In September, after Jacques wired the usual monthly funds for food and supplies for the children’s home, he received a call from Rose, asking him what to do. (She is in charge of purchasing.) She was not able to buy enough food for the month!
Recently Haiti’s currency was artificially adjusted when the national bank flooded the market, putting 150 million US dollars into circulation, and the value of the Gourde per USD dropped like a stone from nearly 120 all the way to 60, making the buying power of the US dollar ONE-HALF its value against the Haitian gourde (with different exchange rates in different places, causing a great deal of unrest of its own)! While this new rate is already unsustainable for Source of Life and other ministry organizations working in Haiti, rumors abound that the exchange rate will continue plunging! The stated goal is to reach a rate of 25 gourde per US dollar.
Though one might initially presume that it would be a good thing for Haitian currency to increase in value, that has not been the outcome to date, and prices of food and supplies in the markets have remained at the same inflated rates as previously! Many are struggling to understand from an economic stand-point how this is happening and where it will end. We honestly are not even trying to understand the “how.” We are simply facing the fact that this is what it “IS.”
At Source of Life Ministries, we have been doing our best to make ends meet. Food and salaries alone account for 60% of our monthly budget. There honestly are not any corners to cut! We can’t stop buying food, and the staff already need to stretch their personal salaries twice as far as what was necessary just two months ago.
Ministry organizations are hoping that the currency situation will stabilize eventually. In the meantime, the funds we normally wire for the month are $4000 short of what is needed in the present market. Our children and staff still need to eat seven days a week, so we are in need of increased funding to sustain Source of Life Ministries through this currency crisis.
When 2020 arrived, so did COVID-19. Many restrictions have been experienced in everyone’s lives. Jacques has not had speaking opportunities at churches this year, and there has been no interaction with possible new donors. Fundraising events have been non-existent in 2020. The end result has been total dependence on the current monthly Source of Life donors.
Thus we are appealing to our online and email friends. Would you ask God what He will enable you to do? Our goal is to receive an additional $12,000 over the next 3 months to cover the shortfall created by the currency crisis.
Both one-time donations and monthly donations will help. If you are already giving on a monthly basis, would you consider whether you are able to increase that amount? Please do not think that any amount is too small. Every $5 donation will help us “weather the storm” and continue providing for the eighteen children and staff members at our safe home! And we promise that we will let everyone know as soon as the currency situation stabilizes and we have a better understanding of the long term effects of Haiti’s economic adjustment!
Ways to give:
✅ Use the donate button on our website at www.sourceoflifeministries.com. The button appears on the top right corner of every page on our website. When you donate through the website, please note “for monthly budget” in the box labeled, “Comment/Project Designation.” After donating, please immediately send a private Facebook message or email shernie386@yahoo.com to tell us 3 things; whether your gift was one-time -or- a recurring pledge, the $AMOUNT of your gift and METHOD (Facebook, Website, or Mail) of your gift. This will make it possible for us to post updates, showing the total pledges to date.
✅ By check or money order to: TSM/Source of Life Ministries, c/o Jacques Merine, Founder, P.O. Box 96, Hanover, PA 17331. Please note “for monthly budget” on the memo line. After donating, please immediately send a private Facebook message or email shernie386@yahoo.com to tell us 3 things; whether your gift was one-time -or- a recurring pledge, the $AMOUNT of your gift and METHOD (Facebook, Website, or Mail) of your gift. This will make it possible for us to post updates, showing the total pledges to date.
✅ Use the donate button attached to our Facebook post. Note: Facebook takes NO fees from these donations. As soon as you give, Facebook will respond to you with a thank-you and a receipt, and we will receive notice of your name and donation amount (unless you mark it “anonymous”); however, SLM will not be able to send a separate donation receipt.
Another important way to help:
We need you to share this post with your friends. When you share this post on your Facebook page, please add a brief message about your love for this ministry. It will also help if you copy and paste our heading and the first several paragraphs of this post on your page.
God bless you for all you do for the children and ministry of Source of Life!