Hike for
Haiti
8
Hike for Haiti
by Mary Friedman
I journeyed with Patrick Bentrott, our former Global Ministries missionary to Haiti who is now Executive Director of F.I.D.A. — the Foundation for International Development of Agriculture — productive cooperatives of Haiti. This was the second year he has organized the Hike for Haiti fundraiser for his organization that assists farmers in remote areas of Haiti to form co-ops. A big part of this is adult literacy. FIDA has a Canadian branch and a U.S. branch.
During the hike we visited two co-ops, a beautiful waterfall and a market. We hiked 9 miles up into the mountains, spent the night, and hiked 13 miles down to the coast the next day over very rocky rough terrain that became slippery in the rain! I was blessed to get to see the gorgeous scenery in remote parts of Haiti that most foreigners have never seen and meet lovely people along the way.
It was so moving to see older adults in the literacy classes who had never been able to attend school proudly showing that they can now write their names and begin to learn to read. So empowering!