I just received this email from Frank McKinney.  I have been to Haiti twice.  The people there have become a passion for me.  Please take the time to read the email from Frank.

Dear Caring House Project Foundation Friends,
Self sufficiency cannot take hold when survival is all that matters, and that is what is struggling mightily given the impact of four hurricanes in the last month in Haiti. The situation is dire.

Here is what we are doing and how you can help:

We sent down 200,000 meals with a 3-to-1 starch-to-protein ratio that will clear customs tomorrow. When buying in bulk, we can secure a meal for $0.10, so this shipment cost our Caring House Project Foundation $20,000. We will ship more once we receive an assessment from our partners on Saturday. To participate in providing emergency food relief to the people of Gonaives, you can donate $250 to serve 2,500 meals http://frank-mckinney.com/donate.aspx.

We are well into the process of building a large self-sufficient village in Gonaives, an area shown on the national news and in the attached photos. Below is a summary of the village. Of the planned 35 homes, 20 are complete so far and are acting as a temporary emergency shelter. The 20 homes, each constructed out of concrete and set on higher ground, are housing 300 people who have been displaced.

Our upcoming Frank McKinney’s Ultimate Tour of Extremes – From Rich to Enriched event will benefit CHPF’s efforts in Haiti. Please take a minute to visit the link, http://www.frank-mckinney.com/FMEvents2.aspx?EventID=10. This will allow an unprecedented opportunity for you to see firsthand the impact you are having in Haiti, not to mention all of the other experiences that are a part of the event.

Frank McKinney’s Ultimate Tour of Extremes – From Rich to Enriched is the next time we will be visiting Haiti. It will be memorable. If you can’t come, we would still appreciate your support as soon as practical.

Gonaives Summary:

Gonaives is located approximately 106 miles north of Port-au-Prince on Haiti’s west-central coast, and is the country’s third largest city. It is an extremely arid, dusty city with saltpans and brackish lowlands on the east side and deforested mountains overlooking the city to the west. The majority of its estimated 70,000 inhabitants live below the poverty level. The majority of the adults are subsistence farmers who provide for their families by means of small crops.

Many residents of Gonaives still remain homeless due to the devastating hurricane in 2003, now compounded by the four hurricanes of 2008. The city’s water system is still in ruin, due to damaged/missing water well pumps, mud-clogged drains, and contaminated water.

The Caring House Project in Gonaives will promote community development by providing safe housing, nutritious food resources, education facilities, potable and accessible water, and a multi-purpose facility for community engagement for the residents of Ponte Quenepe in Gonaives:

1) Construction of 35 concrete double-unit homes. Each home will also include an individual sanitation unit, inclusive of pit latrine and shower stall.

2) Distribution of 35 sets (3 each) of fruit trees for every home built.

3) Construction of a 9-classroom schoolhouse, which also includes an office for school administration and a separate office for teachers. The campus will also feature a playground area for outdoor activities. Sanitation facilities will consists of 2-indoor units, and one-sanitation block housing 8 pit latrines.

4) Construction of a multi-purpose community center building for skills and vocational training.

5) Implementation of an animal husbandry initiative, which will provide a goat to each housing recipient. Also 24 milking cows will be purchased and deposited on a 300-acre farm where they will be raised for the production of dairy products. Food products from the farm will be donated to the school, and made available to the community.

6) Establishment of a vegetable and fruit tree farm, complete with irrigation system, which will be situated on the aforementioned 300-acre farm. The horticulture project will provide for the cultivation of mango trees, avocados, breadfruits, and cassava sticks, and assorted vegetables and fruits. All produce will be accessible to villagers, distributed to local feeding programs, and sold at market. Revenue from sales will be reinvested back into the farm. Local residents will maintain the farm.

7) The construction of a concrete cistern, installation of a submersible pump, and plumbing connections and pipe fixtures.

The Caring House Project in Gonaives will improve the lives of 20,000 people living in the impoverished community of Ponte Quenepe and provide needy families with basic resources that will radically change their lives, resulting in a healthier and promising future.

Please join us in helping these people that have just experienced such loss, whether it is helping to build the sustainable village with safe housing http://www.frank-mckinney.com/FMEvents2.aspx?EventID=10 or to send emergency food relief http://frank-mckinney.com/donate.aspx to Gonaives.

Thank you for all your support and interest in helping those in greatest need!

Frank McKinney