This is an edited article that was submitted by Osceola Big Chief FFA.
“Juniors from Clarke High School Jake Manternach, son of Kent and Jan Manternach along with Kooper Brimm, son of Sam and Sue Brimm traveled to Les Cayes, Haiti in July.
This was a return trip for Brimm and his mom Sue, but was a first time voyage for Manternach.
Both of these young men are so busy with their regular schedules of working, sports, family, and both hold offices in the Osceola Big Chief FFA, but this trip was something that both knew they wanted to do.
Kooper has passion for the country and for the beautiful young girl at the Consolation Center Orphanage is something he cannot deny; Jake knew he wanted to experience another culture and make a difference in the lives of others.
This has been a life-changing experience for both of these young men. And this trip would not have been possible had they both not been involved in FFA.
This trip is called FFA to Haiti. The trip lasted 10 days, began on July 20 and was organized by the Sioux Central FFA of Sioux Rapids.
It was also a joint venture with Global Compassion Network. The group was made up of eight FFA members, as well as adult sponsors.
The selection process started in February, involved an application process and recommendation from Brandi Boyd, the FFA advisor, and each of the applicants had to write three essays. Jake and Kooper both were responsible to raise the entire amount of $1,800. Both boys received donations from family, friends and their local FFA chapter.
While in Haiti the group stayed in the town of Torbek, which is next to the larger town of Les Cayes, on the south coast of Haiti. They stayed in a home which is owned by Global Compassion Network and is occupied by the Les DeRoss family. DeRoss is a mission doing work in Haiti. The group lived on the second floor of the house which contained 6 sets of bunk beds in 2 rooms, a kitchen and a living area. There was no air conditioning in the house, and the electricity was provided by solar panels that worked some of the time. If there was no sunshine, there was limited electricity.
The group did many activities while in Haiti. The first was to meet 55 girls and spend time at the Consolation Center Orphanage.
The orphanage survives on donations, also includes a school, clinic, community center and they are currently adding more buildings. The girls usually have three meals per day. While at the orphanage, the group played with the girls and helped on other projects, which included working on ventilation in a roof, rat proofing the kitchen and loading the vehicle to head out to their next adventure.
The next few days were spent at Camp Perrin, where the group built four Sukup safety homes from the ground up.
When they arrived there were piles of rock where the homes were to be built. It was their responsibility to level the rocks and start and finish the building project.
The grain bin homes resemble a small grain bin from the outside, but are improved, double insulated and the floors are concrete. The homes also have a top that resembles a cheese grater. This helps with the process of cooling off the home.
The last three days of the trip were spent at the James Village, which is an orphanage that takes care of babies and elderly-widowed women.
At the time, there were five babies in the James Village. One of the sad things that the group witnessed was that one of the little boys was HIV positive.
After returning home from the trip, everyone got a text stating the little boy who was HIV positive died.
The group also helped remove the old piping from a hand water pump and installed an electrical pump that worked off solar panels. Jake and Kooper both felt that making this happen for the village was going to help their way of life greatly.
During the trip, the group was also able to witness the agriculture side of Haiti. They saw rice, corn, Congo beans and many flowers. The soil in Haiti is depleted of nutrients and crops are usually in poor condition. This does not stop the Haitians from continuing to plant, work the land and try to make things better for their people and their country
This was life changing for both of these young men and something they will never forget.
Haiti is a country that has an unemployment rate of 80 percent and is one of the most poverty stricken countries in the world.
The boys truly hope and pray that they can make a return trip next summer. They both want to continue to make a difference even if it is small. Haiti is something that is “in our hearts forever.’”