Mission of Hope started as a modest enterprise on an unproductive plot of land in Haiti, but it has since evolved into a multinational organization that collaborates with indigenous churches to spread the gospel and improve the lives of people in their neighborhoods.
Mission of Hope conducts medical and non-medical mission trips to Haiti and Dominican Republic. It was founded in 1998 by Brad and Vanessa Johnson.
Alisha Lowans, Mission of Hope vice president of communications and marketing, told Globe Banner that it exists to meet a need in the troubled island nation.
“Mission of Hope has over 400 Haitian staff members in Haiti who lead the ministry with dedication, courage, and excellence,” Lowans said. “Empowering local leaders is a core value of Mission of Hope, and we’ve seen the ownership from our Haitian team elevate as political tensions have escalated over the past several years. It is Haitians serving Haitians.”
“They know the needs of their people,” she said. “They know the ingenuity, resilience and resourcefulness of the people of Haiti. They know the daily challenges, and they know the names of the people in their communities who need help.”
Lowans said the work requires long days and, often, nights.
“Many nights, our Haitian staff members are out making critical deliveries of food, supplies, and even medicines to get those into the hands of those who need them most,” she said. “Many families they serve had to flee the place they’d called home and go into remote areas because of the gang violence, leaving with only the clothes on their backs. Their homes have since been ravaged by gangs and their belongings are long gone. They do not know where their next meal will come from."
“Our staff in Haiti are courageous, bold, and determined to not let hopelessness have the final word,” Lowans said. “They are heroes in the way they lead, sacrifice, and go the extra mile to serve those they are able. The challenges range from blocked roads, violent gangs and limited resources.”
Brad Johnson, who serves as president of Mission of Hope, issued an urgent update to its supporters on the organization’s website.
“We’ve shared about unrest in Haiti over the past several years, but it’s time we have a raw conversation about what’s been taking place. In short, it’s devastating and dark,” he wrote. “Our hearts are broken by the atrocities taking place. While we are an organization that focuses on hope, right now, our friends in Haiti feel hopeless. The silence is deafening. We can, and we must, do something.”
Johnson noted the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021, the thousands of people shot at, kidnapped and forced to abandon the only place they have known as home, and also the rapes of multiple women. Husbands are forced to watch as their wives are attacked, assaulted and killed, some by beheading. Then, they are slain.
All these atrocities have been met with silence, Johnson wrote.
Children are crying and dying from hunger, young men, forgotten and forsaken by past generations, are given guns, not education. Businesses, non-government organizations and churches are forced to close.
Families flee to neighboring countries, not because they want to, but because they have lost hope, he wrote.
“The first country in the world to free itself from slavery is now enslaved once again to the silence from the outside world as gangs mercilessly take over entire villages,” Johnson wrote. “We must give a voice to the 11 million people living in Haiti who feel like their voice is not heard, 7 million who do not know where their next meal will come from."
Johnson urged people to contact their congressional representatives, demanding intervention for the people of Haiti.
“Together, our voices will be used to speak up for our neighbors and friends in Haiti,” he wrote.
Lowans shared quotes from staff members about why they do this vital work.
“We are not going to stop. We have hope. God is going to give us direction in whatever the situation is,” one Haitian staff member said. “We will not stop. We are going to continue to serve the people who are in need.”
Another echoed that sentiment.
"In the middle of the situation, God gave the parents the strength to believe in education,” the staffer said. “Even though they didn’t know what might happen, they stayed in the area despite all of their fears because they continued to believe in the value of education."
Lowans said the dedication of these workers inspires others working for Mission of Hope to continue on and strive to make a real difference.
“Primarily, we want to honor the noble work underway to help those so in need of a helping hand,” she said.