The Sobiere Church was estroyed by the 2010 earthquake. The church has not been replaced. In its place a Community Center has been built to serve as a multipurpose bulding.
Location: Extremely poor rural community – approximately three hours west of the capital Port-Au-Prince. Rural / mountainous area. About 45 min. drive northeast of Miragoane.
Population: Approximately 5,000
Housing: Mostly small 16 x 13ft concrete block structures. 3-11 family members per unit.
Education: 3 local schools (Saint Peter – Catholic, and 1 unknown)
Income: Main source is agriculture (corn, banana, mango, millet, coconut, bread fruit). 2 cottage industries (bamboo: fishing traps & furniture)
Food Source: Small gardens. Some travel to market for rice, fish, etc. Some have chickens, goats, cattle and creole pigs.
Karren Crowson, team leader, reports: It was great to be back in Sobier, March 10-16, 2018. This was the fifth trip sponsored by Monte Sano United Methodist Church. Four of our seven team members were returnees. In 2013, on our initial trip to Sobier we did a wants/needs assessment and have been working with the community over the past five years to help meet some of these needs.
The following is from the March 2018 team report:With the assistance of Pastor Claude Victor we hired a Haitian dentist, Dr. Lolo, to work with the dentist on our team, Dr. Kip Pine. The two provided a three-day dental clinic (Figure 1). Photo by: Richard Weeks
Dr. Pine and Dr. Lolo with patient and translator in SobierWe also provided an in-depth First Aid class for five Sobier residents that lasted three hours per day for three days. The nurse on our team used the book Where There is No Doctor to teach the class (Figure 2). We left the Kreyol version of the book along with first aid supplies and UMCOR birthing kits for the midwife. We also provided a wound clinic every afternoon. Figure 2, Photo: Richard Weeks
Gontran Delgrace, a Haitian agriculturist, is working with our team on a goat project. On this trip we funded and assisted the goat farmers in building three goat shelters. These shelters will provide protection for the goats during the rainy season (Figure 3). We also took part in a meeting in which two of the farmers in the project committed to passing their baby goats to new farmers. Figure 3, Photo: Richard Weeks
We are working with another team from Anniston First UMC on a sewing project. Together our two teams bought four treadle sewing machines and funded the start-up cost for a sewing class taught by a local seamstress (Figure 4). Additionally, both teams have provided several UMCOR sewing kits.
One of the most important activities we did was talk with the community. We revisited many of the wants/needs questions we asked in the 2013 assessment, added some new questions and listened to their concerns. Photo: Richard Weeks
The Dale Clem team, Anniston First UMC, was in Sobier in January 2019 and among other things built three chicken coops and supplied ten chickens each to local farmers to help provide for their food security. Unfortunately disease spread through the are in March 2019 and most of the chickens died within a few days. An assessment is being done as how to proceed from here with small chicken projects at Sobier and elsewhere.
