An Update from ICDM
Dear Friends of ICDM,
For almost 23 years, ICDM has been changing lives in Haiti, bringing hope and a future to children and families who had none. We opened our school in Bayonnais in October 1989 with 60 students. By 2008, we were serving 413 students in preschool through grade six.
Following the hurricane in 2008 and the earthquake in 2010, we had a large influx of students as families fled the coastal cities and returned to Bayonnais. On June 30, we completed the 2011-12 school year with an enrollment of 624 – and still had 300 more on the waiting list.
There is no end to the need. There will always be more children than we are able to serve. There will always be more needs than we can meet – but with generous help from our partners and sponsors, we help as many as possible.
Like many of our students, Vonise completed all of her preschool and elementary grades in our school with the help of sponsors in the U.S. and went on to finish high school. After high school, she entered college and studied to become a nurse. Now she is ready to return to Bayonnais to work with ICDM and help improve the health of the people in the countryside. In a recent letter to her sponsors, Vonise wrote:
“I spent the first two years learning the basic theories of nursing. The third year was comprised of practice and residency in addition to theory, and the fourth year was a year of practice in various hospitals to develop and hone my skills.
“I have worked in Gonaives, Saint-Michel, Saint-Marc, Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitian, allowing me to practice a little bit of every specialization so I can identify my interest. I really enjoy public health. During the practices I realized how important it is to go into the countryside and find out the living conditions of the people and how I can improve their daily situations. When I got to Saint-Michel, we had to help fight the cholera outbreak. I was very proud that my team and I were able to work and save many lives.
"I thank God, and I thank you so much for your support that has permitted me to do all of these studies. I will be graduating in September. Now I am ready to come back to my native area in order to serve my community and ICDM as a nurse.”
A Christian education is the best gift you can give to a child. It is the golden key to a better life and a future filled with hope instead of despair. When our new school year begins on September 10, we expect to serve 650 students in Bayonnais.
I am inviting you to participate in our special BACK TO SCHOOL PROGRAM 2012. Through this program, you may make a one-time donation of $40 per student to help our children come to school. Each $40 donation will provide textbooks and school supplies for one student. A gift of $120 will equip three students, and $400 will equip ten students.
Please let us hear from you today with the most generous gift you are able to send. And feel free to share this information with your friends, family, church and business associates and invite them to participate in this BACK TO SCHOOL PROGRAM 2012.
WE OFFER YOU TWO WAYS TO GIVE: Here on our Donate page, using your credit card or PayPal account; or by check designated "Back to School" and mailed to ICDM, PO Box 762, Intercession City FL 33848.
Thank you and God bless you for choosing to bring hope and a future to the children of Haiti.
We also need sponsors for more than 400 children. For only $30 a month ($360 a year), you can give a child the gift of an education and hope for a better future.
Signing up to sponsor a child is easy to do. Just email me, yvan@icdm.us, and let me know the age of the child you would like to support and whether you prefer a boy or a girl. We will match you with your special child and send you his or her name, age, birthday, picture and brief family profile. You can make your monthly child support payments of $30 online at www.icdm.us, or mail a monthly check for $30 to the address above, care of "Child Support Ministry".
In Christ's Name,
-Yvan Pierre
ICDM Director