News from the Haiti Partnership
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Update on the Haiti Partnership
To the Diocese of Milwaukee | The Haiti Partnership
“For we are God’s servants, working together …”
1 Corinthians 3:9
Dear Friends,
For over forty years, we have been in a loving and life-changing relationship with our sisters and brothers in Haiti. Our support of the school, medical clinic, and church of St. Marc in Jeanette has been a gift of God to many, many people in our diocese, and to our friends there. Over the past year in particular, we have been in the process of evaluating the way we engage in this work and considering ways in which we might make it even more effective. With the leadership of our Standing Committee and Executive Council, we have now recommitted ourselves to this partnership by strengthening our relationship with a trusted agency on the ground in Haiti and by making the oversight of our efforts a key priority for the Office of the Bishop.
The challenges in Haiti are many, both in the church and in the wider society. We regularly receive news reports about the chaos and violence in the country, and it remains impossible for us to make face-to-face visits with our sisters and brothers there. You may well see reports of the rising power of gangs in the country and even accusations of corruption within the ranks of the clergy. We are acutely aware of these realities on the ground and they have driven our decision to change the way we support our partners in Jeannette.
At our diocesan convention this year, we will share the details of our renewed commitment to this work. Please watch for more details in Diomil ENews and on our website. We want to sum up our partnership by calling it exactly that — the Haiti Partnership. Our goal is to strengthen the sustainability of our support, to build on relationships we already have in Jeannette in ways that will empower their self-sufficiency to the greatest degree possible, and to broaden support for the Haiti Partnership among members of our diocese and beyond.
St. Paul reminded the Corinthians that we are all members of One Body and that together we accomplish the work God gives us to do. May this partnership, so long a project of our common life in this diocese, grow and flourish for the welfare of the whole church.
In Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey D. Lee
Bishop Provisional of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee
Introducing the Haiti Partnership
Dear friends,
During the course of the past year, we have been engaged in a lengthy review of the history of our partnership with God’s people in Haiti at St. Marc’s, Jeanette. Our goal has been to determine the best way we can honor the 40 years of our dedication to this relationship and the best way to move forward. This period of study and analysis has included interviews, focus groups, and feedback from around the diocese. As a result of all this, we have made the decision to renew our commitment to this partnership and to invest in developing a new model for its support. The Haiti Project becomes the Haiti Partnership.
The Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee will continue to fund St. Marc’s School and Clinic while supporting initiatives designed to improve local economic conditions by building on strengths within the community. We commit to working with our partners toward the goal of financial autonomy, understanding the challenges and the time it may take to achieve that goal. To that end, we have entered into an agreement with Action Pour Sauver Haïti (APSHA), the Haitian nonprofit that has provided financial management of our funding of St. Marc School and Clinic staff since February 2018. APSHA has proven to be an exemplary fiscal agent in Haiti, providing accountability and transparency for all funding sent to them for local disbursement.
APSHA already has deep personal connections with the community in Jeanette. Now, we will draw on their expertise in the area of designing and implementing locally-designed, locally-implemented initiatives that incorporate all members of a community in every phase of determining, designing, and implementing programs to increase financial autonomy.
At its August 2, 2022 meeting, our diocesan Executive Council unanimously decided to engage the services of APSHA for a 5-month period, during which they will engage all groups within the community in the activities described above, create a plan of action based on their findings, and develop an appropriate budget.
I am so grateful for the dedicated, long-term support so many of you in the diocese have contributed through your time, talents, and labor. I and my leadership team are committed to giving our full effort to this plan, and I hope you will too. You will be hearing more about it soon!
We engaged the services of Catherine Parrill in June, to act as a consultant to the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee (EDOM) in this effort. She has a lengthy history in Haiti, including as a volunteer coordinator for the Haiti Project in the 1990s. She has lived in Haiti and is fluent in Haitian Kreyol.
Caroline Senn, EDOM Financial Controller, is the project manager for the Haiti Partnership from the Office of the Bishop. Please direct any questions to her at
.
In Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Jeff Lee
Bishop Provisional of Milwaukee