Below is a reflection by Betsy Bowman on giving back in times of uncertainty. Betsy was a Volunteer at Louverture Cleary School during the earthquake in 2010 and later served on The Haitian Project’s Board of Directors.
Like many US Americans during the recent months of the pandemic, I have felt simultaneously powerless to respond to the needs all around me, and deeply, undeservingly, lucky to be healthy and relatively financially secure. I work in a Boston public school, and the pandemic has brought much deeper and more widespread suffering to my school community than to my family and social circles. The racial and socioeconomic disparity of this impact in the United States is obvious.
From the beginning, I have been so concerned about Haiti. Having spent a year as a Volunteer at Louverture Cleary, I know how challenging basic sanitation can be for many in Haiti. And, as a witness to the 2010 earthquake and its aftermath, I saw firsthand the limitations of the medical infrastructure and the fragility of so many basic civil institutions in Haiti.
When my stimulus check arrived, I felt the nudge to just hide it away for safekeeping. There is so much uncertainty, even for me.
But I could not stop thinking about Matthew 10:8. "What you receive for free, you must give for free."
When have I ever so freely received unearned money? When has that well-worn verse from Matthew ever seemed so literally true to me? Of course, the call was obvious—to give to those in greater need than myself. I decided to split it in half: to contribute some to local organizations directly meeting the needs of people in my own community, and the remainder I contributed to The Haitian Project.
I know that so many families in Haiti rely on remittances from their families abroad, and I can only imagine how those financial gifts have been impacted by the pandemic. It seems only right that those of us who are able, should step in to fill those gaps.
We can provide the direct stimulus to the people of Haiti that the Haitian government cannot.
Of course, some may find ourselves in a position to donate part or all of a stimulus check, or to make a larger than normal annual contribution. And others will not.
No matter what our individual situation, I hope that the entire Haitian Project community will remain prayerfully united in solidarity with the people of Haiti in this time of so much turmoil.
We are so grateful for the wonderful support of Betsy and every member of the THP Community. Please consider a gift today if you are able—you are the help we have to give!