I have just returned from Port-au-Prince where I spent time with our Haitian partners, with children at the food program, with some of the students we sponsor, and at the after-school program.  It was such a gift to be there.  To see your donations in action, to envision the possibilities with our partners, to communicate your love and concern – this was a great joy and privilege.  With every plate of food I passed out and with every student I talked to, I thought of you, because without your support, these essential programs would not exist.

Between 800 – 1,000 girls and boys, as well as some older youth and adults, came to the food program each day I was there. Many are still living in tents. Some are sleeping wherever they find shelter. All were hungry and grateful for the nutritious meals they received. I could see it in their eyes. I felt it as they ate.

I was there as the rainy season began in Haiti.  The pouring rain makes everything a challenge. The cooking team continues to work out of a temporary, open-sided kitchen on the back of a cook’s home, and meals are served under a temporary structure that is not very different than a big tent.  Through the creativity and determination of our partners, the system is working.  As I helped pass out plates of food to the children, the wind blew and water leaked through the tarps and onto all of us.  Yet, I knew we were being held in God’s hands.

One of the purposes of this trip was to create a video to help with fund-raising for the programs and for our building project.  A wonderful volunteer video crew from San Francisco traveled with me.  We videotaped the programs and interviewed our Haitian partners, the children, and other community members.  There is excitement about the future of the programs, the new kitchen/cafeteria and school we plan to build, and the powerful difference all of this will make in the lives of the children.  I look forward to sharing the video and the building project plans with you this summer.

Now that I am back from Haiti, back in my home in Berkeley, I’m finding my “re-entry” transition unsettling.  I think about the children I met (including a two-week old baby), and the tent communities where many of them live.  I think about the rain and the cholera epidemic; about the absence of running water and electricity; about the social, political, and economic injustices that have created this situation.   And as these thoughts arise, I remind myself of what we’ve been able to accomplish over the years, little by little, and the fact that hundreds of children in one neighborhood of Port-au-Prince are able to count on one meal every weekday, thanks to your prayers, your encouragement, and your ongoing donations.

My visit has made me all the more inspired to make our vision for building on the land we have purchased a reality, so that there is a permanent and safe home for the programs, and so that more impoverished children will have the opportunity to go to school.

And so, as I reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re headed, I keep reminding myself of Fr. Gerry Jean-Juste’s words to me over ten years ago.  They give me strength and hope. “We have a Creole saying I want to teach you,” he said. “Piti piti na rive.  That means little by little we will arrive.  One step at a time, Margaret.  In Haiti, sometimes they are very, very small steps.  Sometimes we go backward.  But it’s important to keep taking steps, even though they are small.  Never lose hope. Never give up.  One day, maybe not during my lifetime, but one day we will get there.”

With gratitude,

Margaret Trost, Founder, What If? Foundation

Friends of the What If? Foundation,

Two children inspired me to write to you today.  One lives in Haiti.  The other lives in California.  They have both spoken, simply and from the heart, about the joy of giving and receiving that flows through the What If? Foundation.

Those of you who read last month’s e-newsletter saw the words of 10-year old Jean Claude, who shared his gratitude for the food program supported by your donations:

“I don’t know what I would do without the food program. I love everything that happens there, especially the moment they hand out the plates of food, because then I can see all the joy in the children.”

Gabby, a 4th grader in California who heard about the What If? Foundation’s work earlier this year, recently sent the Foundation a check along with these words:

“I wanted to let you know we made $71.57!  We made all that money with a lemonade stand and some sweet treats at my school.  It was really fun and a great experience for me.  When I knew we had that much money raised, I felt so joyful!”

The words of both these children fill me with deep appreciation for each of you, our Haitian partners, and all the little steps we have taken together to reach out to those in need.  For 12 years, the What If? Foundation has provided an effective and trustworthy link between your generosity and impoverished children in Haiti.  Every dollar you’ve sent has helped create “joy in the children” through meals served and educational opportunities given.

Today, we invite you to help us continue this flow of joyful giving and receiving.  As you know, every donation, regardless of size, helps us to reach out to girls and boys for whom each meal and each school scholarship is a little miracle.

We also invite you to click here to read our 2011 Annual Report, which highlights the programs you’ve helped us fund, the lives you’ve helped us touch, and the difference your support made in 2011.  And please forward this email to anyone you think might be interested in our work.

Thank you for all of your love and encouragement, for your prayers, and for being a part of the What If? Foundation family. Piti piti na rive!  Little by little we will arrive.

With gratitude,

Margaret                                                                                                
Founder, What If? Foundation

We welcome you to join our Monthly Giving Circle.
Those who make monthly gifts to What If help provide a reliable, steady
stream of support that is critical to sustaining the food and education
programs.  Click here to learn more.

It’s hard to convey what it’s like to watch hundreds of hungry children sitting shoulder-to-little shoulder under a big tent, eagerly waiting for the cooking team to serve them plates of food. Or to describe the relish with which some of them devour their meals. Or the care with which some of the children put a portion of their food into a plastic bag or container to take home to share with others.

Last Sunday, we met with students that are What If scholarship recipients, as well as some children who attend the after school program and a number of parents. It was wonderful to be with them all, and to hear students and parents express such heartfelt appreciation for the education programs. They asked us to send a special message of thanksgiving to you, our donors, for all you do to support them. On behalf of all of them, we say to you: “mesi anpil“.

Each night, as we listened to torrential rains, we couldn’t help but think of all those who are still living outside under tents and tarps in Haiti, many of them children without enough food, and without access to educational opportunities. At the same time, we so felt grateful for the incredible gifts that our Haitian partners are able to offer, each day, as a result of your generosity.

With gratitude and hope,

Caitlin & Pamela

And we feel so thankful for all of our donors, whose kindness and generosity have made all these meals possible.

We thought you might enjoy reading the following letter, which we just received from a new donor named Gabby, about her experience raising money for the What If? Foundation’s food program.

Hi!

My name is Gabrielle and I am a 4th grade student at Morello Park Elementary school. I just wanted to let you know that we raised $71.57! We raised all that money with a lemonade stand and some sweet treats at my school Clean Up Day which was on March 11th. Our principal loved the idea and I did, too. It was really fun and a great experience for me. when I knew we raised that much money, I felt so joyful! Again, thank you.

Gabby

“I don’t know what I would do without the food program. I love everything that happens there, especially the moment they hand out the plates of food, because then I can see all the joy in the children. I live in a tent with my mother and father, and they do not have work, so they do not have enough food for me.”                          -Jean Claude, age 10 (translated from Creole)

As I read these words, my heart fills with both joy and sadness. Joy at how much we’ve been able to do to help alleviate some of the suffering. Over the past 12 years, together with our Haitian partners, we’ve provided over 2.4 million nutritious meals to hungry children and some adults through this community-based food program. And yet sadness at the continuing reality of the severe hunger in Haiti. While Haiti is not as much in the news these days, the need for these meals is still so great.

I am inspired by your generosity, which has paid for this food program year in and year out. A group of students told us that they skipped a meal when their school agreed to send What If a check for the amount budgeted for those meals. One family recently wrote that their contribution to What If represented money saved by eating sandwiches instead of going out to dinner.

These and other stories from our donors inspire me to invite you to take a “special action” this week in honor of the food program’s 12th anniversary. You might decide to eat more simply and donate the difference to What If. You might share this email with family, friends or coworkers. Whatever you decide, it will make such a difference in the lives of the children we serve in Port-au-Prince. It costs less than a dollar to provide a plate of hot, nutritious food at the food program.

Thank you for your help, your support and your prayers as we celebrate this special anniversary, and for standing in solidarity with our Haitian partners and all those who are hungry.

With love and hope,

Margaret Trost

Founder, What If? Foundation

I also invite you to join our Monthly Giving Circle.
Those who make monthly gifts to What If help provide a reliable, steady stream of
support that is critical to sustaining the food and education programs.
Click here to learn more.

When the students came into the dining room for the banquet, they drew tickets that assigned them to different income levels, and were seated accordingly. Some were seated on the floor, where they were served only small bowls of rice and drinking water. Others were seated at tables and given small plates of rice and beans. A few were served filling dinners.

After listening to stories and statistics about communities around the world that are facing hunger, and what people are trying to do about it, banquet guests participated in small group discussions about their different experiences at the dinner, and about world hunger. Because many of the students had read On That Day, Everybody Ate before Margaret came to speak at the school last fall, there was discussion of the situation in Haiti and what the What If Foundation is doing to help address the hunger challenge in one neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. While guests did not all leave with full stomachs, many left with new perspectives about the causes of hunger and poverty, and with ideas of how they can help.

The money that members of the community saved by eating more simply than usual was sent to What If. Students also sent us letters in which they reflected on their experiences at the banquet. Members of the school’s Environmental Club, who organized the event, sent Margaret a card in which they wrote: “Thank you for giving us the inspiration to face injustice in the world.” We say thank you back.

While Haiti has an educational system that generally does not encourage parent involvement, our Haitian partners see parental involvement as critical to children’s success in school. The Education team use parent meetings to convey information, discuss pertinent issues, and offer trainings in parenting skills. They also take time at each meeting to share and celebrate children’s accomplishments and successes. We appreciate that the parent meetings are just one more example of how our Haitian partners reach out to cultivate webs of community in the neighborhood.