1. Haiti Update District 7 Conference September 2017
District 7 Project
Haiti Update
District 7 Conference
September 2017
Hello, I am Cheryl Klueppel, President of the Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau. It is my honor to give you an update on the District 7 Haiti Project. Our Project empowers women through Service & Advocacy. The Haiti Project was started by the Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau in partnership with Haitian American Caucus (HAC) in Croix de Bouquets Haiti. I want to introduce you to Cheryl Mothes, a Zontian in our Club, and Samuel Darguin, Executive Director at HAC to tell you about the project. Show video (3:15 min). This was filmed a couple years ago. They have made great progress in such a short time. That floor of the school where we filmed has been completed and is used as classrooms. The school has grown. With partnerships like ours, they have been able to purchase ground behind the school to build additional classrooms. 1

2. Empowering Women in Haiti with Haitian American Caucus (HAC)
Adopted as a District 7 Project for
and bienniums
Impacting Women through:
Medical & Dental Health
Services
Education
Skill Building
Support
The Haiti Project was adopted as the District 7 project in 2013 for the and bienniums. 4 areas of impact: Medical & Dental Health Svcs, Education, Skill building, and Support.

3. Empowering Women through Medical & Dental Health Services
6 Dental Clinics &
3 Medical Clinics
(Oct 2017 & Mar 2018)
Over 4,500 women, children
and families served
Mentored youth
and other health
professionals
The first area of impact is Medical & Dental Health Services. In Haiti, life expectancy is in the 50’s. Anemia and malnutrition is common with the family spending over half of their income on food. Only about half of the population has access to a sanitation system and safe drinking water. We have completed 6 dental clinics and 3 medical clinics. We have met the goal and commitment of having these clinics annually. Since inception, teams of Zontians & non-Zontians have served over 4,500 women, children & families. We mentor youth and other health professionals in the community. In 2015, we identified the need to have a medical team member go with dental team and a dental team member go with the medical team to have greater impact and continuity in serving health care needs of the community. Our first combined health services clinic was a success in March 2016 serving 800 people. We have had members from clubs other than Cape go on these trips: Sherri Brown, STL club, Pat Reterath, Austin Club, Alice Smith, Braynard Club. Thank you, ladies!

4. Empowering Women through Medical & Dental Health Services
Educated on health issues,
breastfeeding,
maternal & child bonding
In a country where maternal and infant mortality is high, our medical team identified the need for greater education on women & children’s health issues, breastfeeding, maternal & child bonding. This remains an area of focus on the trips.

5. Empowering Women through Education
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela
Nearly 500 students
School incorporated
children from local
orphanages
The 2nd area of impact is Education. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela In Haiti, over half of primary school children are not enrolled in school. 1/3 of girls over 6 in Haiti will never go to school. Education is not guaranteed; it is privatized and too expensive for a population where ¾ of the population live on less than $2 a day. We have see the value education has to a family. We have see the dedication and devotion parents have taken to ensure their children are educated. It is through education that circumstances in Haiti will change. For many of our students, this is their first time in school. While so much was taken from the children of Haiti by the earthquake in 2010, an education is something they can have forever. HAC started in 2003 to provide quality, low cost education to a rural population living in extreme poverty. Many students are in large families so only one or two can go to school. Many lost parents and are living with relatives or in orphanages and may be pulled from school to help at home. When Zonta started the Haiti Project in 2011, children were not receiving lunch during school. The school has grown from 65 students to over 500, over100 from local orphanages and all students receive lunch. We are able to help meet a basic need of food so children can learn. This has been a motivation for parents to send children to school knowing their child will get a meal that day. 5

6. Empowering Women through Education
Zonta Says No
campaign
Educating on
domestic violence
We have taken our Zonta International Zonta Says No Campaign with us to Haiti to educate and advocate against domestic violence. Rape has been a long standing problem in Haiti. Domestic violence only became illegal in Haiti 4 years ago. This is a huge culture change. We had Zonta Says No written in Creole on our t-shirts, had posters made in the native Creole language posted at HAC and handouts in Creole for the women and girls that came through as patients. Education is the key to changing lives. It helps girls reach goals and improve self esteem, and male students learn to respect girls. We are making an impact in changing the culture. 6

7. Empowering Women through Skill Building
Sewing – women make
the school uniforms
In spite of adversity, the Haitian people are a resilient people with a strong faith in God. They appreciate a hand up but don’t expect a hand out. The next area of impact is through skill building. We taught and mentored women in the community to sew and provided them with sewing machines. These empowered women now make the school uniforms. With a micro-financing loan through HAC, women were also empowered to use this new skill to start their own business and be self-sufficient. 7

8. Empowering Women through Skill Building
Carpentry – women
made school benches
We also taught carpentry. Women built school benches for HAC with power tools we delivered. Not to do for them but teach new skills, empowering them to do for themselves.

9. Empowering Women through Support
Delivered over 10,000 lbs of supplies:
Medical – Children’s Tylenol, vitamins, antibiotics
Eyeglasses
Clothing
Formula
School supplies
Sewing machines, power tools
100+ mosquito nets
Jewelry making
The 4th area of impact is through Support. We have delivered over 10,000 pounds of supplies including medical supplies, eyeglasses, clothing, formula, school supplies, sewing machines, power tools, over 100 mosquito nets and jewelry making supplies. Thank you to all who brought cereal boxes and helped with other supplies. 9

10. Empowering Women through Support
Supplies funded by:
Heels to Heal 5K for Haiti
Individual Donations - Zontians and non Zontians
Zonta Club Donations from across the District
$4,695 pin money from District 7
Church groups, Service Group Donations
Haiti Jewelry Sales
THANK YOU!
Supplies for the medical and dental trips are funded by donations which are tax deductible. Donations do not cover travel expenses for the trips. Donations support purchase and delivery of supplies. Supplies are funded by the annual Heels to Heal 5k for Haiti in Cape Girardeau. We have also received donations from Zontians throughout the District, non-Zontians, Zonta Clubs within Dist 7, over $3,000 in District pin sales, church & service groups. Haiti Jewelry sales also support the Project. Other Clubs have donated supplies. Thank you for donations and support of this project! 10

11. Empowering Women through Support
How you can help:
Go on a Haiti Trip (Oct 2017, Mar 2018) – see Polly
Be a sponsor or participant in the Heels to Heal 5K for Haiti
Make Club or Individual Donations
Purchase District 7 pins from Barb
Purchase jewelry made from Haiti
THANK YOU!
You can help by going on a Haiti trip. I, and 13 others, will be going on the medical trip this October. We have a dental trip in March Medical training is helpful but not required. See Polly if interested. You can be a sponsor or participant in the Heels to Heal 5K for Haiti held by the Cape Club. You can make club or individual donations, purchase District 7 pins from Barb or purchase jewelry made from Haiti at the Cape Club table. Again, Thank you! 11

12. Empowering Women through Support
How you can help:
Sponsor a
Student at HAC - give
the priceless gift of an
education
$450/yr or $38/mth
tuition, books,
uniform and shoes, etc.
Thank you!
One of the greatest needs is to keep girls in school. An initiative we started toward this effort is “Sponsoring a Student”. In Haiti, typically only boys receive further education. The sponsorship program was developed to continue education focusing on girls. The only way some girls can stay in school is through sponsorship. Sponsorship is a tax deductible donation of $450/yr. You can pay by a one time gift, bi-annual or $38 a month. Sponsors receive a photo and updates on their girls’ progress. There are many opportunities for sponsorship: 1 or more Zontians, a family, a Zonta Club, etc. We have 60 students sponsored already and there is great need. Our goal is __________. Thank you to the 6 Zonta Clubs and several Zontians that have sponsored 1 or more students. If you or your club have sponsored a student will you please raise your hand. Thank you! This photo is of Dr. Heather Cugini who is our Medical Director for this project and goes on every trip. She is seen here with the 4 girls she is sponsoring. We have 6 students we would like to see sponsored before the end of this conference. Please see Melanie from the Cape Club if you are interested. The packet has photos and information about the sponsorship program. 12

13. Zonta is Making an Impact
Nerlande is 15 years old,
has been at HAC for 10
years. Lived with a
Relative as a Restavek
(child slave).
We mentioned to Samuel at HAC that we would be meeting with other Zonta clubs and he wanted to thank you for your support of HAC and the students there. He also wanted to share how your support, the support of Zonta, is making an impact. Nerlande is a 15 year old girl that has been at HAC for over 10 years. She lives with a relative as a Restavek ( a child slave) since her mother died when she was only two years old. Nerlande was conditioned to constant physical and mental abuse and at one point mentioned to HAC staff that the only way out of her misery is to end her life. 
In 2014 when the school year started and HAC staff didn't see Nerlande in school we knew something was wrong, our school counselors made a visit to Nerlande's house and saw Nerlande washing dishes. When we asked her why she hadn't come to school she simply replied " They told me I didn't deserve school". 13

14. Zonta is Making an Impact
Through support of
Zonta, she was able to
come back to school, is a
straight A student and
wants to be a doctor.
With Zonta support we were able to bring Nerlande back to school and now she is a straight A student. In the future Nerlande what's to be a doctor, so she can help those who are less fortunate receive medical care (maybe something influenced by our medical services at HAC). A friend of mine recently asked, how many of these students will make it out of their situation. I thought about it. I shared with her that education is the key to changing their world. Education is the means of turning the tide in this country. One girl, like Nerlande, can change her world and as we empower these girls, they will change their own world which is their family, their community and their country. Thank you for your continued support of The Haiti Project! 14