The island of La Gonave, Haiti is in a serious ecologic struggle. Surrounded by warm Caribbean waters, this 287 square mile island was once a lush, tropical paradise. Once the site of dense mahogany forests and plentiful tropical citrus trees, much of La Gonave has turned from green to brown. Its soil, once organic, deep, and moist, today is hot, parched and thin, unable to hold rainwater because protective cover and stabilizing root systems are no longer there. Learn more…


If transformation is to ever come to this land, education will be the currency that delivers it. Though only half of all adults on La Gonave can read, we have discovered among her people, young and old, an unquenchable thirst for education and learning, not just in a classroom, but in every aspect of living. The people of Haiti are bright, intelligent, resourceful, and eager. What perfect natural resources to build upon as we integrate education and practical training into every facet of our development efforts. Learn more…


In a land where diarrheal illness from contaminated water is the primary cause of death, providing clean water is key and urgent. Most who call La Gonave home have no access to clean water. Wells from days gone by are broken and most surface ground water sources are contaminated with disease causing microorganisms. Many, if not most, people on La Gonave must walk miles to get their water, and the water they bring back to their families is usually contaminated. Learn more…


Haiti is ranked 77 out of 79 in the 2012 Global Hunger Index. 58% of her population is undernourished. Malaria is endemic. Typhoid fever is endemic. Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, cholera, vaccine-preventable diseases…all too common. Infant mortality? Nearly 1 in 20 infants die at birth. Diarrheal illness claims more lives than nearly every other disease. Fewer than 10% of homes have a latrine. The vast majority La Gonaveʼs 100,000 people have never seen a doctor. Learn more…


One of the sad realities of life on La Gonave is that her people have few opportunities to express their ethic of hard work and creativity. We have found in them a people who want so badly to lift themselves out of their own poverty, but they need an outlet and someone who will come along side in making that happen. There are some 12,000 family households on the island of La Gonave clustered in 100 or so villages. Learn more…