"Open Your Heart To Haiti" has been established to provide educational opportunities and health care to the people of Port-de-Paix, Haiti. Port-de-Paix includes a city and surrounding communities of over 97,000 people. It is geographically and politically isolated from the rest of the country of Haiti. Without an adequate seaport, it remains stagnant in abject poverty.

CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS

Pastor Constantino Donatien, a Haitian boat person who came to the United States to become educated and employed in the California Court System, founded nine schools serving approximately 5,000 students per year. He and his wife Ester have sustained the learning process of these schools by providing trained teachers, uniforms, shoes, educational materials and food daily to children who otherwise would not receive an education. The rate of illiteracy in Port-de-Paix was 95%. These Christian schools have provided hope and direction to the people of Port-de-Paix and have reduced the illiteracy rate to 70%.

MEDICAL CLINICS

The Port-de-Paix communities served by these schools have established a medical clinic under the direction of Vonceal (Jan) Johnese, R.N. (affectionately called "Dr. Jan") of Fontana, California. Jan collects medical supplies in the U.S. and delivers them to Port-de-Paix where she annually travels to provide nursing care to hundreds of chronically ill and diseased individuals, literally saving lives.

In the year 2000, Minister La'Verne McGee, RN, met Pastor Tino and took up Jan Vonceal's mission in the clinics of Port de Paix, Haiti. McGee was given the title of Minister of Public Relations by Pastor Tino and Pastor Sue and is working with physicians, nurses and pharmaceutical companies to help supply the clinic in Port de Paix. She can be contacted by email at Lmaggi46@juno.com.

In the year 2001, McGee traveled to Port de Paix to establish the continuing connection between Hospital Emaculee de Conception and the 4C's clinic in Port de Paix. A task force was established that has hospital staff visit and assist the clinic each week at Port de Paix. This challenge is great, as the hospital was completely void of medicines and very limited in any other supplies. Through the help of supporters and pharmaceutical company contacts, she seeks to keep both the clinic and hospital suppplied with medicine and supplies. Some of the supporters, like Kaiser Hospital Oakland, some generous nurses at Children's Hospital Oakland, and others continue to help the cause. There is a great need for immunizations, everyday antibiotics and over the counter medicines. Every donation to this mission is a blessing from God.

We sincerely appreciate your interest, your prayers and contributions. Financial contributions are most needed to transport building materials to Port-de-Paix; medical and school supplies and equipments are needed as well. This project is organized under the umbrella of the Caribbean Cultural Association, a California non-profit corporation, and 501(C)3 charitable organization. This assures donors that their contributions go directly to Haiti and the needy ones there, while receiving tax benefits allowable by law in the United States.

Financial contributions may be addressed to:

Open Your Heart to Haiti
P.O. Box 27106
Oakland, CA 94602-9332

Or E-mail us at: missions@openyourheart2haiti.org