The Village of Hamburg has a connection to one small village in Haiti and the New Birth school in Belot, Haiti. Judith Schaner and her husband Tom are the founders of Peak Partner Missions, a local charity largely supported by natives in Hamburg, but it is making an impact for good on some young lives in Haiti.
Judith says she and her husband have been involved with Haiti for a number of years. Her husband Tom started going in 2012 right after the earthquake. Both retired schoolteachers, they decided to put their skills to use and help at schools in Haiti. A trip in 2018 became the catalyst for Peak Partner Missions. Judith visited a school way up in the mountains and it was the New Birth School. She says she was not prepared for how her heart would be touched.
Pastor Reginald Constant and his wife Sabine run the New Birth school and they say the school faced struggles before they joined forces with Peak Partner Missions. Sabine says they had a lot of trouble in the beginning. Getting teachers proved to be a challenge and many children went the whole day at school without a meal. Judith says it was a perfect match for them because of the educational needs there. Eighty percent of the schools there are funded by NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) and not for profits. There is no system to provide for public education. Sabine says those donations helped them to provide a plate of food everyday to kids, with a meal at school.
Judith says as two retired teachers they didn’t know how they were going to go about this, and they left there with hearts full of ideas and motivation. She says the Hamburg village community wrapped their arms around this and got them off and running. Judith goes on to say they started off with nothing and now they have their own 501C.
Committed to continuing support for this school, Peak Partner Missions has a Hike for Haiti fundraiser. It is a way Western New Yorkers can get involved. Registration is $25 or $75 which is enough for a day’s worth of meals for all 160 students at the school. In return you get maps to twenty hikes all within 20 miles of Buffalo and Gear for Adventure is pitching in and giving everyone who registers to hike a 25% off coupon. Judith says they have great hiking stuff and Gear for Adventure also has a matching grant for $500 for every $500 they raise.
To Hike for Haiti, visit peakpartnermissions.org/hike by clicking here
