Building Futures, Communities and Faith.
Since the beginning (2004) of our twinning experience between St. Brendan and Our Lady of Fatima in Bassin-Zim (Haiti), our priority has been to help our Haitian brothers and sisters prepare for the future, strengthen the local community, strengthen their Christian and Catholic faith and ensure their economic independence, over time.
Enabling and Expanding Education
What began under the mango trees is now a School of Excellence and recognized as one of the Top 10 schools in the Diocese of Hinche. The growth of the school has also nourished the development of the parish and the community fulfilling our goals of Education, Empowerment, and Faith.
Community Empowerment
Education, Clean Water and Local / Commercial Farming was at the center of our initiatives supported by our fundraising efforts. The strength of the relationship between St. Brendan and Our Lady of Fatima allowed us to complete several projects, like:
Clean Water via the Klorfasil program and local well drilling.
Building of a large (hurricane proof) Social Center that can host educational and artistic activities, all year-round, including the popular “Fatima-Aktiva” activities in the Summer months.
Building of a 10 classroom Catholic school (with adjacent latrines) supporting K to 9 education. Created teaching jobs for one principal and seventeen teachers in order to support the education of up to 285 students.
Created a local Agriculture-Farming project whereby ~125 local farming-families received agriculture/technical training, farming tools and seeds so they can start their own farming business. Some of those farming-families use/barter their respective crops for their own subsistence and sell (commercially) their excess crops to local markets in the Central Plateau.
Supporting and Growing Faith
In the 16 years we have known each other, this year in 2020, more than ever, we can see the impact to our faith that our relationship between St Brendan’s and Our Lady of Fatima in Bassin-Zim has made joining our two separate communities into one.
“We discovered that our trip to Haiti was a Lenten retreat of sacrifice, and, a profound experience of God’s love and mercy. We met angels in Haiti...We saw where you go to learn to be a saint...Our faith was tested...We praised God with the vibrant, loving and hardworking people of Notre Dame de Fatima!”
— Deacon Roger Fraser
