The “Gardens of Hope” campaign, which the Michigan Conference Haiti Task Force will bring to the 2025 Annual Conference, hopes to sow seeds of ministry investment for our covenant partners in Haiti and add a new partner, Grassroots Community Voices Foundation.
KAY DEMOSS
Michigan Conference Communications
It’s a familiar proverb: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” Makes sense? Yes. But what if the pond is not healthy? What if there is no pond? Then it becomes necessary to address the fundamentals of the situation at hand. And in the case of the Michigan Conference and their covenant with Haiti mission, they are adapting this old proverb by proposing to plant “fields of hope” so families can feed themselves for life.
The Michigan Conference Haiti Task Force is bringing a proposal to the 2025 Annual Conference that goes back to such basics by focusing on community partnerships. If adopted, the “Gardens of Hope” campaign aims to raise $215,000 ($350 per congregation) in the coming year.
Fifty percent of the funding will support healthcare, housing, and education initiatives through Michigan’s three EngageMI ministry partners: Grace Children’s Hospital, Haitian Assets for Peace International (HAPI), and Jeremie Rising. These ministries nurture a “healthy field” for good planting. Learn more about these ministries. The remaining 50% will fund work by a new ministry partner, Grassroots Community Voices Foundation (MUSO).
MUSO’s focus is livelihood sustainability through microfinance and savings programs. This Haitian-led solidarity model sows the seeds for a life-giving harvest.
The Big Picture
The social and political situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate. However, HAPI, Grace, and Jeremie Rising have not stopped serving people’s needs, even as those needs grow even greater. People are migrating from Port-au-Prince to more secure areas to the north and south. The staff of the Michigan Conference’s three ministry partners are going the extra mile to serve all who need care, both those in their own communities in addition to displaced persons fleeing the capital.
Three Haiti-led, Haitian-staffed organizations supported by The United Methodist Church have been doing life-saving work for years with the help of the Michigan Conference. If the 2025 Annual Conference approves the Haiti Gardens of Hope resolution (see page 21), each Michigan church will be encouraged to contribute $350 to the campaign.
The campaign has designated $33,333 for each of those three partners. Grace Children’s Hospital will use these funds for medical equipment and supplies. Healthcare visits and technical training for young people will be funded at HAPI. Jeremie Rising plans to pay for five mobile health clinics and K-12 education for 74 students with their share of campaign dollars. Valerie Mossman-Celestin, co-chair of Michigan’s Haiti Task Force, says, “Your support can equip these partners to keep going, to go further, and to create lasting change.”
“Now is the moment to rise for Haiti, “Valerie asserts. “Not just because help is needed — but because our support, right now, can have a significant impact.” Hospitals are overwhelmed. Over half the population is battling hunger. Many have no safe shelter. The recruitment of children in Haitian gangs has increased by 70% in the past year. “An entire generation of young people is at risk,” Valerie states. “They are cut off from schools, jobs, and a future outside the grip of violence.”
She agrees with MUSO Director Josué Andre that now is not the time to foster dependency. “This is the time to help Haiti become stronger and more self-sufficient,” Valerie says. The new partnership with MUSO aims to give such help by empowering entrepreneurs and reigniting the trades that support a more resilient nation.
The Michigan Haiti Task Force is looking for seven “district champions” by July 1 to disseminate information and follow up with mission chairs and congregations about the campaign. Please contact Valerie if you are interested.
More about MUSO
MUSO is a strategy born in Africa that is now being developed by Haitians for Haitians. Its parent organization, Grassroots Community Voices Foundation, works in health, sanitation, disaster recovery, and economic development. Josué Andre is the chairman of the foundation’s board of directors. He was born in Jacmel in southern Haiti.
Josué earned his master’s degree at the Sorbonne University in France and has a doctoral degree in international entrepreneurship. Josué has worked in finance and community development for the past 15 years. Josue has partnered with the General Board of Global Ministries / UMCOR, UNICEF, USAID, Church of the Resurrection, and the Methodist Church of Haiti. He also pastors five nondenominational churches in the mountains of Haiti.
Valerie says, “It is great to work with a Haitian who is leading Haitians.” The Michigan Conference campaign hopes to employ MUSO to start 20 mutual solidarity groups — ten in Mizak and ten in Jeremie. This will strengthen the two communities where Michigan United Methodists have maintained an active, long-term presence. The $100,000 campaign funds will be used to pay for training and materials for these groups.
Valerie notes, “It is important to emphasize the difference between traditional microfinance and mutual solidarity groups.” The microfinance approach offers small loans with an interest rate set by the donor organization that will enforce the payment of loans. A mutual solidarity group brings 15-40 people together for training. A team of respected persons is chosen as group leaders. Group members then decide upon the frequency of meetings, the cost of shares, the interest rate, and other aspects of their group life. Members become accountable to one another. By having a team of leaders, power is shared, corruption is discouraged, and sustainability is enhanced.
MUSO Director Shares
Josué explains how a savings and loan program can work in a country racked by poverty. “The essence of the model is people coming together and joining hands.”
He adds, “Everyone has a say in this.” For the first three months, members purchase 1-5 shares, at the agreed price, during each meeting: about $2 to $4. At the end of three months, members may request a loan. All members must vote unanimously for that loan to be granted. “Members can ask for a loan up to three times bigger than the amount he or she saved.” MUSO walks alongside each solidarity group for one year, after which the group is self-sustaining. Boxes are used to collect money — one for emergencies, one for community projects, and one for member savings, interest, and loans. Banks have closed in Haiti, so this informal system works well.
The solidarity concept was developed in Africa. “Then we tested it in Haiti,” Josué remarks. “I had worked in Haitian communities for a long time and saw their struggles and witnessed their loss of a sense of solidarity. I wanted to give back their dignity and create common trust.” His goal is for Haitians “to be less dependent on the outside.” He builds on the trust already present, especially in the rural areas of Haiti. “We mobilize the whole community in one spirit,” he notes. “We build on the strength in each community, not on the weak side. Haitians lost the determination to do things for themselves and be their own agents of change. My hope is to enlighten that again.”
At the same time, challenges are significant during this time of national crisis. Insecurity is high, and the price of goods has risen dramatically. “That makes it difficult for the community to cope because everything is so expensive. It is hard for people to save money when they have to spend that much,” Josué says. “The situation in the country may mean people can purchase fewer shares, meaning less funds to borrow.” In addition, “when a member takes a business loan, the pressure to buy food for the family may tempt them to use some of their business money for personal expenses.” Despite these difficulties, Josué sees overall success in the solidarity model.
The director reports that economic opportunities produce additional benefits. All donors can contribute to the box designated for community projects decided upon and managed by the group. Group members are encouraged to build their own latrines. “MUSO received funds from UMCOR for this program, and 90% of members decided to build a latrine,” he says. Latecomers to meetings must pay extra. “We use that money to help other members when they are facing a sad situation.” These grants may cover school fees, sickness, or funerals. Josué believes the creation of solidarity groups in Mizak and Jeremie “will have huge impact on those two communities.”
A Spiritual Call, not Financial
At its heart, the campaign for Haiti is not financial. It’s spiritual. Valerie reflects from her reading of The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb. “These lines especially struck me: ‘The powerful need to take up the cross. . . . But the powerless are already on the cross.’ That’s the presence I feel when I am in Haiti. Haitians need the opportunity for resurrection — for empowerment and transformation.”
Why vote for and contribute to the “Gardens of Hope” campaign at this time? Valerie answers, “Why wouldn’t we invite individuals and congregations into such sacred space? Into a place where they can encounter Jesus more vividly through service to those who know — deep in their bones — that their lives are in God’s hands. Fragile. Dependent. Haitians live a ‘daily bread’ kind of faith.”
She concludes, “Haiti doesn’t need saving. Haiti needs solidarity. And this is our moment to show up.”