OSP IHM Haiti Outreach Committee
(L to R front) Sarah Nash, Anne Murphy, IHM, Cathy Nally, IHM, Mary McGarrity, IHM, Avila Avila, OSP, Paula Jameson, IHM, Sharon Young, OSP, Jane Gaughan, IHM, Mary Elizabeth Muir, IHM, Camille Brouillard, IHM,
Eileen Coleman, IHM

Anne Murphy IHM, visiting with Haiti Outreach Mission, checks a woman’s blood pressure at the St. Pierre Clinic in Mirebalais.

Committee members meet in Monroe, Michigan.

Sr. Jane Gaughan and Haitian children.

We, the Oblate Sisters of Providence and the IHM Sisters, impelled by the Gospel, stand in solidarity with the people of Haiti, the poorest nation in the Americas, in their struggle for dignity, life and human rights both in Haiti and the United States.

About the Project
The TRI-IHM Haiti Outreach Project was launched in 1993 when the Tri-IHM Governing Board approved the above statement. In 1995, the three IHM Communities began a common project of financial support for the Little Sisters of St. Therese in Haiti to assist with the their ministries in education, health care, food, and sustainable developments projects.

In 2006, Representatives from each of the three IHM congregations and the Oblate Sisters of Providence met to convene a new iteration of a common Haiti project. At the gathering, the committee members listened to each other with awe at the many other ways each congregation had already been involved with the Haitian people (in addition to support for the Little Sisters of St. Therese) dating back to 1959. Past ministries of support for the Haitian people included:

	Twinning of schools in Miami and Haiti
	Taking seminarians to Hait
	Traveling to Haiti on human rights and elections monitoring delegations with Pax Christi
	Investing in Fonkoze
	Teaching Haitian children living in New York
	Working in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean
	Fundraising through grant writing and “Pennies for Progress, Change for Change in Haiti” collections
	Supporting projects of Partners in Progress in Fondwa
	Experiencing the lives of the Haitian people first hand through individual travels

The committee’s common desire is to widen and connect the circles of involvement of sisters, associates/companions, families, co-workers, church members, and school children with the people of Haiti.

The passion of the committee members and the commitment of each of the congregations will surely enrich the expansion of this circle of support for the Haitian people

Action Plan

	Continue a partnership with the Little Sisters of St. Therese of the Child Jesus in Haiti
	Educate our Sisters about the needs of Haiti
	Communicate opportunities for advocacy for Haiti
	Encourage participation in projects for Haiti

Project Subcommittees

	Little Sisters of St. Therese Maintain communication with the Little Sisters, explore the works and needs of their congregation, and support the promotion of their educational opportunities.
	Communications and Education Alert OSP and IHM members to current issues in Haiti and to projects with which we are are associated.
	Other Projects Compile the history of our OSP/IHM involvement with the people of Haiti and create a packet of information as a resource for each congregation to use in educating others and themselves.

Helping the Haiti Outreach Project