Farmers in western Haiti are now preparing for harvest thanks to a Samaritan’s Purse seed distribution after Hurricane Matthew.
Haitian farmer Aladin Fritz thought he wouldn’t be able to recover from the blow that Hurricane Matthew dealt his crops. His livelihood was tied to the banana, corn, rice, and bean plants destroyed by the Category 4 storm last October. In addition, the fierce winds damaged the irrigation system in his fields.
Aladin is thankful to God for Samaritan’s Purse.
“It was impossible to plant again,” Aladin said. “People were really hungry. We didn’t know what to do.”
In November, Samaritan’s Purse distributed more than 15,000 pounds of locally procured black bean seeds to 500 households affected by Hurricane Matthew in the Sud district of western Haiti.
Pastors, community leaders, and local officials helped identify area families most needing agricultural assistance, such as single mothers and widowed heads of household, and families with young children.
The seeds were distributed to families who had relied on crops destroyed by Hurricane Matthew as their primary means of income. Each household received more than 30 pounds of black bean seeds.
For Aladin, this has meant that fields left barren by the hurricane are again nearing harvest.
Black bean seeds planted in November are yielding crops.
“The fields are really green, and it’s totally different compared to what it was after the hurricane,” he said.
Aladin, a believer in Jesus Christ, thanked God for sending Samaritan’s Purse to help.
“I’m grateful and happy that Samaritan’s Purse provided us food, and seeds to plant again,” he said. “It was a blessing.”
Bringing Relief to Haiti
Samaritan’s Purse has distributed food to nearly 45,000 households impacted by Hurricane Matthew, as well as assisted in restoring clean water to communities in the Sud and Grand’Anse districts.
In the storm’s immediate aftermath, Samaritan’s Purse conducted a series of eight airlifts to Haiti that included more than 8,000 blankets, 8,000 hygiene kits, 31,756 shelter tarps, and 11,375 water filtration systems.
Additionally, medical teams addressed a cholera outbreak that threatened communities from Les Cayes westward. Samaritan’s Purse has also distributed 1,300 sheets of metal to 14 churches in the Sud and Grand’Anse districts to help repair damaged church buildings.
Please pray for our staff as they serve and share the Gospel among the people of Haiti. Pray that as Samaritan’s Purse staff bring physical relief, they also bring the Good News of Jesus Christ.
