August’s “First Sunday” collection will benefit the Raising Haiti Foundation (RHF).  RHF’s mission is to empower the poor in rural Haiti to improve their quality of
life, identifying three components needed to create community sustainability:

• – Grassroots community development, fostering organizational skills and empowering
  communities to determine their own greatest needs.
• – Human resource development through education and local training.
• – Economic opportunities, improving the lives of individual farmers and community members on a gender-equitable basis.

Support from DMIEC will help continue an agro-forestry program in the community of Sarrazin, Haiti. The program empowers farmers to establish a tree nursery. In exchange they earn crop seeds, agricultural hand tools, and training, items critical to the success of smallholder farmers. The program addresses deforestation and climate change while enabling participating farmers to increase their harvests. It results in an average increase of 40% for crop yields and 50-100% increase in household income. The goals for the 2025 agro-forestry program in Sarrazin include:

• – Grow 90,000 trees;
• – Empower 800 farmers to earn crop seeds, agricultural hand tools, and training in improved
  farming techniques;
• – Care for goats in the animal husbandry component of the program.

RHF began funding the Sarrazin program in 2019 with support from generous donors who are no longer able to contribute. Support from DMIEC for this important program would be most appreciated. For more information, visit https://raisinghaiti.org .

CHECKS SHOULD BE PLACED IN THE AUGUST 11th COLLECTION BASKET OR MAILED TO : DMIEC, P.O. Box 30065, Des Moines, IA 50310

Write checks either to “Raising Haiti Foundation”  or to “DMIEC” with “First Sunday” in the memo line.  First Sunday checks must be received by DMIEC by August 20th; if you elect to contribute to the First Sunday recipient after that date, please let DMIEC’s Social Justice Committee Chair Kathy Eastman know the amount to assist in recording our community’s giving. If you have questions about how to donate or would like to donate using the ACH withdrawal feature, please contact Susan Barnes (checks) or Jeanine Freeman (ACH) of the Finance Committee. (Info about ACH is available here.)
Thank you for your support!