We have arrived at the beginning. When One Hundred For Haiti started in the spring of 2010, we had the goal of affecting the lives of as many people as we could, through what at first were relief efforts, and then development projects, and then much later, major initiatives.
It took five and a half years, through major stumbling blocks and hurdles along the way, but this week we have arrived at a starting point.
Today, in conjunction with our partners at Little Footprints, Big Steps, the first anti-sexual assault training for the GTPE took place. Morgan from Little Footprints, Big Steps said it best:
“Today was the remarkable beginning of exponential change. Thanks to One Hundred For Haiti, the Groupe du Travail pour la Protection des Enfants (GTPE-Sud) or Working Group for Child Protection in Southern Haiti has completed the first of 9 community trainings. GTPE is a network of partners collaborating to address child protection issues in Southern Haiti – and LFBS is thrilled to be a member, working alongside IBESR (local social services), BPM (Brigade de Protection des Mineurs), Terre des Hommes, SOS Villages, MCFC (ministry for women’s rights), Minustah, MAST (Ministère des Affaires Sociales et du Travail), local Commissioner, and more.
Through these trainings, we hope to reduce the amount of violence against children & women in vulnerable communities. We hope to change people’s mentality and educate them about how to react to cases of violence (particularly sexual violence and domestic abuse). In each community, we will educate at least 60 community leaders while also sending agents to train schools and churches!
Today’s training was a huge success… and I was so deeply moved (ok, I might have cried…) by the undeniable passion of each GTPE-Sud member who spoke today. Their instinctual desire to protect children – and the passion with which they share their knowledge – makes it evident that this is much more than just a job. They LOVE children. I am so proud to have LFBS staff working alongside these remarkable, dedicated agents.”
Our goal is simple: continue to fund these trainings, visit Haiti and see the trainings firsthand, and then expand the trainings beyond the initial nine trainings. This will ONLY be possible with your help.
Be creative. This work is very real, will be very effective, and is happening right now.
More updates will be forthcoming on both this and The Rural Water Project which we are initiating this week as well.
