Why I Give to the Haiti EcoVillage School

My travel group from Atlanta to Haiti in 2015. I am front row, second from the left. When I first learned about the Haiti EcoVillage School, I never imagined it would become a mission so close to my heart.In 2013, Gordon French came to speak with the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Mission Team about the EcoVillages. I admit I had reservations about Haiti, but I was fascinated by the vision of the villages and the determination of the people who were building a new future after the earthquake in 2010. Several members of our mission team began attending planning meetings with other area churches. The villagers had communicated to the church groups that their greatest desire was to have a school for their children. Since so many in our congregation were educators, it seemed exactly the right way for us to serve.In 2015, I had the privilege of traveling to Haiti to see the school project firsthand. We visited a village, met with our Haitian partner (MPP), and saw how families were learning to build new lives.  The school had only four classrooms, with third- and fourth-grade students sharing one room. Yet despite having so few resources, the teachers inspired me. They were giving these children hope for a better future. It was my first visit to a third-world country, and I came home with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the blessings I have simply because of where I was born.We had brought a few school supplies and soccer balls. Standing there, our gifts seemed so small compared to the tremendous need. But the teachers and principal received them with genuine joy, and before long the soccer balls were being used during recess. That moment reminded me that even modest gifts can make a meaningful difference.The Haiti EcoVillage School now serves students from kindergarten through ninth grade. It includes a kitchen and cafeteria where every child receives lunch during the school year.  Many times, this is their only source of nutrition for the day. Thanks to the partnership between the villagers, MPP, and faithful supporters, hundreds of children now have opportunities that simply did not exist before.Over the years I have watched our relationship with MPP grow stronger. They have remained one of the few dependable organizations continuing to serve the Haitian people despite extraordinary challenges. Across Haiti, many schools have been forced to close because teachers are no longer being paid. Yet the EcoVillage School continues to thrive. The school remains open, teachers receive salaries, students keep learning, and hope remains alive.When I think about everything I have witnessed, from four crowded classrooms to a thriving K-9 school, I know my support truly matters. I give because I have seen what faithful people can accomplish together. I give because education changes lives. And I give because every child deserves the opportunity to learn, dream, and build a better future.By Ginger Stapley, Good Shepherd Presbyterian ChurchAugust 2026