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Carroll County Haiti Mission Project
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History
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In 1999, a group of people from the Mt. Carroll United Methodist
Church traveled to Puerto Rico on a mission trip; a year later the group began looking for a follow-up project and decided to focus on Haiti. Through the mission department of an airline the group made connections with residents of Juampas, (pronounced "W&m-p&")*, a rural village. *\&\ as a and u in abut
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Location
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Juampas is located about 40 miles from the Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. Even though it is only
40 miles from the capital, it takes 3-4 hours to reach the village because of the poor condition of the roads. Travel from the airport has been in an open-air, multi-purpose, vintage truck. There is no running water in the village. There are some electric lines, but electric service is unpredictable. There is no telephone or mail service. Missionary teams stay in the home of John and Marlene Olivier.
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The Project
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Because of its location, the people are isolated from basic medical care. The main focus of CCHMP is the construction and eventual staffing of a medical/dental clinic. The walls are being made of handmade cement block and will feature several dental and medical examination rooms, a pharmacy, an educational conference room, a storage area, a registration and waiting area and a shaded porch for additional waiting space. There are no "power" tools in Juampas; everything from mixing mortar to loading and unloading sand and gravel is done manually. The villagers assist with the project and continue working on it after the teams leave as long as money and supplies last. The completed facility will be staffed by a local trained nurse and visiting volunteer medical and dental teams from the U.S.
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Secondary project
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During the October 2001 trip, the missionary team was introduced to a one-room school facility in Loperon, an even more remote village about 4-5 miles from Juampas. Subsequent CCHMP teams have collected and distributed supplies for this school which educates
175 students of all ages. In addition to school supplies, the teams also distribute clothing, personal hygiene items and vitamins to the Loperon students.
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The Teams
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The first team of 12 people traveled to Juampas in March 2001. Other teams followed in October 2001 and February and October 2002. Future plans include sending three teams each year: in February, June and October. Teams are limited to 12 persons and have included all ages of people from 15 to 64. Team members pay their own airfare and travel expenses, Haitian departure tax, immunizations and passports.
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Fund Raising
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Funds for the Juampas project have come from several different sources:
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 | Annual Golf Tournament at Oakville Country Club, Mt. Carroll |
| Annual Dance at Charlie’s II, Mt. Carroll |
| Luncheons before and after each trip, sometimes featuring a slide show |
| Raffles, including 50-50 and golf bag |
| Personal donations + donations from many supporting organizations: Mt. Carroll Rotary Club, Mt. Carroll Lions Club, Carpenters Union Local 780 and the Illinois Sheriffs Association. |
Several people have included CCHMP in their funeral memorials. The group is looking for new fund-raising ideas.
All money raised goes to the project; there are no administrative costs. Prior to a team leaving for Haiti, funds are sent to purchase construction materials, food and potable water.
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Needs
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In addition to monetary donations, the following items are being collected for delivery to Haiti. Donations can be given to any team member.
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General | Work gloves |
| Toothbrushes |
| Toothpaste |
| Hotel size shampoo, conditioner & soap |
| Vitamins |
| Tylenol & Advil |
| T-shirts |
| Watches |
| Basic hand tools |
| Costume jewelry |
| Sugarless gum |
| Table salt |
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Medical Supplies
| Infant & children's Tylenol and ibuprofen |
| Pedialyte |
| Adult extra strength Tylenol and ibuprofen (arthritic medication) |
| Tums |
| Chewable Vitamin C |
| Mylanta/Maalox/ Pepcid AC |
| Infant/children's cold medicine |
| Antibiotic ointment |
| Hydrocortisone ointment |
| Anti-fungal ointment |
| Anti-diarrhea medication |
| Infant and children's vitamins |
| Pre-natal vitamins |
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For More Information
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For more information on CCHMP contact Bill or Teri Timm, Mt. Carroll, 244-2286
e-mail them or contact any of the other team members:
CHICAGO SUBURBAN (Lombard): Anita Crouse
MILLEDGEVILLE: Rod Herrick.
MORRISON: Roger Schipper
MT. CARROLL: Bonnie Colbert, Jerry Cornelius, Alan Crouse, Alissa Crouse, Dan Cunningham, Paul Hitz
e-mail, Larry Libberton, Lauren Libberton, Theresa Miller, Susie Ostrum, Cheri Piper, Tom Sorg, Elizabeth Timm, Mitch Timm and Tony Timm
PEORIA: Matt Timm
SAVANNA: Bill Delp and Josh Delp
SPRINGFIELD: Kathy Seketa-Stefanic
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