nextstep | Fond Blanc Foundation

February 2021 Newsletter

February 17, 2021 / Comments Off

February 2021 Newsletter

In a time when life in the US is complicated and uncertain, with COVID continuing to brace our nation and the politics of today making things additionally more difficult, it is hard to imagine how we can continue to properly support these beautiful children and this ministry in another “complicated” country. With circumstances, both in the US and Haiti, preventing us from visiting this place that we adore so much, you’d think that we might be struggling to maintain running this ministry.

Truth be told, our Haitian partners are incredibly resilient, enduring, and steadfast in their approach to caring for these children. The school is running with great success; the long awaited and anticipated farming project is well underway, and most importantly the children in Fond Blanc are happy and healthy.

The school has been fully operational this entire year, serving a smaller number than usual, as some parents have elected to hold their kids out of school with the pandemic on their minds. However, the kids that are attending school are thriving, and the teachers are happy to continue to have employment. We are still serving Pre-K through grade 11, with 7 or our kids heading down to Cazale to finish out their high school education. We should see those 7 students graduating within the next couple of years, which is a HUGE success story for them!

As you might know, we had to cancel all in-person fundraising this last year, but that didn’t prevent so many of you from showing up financially to keep this school operating. Your trust in this ministry and our partners in Haiti has been more than we could have anticipated or asked for. Our “Vision Rally on the Runway” fundraiser allowed us to raise just enough money to operate the school for this entire year, so THANK YOU! God is good, indeed.

The beginning of our newly constructed fence, which will allow for our continued growth of our sustainability efforts.

The beginning of our newly constructed fence, which will allow for our continued growth of our sustainability efforts.
We are eager for the start of our much anticipated farming project on the 2½ hectares just down the road has a fence around it and is being cleared and prepared with the hope of a fall planting season. Isaac, our foundation’s agronomist, has done such a beautiful job in planning, preparing and cultivating this project and our team feels blessed with him at the helm.

Our Haitian partners shared this video update of our farming project.

Although we’re confident in the progress of what is being done in this beautiful village of Fond Blanc, it is not lost on me that life in Haiti continues to be a struggle with ongoing instability, violence and political conflict as their cycle of darkness continues. “My Life Speaks”, another non-profit ministry operating in Haiti describes the continued oppression like this: https://www.mylifespeaks.com/post/prayers-for-peace-more-politically-motivated-violent-protests-in-haiti-s-streets.

Hopefully, with faith in all things good, we will soon be back to visiting Haiti and fundraising for this ministry. Then we will be able to fulfill our promise of opening that second school where the kids in Fond Blanc can finish their high school years locally, as well as offering a triage medical clinic and trade training on the same site as our new farm.

I long for the day to return when we can be back in person to our beloved Fond Blanc and am hopeful that the time shall be soon. For now I rest easy on Galatians 6:9

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

With great love and appreciation,
Bondye Beni Ou ~

Tia Bunz

Executive Director

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September 2020 Newsletter

September 24, 2020 / Comments Off

September 2020 Newsletter

Resilience is a bold word when describing something: the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. Many of us would be honored to be described as resilient. And Haiti is just that; resilient. As a country, they have battled earthquakes, political instability, hurricanes, major poverty, and all different types of epidemics. And every time, they bounce back stronger, and more proud, as a country. These past 9 months have been no different.

Changes and difficulties have been plentiful during this season of change. Toilet paper shortages, food shortages, loss of income, we have all felt the sting of this pandemic. And Haiti too, is facing the challenges this pandemic brings. As we explained to all of you in June, these difficulties are particularly impactful on our Fond Blanc Community. Not only have we been feeling the effects of the food shortages, we’ve been feeling the effects of the poverty-level rising, the increases in costs of gas and oil, and the difficulties of getting our hands on basic supplies. It has been a competition for resources.

Thankfully, our Haitian partners have been true champions in this time. Waking up extra early to be some of the first people at the markets, being extra resourceful in coming up with alternates to our regularly planned meals, as well as being extra generous, allowing surrounding community members to hitch a ride into town with them in our communities pick-up truck, because this time has been difficult for everyone. For them, we are so grateful.

As of late, we’ve had a few additional reasons to be extra grateful in this season. When we reached out to all of you in June regarding these new difficulties we have been facing, we had a handful of groups with some serious will power & can-do attitude reach back and say “no problem! We will help.” Groups out of Indiana, Colorado, Ontario, Wisconsin and a few others stepped up to the plate in a major way. They all opted to participate in our Future of Fond Blanc – Donate Once, Give Twice Campaign: a give back fundraiser supporting both local communities & our community in Fond Blanc. In participating in this fundraiser, these groups were able to raise over $20,000! What a lot of people don’t know is how exactly this money is going to change the course of this ministry for these children.

(Check out these picture from one of our wonderful partner team’s local project helping to paint a porch & planters, and re-roof and paint a shed. Thank you for all your support for Fond Blanc & your local community! Bondye beni ou!)

This $20,000 is being allocated for our new farming project. As many of you remember, we brought our friend Isaac on in 2016 as an agronomist, to help us initiate our Chicken Dinner Operation. When we talked with Isaac about the difficulties we were facing in relation to this pandemic, he developed just the right solution. Isaac proposed a farming operation on the grounds, next to what we already have established with the foundation. This 5 acre land (see photo below) across the road from the orphanage will be turned into a full scale farm, overseen by Isaac, but run by our children. Using our very own chicken manure as fertilizer, Isaac proposes we will be able to grow fruits and vegetables such as peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and watermelons. This opportunity allows us not only to have fresh produce for the children and surrounding community, but teach the valuable skills of farming to our kids, in a hands-on setting. The hope is that with this home-grown produce, we can again become more self-sufficient while building a foundation.

We are so thankful for all of you that chose to get involved in this fundraiser, along with all of you who continue to be involved in lifting this ministry up. You all are the greatest blessing.

Bondye Beni Ou!

Olivia Bunz
Fond Blanc Foundation Board Member

Help make a difference. Dontae Now!

Future of Fond Blanc Campaign: Donate Once, Give Twice

August 13, 2020 / Comments Off

Future of Fond Blanc Campaign:
Donate Once, Give Twice

Greetings and Happy Summer!

As the days warm up here in Wisconsin, it reminds me of Haiti. With the snow gone, it is easier to envision our other home in Fond Blanc and the warmth from both the tropical climate, as well as the warmth from the love of the children and staff there. In August it will be a year since we have been able to travel down to Haiti, due to a combination of civil unrest and COVID19 and it has an impact on all of us! We miss the children, their joyful laughter, their praying, and all of their love. Mostly we miss being a part of their world on a daily basis and watching them grow and thrive.

Although we have been limited in getting down there, we have not let our passion for the children of Fond Blanc to be deterred throughout this. We continue to be committed to our mission, committed to our goals, and continue to want to support community sustainability, education and see them continue to thrive.

As we watch our own communities in the US struggle with our own civil unrest, as well as the uncertainty and financial impact of COVID19, it makes it hard to come to all of you with another “ask”. This community, all of YOU have shown up time and time again over the years: to start and run a school, to provide structure and support for the orphanage, to start a chicken farm and even to build a road! So many times, we have asked and each time you have responded resoundingly. Your overwhelming love and support has been what has kept this ministry moving forward. So once again, THANK YOU!!

Right now in Haiti, in addition to continued government and civil unrest and dealing with COVID, they are suffering greatly from a food crisis. Without NGO’s and mission teams traveling to Haiti, as well as flights not getting into the country, they are seeing food costs at quadruple the rate as last year. This is a huge problem for a country already dealing with so much.

Here at the foundation, we are committed to not solving the problem for them, but to walk alongside them and help support them with a sustainable option. Years ago when we asked all of you to help us provide a much-needed source of protein for the children’s diet, you responded by helping us to raise money so they could build a chicken operation. This has been such a success story and has been amazing in so many different ways. We were able to hire an agronomist, Isaac Lissage, who not only manages the whole operation, but also teaches all of the children about raising their own food. He is passionate, knowledgeable, and dedicated to creating a sustainable world for them, as well as teaching the children everything they need to become tomorrow’s farmers.

With the success of Isaac’s initial agriculture revival in Fond Blanc, we looked to him once more to ask how we could help him with the current food crisis. Within days, I had in my hands a proposal for a second phase to his revival movement and detailed project information on creating an entire farming operation. Pastor Jean Claude was able to purchase around 5 acres (2.02 hectares) of land across the road from the orphanage and school and he dedicated 1 hectare of that land to the new farm operation. The remainder of that land will be used for a second school in the future.

This farming project will not only have potential to grow many different types of vegetables and fruits, it will be fertilized by the chicken manure and we will be able to use the river as a water source. Most importantly, it will engage the students in school in agronomy classes! It is an exciting and important project for Fond Blanc.

Once again, we are reaching out to all of you to help us fund this way to address food stability in Haiti. We have partnered with Next Step Ministry and are asking our friends and churches to help with our FUTURE OF FOND BLANC – DONATE ONCE, GIVE TWICE campaign. This campaign will specifically focus on giving back to our local communities, allowing people to get “sponsored” for their time volunteering locally (we are suggesting food pantries, however any volunteering works!). The money donated to the Fond Blanc Foundation will then be used to help fund this new farming endeavor. It’s a win win!! Our communities win and the people of Fond Blanc win.

Watch this video to learn more about the Future of Fond Blanc- Donate Once, Give Twice Campaign

If you would like more information on how you or your church group can get involved in the Future of Fond Blanc:Donate Once, Give Twice campaign, click the link below. We would love to have you along for this challenge together!

Let’s do this! How can I get involved?

I am so honored to be a part of this ministry, the people we serve and the people that support it. It is truly what it means to be the hands and feet of God.

Bondye Beni Ou!

Tia Bunz
Executive Director

From Project to Foundation

December 8, 2014 / Comments Off

Two summers ago when the idea for the Fond Blanc Project first came to be it was two people sitting on a patio at Panera.

Andrew and I had both been to Haiti with our work at Next Step. We were both passionate about the children. And we both had concerns about what they were lacking. When Andrew heard about my nonchalant comment to a friend about moving to Haiti, he asked me to sit down and talk.

For the time being, it was a project. It was neither of our full time jobs but something we knew worth dedicating our time to. I don’t think either of us really understood what would come of this side project.

With me in the process of moving to Haiti, Andy trying to manage everything stateside, and hundreds of missionary visitors gaining a similar passion for these children, we realized, we had much more on our hands than a little project. We were building a ministry.

And with perfect timing came Tia Bunz. Tia is a youth minister who had taken her High School students down to Fond Blanc in 2013 and fallen in love herself with the community. She came home passionate and on fire with a brand new perspective on life. It just so happened (or maybe the Lord planned it this way) that Tia lived in Madison, Wi, right around the corner from Next Step.

The moment we asked if she might be interested in “getting together to chat about Fond Blanc” she was on board. She came with a list of ideas, concerns, hopes, and dreams. And she hasn’t stopped putting them into action. She now officially serves as our Executive Director, though that’s a role she’s been filling for quite some time.

Soon after the addition of Tia came the addition of an official Board of Trustees, all people who had been to Haiti, or had been so moved by someone else’s story of Haiti that their passion matched ours. Each person who sits on our board has a unique story of how they got there and how they met these 54 crazy children.

Every person who sits on this board also has dreams and hopes for these children that extend further than soap and toothpaste. While these tangible needs are easy to fill and exciting to create (like child sponsorships) the heart of everyone who sits around our table is to see these children thrive. While a sponsorship program may fill some immediate needs, it’s also pouring into our long term goals. Goals like community development outside the walls of this orphanage, scholarship and education goals, a new school, and so many ideas we haven’t even told you about yet.

With such a long-term vision cast, we ditched the word project. Project implies an end date. It has a temporary feel and our efforts are much more than a quick fix. We desire to partner with our Haitian friends here to build a foundation on which they can stand for years to come. A foundation that will last even if every American leaves.

When I think about launching the Child Sponsorship program, our new website, and this overall concept of a Foundation, my heart becomes overwhelmed. I think back to the sleepless nights when all I could talk to God about was Haiti and Nixon and what I supposed to do next. So much has happened in these two years. From lunches at Panera, to dinners at people’s homes, to conferences calls from Haiti it’s amazing to see how God has weaved it all together. I cannot imagine what is to come.

If I were you, I’d stick around to find out.

2015 – A Year of Process and Provision

December 5, 2014 / Comments Off

Over the past four years serving at the Fond Blanc orphanage, daily life has often seemed like an ongoing exercise in triage. That is to say, all luxuries and even some basic necessities have gone lacking as volunteers have struggled to stretch insufficient resources over only the most important priorities of elemental survival.

In those days, we just accepted that life in Haiti and at the orphanage was like that, but I am glad to say that does not describe the routine there today. Today, the rhythms of daily life are less extreme and less frantic, and we feel like we are on the cusp of momentous improvements in the quality of life at the orphanage.

Even so, we still encounter unexpected gaps in the basic needs of the children. For example, just the other day several of the children were bathing without soap. The soap had run out two days earlier and had not yet been resupplied, either because there was no money for soap or because no one had made the trip to get more. This example highlights a major theme for the Fond Blanc Foundation in 2015: A Year of Process and Provision.

Maintaining good processes means not running out of things like soap unexpectedly. Thanks to the daily stability the orphanage now enjoys as a result of all the wonderful work done to date, our staff has begun to turn their attention to setting up procedures that will ensure no more such “gaps”. We are putting into place an operating plan, which should account for all needs, big and small, and sets up a procurement process for all such items. By modeling such procedures and organization, we provide opportunities for the Haitian caregivers to learn best practices of good stewardship.

If all this introduction of processes seems a bit imposing or heavy-handed, please remember two things. First, modeling successful resource management practices merely allows our Haitian friends to learn better techniques, and is just another way of helping them to help themselves. Second, the whole idea of extra supplies is a new and welcome development for people who have had to live hand-to-mouth for so long.

This is where Provision meets Process. Our resource management can only be as good as the funding provided by our supporters. The more predictable our funding, the more confidently we can lay out funds for supplies. But before we really asked for commitments to help, we wanted to be sure we had a solid grasp of all expenses and a good process for managing all the needs at the orphanage. Now, we can say that we do.

Our Provision goal for 2015 is to secure advance funding and pledges in an amount that will allow us to confidently budget for the full year’s needs. We have been busy documenting and accounting for all the operational costs at the orphanage, and we are now able to present a complete and reliable picture of what those financial needs are for the next year and how a donation can specifically effect change. In other words, donors can be confident that their funds will finish the job successfully.

So we are excited to invite everyone to join us in partnership, serving the Fond Blanc orphans through Process and Provision in 2015. Between our new procedures that smooth out the rhythms of daily life, and your provision of necessary resources, we can make that happen together. Please visit our website to review the many ways your contribution can make a specific difference or contact us directly to ask questions.