From Backyard Beginnings to Building Bridges: The PAC-Haiti Story
When a mother of two was called to help transform the lives of children and their families in some of the most remote and poverty-stricken regions of Haiti, she answered in a big way. In 2017, Jessica Shockley and her husband Drew traveled from their hometown of Evansville, Indiana, to Haiti for a mission trip, where they met Denis Atis, a local translator with a passion for helping the community. Denis shared his story, a common one in Haiti: he was one of several siblings, many of whom went to different schools, who often fought over who got to use the backpack that day. An idea was born.
Mission with a Backpack
Program for Assistance to Children in Haiti (PAC-Haiti) began with a simple yet profound initiative, the Backpacks of Hope. After collecting 2,000 backpacks in the summer of 2017, the couple traveled to Haiti to distribute them, and offered a backpack to a young boy near the Dominican Republic border, only to realize that he had no school to attend. This set the ball rolling for a much broader mission. With a broken government and virtually no state-run schools, PAC-Haiti took on the challenge of building schools and feeding programs in regions where they were most needed.
One such project was the Institution Mixte La Renaissance, the PAC-Haiti supported school. Initially designed to serve 100 students, it now has the capacity to educate 250 children. Built with the support of PAC-Haiti and its donors, this school features four classrooms, an office, a sanitation block with six bathrooms, and a handwashing station. Their feeding program, partially funded by a cash grant from Dormie Network Foundation, provides hot meals for about 300 students per week. In the summer, extra food is sent home with the kids, who might otherwise go hungry.
Building Bridges and Beyond
Apart from the school-building and feeding program, PAC-Haiti is involved in several other initiatives to uplift the communities it serves. "Haitians are resilient people, and it can be strange to think that even though they are two hours south of Miami, it's a completely different world,” says Jessica.
The infrastructure that PAC-Haiti is creating in the area, with children at its heart, is leaving a lasting mark on the entire community. One of their most impactful projects was the construction of a bridge over a dangerous running body of water, cutting off vehicles from coming into the town. This not only made the journey safer for children coming to school, but it also provided townsfolk access to sell their goods and stimulate the local economy.
A Powerful Partnership
PAC-Haiti distributes backpacks all over the country.
According to Tanika Marais, a representative of PAC-Haiti, the grants from DNF were among the first private donations they received. "Most of our funding comes from friends, family, and churches," she says. "It made a huge impact, and it also showed us that we can finalize all the formalities to go after those large grants."
The grant also helped PAC-Haiti to ensure the continuity of the feeding program. Tanika explains, "Without that food, the kids can't concentrate on their lessons. This cash grant helps us continue that program while also allowing us the time to build up our funds to focus on more long-term projects."
What's Next for PAC-Haiti?
PAC-Haiti is now setting sights on a farming program, a sustainable initiative that will alleviate the pressure of buying food for the kids as the school program scales up. They are currently in the process of testing different crops and farming methods and hope to employ and educate local people in these farming methods.
How Can You Help?
As a member of Dormie Network, there are numerous ways to support PAC-Haiti. Donating a backpack is a simple yet significant way to help. You can send in backpacks at the end of the school year, which are then shipped via cargo to Haiti. PAC-Haiti’s mission is also supposed by cash donations, covering child sponsorship, the feeding program, teachers’ salaries, and construction projects.
Through Dormie Network Foundation’s support of PAC-Haiti, we aim to bridge this gap and make a world of difference. Visit pac-haiti.org to learn more and find ways to contribute to this admirable cause. Together, we can build brighter futures for the children of Haiti.