In addition to our Feeding and Sponsorship Programs that each year help thousands of students and the three communities that we support, Restore Haiti takes pride in ensuring that we purchase as many items for our programs and fundraising events in-country, events such as our annual School Supply Campaign.
Last year alone, we purchased every single item that was included in the backpacks that we provided to our students from our School Supply Campaign in Haiti. For several years, we had been purchasing these items in the U.S., or had churches collect items on our behalf, and then had them shipped to Haiti. This is something that we have changed, and moving forward will continue to adhere by, purchasing as many items and supplies needed for our programs directly in Haiti from local merchants. Helping build the economy, empowering self-sustainability among our program participants and others in Haiti, and job creation opportunities are extremely important to us and our mission.
Some of the items provided to our students in last year's School Supply Campaign included the items you see here ( backpack seen here not the ones we had sewn for us in Haiti) were all purchased in-country from local merchants, thus adding to their income and growing their business.
In addition, we utilized a local business to design and sew over 1,000 backpacks in Haiti, thus providing some stable income for the seamstresses / seamsters involved in sewing the backpacks, as seen in the video below.
This year, we will be beginning our School Supply Campaign in the coming weeks and will, once again, be purchasing all of our school supplies in Haiti and having our backpacks sewn there as well. Knowing that we are doing our part to help build Haiti matters so much to us and the three communities that we support and will continue to be an integral part of what our vision is, self-sufficiency so that organizations such as ours are no longer needed.
When our School Supply Campaign begins in a few weeks, please consider making a donation ... every single penny donated will go directly towards purchasing school supplies and the sewing of our backpacks. Thank you so much!! ** link to donate Donate Now | Restore Haiti (givelively.org)