I am a board member of the 7:10 Foundation, a Christian non-profit organization that is based on Zechariah 7:10 - Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, The alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart Against his brother.'

The needs in Haiti are so great that it is easy to get overwhelmed, but we have tried to focus on one family at a time. So far three houses have been built and one purchased on a lot... four simple but weather proof homes.

My next trip to Haiti will be in June. I researched a practical garden design. Most people in La Digue live without electricity and their water comes from a canal sytem built by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s. Unless they live right along the canal, they get their water one bucket at a time. Fortunetly they don't have to walk more than 15-20 minutes one way, but it still means they are very frugal with their water. When I first mentioned gardens I was discouraged because the locals assumed a garden needs lots of water. I was excited to find keyhole gardens...once it is wetted down, the gray water from the household should maintain it. I plan to build one or two Keyhole gardens for families we have already worked with to continue them on the road to self-sufficiency.