Job Creation Update

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I realized recently that we have not updated you on the All Things New job creation efforts lately.  I know with all of the chaos and unrest in Haiti that you may be thinking we have taken a break from some of these initiatives, but that could not be further from the truth.  In fact, here are some things that have been happening in terms of job creation recently:

• All 6 of our new computer coders will begin their training at the end of July and our first student should be finishing sometime in August.  This is huge because we will then begin to gauge the success and potential of the program.
• Our solar charging stations have been successful in their initial run and we have enough data to begin looking at and fixing the issues.  The biggest issue seems to be storing the chargers and solar panels in a way that they last longer than a year so that fixed costs can be kept low.
• One of our kids, Apolon, has an idea to create a job for himself and it is really smart.  Our kids have been playing Xbox at our house for the last year or so and they really enjoy it.  Apolon’s idea is to take the idea that teenagers love playing the Xbox and monetize it.  He wants to fix one of our old televisions (which he probably can do), use a spare Xbox that someone has recently donated, and purchase some type of portable electricity.  He then wants to charge kids a small fee to hang out and play Xbox together.  There are some logistical issues to work out, but the truth is that this is a good idea.  Just like in America, kids this age figure out ways to spend money on things that they want.

There are some other things that we are working on as well, but my purpose in this blog is to assure you that this is still on our radar and is still something that we are pushing.  The truth remains that, in a country where true un/underemployment is probably in the 80% range, that you cannot accomplish any lasting change without trying to fix this issue.  Here are some things that I have noticed:

• Micro loans are very popular in 3rd world countries, but can a $300 investment and a week long business seminar change someone’s life?  Maybe.  In my experience, micro loans can generally take someone from devastating poverty to slightly less devastating poverty and that is now what I want for our kids.
• When an economy is in the shape that Haiti’s is in, looking outside of the country has to be an option, and with corruption and difficult shipping practices, physical goods are more of a hassle than a solution.  Computer coding and front end web development has the potential to both allow Haitians to reach a foreign market (even “markets” with access to Canada and France a possibility as well) while at the same time by-passing shipping difficulties.
• While the economy is difficult to work within, Haitians must try.  For that reason we are also trying in-country job creation programs like solar charging, Apolon’s idea, and a few others that are still in the planning stages.

The bottom line is that, and thanks to a couple of our supporters who have donated 6 brand new computers; a few used computers; and paid for the training program for us, we are still pressing forward in what I believe to be the future of All Things New if we are going to truly take care of our kids…Job Creation.

We will definitely continue to update you on the progress, but please specifically be in prayer for our computer coding program.  Mackenson should be finishing up soon and at that point we will start pursuing jobs for him both in the creation and maintenance of websites.  We have put some work into this and we believe it could be a life changing idea, but we need your prayers!  If you know of a church or company who may be interested in hiring our guys for this type of work let me know.