Haiti – Each year, periods of drought plague the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, threatening to drown struggling farmers like Emmanuel in poverty.
Life hasn’t been easy for Emmanuel. Working as a rice farmer in a dry, arid part of Haiti has caused ongoing financial pressure for his family. In addition, he suffered three severe accidents that tested his faith in God. But through it all, Emmanuel continued to trust the Lord, lead his family, and serve in his church. Leaning on God throughout these challenges strengthened the faith of Emmanuel and his family.
Emmanuel followed in his father’s footsteps by farming rice and other crops and raising cattle. Unfortunately, just as Emmanuel’s father struggled to support his family, Emmanuel had to take a second job just to make ends meet.
When the pandemic hit, the Haitian economy, which already suffered from sky-high inflation, took a severe blow. So, Bright Hope and one of our partner churches in Haiti came up with a plan to help support the hard-working rice farmers.
Our agricultural irrigation plan includes drilling wells and installing solar-powered pumps to supply water to farms. Farmers receive irrigation system on loan and have a set period of time to repay the loan.
When months without rain killed their crops, Emmanual and many other farmers would have to travel to other towns to purchase over-priced food to feed their families.
In Emmanuel’s words: “No water, no gardening. And no gardening, no profits!”
But soon, after Emmanuel and the other farmers install the irrigation system, they hope this microenterprise opportunity will provide a better life for their families.
This program hopes to:
- Ensure a regular water supply for farmers to grow their crops
- Improve farmers’ yield and income by at least 30%
- Offer irrigation system access to more farmers after the initial group repays their loans
Please join us in praying for these farmers and their families as they embark on this journey toward sustainable farming!
