Hope Grows in Haiti
Danette Miller, Haitian Timoun Foundation’s Executive Director, reflects on the impact that the Chemen Lavi Miyò program has had on her, specifically her understanding of hope.
In 2015, I traveled to Haiti for the first time, not fully knowing how deeply it would shape my understanding of hope.
Each of us who have traveled to Haiti with HTF, witnessing the work of HTF’s partners, leaves a piece of our heart. One of my most impactful visits was to the central plateau, the hub of the 18-month Chemen Lavi Miyò (CLM) program. A structured graduation program, designed for women-led families, who before beginning the program were unseen, unheard, and completely dependent on others to survive.
At first glance, the program provides tangible support. Assets such as chickens, goats, or pigs, other resources to start a small commerce, capital to build a safe, secure home, and a latrine. They are also provided with a water filter, and access to free healthcare for the family. These are life-changing for the CLM member.
But what transforms everything is something less visible. It’s the consistent visits of a trained case manager who shows up. They are there for the CLM member, encouraging, teaching, and walking alongside her every step of her journey. They are someone who believes in her, and because someone believes in her, she begins to believe in herself.
I remember visiting CLM members at different phases of the program. At the beginning of the program, their eyes are downcast, their posture is small, their voices very quiet. When I asked one member what is her hope, she answered “I have no hope. I worry about feeding my children today and cannot hope for tomorrow.” My heart sank.
We hop in the back of the truck and travel just a few miles down the road to visit CLM members who are further along in the program. They come to greet us, pull out small chairs for us to sit, and are dressed in their Sunday best. Their heads are lifted, their smiles broad as they stood tall and proud of their accomplishments. They can see what once felt out of sight, a hope-filled future.
Traveling down the mountain, in our small 15 passenger bus, returning to Port au Prince, Haiti’s capital, I realized something that I have never forgotten. Hope doesn’t start with what we give. Hope begins when someone chooses to believe in you.
Growing up, my family relied on support systems after my mother’s divorce. We received assistance with food, healthcare, and rent. These resources that are available in the United States are not available in Haiti. These systems provided our family with stability and a path forward. In Haiti, there is no safety net and no access to resources.
The women entering the CLM program live in misery. Some enter suffering from malnourishment. There is no certainty that they can feed their children today. Generational poverty is inescapable and hope is not just in the distance, it is unseen.
Through CLM, everything changes. CLM doesn’t just provide resources, it offers a new beginning. A restoration of dignity and a life of hope.
In 1 Peter 1:3, we are reminded that “in His great mercy, He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
This is not a hope we can manufacture or purchase. It is a hope that is alive, active, and transformative. And today, through Hope Grows, you have the opportunity to be part of that story. To be the reason hope appears in the life of a mother in Haiti. To support her journey from ultra-poverty to a new life with dignity. To help her stand, be independent, and to believe. This Easter, you are invited to plant something that will grow far beyond what we can see. Because when hope takes root, everything changes.
To support the journey of women as they lift themselves out of ultra-poverty, you can make a donation today.
