August 19, 2009

The neighborhood where I (John Engle) stay when I’m in Haiti and where I lived for more than 10 years is called Mariaman. It’s in the mountains outside of Port au Prince.

My wife Merline has been working with a group of young people for the last three years helping them to develop skills in singing, dancing and leadership. It’s now about a year since her brother Alex has served as director. He’s doing a fantastic job and many of their songs were written by him and the kids and have a social justice message. They’ve performed during Sunday am services in about a dozen Port au Prince churches and have done several concerts. Alex is a participant in our Capacity Building Project.

Merline and I are working with Alex and kids to determine what’s next. During summer break they’ve been learning to embroider, weave straw hats, etc. toward identifying some income generating activities. We’re also exploring the possibility of having them come perform in US to help raise funds for Haiti Partners work in education. Contributions to help support this choir and dance troupe initiative can be sent to Haiti Partners.

John Engle