MFB Haiti Update, April 2020

Haiti, long susceptible to the ravages of natural disasters, corrupt governments, and frequent unrest, can now add the COVID-19 pandemic to its list of challenges. With the virus present in Haiti, President Jovenel Moise has closed all airports, seaports, factories, and schools. Given that Haiti only produces 50% of the food needed to feed its 11 million people in country, and most children receive their primary daily nourishment from their school lunch, Haiti finds itself again at the brink of severe hunger and widespread unrest.

While the Haitian government has called for confinement and social distancing, the reality is that most of the population will head toward "herd immunity", choosing to risk being infected in the street rather than die of hunger at home. Haiti's health-care system is ill-prepared for the looming catastrophe. It is estimated that Haiti may have fewer than 30 fully functioning ICU beds country wide.

Against this backdrop, God is good and we rest in our faith, knowing that all things are possible with our God. We are encouraged that MFB was able to get two sea-containers (including 400,000 servings of Tender Mercies) into Haiti earlier this year, and an additional sea-container is planned for late April.

The combination of the rich, faith-based partnerships MFB has formed in Haiti and the distribution of food, consistently presents opportunities to share the Gospel and bring hope and joy in otherwise bleak conditions. One MFB food partner recently held a 5-day revival with about 70 youth attending each night. On the final night these young people crowded around a 15-inch laptop to view and hear the Gospel presented in creole. God changed hearts that night as 10 youth found salvation in Jesus Christ.

Working with this same partner, we now have 2 more feeding centers operational in the Pignon area. This brings the total number of centers to 23, providing daily, nutritious lunches (Tender Mercies) to 1,150 children ages 0-5. With schools now closed in Haiti, MFB and its partners are working to create strategies to ensure school children continue to get their critical daily lunch.

Many accounts of God's faithfulness in Haiti are a great encouragement and we rejoice as God connects us with amazing partners and removes obstacles to allow the Gospel to be shared and children to be fed. Please continue to pray for Haiti during this COVID-19 crisis and for God to use MFB to serve the people of Haiti.