Project Living Hope

Youth athletics: the youth of haiti have few options for safe play and few opportunities to grow and learn within positive environments. At the same time, they face many temptations to turn to unhealthy or criminal lifestyles. The plh athletics program and academy provides kids with a safe place to play, a coaching staff that cares about them, and an opportunity to grow in both their sport and their life. The soccer academy serves youth ages seven to sixteen. Our eight coaches, academy head coach, and additional supporting staff provide sports training, encouragement and positive influence, and help to train the youth holistically in sport, faith, and their future. Participation in our soccer academy doubled during 2023 with over 200 players in the fall. We also added basketball in the spring of 2023. The program quickly grew to 70 players including 45 female players. Every day, youth come to participate in sports on the plh campus.

Community development and disaster preparedness: plh continues to partnered with the 16 churches in camp marie, haiti, to provide emergency food relief to families most in need within the community. With the continued support of a church in the states, plh was able to provide $10,000 of food aid which was distributed by the local churches. In 2023, plh also began providing a meal to our athletes on saturdays to address the issue of food insecurity. In december, plh gifted each player's family as well as each of our staff with food supplies to provide for their family. These food boxes included rice, beans, oil, and spaghetti. The plh campus is a place for the community to come to feel encouraged and grow in relationship with one another. In 2023, plh organized a valentine's day gala, a women's day event, and christmas parties for our youth participants and their families. Frequent soccer matches on the campus also build community as parents and community members come to cheer on their players.

Job skills training: courses and virtual workshopsthe plh institute provides classes and workshops for members of the community and the surrounding areas. We offer weekly courses in english language studies and artisan crafts. In 2023, we also offered a virtual course in personal finance taught by a volunteer in the states. This 7-week course teaches life-changing money management skills of budgeting, saving, and goal planning.plh provides scholarship and training opportunities to selected members of the community and hires these trainees and other professionals from the area to work on construction projects on the campus. In 2023, plh supported two young men in auto mechanics school and two others in electrician school in port-au-prince.