Purpose:
Hi, I'm Tegan Edwards. I started this project to raise money for homes in Haiti in April of 2012. So far we have raised enough money for four homes in Haiti. Each of the homes cost $4,800. All of the homes have been built for homeless families in the mountains of Haiti in a village called Calabasse. Often times the family that we build the home for is living in a "home" that is only a "lean-to" wall with a tarp as a roof. The family may consist of eight or more people. The love of Christ is put into action through the building of each of these homes.
About A Door to Hope:
The homes are built through a ministry called Brent Gambrell Ministries - A Door to Hope. A Door to Hope works through the churches in that area to hire brick masons and carpenters. This ministry also organizes trips to Haiti. We go to assist in the building of the houses. We are mainly there to do the "grunt work" and make the Haitians' job quicker. This system allows us to really help the Haitians by supporting their economy by not taking their jobs from them. By working closely with the local church, this allows the pastor to develop a relationship with the families receiving the homes.
About Haiti:
Haiti is located in the Caribbean basin, west of the Dominican and 692 miles from Miami. Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas. Fifty-five percent of the Haitian population live below the poverty line of US $1 a day. Today, a little more than four years after the 2010 earthquake there are still nearly half a million homeless. Lack of food, lack of water and lack of education is a constant struggle for the Haitians.
About me:
Like I've already mentioned my name is Tegan, I am a high school senior. I've had the opportunity to go to Haiti five times in the past few years. After my first trip to Haiti when I was 13 I felt called to help in some way. At first I had no idea what that meant for me or what it would look like. My first three trips to Haiti that first year consisted of building homes, rice feeding and VBS programs. After the third trip I decided to combine two of my passions - Haiti (specifically house building) and photography. Right after my third trip in April of 2012, I started this blog to fundraise for a house in Haiti. This project started off by selling my photography and doing small fundraisers. It's amazing to see how originally my vision was to hopefully raise enough money for one home and yet God's vision was so much more. Within a year we raised enough money for three houses. Now in 2014, I am continuing this project to raise money for more homes. We may not be able to fix everything in such an impoverish country but we can significantly change the lives of many families.
