Helping Haitians Help Haitians

Diocese of Norwich Outreach Center Capital Campaign

Tune back in for periodic updates! 

Why a new Outreach Center?

Since the earthquake of 2010 destroyed our facilities, we have been operating from temporary facilities in 2 separate locations. We are now in a position to rebuild in a single location. This investment will allow us to:

  • Consolidate our Education, Medical and Nutrition, Parish Twinning, Hospitality programs and administrative functions
  • Reduce annual costs by $50,000, through consolidation, making more funds available to support and expand our program services
  • Replace temporary clinic and nutrition structures with a well- equipped medical suite serving a neighborhood of 60,000 with compassionate and professional service
  • Provide comfortable and secure accommodations, gathering and worship space for up to 14 international visitors
  • Enhance support for over 200 students in our Education sponsorship program by creating a welcoming space for afterschool activities including life skills and computer literacy training
  • Repurpose existing space on the property for visiting groups providing other volunteer services such as dental
  • Provide employment opportunities to local individuals in building and renovation efforts

What is Outreach to Haiti?

Facts
  • Outreach to Haiti (OTH) operates to empower the people of Haiti.  We support programs managed by Haitians, and employ Haitians in our medical clinic, guest house, and headquarters.  All OTH employees in Haiti are Haitian.
    • · Operating in Port-au-Prince and surrounding communities since 1985
    • · Full service Maternal and Child Medical Clinic serving neighborhood of 60,000
    • · Nutrition program returning 100 malnourished children to health annually
    • · Guest accommodations for up to 14 international visitors
    • · Provide scholarships for over 200  students at the primary, secondary and post-secondary levels
    • · Growing internship program to turn  education into employment
    • · Foster and help maintain Parish twinning relationships between U.S. and Haitian  communities 
    • Twins provide support for two orphanages, with about 110  children
    • Twins provide support for 11 different parishes (and the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince) who are providing education, medical care , and economic opportunities to over 10,000  Haitians
  • Poorest country in the Western Hempisphere
  • 78% of Haiti’s people survive on less than $2 a day.
  • Between 60% and 80% of Haitians are unemployed or underemployed.
  • The Haitian adult literacy rate is less than 50%, about 77% of children  attend some elementary school, and 29% attend some secondary school.
  • Public schools are scarce.  Private schools  charge tuition.
  • Before the earthquake, there were 380,000 orphans in Haiti.  Now, that  number is estimated to have doubled.
  • 62 Catholic churches were destroyed in the 2010 earthquake.
  • 7,500 elementary schools and 1,500 secondary schools were destroyed in the earthquake.

Tax-Deductible Donations….

Check— pay to Outreach to Haiti 815 Boswell AVE, Norwich, CT 06360 Credit Card– www.outreachtohaiti.org or call 860-800-3601 Please see if your employer will match Installments available for large donations

Naming opportunities are available. Please call the office for more details.

Contribution levels

  • Diamond $10,000+
  • Platinum $5,000—$9,999
  • Gold $2,500—$4,999
  • Silver $1,000—$2,499
  • Bronze $ 100 —$ 999
A Haitian artisan will be commissioned to create a tree of life metal sculpture similar to the one pictured below. For each individual donation the artist will paint a leaf of the sculpture according to the chart above. The sculpture will be displayed in a prominent place in the new Outreach Center, along with a book containing the names of donors at each level. Donors may, of course, remain anonymous.












Please Help Our Efforts by Donating Today

Below is a Pictorial progression of the construction of the building. Most recent at the top, all the way down to the demolition.

Pictures below can be expanded by clicking on them. You can then move to other pictures in the same section by using the arrows on the side of the picture.

Phase 1 Nears Completion August 2021

Drone shots of the Norwich Outreach Center - August, 2021

May 2021

Different views of the building from May 2021, including a shot from a borrowed drone!

Status mid-November, 2020

Pictures show progression from early October, when construction on the 3rd floor began to mid November where walls are about half done. The first shot shows again, how manual a process the construction is. But this is providing employment for many in the neighborhood! This is the top floor, so after this, just the roof to go, and the shell of the building will be complete

Pictures from late September, 2020

You can see from the pictures many things. The work is very manual. The progress is very swift, and the third floor base is set, and we are ready to do the walls.

Construction resumed (from pandemic halt) late August. These pictures are from September 10.

These are from the main face of the building (facing the northwest)

These pictures are form the end of February 2020, shortly before work was shut down for the Corona Virus pandemic.

Once progress Resumed in December 2019, progress was swift. These pictures are from the end of February, and show the floor of the second story being poured. A labor intensive process, but it is amazing to see the whirlwind of activity.

Retaining Wall and First Floor construction

Construction of the building resumed in mid-December, 2019, after a three month pause due to political unrest. There has been great progress since then as shown in these pictures as of 1-13 and 1-27.

Foundation laid and filled in. Rebar for columns going up. 8-19-20

6-25-19 Great news....the concrete pour starts!

Start of Construction Phase

Demolition Phase

Demolition started on November 30, 2017. It was completed three weeks later.

© 2024 Outreach to Haiti