The earthquake that struck Haiti January 12, 2010 was devastating to nearly 4 million people. Many of those killed were children who were in schools at the time of the quake. Overnight, 1.5 million people became homeless. Today, several years later, many thousands still live in tent cities, without clean water, electricity or sanitary toilet facilities. Open sewage is the norm in these places, and cholera outbreaks are regular, with mainly young children dying as a result.

Mark Sutton Ministries is committed to helping construct housing for as many people as possible in Haiti. MSM has partnered with “Rebuild Haiti,” a Baptist effort to make a difference in the lives of the Haitian populace. Interestingly, this effort has become a wonderful evangelism tool, as people see the love of Christ being brought to their neighborhoods by Christians willing to give of their time and money.

Some facts about building these low-cost houses:

• All material is now bought in Haiti, helping the economy;
• Haitian labor is used in the construction, again helping the economy;
• If Americans want to help, they volunteer by doing the clearing of the site and getting it ready for construction (when Haitians see this, they become greatly impressed that “someone so rich” (which is how they see Americans) would come and do this for them; it becomes a great outreach tool and many have come to know Christ as a result!);
• $2,500 will build a house;
• The house can be built in about 2 weeks;
• Every dollar you give toward this project goes directly to Haiti. There is no “overhead” of salaries for Americans;
• All of this is done “in the name of Jesus,” with the plan of salvation accompanying the work.