An exciting new project within our Diocesan Grant for our Parish Partnership has begun: training members of St. Luc’s Lazil in goat care and breeding, and purchasing does and bucks, all with funds available in Christ Church’s grant of $10,000 for this project (and others).
Preparation and many conversations, some on the phone, others by email, and others in person with the help of interpreters laid the ground work in order for Christ Church to finalize purchasing services for our Parish Partners, to train community members (in Creole) in goat care and animal raising. The idea for this goat project came from the members of St. Luc’s Lazil themselves, along with Fr. Jean-Fils, their past priest, during his visit with us here in Needham in January 2013. Jen McCracken has taken the lead in communicating with community leaders, as well as with Fr. Fritz Desire, the new Priest for St. Luc’s, whose support was needed to proceed with the project. (He joined as Priest for St. Lucs after the grant to support this project was written.) Fr. Desire met with the Vestry of St. Luc’s and together they selected three community members, to be trained in animal care and then receive one pregnant Doe each. Some of our Diocesan Grant money will be used to contract for training in Creole through Global Health Action, a non-profit which runs the goat farm in Darbonne Haiti. At that site, the three participants will be trained at a two-day workshop, and receive their pregnant Does, along with a veterinary care kit. Jen McCracken and Barb Murphy have worked together to detail the services needed and costs to be paid for the training and purchase of pregnant Does, as well as Bucks, and to detail the costs of transportation, fencing, and future vet care that may be needed.
Jen will visit St. Luc’s Lazil in May to review the terms of the training and Doe purchasing contract, to be sure the members of the community understand their responsibilities as we begin this important work together. By June or July, we hope that selected community members will have attended their training. In August, when a group travels to Lazil to visit our partner parish, we hope to see the new goats, possibly with offspring, and the two bucks that were purchased to continue breeding. We also hope to work with our partners to build a goat safety pen, to keep the animals healthy and safe when the weather is very rainy or windy.
If YOU would be interested in joining us on a future Partnership trip to Haiti, and helping with this new goat project, please contact Barbara Murphy or Jen McCracken with any questions. The Parish Partnership Committee will also be applying for a new Diocesan grant for the next year’s cycle. We seek new members interested in strengthening the partnership and helping to develop new grant programs jointly with St. Luc’s Haiti. Please join us if you are interested, and contact Barb Murphy or Jen McCracken if you have questions. Current members of the group include; Rev. Holly Hartman, Emilie Hitron, Winnie Chan, Rev. Lynn Campbell, Jen McCracken, and Barb Murphy.
