Despite the extraordinary challenges facing Haiti this year, Starfysh’s mission on La Gonave continues to flourish. Schools remain open, farms are growing, families are receiving daily meals, and spiritual transformation is happening across the island. This update highlights the remarkable progress made in Education, Community Health, Agriculture, Economic Impact, and Spiritual Outreach throughout 2025.

👉 Click here to view the full Winter 2025 Newsletter (PDF)

dark and scary days in Haiti’s history. Even as Haiti’s troubles literally surround the island of La Gonave, our work among her precious people continues to thrive and make significant positive impact on multiple fronts. Thanks to the hard work of our capable island leadership team and staff, progress is being made against all odds. You will see the evidence in this report!
And so, we stay the course! I don’t know about you, but seeing the impact we are having only serves to renew my desire to keep grinding. Kids in school, healthy and fed. Productive farms and gardens yielding food for the family and market. Moms giving birth to healthy babies. And, more and more, people turning their lives over to Christ Who makes all things new.
It’s not hard to see why folks want a share in what’s happening! Lives are being transformed, and, through them, the island overall is transforming as well.
As we celebrate what God has done this past year, we also eagerly look forward to what’s around the corner in the year upcoming. Pray with us that He will build upon last year’s progress and achievements to make 2026 our best year ever.
Thanks to two generous supporters of our work, we have two unique matching gift opportunities this year! One who will match all gifts up to $20,000 that come in in December. And, if that’s not enough, a second donor says they will match all January, 2026 gifts up to $12,000. Wow! $32,000 received in the next two months has the potential to become $64,000! I invite you to prayerfully consider including Starfysh in your end-of-year (and beginning-of-year!) giving plans as we move with God, on mission, in this land of deep poverty.
May God bless you richly this Christmas season!
Blessings to you all.

Steve Edmondson
Founder/President, Starfysh

Gang violence continues to hold much of Haiti hostage,

striking fear in the hearts of millions of innocent Haitians who simply want to live their lives in peace. Armed and violent gunmen have a chokehold of most of the country’s supply routes, both on land and sea, robbing and extorting all daring to pass. Resisting risks deadly violence. The impact to those who live on the island of La Gonave is significant. Thousands of displaced people from gang-infested regions of the mainland have fled as refugees to the island where, at baseline, food is scarce and expensive. THE UNITED NATIONS PRESENCE HAS BEEN UNDERSTAFFED, UNDERFUNDED AND THEREFORE INEFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING SECURITY AND STABILITY. WE NOW HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE THINGS WILL IMPROVE, HOWEVER, WITH THE RECENT UN SECURITY COUNCIL APPROVAL OF A 5,500-MEMBER “GANG SUPPRESSION” FORCE. Deployment is currently underway. Unfortunately, travel to La Gonave has not been possible for well over a year and the FAA continues to prohibit all commercial carriers to enter Haitian airspace.

SADLY ALL OF LA GONAVE CURRENTLY FALLS INTO THE “EMERGENCY” CATEGORY OF ACUTE FOOD INSECURITY.
In addition, the isolation experienced by the people of La Gonave, as a result of gang piracy in the waters surrounding the island, exerts a downward pull on the island. Basic supplies (eg, fuel, hardware, repair parts, etc.) cannot be obtained without someone willing to risk their life. WE ARE THANKFUL THAT TWO IMPORTANT INFRASTRUCTURE CAPACITIES, COMMUNICATIONS AND BANKING, REMAIN INTACT. We are able to remain in daily contact with our island leadership staff. And WE ARE ABLE TO MOVE FUNDS TO THE ISLAND BANK (AMAZINGLY WITHOUT INTERRUPTION) which keeps our staff paid, our programs funded, and
our schools open.

More than 1,600 schools across Haiti have been forced to close their doors due to violence. Out on La Gonave, we are thankful that violence has not reached our doorstep and that ALL FIVE STARFYSH SCHOOLS ARE IN SESSION AND FULL! KIDS ARE WALKING TO SCHOOL WITHOUT FEAR OF ABDUCTION AND KIDNAPPING. Current student enrollment figures: Nan Mango – 150, Troulligene – 130, Sousaline – 208, Pikamebe – 69, Makochon – 125. ALL 682 STUDENTS AND THEIR TEACHERS ARE PROVIDED WITH DAILY NUTRITIOUS MEALS.

School Growth

Year before last, it was our school in Pikamebe that grew the most in terms of capital improvements, with the construction of their NEW 2-BUILDING SCHOOL. This year it is Ecole des Affranchis, our school in the salt flats of Anse-a-Galets, that has experienced the most growth, with a current ENROLLMENT OF 208 STUDENTS AND THE ADDITION OF A 10TH GRADE LEVEL. To accommodate this growth, classrooms have been added, and they have purchased some adjacent land to build a computer school, now under construction. In addition, the school is currently preparing the site for A LARGE SECOND GARDEN WHICH WILL BE SUPPLIED WITH FRESH WATER from our nearby, recently-constructed 22,000 GALLON RAINWATER HARVESTING CISTERN which is already full from this year’s rainy season!

In our work to improve the health of the island community, ours is an EMPHASIS OF PREVENTION OVER CURE. IMPROVED NUTRITION BY WAY OF IMPROVED GARDEN YIELDS AND THROUGH OUR SCHOOLS’ DAILY MEAL PROGRAMS SERVE TO MITIGATE HUNGER AND LOWER ILLNESS RATES. In addition, our community health agents travel to villages not served by our schools, teaching practical lessons regarding agriculture, nutrition, sanitation, and hygiene, and distributing vegetable seeds, and supplies for building household latrines. In addition, Starfysh partners with the local hospital in providing prenatal education to young mothers. Taught by two RN’s from the hospital, the class meets Saturday mornings.

Starfysh continues to enjoy overwhelming, island-wide buy-in to our work in the area of agriculture development, under the local banner of Jaden Lavi (Life Garden). Konferans Agrikol, our annual two-day farming workshop, is a yearly staple for landowners looking to improve their harvests. Throughout the year, ON A DAILY BASIS LIFE GARDEN RECEIVES VISITORS WHO TRAVEL IN FROM ACROSS THE ISLAND TO GET SEEDS AND SEEDLINGS FOR THEIR FARMS AND GARDENS. We love hearing reports from farmers glowing over their maturing fruit trees and productive gardens. We love that Life Garden has an island-wide reputation for being THE DESTINATION
for seeds and seedlings!

Our agricultural development reach is growing, too, as we take it on the road. We are able to reach just as many, if not more, people via Agriculture Education by Extension (AEE) as our agronomists offer up lectures and workshops to groups distant from our physical Life Garden facility. And we are especially excited to announce that OUR INTERNALLY PRODUCED AGRICULTURE EDUCATION CURRICULUM HAS FINALLY MADE ITS WAY TO THE CLASSROOM, NOW INTEGRATED INTO THE CURRICULUM AT OUR FIRST SCHOOL, with hopes to expand out to more and more schools over upcoming years.

Everyone enjoys seeing the immediate impact of our development work (ie, health, nutritional, educational, and agriculture). It is not lost on us, however, that Starfysh’s presence on the island has a substantial, ongoing economic impact, as well. ALL IN ALL, $353,706 WERE INJECTED DIRECTLY INTO THE LOCAL LA GONAVE ECONOMY THROUGH OUR WORK IN 2025. This represents a significant economic stimulus for an island community where cash flow is often scarce and local income levels are very low. With most funds spent directly on the island—COVERING STAFF AND TEACHER SALARIES, PROJECT MATERIALS, AND FEEDING PROGRAMS—the immediate effect is a rise in local purchasing power. The Starfysh teachers and workers paid with these funds are able to buy food, clothing, and other essentials from small merchants there on the island, who in turn gain more income to support their own families and local suppliers. This re-injection of capital continues, then, to circulate multiple times within La Gonave’s tiny economy, MAGNIFYING THE TOTAL BENEFIT BEYOND THE AMOUNT WE ORIGINALLY DISBURSED. For a low-income, localized setting like La Gonave, the trickle-down impact is strong because most spending remains within the community rather than being siphoned off to distant markets. CONSERVATIVELY, THE TOTAL ECONOMIC IMPACT OF STARFYSH’S PRESENCE ON THE ISLAND RANGE BETWEEN $530,500 – $707,000 IN EFFECTIVE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IN 2025.

Our 2nd Annual Starfysh Golf Classic was a great success, highlighted by a full field of golfers, volunteers, and sponsors, netting over $15,000 WHICH WENT DIRECTLY TO OUR EFFORTS ON THE ISLAND. Our 2026 Golf Classic is on the books! RESERVE JULY 27TH on your calendar and make plans to golf, volunteer, or sponsor this growing event!

Starfysh has been a consistent presence on the island since 2010. For sixteen years now, we have come alongside our La Gonavian friends, working together to make life better in this place of deep poverty and struggle.

The challenges have been significant—and continue to be. Yet God has blessed our efforts, and we are thankful. We are also noticing something new: a heightened level of openness and receptivity to our presence. This has given rise to a growing response to the most important message we carry—that God loves them and wants them for His own.

On any given day, our Spiritual Life Director, Pastor Charles Eveny, can be seen making his way up the mountain on his motorcycle, en route to villages and schools that have invited him to share the Gospel. As a result, 104 people came to faith in Christ last year, and already, in just the first three months of our current fiscal year, 138 people have given their lives to Him.

We now find ourselves faced with the joyful task of getting Bibles and discipleship resources into their hands.

Challenge accepted.

📖 “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
— Isaiah 43:19

Thanks to a wonderful gift, Starfysh has deployed a Starlink communications system capable of connecting partners here in the
States to our work on the island, in real time, no matter how remote the location. GAME-CHANGING.

I’m continually amazed at how well our work goes on, despite the incredible challenges. I credit God. I often hear from folks who tell me they pray often for Starfysh and the people of La Gonave.

We’re also praying for the day to come when it’s safe once again to host visiting guests who can participate hands-on with us!

📬 Have questions or want to talk about a project you’re passionate about?
Contact us here—we’d love to hear from you!

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