HOW WE PROVIDE HOPE THROUGH OUTREACH:
Figi Jezi: Outreach
At Figi Jezi, we strive to make sure that all of God's children feel loved, seen and heard. Our outreach programs prioritize community events and activities that promote a sense of belonging for all. We have a sports program for both children and young adults as well as host many tournaments both on campus and off. Everyone in the community is encouraged to engage in our many activities, events and celebrations throughout the year. Additionally, we find needs throughout the community and fill those needs as God allows. We are constantly working to expand our offerings and ensure that we are meeting the changing needs of our community.
Football/Soccer
The kids and young adults in our Soccer program train with one of Haiti's great soccer players Odens. When we host tournaments, both teams have a meal before games and the winning team receives a prize. When the men play, it's not just fun and games. This is actually an opportunity for many in the community to earn money. The players of the winning team get a payout. The referee's, the announcers and the dj get paid as well. At the events many vendors come out and sell food or goods. It is more than just soccer. It's also a means of revenue generation which helps our community grow. Needless to say, everyone in the community gets excited for a good tournament and our kids and young adults get the sense of being part of a team with something to look forward to.
Community Activities
One of the most beautiful things we experience on a daily basis at the Transformation Center is a community of kids gathering to play. They go to school in the morning and then stop by in their uniforms to tell us they are heading home to change and will be right back. They return ready to play soccer or disc golf or ride their bikes. They take breaks and ask for water and we bring a large bucket and many cups. Then they go right back to playing. Some bring music, some sit under a mango tree and braid hair and all are welcome. It's a community center in its truest sense and more than we could've envisioned for. It's something the kids in this town lacked before- a place to gather, look forward to and enjoy.
Celebrations
Haiti is not short of holidays and celebrations and being that we are "the rock" of our community, we take full advantage of them as a means to bless and minister to our neighbors. We host various major events with hundreds of attendees including the town favorites, our Grand Opening Anniversary in November, Christmas in December and the Children's Day celebration in June. Additionally, we host several smaller scale gatherings such as Haitian Flag Day, Good Friday, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day Ect. All of our celebrations are planned and organized by our Haitian staff, giving them a great sense of purpose. They have coordinated meal planning for 600 at the Grand Opening and marching bands and games for Children's Day as well as raffles and prizes. They have brought countless of smiles upon our towns faces and great joy had by all. Most recently our employees have declared their official hire date, July 22nd, a Figi Jezi holiday that will also be celebrated for many years to come.
Light the Nights
In addition to Sports, activities and celebrations we try to find needs within our community and fill those needs according to God's provisions. In the past we have delivered necessary medical equipment such as glucometers, walkers and wheelchairs, we replaced a broken bridge that the community uses to transport their animals as well as get to the Community Center, and we have also provided needed equipment and tools to local churches, schools and events in the area. Our current project is to bring light to the darkness. Due to the recent time change we have been forced to shut down some of our evening programs early due to the lack of adequate light to safely get home. We are happy to announce that we have started adding streetlights on campus and within our community, enabling our students, participants, employees and community members to navigate safely throughout the evening hours.
Community Outreach
Your contributions enable us to continue doing our current outreach programs as well as plan for future outreach events.
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