Economic Growth Haiti Project #57727

"A Hand Up not a Hand Out" to our local farmers.

by BonZeb, Inc

Project Report | Aug 2, 2023
Helping one life at a time.

By Tom Stein | President

If you have been following the news out of Haiti it is hard to see how anyong can have an impact on the society. There is gang violence, poverty, ineffectual governance, corruption and all those things that bring us to despair. But as I look around my own city I see the same issues. Our country is also facing the conflicts. If we are honest with ourselves our situation isn't much better. The difference is that we have wealth and the Haitian people have poverty. They lack the educational opportunities needed to build a society that can deal with the issues. Not that education or money will eradicate these evils, if it did the U.S. would be a much different place than it is today. But it would give the people more hope that change is possible.

What BonZeb is doing through our mission in Haiti is to do just that, give hope. When we offer a child/adult the opporttunity to attend school it gives them hopre. When we hire someone to work for us it gives them hope. When we show them a way to save their trees it offers them hope. When we increase soil fertility and introduce new crops it offers them hope.

With our limited resources we are having an impact on lives.15 students are receiving educational scholarships, 9 schools are benefiting from our donations, 62 workers are taking care of their families, 50= farmers are taking advantage of our oxen and plow and uncounted other are benefiting from our crops. Over 400 people have been impacted directly by our work in Bouncantiste, Bernaco, Leveque, Hinche, Cap Haitien, Croix des Bouquets, Port au Prince, Gonaives and Thomonde.

Hope is one of the great theological virtues along with faith and charity.

I have always found these three in abundance in my 15 years in Haiti. The people exude, even in times of chaos and upheavel, a deep belief that God is present and that things will get better some day. That faith and their hope for a better tomorrow also allows them to love abundantly.

One life at a time we try to do the same. We hope that you will consider helping just one person with us.

One job is only $5/day.

One scholarship is only $1 to $2.75/day

One more oxen team and plow is only $8/day

One school supported is only $5/day or $.50/student/day

You can make a difference.

Thank you.

“No one has ever become poor by giving” – Anne Frank

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Mar 22, 2023
Looking for volunteers

By Thomas J Stein | President

Want to join me in making a difference?

BonZeb is looking for a few new board members. We would like to find someone with a background in fundraising, someone with an interest in the environment and someone whose passion is for the poor.

Last week I brought up the four basic fears that we all face during our lives. The first being the fear of rejection. This week, as we continue our search for a few volunteers. I would like to mention the second basic fear, the fear of failure.

We have all encounter this fear in some form or another. This is the fear that keeps us in our box. Never venturing out of our comfort zone, never really challenging ourselves.

When I was young I seldom volunteered in class, even if I knew an answer, because of my fear of speaking publicly. It was not that I couldn't speak, but with my speech impediment, I was afraid of the reaction that would follow.

What I came to realize was my fear was unfounded. I was afraid of not living up to what other people's expectations were for me. Not the expectation God had for me. The little fears about exams, grades, employment, etc. are all seeded in our fear of failure.

Too often we become jaded with the news from around the world. We feel that current issues facing the poor, the homeless, and those in need, make any effort hopeless and doomed to fail. If you only knew that the information that makes the news is only a little bit of what is happening, and usually the negative side of the story, you would have every reason to think failure is imminent. But the truth is that there is much good happening in Haiti. BonZeb has created dozens of jobs, created multiple scholarships for students from elementary school to graduate school. The local farming community is active and benefits from hands-on education and more. A second farm has been established and more families are benefiting. These are all positives that do not get the air time that they deserve.

Remember, the fear of failure can cause the paralysis of analysis. We tend to overthink things. God asks us to trust in Him and take the first step, and then the second, and the third....

Please consider taking this journey with BonZeb. Share your knowledge, your insights, and your faith with us.

We have shared over the past few weeks the growing need for your support. Support that is necessary for BonZeb to take care of those that God has placed in our care: our workers and their families, our students and their families, and our neighbors and their families.

Pictured above you see a few of our team members working the slope of the farm. I hills are steep on the property and the rocky terrain is unforgiving. Many a time I have twisted my ankles on the boulders hidden in the grass or cut myself on the switch grass that grows in the uncultivated parts of the land. Pain is part of the experience of living and working in Haiti. It can be miles to walk to work, to the market, to get water, to see a doctor. There is no easy way to get from point A to point B, especially in the countryside.

Pain is the third of the four fears that we all experience. Fear of it drives a $300 billion market, where your pain can be lessened or eliminated by buying this product or that. Our fear of pain, like rejection and fear, can paralyze us. It can keep us from truly living as we try to cope with it. I know this all too well. I have been in chronic pain for decades and there are days like today that I would rather not get out of bed. But even the bed does not take the pain away. The medication does not take the pain away. So I choose to face the pain and keep moving. It has limited what I can do, but it hasn't stopped me. The fear is what causes me to pause each time I think of doing some activity, how much will this hurt or how will I feel tomorrow?

That is only the physical pain, but there is also emotional, spiritual, mental and societal pain to cope with. Fear can, but shouldn't control our lives. That is why we are reminded so often in scripture to, “Fear not” or “Be not afraid”. These phrases occur 103 times.

What I have learned from my almost 15 years in Haiti is that life goes on. Either you will be part of it or you will withdraw into a shell and avoid it. I have done both. I want to go on living and put fear behind me.

What are you afraid of today?

At BonZeb we are still looking for volunteer board members. Could you be the one that will help us move forward? What gifts and talents has God given you that you could share with us? Are you in a position today that would allow you to make a monetary donation to help the poor in Haiti? Do you have a fear that you would like us to pray for? Do you have questions about BonZeb and its mission, then please check out our website at www.bonzeb.ngo. Thank you.

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