Miragoane Summer Camp

Your donation will support a two week soccer camp for 600 children and youth in three extremely poor areas of Miragoane, Haiti, this August 2013.  Many of these children and teenagers became orphans after the devasting 2010 earthquake in Haiti.  A complete, healthy meal plus two nutritious snacks will be provided daily for all participants (only $3 per day for each participant!).  The camp activities include not only soccer for both boys and girls but skipping rope for girls, arts and crafts, singing, stories and skits, a parade, health education and training on how to be environmentally responsible.

Miragoane Soccer Camp 2012 & testimony: 

The very first soccer camp in Miragoane, held for one week last August 2012, was an amazingly huge success!  650 children and youth attended, the boys played soccer and most of the girls skipped rope but some girls also formed a soccer team and all attendees participated in the other camp activities.  At the beginning of the week 180 were fed a healthy meal and snack each day.........by the end of the week 500+ per day were fed! 

A single mother of nine children expressed her immense gratitude by saying "this is the first time since my children were born that they have had a week of good, nutritious food like that"  (see photo above of the founder of 'Hope with Christ', Jean Lubin, standing with some of the children from this family in front of their home). 

How "Hope With Christ" began: 

In February 2012, Jean Lubin (a Haitian living in Canada), visited Miragoane for the first time during his first trip back to Haiti following the 2010 earthquake.  Miragoane is located in the southwest of Haiti along Haiti’s northern coast line.  Jean was surprised by the poverty in some areas of Miragoane and to see many kids hanging out in the streets.  He learned that many of these kids were orphans who returned to Miragoane from Port au Prince to live with family or friends after the earthquake.  This touched his heart and he felt he needed to do something to help.

Jean developed a friendship and partnership with a few young men in Miragoane who are very motivated to help their community.  This lead to the planning of the first soccer camp for children and youth in Miragoane in August 2012 (Haitians LOVE soccer!), the formation of a committee of seven dedicated leaders, and the establishment of 'Hope with Christ' (in Haiti, 'Espwa Ak Kris').  With the help of his wife and some enthusiastic friends, Jean raised funds in Canada as well as received donations of soccer balls, soccer uniforms, and skipping ropes for the 2012 camp.  Jean and the 'Hope with Christ' committee organized last year's soccer camp which ran smoothly thanks to many hard-working volunteers in Miragoane and the generous donations from Canada.