“The most common view held by Americans is that poverty is the absence of things… (But) perhaps the greatest mistake commonly made by those who strive to help the poor is the failure to see the assets and strengths that are always present in people and their communities no matter how poor they are. Seeing their glasses as half full rather than half empty can completely change our approach to helping.” — The Hole in Our Gospel, Richard Stearns, president of World Vision U.S.

What is the Neighbors Project?

The Neighbors Project is Northwest Haiti Christian Mission’s approach to relief and development. The Neighbors Project facilitates church-to-church relationships between North Americans and Haitians.

With the Neighbors Project, we pair American churches with Haitian churches. They work together to serve people in the Haitian community, with the mutual goal of spreading the Gospel — that is, by addressing both spiritual and other needs.

We desire community development projects that are thoughtful, planned, and meeting real needs in Haitian communities. We believe that all ministry must be done in Christ-like love.

Part 1 – Assess the Needs
Short-term teams work closely with NWHCM staff to learn the needs of a Haitian community, using tools like door-to-door surveys.

Part 2 – Create A Plan
NWHCM staff work with North Americans partners and Haitian church leaders to create a ministry plan for a community. If no church is present in the community, one of the first steps of the plan is to plant one.

Part 3 – Implement the Plan
NWHCM staff and volunteers work to implement individual parts of the plan, with goals that may range from clean water projects, to child sponsorship, to agriculture, to church revivals, to medical care.

Part 4 – Evaluate the Plan
As needs change, so must plans. NWHCM staff will reevaluate individual Neighbor Plans and look for ways to improve them as time goes by.