This has happened
On Saturday 14 August at 08.29, local time, Haiti was hit by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2. The quake had its epicenter on land in the southwestern part of Haiti, just over 120 km from the capital Port-au-Prince.

In 2010, Haiti was hit by an earthquake with a slightly lower magnitude of 7.0. At that time, between 212,000 and 300,000 people died, according to de Haiti's official figures.

Congested hospitals
The Haitian authorities cannot deal with the urgent need for help on their own.
"We need urgent help to take care of injured survivors and help those who are stuck under the landslides", says Tony Boursiquot. We also need ambulances that can transport the injured to our hospitals. The hospitals, in turn, are congested. There is a shortage of medicine and medical equipment.

Haiti's hospital staff are calling for tents where they can care for the injured. Hospitals are mostly built of heavy concrete, and both staff and their patients are afraid to stay indoors due to the risk of landslides.
"The need for orthopedic surgeons is urgent, says Tony. But they must also be equipped with surgical tools to be able to perform operations".

Good news from the Star of Hope schools
Tony and Myrtha have managed to get in touch with all the project managers in the Haitian villages where the Star of Hope runs schools. None of our project villages are located in the worst affected area, but buildings have collapsed around the country.
"Right now it looks like all our 3,600 school children have made it, says Star of Hope's COO Mark Presson. This, of course, makes us extremely relieved. In 2010, several of our schools collapsed, and when we rebuilt them, we made sure to make them earthquake-proof. Unfortunately, too few buildings in Haiti are built that way.

Armed groups block the road
It is currently very difficult to transport emergency aid from Port-au-Prince to the worst affected areas in the southwestern part of the country. Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated on July 7 and the domestic political situation was chaotic even before that. Three heavily armed criminal groups are fighting for control of the Martissant-Carrefour area outside the capital. Recently, they have blocked the only passable road to the west.
"The gangs have made holes in the house walls along the road and shoot with rifles through the holes. Those trying to pass have fallen victim to shelling, robbery, kidnapping, and even murder. "The police are powerless", says Tony Boursiquot.

Over the weekend, information circulated that the armed groups had agreed to a ceasefire, but this could not be confirmed. As long as the blockade lasts, the affected areas can only be reached by helicopter or boat.

Lack of food and water
One consequence of the roadblock in Carrefour is the non-delivery of goods. They, in turn, have left the people of the earthquake-stricken region empty-handed.
"They will quickly run out of food, says Tony. This is the latest in a long line of crises that have hit my country. The pandemic, the food shortages, the armed gangs, and the protracted political and economic crisis have all plunged Haiti into chaos."

Tropical storm aggravates the situation
On Tuesday, August 17, just over two days after the quake, storm Grace swept across the country. It never reached hurricane strength but came at the worst possible time. The rain poured down on buildings without roofs and flooded the survivors' temporary tent camps. Now the risk of epidemics in the disaster zone is increasing.
"The people are in desperate need of water, food, and shelter, says Myrtha."

Our co-worker Reginald Celestin was in the worst-hit town of Les Cayes when the quake struck. When the storm rolled in, Star of Hope's contact was broken with him. The night before Thursday a conversation was reached again.
"How could we prepare for this rain in the middle of a disaster zone? People have no homes to seek refuge in" he said.

He managed to transport a 40-foot long freight container to a basketball court in the town of Les Cayes where many earthquake victims had gathered.

"They were outside and had nowhere to go," he said. "40 people slept inside the container that night. 50 more had to sleep on top of it while the storm raged. People do what they can to help each other", he says. "I try to get enough food to feed 350 people a day. Please, pray for us!"

Update Aug 23/24

Star of Hope Haiti's team, Tony, Myrtha, Georges Hudicourt, and Antoine, have returned from the dangerous visit to our projects and the most damaged earthquake areas in the south. On this trip, they met pastor Reginald Celestin, who lives in the area and works with Star of Hope and our sister organization Tent Mission.

Tony, Georges Hudicourt and Pastor Regie

The team is now determining the scope of the intervention and plan for the execution of the intervention. Not always easy work to do humanitarian interventions in Haiti.

Tony Boursiquoit, the operations manager for Star of Hope Haiti, says, " I am preparing a report on the partial assessment of the damage observed in Cavaillon and a letter requesting assistance to rescue the victims in 5 local districts Cavaillon".

Tony says that will most likely include:
The short-term goals are to quickly supply emergency food kits to 700 families in two installments, September and November, and simultaneously back-to-school bags for 3,000 children.
The medium-term goals are to repair or reconstructed houses for around 300 families.

volunteers cook food for the homeless

The Cavaillon geographical area is similar to a county in the US. (see a map) They have about 60,000 inhabitants there. Cavaillon is one of the worst affected areas in the south.

Tony tells us, a report that the mayor of Cavaillon provided us on the damage in the whole local county included:
53 dead
21 missing
2,754 injured
18,168 houses destroyed
8,456 houses damaged
48 churches destroyed
43 schools destroyed

"We will focus our humanitarian assistance effort in Cavaillon, specifically in one of the five smaller districts called Martineau, there are 12,000 inhabitants in the micro area," says Tony

Myrta, the Director reminds all. "the more funding we have, the more people we can help. The operation is scalable. We would love to extend our intervention to other districts of Cavaillon with the same goals, food shelter, and school supplies."

This short update is just brief on the response Star of Hope Haiti is now planning and documenting.
Tony

HELP US PREPARE FOR THE FOOD INTERVENTION. It is easy to help, give a food box, give a gift online, give via Paypal, send a check.

Haiti needs urgent help!

The people's need is enormous after the earthquake.
Here you can help the victims of the disaster:

Give on Pay Pal here:

You may also donate by...

PHONE - You may call us toll-free at (866) 653-0321 to donate over the phone.

CHECK - You may send a check, payable to Star of Hope. Mail your check to:

Star of Hope, PO Box 427, Ellinwood KS 67526-0427

VISIT - If you are in Kansas, stop by and see us at 13 N Main St, Ellinwood Ks.

TEXT - Text "SOH TO 51555" to get started, we will call you back!    

Friends, in the United States, February brings gifts of Valentine flowers and candy. Valentine’s Day spending in the United States is expected to reach approximately 22 billion dollars this year. The gifts exchanged in love are a testament to the fact that we are financially blessed far beyond most of the world. In places like Ghana, Kenya, Haiti, and others, food is in dire need; flowers would be a terrible waste of money when they need food.

People like you make it possible for us to help the children we do every day. Our kids need to be fed and educated so they can hear the good news of the Bible, and thanks to you, Star of Hope is still supporting and helping children hear the Gospel.

The year 2020 was challenging for many organizations, and we were blessed, so we continue to be a blessing to others. We have been fortunate, but we are just barely covering our expenses. Our man, Tony B in Haiti, who oversees 3600 children and their education reports,

“Due to currency shifts, Star of Hope Haiti has 22% less money to work with than a year ago. Food prices have risen by over 20% during 2020. Star of Hope sponsored schools in Haiti have never had to work so hard just to be sure the children’s basic food needs are met. This increase is not the same old inflation. It is above and beyond that due to Covid and politics. The costs are astronomical.”

January and February are typically the most challenging months for us to raise funds. Funds are needed to continue feeding and caring for the children.
Please show your love for the children this Valentine’s month. Step into the post-Christmas giving gap. We don’t want to get behind in our funds for the schools and feeding the students. They are too precious to us.

Step-in and fill the giving gap. You are needed.


God bless you and thank you again for everything you do!

GIVE HERE

Mark Presson
CEO Star of Hope - 866 653 0321
www.starofhope.us

May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. -Numbers 6:24-26

The Lord is shining His face upon us. So many good things are happening at our Star of Hope centers.

In Ghana, our six project villages were visited by a mobile health unit. The children and staff were tested for malaria and hepatitis B, among other things. A general health examination and a dental check-up were performed on 1,000 children by doctors and dentists. Parents and guardians attended classes on eating healthy and effective hygiene habits. A total of 20 malaria cases were registered, and the doctors prescribed medicine for them. Several children were malnourished, but now that school is back in session they receive daily meals, and teachers can keep an eye on them. Thanks to you, the children have been properly examined and received medicine and recommendations for a healthier life.

See a video from the health check up on youtube. 

In Kenya, thanks to a noble corporate donation, we gave ten sewing students a sewing machine each. They have been great tailors since they graduated from the Star of Hope Training Institute, but without sewing machines, they will not be able to secure a job or start a business.

In Haiti, 6 new toilets have been built to serve the growing population of children and staff at  Nois Negresse school. This has also improved the hygiene of the school, which is very important, especially during this pandemic.

In Argentina, In mid-March, our children in Chaco Province returned to their classrooms, and our preschool in Nam Qom was allowed to open under certain restrictions. As the new school year began, we inaugurated the new playground at our preschool. There are now, among other things, swings, a seesaw, and monkey bars. At the same time, the inner parts of the preschool have been improved. This is thanks to generous gifts from donors. Many thanks to everyone who donated a gift to the playground campaign we had last July.

In the USA, we need to spread the news of the good work we are doing. We need more committed donors like you so we can continue to make a difference in this world. Please share these stories from our Facebook and Instagram pages...facebook.com/starofhope.org and Tell your friends and family about us. Arrange for us to speak at your church or organization. Because...Together we are making a difference!

We have a new system online where you can see the most recent updates from our countries and sponsor children! The new system is called Novacom and is available to any donors who have a monthly donation commitment. Postage costs are sky-rocketing around the world, so our country reports will now be digital. We will still be sending out our receipt letters and quarterly updates from our Kansas office. If you don't yet have a Novacom account and would like to have one, please contact Sara at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Many blessings to you now and always,

Mark Presson - CEO Star of Hope - 866 653 0321

www.starofhope.us

Greetings,

Children are happy and safe, because of YOU! Happy New Year!

We have good news from Gilbert Ochieng, Operations Director - Star of Hope Kenya...

Schools resumed for all our children on the 4th of January 2021. On the first day of school, we reported a 98% turnout of our pupils across our three school projects. This happened while many public and private schools across the country were recording as low as 45% pupil turnout in the first week of schools reopening. The Ministry of Education in the country attributed the low turnout to high levels of school dropouts brought about by teenage pregnancies, depression, and drug abuse.

Dear friends, our children reporting back to school in large numbers is not a coincidence. These are the results of your dedication to supporting the Pastoral Care Program to help our children deal with their spiritual, mental, and physical needs.

We had four pastoral care meetings in November and December with our children being facilitated by our counselor, Mrs. Lydia Ngigi. We spent time with our children and followed up on the main issues highlighted in their personal journals. These issues included;

1. Handling abusive parents- Mrs. Lydia called upon all the boys and demonstrated to them how to handle abusive parents using positive energy and response to their parents 'abusive behavior. The boys were more than happy to get this eye-opening knowledge from the counselor.

2. Drug Abuse- Mrs. Lydia guides our children on how to respond to peer pressure to indulge in drug abuse. During the Christmas Party of 2020, an ex-student named Duncan was invited to talk to the children. He motivated them with his personal experience. “I decided to join a gang of teenage boys from my slum village. We got ourselves involved in drug abuse, sexual activities, and robbing civilians. It wasn’t long before I was arrested and put in prison for three years. Thank God for Pastor Gilbert who gave spiritual guidance during my time in prison which really helped me reform. I am now a free boy and really look forward to helping others. I, therefore, advise you to talk to your elders about your mental issues so that you can be helped and not find yourself in the same situation I was in."

3. Self- worth- With the knowledge that our children come from very destitute backgrounds, Mrs. Lydia continues to build on the area of self-worth in our children. Some feel insubstantial because of their backgrounds. The counselor reminds them how much God and the Star of Hope family loves and cares for them.

MOVING FORWARD INTO 2021 Since all schools' operations have officially resumed in 2021, we have planned 2 meetings every month for the pastoral care program in Mikindani and Jimba. We look forward to continuing to provide guidance and self-care packages to our children. This program has become a vital part of our children's well-being during this pandemic. We thank you so much for your awesome support in this program.

God Bless you. - Gilbert Ochieng, Operations Director - Star of Hope Kenya That is great news from Kenya! Please continue to support our work. We can all see that it really does make a difference!

Thank you and God Bless, Mark Presson CEO Star of Hope - 620-564-3355

This month I want to talk about a concurrent global pandemic………………...food insecurity. In the US alone, close to 10% of all Americans will experience food insecurity in 2021. COVID-19 has only exacerbated the existing shortage, affecting food chains, supply, and distribution. We pray that these issues will resolve with time, but it takes the coordination of communities, faith-based organizations, food banks, and non-profits, all working together.

Globally, the world is in much more dire straights, as 26% of its population experience some degree of food insecurity. This is unacceptable. Many countries do not have the available infrastructure to grow, store and distribute food to the most vulnerable.

In Africa, there are places where the number is even higher (40 or 50 percent). And in Asia, 30 to 40 percent and so on. Eleven, 11% of the world’s population is undernourished, this means they have a caloric intake below minimum energy requirements. Their bodies are stunted or damaged, that's about 820 million people globally. We are talking about our fellow citizens of this planet, men, women, and children, just like you and I. Moreover, 22% of children in the malnourished column, younger than five are ‘stunted’ – they are significantly shorter than the average for their age, as a consequence of poor nutrition or repeated infection.

Nine percent, 9% of the world population – around 697 million people – are severely food insecure.
One-in-four people globally – 1.9 billion – are moderately or severely food insecure. Remember the number in the USA is One-in-ten!

As for helping those kids, moms & dads, and even grandmothers outside of the USA, that's what Star of Hope International does; we do that. We are the boots on the ground, serving the most basic of human needs, food, water, and education.

If you want to help children outside the US, we desire to partner with you, your generous gifts. We want to give kids school lunch! You see, we educate more than 20,000 children and they need a good school lunch to learn. So we want and need people like you who share our vision to feed them. We want to give kids freshwater to safely drink, cook, bathe and irrigate crops/water livestock.

But that is not the important part, the important part is our kids, all of them, get to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Please help us spread the good news, through meeting basic needs, food, water, education, and a gospel message of HOPE.

BE THE HOPE they receive! Please give HOPE!
Join us, we want you.

Mark Presson

Together this year, we experienced the joy and accomplishment of changing children’s lives and spreading the Gospel.

We also kept feeding programs open, feeding kids and families. 

We were able to restart closed programs. Some helped the kids with emotional and psychological pressure due to the pandemic.

Most of our schools found a way to keep the educational process going.

Our donors have kept our budget above the water line, thank you so much as we know this was never to be taken for granted. You are not taken for granted and we bless you!

More wells were drilled and funded.

This year our year-end giving will be used primarily to shore up our budget where it is most needed, for new much-needed water wells in Haiti and for supporting our new Awana International project and opening AWANA in Kenya. 

Your year-end gift is not a one time deal, it is a hand up, and together with others like you, your gift has the potential to make thousands of boys and girls happy and feel the love. 

Giving them joy by showing them love can create a positive change in the children and ultimately a whole community. It will, I bet, make you feel warm and fuzzy inside too.

Please consider Star of Hope for your year-end giving, just click here.

Do you use Paypal scan or visit HERE

Rich Blessings and thanks!

Mark Presson CEO