This year we will be supporting a girls’ school in Haiti with a lump sum of 5000 euros.   The rest of the money received from parishioners will go towards the establishment of a project of tree plantation in Peru.

 1.                Planting of ‘TARA’ trees in the commune of Santa Rosa de Huaysuy, 10 km  from Huanta, Peru.

The ‘tara’ tree is endemic to Peru.  Its ‘fruits’/ beans, which can be made into flour,are much in demand by tanneries and by the pharmaceutical and chemical sector.  The grains can be used, among other things, for making paints and lacquers.  So tara is therefore a much sought-after product.  Only 20% of Peruvian farmers grow it. Most people look for the ‘beans’ in the woods and sell them in small quantities at the local maket.

The project which we are supporting consists in planting on 28.25 hectares not less than 30, 764 shoots of tara.  But because of the dry season in that part of Peru, it will  be necessary to invest in an irrigation system – and that costs money.

60% of the inhabitations of the village will receive instruction on the project and will be accompanied.

Because the project squares with the laws which concern the development of the country, only half of the money needed will have to come from foreign sources.

The entire project, over 15 years, will cost more or less 95,000 euro, of which a half (50,000 euro) will be provided from outside.

After five years the harvest could be 10kg for each tree, ie.a capacity of 50%.  After 8 years the capacity or yield will be full.  The first 3 years there are hardly any fruits.  Up to now this posed a problem as regards credit.  The banks didn’t want to agree to repayment during the first three years.  In our project the villagers don’t have to pay back during these first three years.

Many families will be able to improve their standard of living appreciably.

There will also be a reforestation of the region and other kinds of things can be cultivated uncer the ‘tara’ trees which are 5 or 6 metres in height, for example fruit threes of 2 to 3 metres and below, on the ground, kitchen vegetables. 

The Redemptorists have been active for a century in this region.  In July 2010 Pere Rall visited his confreres in Huanta, where the Redemptorists have already built a church, a school and an orphanage. 

2    Project 2.     Marie Consolatrice, Port-de-Paix, Haiti

This school, run by the ‘Servantes Lasaliennes de Jesus’, is twinned with a school  of the same name in Esch/Alzette.  It was not damaged in the earthquake of January 2010.

There is drinking water, but there’s a great need of school books, teaching materials and money to pay the teachers salaries.  Many of the girls come a considerable distance to school on foot.  After the earthquake a cholera epidemic devastated the country.   In short, the situation is chaotic and our help is absolutely necessary.

Because of the political instability in Haiti (and the widespread corruption),  coordination is not possible and humanitarian aid from around the world does not have much effect.  However, direct help is possible because of the contacts maintained by the two twinned schools.  Every euro we  give will go directly and immediately to the educational programmes and the support of the  young girls. 

You can subscribe, mentioning  CAREME 2011, PEROU, HAITI  to the following accounts of the European parish:

CCPL IBAN LU 67 1111 0283 7652 0000

or

BCEE IBAN LU 16 0019 1000 4800 4000