Dear Lespwa Lavi supporters and family,

As you all are aware, the last 3 years in Haiti have not gone according to plan. The deterioration of the government, culminating in the assassination of the president has resulted in chaos. Armed gangs have moved around the country, with some of the most dangerous currently residing in Verrettes and Des Chapelles areas. Gangs have controlled fuel distribution and much of the imports the country relies on.

In a way Lespwa Lavi has been very fortunate. We were just beginning to operate fully in 2019, and we’ve been under-the-radar for the most part. Our staff are entirely Haitian, and our operations have been run out of our director’s backyard and a church hand-built by sticks and mud. Not something a gang would target for money or resources. Despite appearances, we have a strong force of supporters in the United States and our nutrition program partners have allowed us to make an astonishing impact for the children of Verrettes.

We still have grand plans to build a multi-million dollar school facility that you have seen in our design plans and presentations. However, if we can predict the future, we do not see such an undertaking being the best route in the next 5-10 years. For one, acquiring the necessary materials at this time would be expensive, and quite a bit higher than our initial cost estimates. Second, getting the materials to Verrettes would be dangerous, if not impossible. Third, constructing a large facility would effectively put a target on our backs, and we believe our work would be hampered by gangs and criminals rather than boosted forward.

Our board of directors and staff in Haiti have been praying and discussing ways to move forward for the past year. In December, we decided to search for an existing building that could serve as a starting location for our school. I have also felt strongly that the Lord is leading us to open a Bible school that would draw Haitian leaders in for training and building integrity that is going to move the country forward. My hope and goal is that these leaders will help move Lespwa Lavi academy forward as the future of Haiti grows clear.

Now, we have a unique opportunity to purchase a building that will not only suit our needs, but represents an important part of Haitian history and is valued by the community. We request your prayers for wisdom as our board decides the best way to move forward.

One of our top priorities is making sure any building we use is safe. We promised earthquake resistant, flood-proof buildings, and that promise has not changed. If we purchase this building, it would need some repairs to ensure it would be structurally sound in an earthquake event. We have discussed with multiple engineering firms and determined that the repairs needed can be safely completed even during this dangerous time in Haiti.

Our goal remains the same: To equip and prepare students to transform their community and the world for the glory of Jesus Christ. We still intend to build our larger academy as designed in the future, but we are going to start small.

I ask two things of you:

1. Pray. Pray for wisdom for our leaders as we make these big decisions. Pray for the right doors to open, and if this is the property for us, that our offer would be accepted.

2. If you have specifically donated funds towards our academy building project, and have concerns about this shift in plans, please reach out to me directly at info@lespwalavi.org

Gratefully yours,

Ricardo Pierre-Louis

Click below to see what Lespwa Lavi has already accomplished:

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A letter from Ricardo