Noyau

A steep hike, or a very bumpy 4WD ride, leads to the mountain village of Noyau. Strong cheerful Haitian people also haul in gear and supplies, usually on top of their heads. Views of the mountains and streams are spectacular.  When you arrive at the small concrete and stone block church, Noyau's town center of two buildings, you are greeted by a gaggle of friendly, curious children and welcoming adults. If you go for a walk, you'll be going up and down hillsides seeing small huts and homes with small plots of land under cultivation.

The facilities of Noyau are very limited.  The church also serves as the school and town hall. The roof  leaks in heavy rains, and there are some structural cracks in the concrete supporting pillars since the earthquake. There are insufficient benches for either  worship or education.

The Director (mayor), Raphael, and people of Noyau, are incredibly hospitable.  FoH is always welcomed by appreciative friends with open arms.  It would be hard to find such hospitality any where else on the face of the earth, bar none!

Travel Testimonial:
Bellin College partners with Friends of Haiti to send students to Noyau, a village in the mountains outside of Port au Prince. We served around 1,000 Haitians in the few days we were there. The landscape was beautiful and the people were gracious. I met many kind-hearted people, who care immensely about the people they serve. 

As a nursing student at the time, I had never seen anything like it. I learned so much about the importance of community outreach programs. Looking back, I have an even better understanding of how important these trips are for the people of Haiti. These trips are people's lifeline to medical care, medications, and basic supplies for hygiene. Friends of Haiti has a large impact and has been around for so long that they know how to efficiently and effectively serve the Haitian communities during these week-long trips. I still think about how fortunate I am to have experienced a trip like this. Friends of Haiti is an organization I cherish and appreciate.

Allison