The National Spiritual Council of Churches of Haiti
Haiti Port-Au-Prince, Haiti

The National Spiritual Council of Churches of Haiti (CONASPEH) is based in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, and gathers more than 5,000 grassroots Haitian churches. Global Ministries has related to Haiti since its beginnings in 1986, and has placed several persons in mission over the years to work with CONASPEH.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with over 80 prcent of its people living in extreme poverty. There has been an incredible increase in mortality rate due to AIDS in recent years, and many people live without access to quality (if any) healthcare. In 2005, CONASPEH assisted in the organization of a Nursing School which serves the poor communities of Haiti, providing training for nurses and nursing aides, who are the principle health workers in the remote villages and rural provinces of the country. The program provides training for those with limited income; currently there is only one other public school of nursing. There are four other private training schools but most prospective students cannot afford the cost.

During the bi-annual Congress of CONASPEH in February 2007, eighteen nurses, including a male student, were part of the first graduation of the Nursing School.

The school in its first period of three years will allow 50 persons between the ages of 15 and 30 to train for nursing; most applicants are female and most are members of CONASPEH churches. In addition to the 50 families that will have newly trained professionals in their midst, the program will provide nurses and nursing aides in remote, under-served parts of rural and urban Haiti within the framework of the work of local congregations and church programs. The central goals of the program are to:

1. Provide medical training for nurses who will serve in regions where there is no access to physicians.
2. Provide a path for support of self and family.
3. Provide medical assistance to help reduce the mortality rate.

The school provides qualified medical personnel in areas of Haiti where often one nurse serves 10,000 people. It also makes the mission of the church clear and alive in these areas.

In order to continue the important work of this project, funds are needed to pay small stipends to ten instructors who will teach by the hour, and three part-time administrative personnel. Additional needs include funding for educational and medical materials, payment to hospitals for the students to do their practicum hours, and funds to provide scholarship support for several of the lowest-income students.