of these common medications? $150 goes a long way in a Haitian pharmacy!
Rent property for garden expansion= $2,500 (5 yrs)
We hope to plant another 2 acres of beans and corn. It is the best investment.
4 boxes of Medika Mamba = $69/box
"Medika Mamba" is the life-saving therapeutic peanut paste that is used to treat malnutrition. 1 box treats 1 child.
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Marie Ange eating "mamba"
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Last month's need: rental property for the cows and goats to graze. Check out their new space!
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Rainy Season, we welcome you!
The months of September and October have been months of great progress in the garden! September was a hot, dry month here in Haiti. But thanks to everyone who helped up purchase watering cans and irrigation equipment we were able to ensure that the plants stayed happy. Now that it is rainy season we are seeing exponential growth in many of the crops plants, especially cabbage and corn. We are now harvesting spinach and beans! And, drum roll please, we are now using our own compost!
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Spinach! It's what's for sale and what's for lunch!
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 | | garden pride |
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Donation Information
Donations can be made online or by check
*Second Mile Ministries is a 501c3 non-profit. Donations are tax-deductible for US tax payers.
Tax ID: 45-3643634
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 | | Kerly and his mom at Second Mile for 3-week follow up visit |
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Another Mom and Baby Head Home
October is a special month. About this time every year we like to reflect on how far we have come. Two years ago, in the month of October, the vision of Second Mile Haiti was set in motion. About this time in 2011 we were sitting in a Barnes and Nobles bookstore in Tucson, hiding from the Cafe employees so they wouldn't notice that we hadn't purchased anything to drink, and pouring over books like How to Start a Non-profit...and
How to Build a Website...
for Dummies.
We remember those first weeks and months and feel so blessed by how far God has brought us in this short time. Now, our dream facility for serving women and children is fully operational. And we get to share stories of hope, progress, and "going home."
We'd like to introduce you to baby Kerly, his mom... and his dad.
This photo was taken on their Send-Off day; the day they "graduated" and left Second Mile.
Kerly and his mom spent 17 days at Second Mile Haiti during which Kerly gained almost 2 lbs. When he arrived he weighed just 8.5 lbs. He and his mother were sent by a nurse at a nearby hospital following an appointment where they identified him as being severely malnourished. Kerly had also been suffering from reflux. Frequent vomitus was making it difficult for him to gain weight and putting him at risk for dehydration. We worked through these issues with Kerly's mom and helped her follow a structured feeding schedule, complete with infant formula and foods from the garden. She went from saying her baby was "not hungry" to recognizing his need for round-the-clock nourishment.
We do an evaluation with each mother when she arrives to test her level of knowledge pertaining to health, nutrition, and the basics of how to keep oneself and one's family healthy. Kerly's mom scored a 50% on this initial assessment. Haiti presents many challenges like access to clean water and sanitation. Moms also have to worry about protecting themselves and their children against illnesses like malaria and cholera. All of these topics and more are presented and discussed by the women during daily education sessions with our health educator. When we gave Kerly's mom a final exam she scored an 88%. That's 38% higher than her initial score!
 | | Madlanie in the garden and showing off her test scores |
Many people ask us, why the focus on moms? Aren't there any dads in the picture? And to that we answer: yes. Yes, there are many great dads who care deeply for their families. Kerly's dad is one of them. Kerly's dad is a taxi moto driver. He has some university level education, and loves his son. How do we know? He didn't let a single day go by without stopping by Second Mile to hold and hug his baby. We were encouraged by his actions and his words.
 | | Madlanie's Final Business Class, Kerly's Good-Bye |
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41 students start a new school year
We talk a lot about investing in families. A major part of that is investing in Second Mile's employees so that they can invest in the people their own families. We got to see the fruits of those investments this month when we decided to host a back-to-school breakfast for our employees' children. This year 41 children are attending school because their parents have full-time employment through Second Mile. It was such a blessing to watch these moms and dads interact with, and serve, their children. The "Back-to-School Breakfast" was so fun we may just make it a tradition.
More pictures, here. Read the blog post, here.
Errod with daughter, Natalie
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Prayer Requests
Loudjina: Loudjina, one of our current cases, is living with a medical condition called hydrocephalus. We are praying for direction in pursuing the next step in her care.
Verdieu: One of our employees, Verdieu, is asking for prayer that he and his wife would be able to have children. They have been trying for many years.
Pray for positive relationships between Second Mile and the surrounding village
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Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:1-3
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