We provided 77 students with scholarships
A big big thank you!!
Education is critically important in the countryside where very few public schools exist. Families recognize the value of education, but for many the cost of tuition is simply out of reach. In partnership with the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Foundation, Two Mules for Haiti awarded seventy-seven (77) scholarships for Haitian students in the 2021-2022 school year. Scholarship awards were
distributed among students in three different Episcopal schools to provide tuition, books, backpacks and, most importantly, hope for a better future. Thanks to all who have supported this critical work! Your contributions are improving the outcomes of many lives in Haiti!
We begin the first phase of the L’Acul WaSH Project.
The women of L’Acul spend a lot of time and energy each day getting “clean” water and carrying it home. In 2021, Two Mules conducted water-quality tests at six springs frequently used by the residents in and around the settlement of Fiervil. Results showed that all six of these commonly used drinking-water sources were contaminated with fecal coliform bacteria making them unsafe for consumption. With the assistance of Lunide Sylne, recent MSPH graduate of the Gillings School of Global Public Health, we have developed a water and sanitation hygiene (WaSH) needs-assessment survey to document baseline conditions and guide the development of appropriate solutions. Two Mules education and communications specialist, Charlie Provins, will be conducting the survey in September and, using the information gathered, will design educational programs to promote WaSH practices. Our year-one objective is to place bio-sand water filters in most homes in Fiervil, with the goal of ensuring lasting improvements in health and dignity among the Haitian families of L’Acul.
We champion humane care for pack animals.
Many remote mountainous settlements in Haiti are inaccessible by road. Villagers must carry everything they need up and everything they can sell down steep footpaths. Sometimes this can mean carrying an invalid needing medical help or heavy cement bags for construction of a school. When members of Two Mules witnessed this, they made providing the area of L’Acul and the village of Molas with mules a priority. So it was that in 2021 two mules named Jo and Henri were purchased to take on some of these burdens. Unfortunately, Jo died this year from unknown causes, but photographs revealed large open sores where heavy loads had rubbed. A replacement, Jo II, has been given to the village, and Two Mules is soon to provide the muleteers of L’Acul with the equipment and knowledge they need to lessen the hardship for their mules. Thanks to the Eno Triangle Pony Club and friends, and to Peggy Duhamel’s brother, saddle blankets, pads and tack have been donated. These important supplies will soon be delivered with in-person guidance in Creole for handlers to understand the proper care and treatment of pack animals.
We launch social media feeds and build our bona fides.
As we continue to build our nonprofit validators, we are proud to announce that we recently received Platinum status for GuideStar and Candid, and we are now registered with Great Nonprofits. We need your help with this one. One of the important metrics on Great Nonprofits is stories told by people who have contributed to, or benefited from, our organization. Please add a story or contact us to learn how to “tell the good news” about Two Mules. Thanks to Kat Lazorko, social media specialist with the Town of Carrboro, for timely consultations! With the help of Kenzie Hoecherl, Henry’s granddaughter, Two Mules is now registered on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Please check us out on these social media platforms
Support Two Mules!
To all our donors we offer our sincere thanks. Your support is greatly appreciated by the families and communities we serve. At the present time, as extreme social unrest in the cities is affecting the livelihood of rural farming families, your support is especially important. If you would like to partner with Two Mules in providing student scholarships, WaSH project support, or improving conditions for working animals, please make a donation here, or contact us at twomulesforhaiti@gmail.com.
Yon gwo mèsi!
Joe, Charlie, Henry and Andre