Port au Prince is the capital of Haiti with a population of over two million. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and the third poorest in the world. In 1804 Haiti was the second country after the United States to declare her independence.

Haiti is known for its unique art and it's early history of liberation. Haiti's liberation began in 1794, shortly after the French Revolution of 1789. Under the leadership of Toussaint L'Overture, known to Haitians as "The Precursor", slaves were set free. True independence came in 1804 - making Haiti the first independent Black "republic" to be established in the Americas.

Port au Prince is in the worst of conditions. There are no downtown hotels. No one visiting Port au Prince would dream of being in a downtown hotel. That's because tourists don't come to Haiti anymore. There are no tourists for several reasons: it is too expensive, there is a lack of entertainment, and crime. It's expensive in the few remaining hotels and restaurants, partially because everything is imported and duties are huge; food in the local grocery costs double what it does in the US. And there's no volume to allow for lower margins. The quality of the cuisine in the finer hotels is at least as good as that in France, which is still viewed as the motherland by Haitians. The lack of tourists and abundance of crime combine to severely limit possibilities. So does the fact electricity is predictably out at least several hours every day; every business must have its own generator.

And crime really is a problem. Kidnappings are common occurrences. In the old days Papa Doc's Tonton Macoute, a secret police force with overtones of Voodoo expertise, pretty well kept a lid on things. If nothing else, Duvalier at least recognized the value of the tourist trade, and if anything untoward happened to a tourist the perpetrator would only live long enough to sincerely regret it. But, as with the disappearance of the Soviet police state, the sociopathic 2-3% of society rose to the occasion. And it's actually getting worse, because Haitian criminals who get caught in the US are repatriated after serving their terms. That means 300-500 are returned each year with a doctorate in serious crime, issued after a few years in a US prison. That would make the criminals among the most educated folks in this largely illiterate land.

A logical question arises when you realize that the country has almost no industry or commercial agriculture whatsoever. How do they survive? They make Barbncourt rum, there's a cigarette factory and they assemble some clothing that's imported and then re-exported. And some artists peddle wares of varying quality. That's it. It used to be that most baseballs were made here, but that factory moved out. So the country essentially creates nothing. Almost all the people outside the capital are subsistence farmers; but not only are there no food exports, the country imports everything except locally grown vegetables. Nobody even bothers exploring for minerals, despite prospective terrain.

Where does the money come from? The main answer is that there are about a million Haitians abroad, mostly in the US and Canada, supporting the 8 million Haitians in the country. The hope and salvation of every family is to get somebody to south Florida, in order to survive. Of course, that makes it hard for any but the most extraordinary emigrant to save enough to really get anywhere himself.

In addition, up to $500 million a year comes in from various NGO's. Some of them actually do some good. Most, however, are just bureaucracies. The army has been abolished, in recognition of the fact that, typical of Third World militaries, it's sole purpose was to intimidate potential dissidents. On the bright side, at least there's no direct aid to the Haitian government, due to the rare insight that it would mostly just get siphoned off to some people's foreign bank accounts. The whole country is on welfare.

Charities tend to quickly become top heavy and ineffective in bringing change to this nation of almost 8 million. There is tremendous poverty, but what happens in Haiti is a whole other level—and an excellent barometer of how far this place has fallen. Poor people regularly abandon children, already on death’s door, they can't care for. And when they die, it adds to an already tremendous pathos.

Most Third World countries prohibit foreigners from owning islands, border lands and coastlines—ostensibly for "security" reasons, probably stemming from a fear of invasion, or guerrillas. Needless to say, Haiti has laws of this type. Covenant is currently being registered and officially recognized by the Haitian government. Haitian citizens can own property but it is a very difficult process. We are fortunate that our ministry has Haitian citizens who are able to own property and are very influential. Covenant has already purchased property in Gonaives, the fourth largest city in Haiti.

We are making a difference. Covenant is investing resources in partnership with other ministries and charities to not just bring aid and help, but to bring justice to a peoples that has had very little justice. Jesus said that whatever we do for the least of our brothers and sisters, we are actually doing for Him (Matthew 25:40). Ron Sider, author of Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, tells us that “the church should consist of communities of loving defiance. Instead it consists largely of comfortable clubs of conformity.”

It is Covenant’s desire not to just help bring relief to the people of Haiti, but to equip and empower the people to bring themselves out of injustice and impoverishment to justice and abundance. Jesus said that He came to bring us life to the fullest (John 10:10). We are not a ministry moved to charity because of the “pathos of the need”, but we are endeavoring to help the people help themselves to a point of self-sufficiency. Therefore we want a change of spirit and attitude (Romans 12:2) that manifests in the change of the spiritual landscape resulting in productive actions and work that improves the conditions of the people. We are alarmed by the brokenness of Haiti and are determined to restore justice. We are not the “savior” of Haiti. Justice means God does the rescuing, but often He works through the united power of His great and diverse community to do it.

We desire to see the restoration of human dignity by creating an environment in which all involved “give” and “receive” in a spirit of reciprocal learning and mutual ministry. Justice is something we do with others. It is a lifestyle. Justice hopes for results sometime soon but recognizes that systemic change takes time. The goal of justice is to remove obstacles so others can help themselves. It focuses on how we can work with other ministries to accomplish even more. Justice means asking why people are impoverished in the first place and then equipping them to deliver themselves.

We are not fostering a welfare system, but are awakening and nurturing the apostolic and entrepreneurial spirit resident in the people. There are several ways this is done.

First, we are training and equipping the spiritual leaders and pastors with a biblical Kingdom of God mindset that encourages their personal and spiritual development. Secondly, we are teaching the people to leverage their resources by applying what they already know or learning new skills that will improve their living.

We are currently overseeing 19 churches in Haiti. Our headquarters church in Port au Prince is Grace Tabernacle that oversees 17 of these churches and five schools for children’s education. Attached is a picture of this church of 600 people. The Grace Tabernacle people have already spent 200,000 Haitian dollars have given on remodeling the church property. This church is central to what God is doing providing the spiritual oversight and accountability that is needed for the churches and schools. In January, 2008 we will begin another school at Grace Tabernacle for the primary grades. The property is for sale priced at $88,000 USD. The owners will sell the property to other buyers if we do not respond by March, 2008 with the funds, and the church property will be lost to us. We need your help to purchase this property so we can be a continuing presence in Port au Prince and surrounding areas to advance the Kingdom of God and maintain the churches and ministries that are in operation now. We need this church property also to continue to offer the conferences and training seminars to equip the pastors and leaders. We will use these facilities to teach skills for being successful in business which will in turn bring income and food to many families. Please help us purchase these facilities.

We have recently bought property in Gonaives, a city north of Port au Prince, and established a new church which already has 350 participants. A new school is in the plans for January, 2008. On this church property a 20,000 gallon water cistern has been constructed that is bringing a fresh water supply for thousands of people. More wells and cisterns are planned for this city. In February, 2008 a medical clinic will be offered to not only bring immediate relief from many of the illnesses, but also healing for the chronic illnesses. The medical centre is currently under construction. We are starting another church in the middle of Gonaives that will be easily accessible to thousands of people in the city.

Through these churches thousands of people are receiving food on a weekly basis.

We have a long-term relationship with the nation through various ministries and many people. When we encounter something broken in the world, our first response is often physical, tangible help. We send money and pray. Soon the food is eaten, the physical repairs need repairs, and the money runs out. It is good to send food, money, help, and pray. But we must also see the victims of injustice and put names and faces to them until the systems are in place that heal brokenness, promote justice, and create the spiritual, political, and economic solutions that are needed. We are providing for training that will empower the people to become self-sufficient. Our goal is not to be a charity that brings assistance, but to empower the people to improve their families and communities. We need your help and partnership.