April 2026 - Newsletter

News from Branch Schools:
Rejoicing in the Hope of Easter

He is risen! Alleluia!

This Easter season, the children at Branch Lutheran Schools of Haiti are celebrating the greatest gift we have ever been given—Jesus’ sacrifice for us and the freedom from sin that comes through Him. In classrooms, students marked the occasion by creating Easter crafts, sharing the story of Christ’s resurrection, and reflecting on the hope we have in Him.

It is a beautiful reminder that even in the midst of hardship and challenge, the message of Easter shines. Our teachers, students, and families are deeply grateful for your continued support, which makes it possible to not only provide education, but to share the love of Christ each and every day.

We also ask that you join us in prayer for one of our students who recently suffered a broken arm while playing at school. We pray for healing, comfort, and strength during their recovery.
Thank you for being a part of this community of faith and love. 

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Spring Fundraiser:
Nourishing Bodies, Renewing Hope

As we enter our Spring Fundraiser, we invite you to reflect with us on a pressing and heartbreaking reality. Right now, more than 5.7 million people in Haiti—over half the population—are facing food insecurity. Even more devastating, 1.9 million are experiencing emergency levels of hunger, where daily survival is uncertain.

Through the grace of God and your faithful support, Branch Lutheran Schools of Haiti is able to provide:

• Three daily meals for children living in our three orphanages
• A daily light meal for students, which is often the only food they will receive that day

Food is not just nourishment, it is the foundation for learning, growth, and a future filled with possibility. Without it, even the brightest dreams begin to fade. That is why this spring, we are focusing on food. Because no child should have to learn on an empty stomach.

We know these realities are difficult to read about, and even harder to fully understand. But as followers of Christ, we are called to respond with compassion and action—to care for our neighbors in their time of need.

“It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.” —Proverbs 14:21

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Easter Kites

Many of our recent celebrations of Jesus’ resurrection included dying eggs in bright and happy hues and decorating with and wearing vibrant spring colors. The children at Branch Lutheran Schools of Haiti similarly made cheerful, seasonal crafts this Easter season. These practices symbolize the joy, hope, and rebirth found in Christ’s saving work at Easter.

In Haiti, most families don’t dye eggs, but they do make kites. Kite building, decorating, and flying is a tradition in Haiti that is most commonly practiced during Holy Week and Easter weekend. Vendors often sell brightly-colored kites during this time of year, but more frequently, children and families build and fly these kites together.

During Holy Week when children have a break from school, they assemble the materials needed to create their Easter kites. Often unable to afford store-bought materials, children use found items, such as sticks and plastic bags. They then decorate their kites with streamers, cheerful colors, pictures, and messages. 

Finally, it is time to fly the kites, an activity often done as a family or with groups of friends. This fun, colorful, and playful event is much like the traditional dying of eggs or wearing of bright colors. It is a symbol of the joy and hope found in our Savior Jesus. 

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Food Insecurity in Haiti

In a country of 11 million people, it is alarming to learn that more than half of that population is facing food insecurity. Many of those experiencing hunger are severely malnourished children. With continued political unrest and ever-increasing gang violence, it is becoming the worst hunger crisis that Haiti has ever faced.

A number of factors have led to this emergency. Natural disasters of all kinds–hurricanes, flooding, and droughts–have done damage to farmland and killed livestock, and the ongoing economic struggles in the country make it very difficult to bounce back from such events. 

Haiti’s governmental and financial instability have prevented the enactment of programs that would encourage agricultural growth. Plans to help farmers create better systems for irrigation and soil management as well as initiatives to promote reforestation across the country are often sidelined in order to give resources and attention to more pressing needs throughout Haiti. 

When one considers the gang issues in Haiti, attention is often turned toward Port-au-Prince, where gangs control much of day-to-day life through violence and intimidation. But there is also a large gang presence in Haiti’s agricultural regions and along the roads that are the main routes for distribution of food.

Gangs prevent the movement of food along these roads and often drive up the prices of items by imposing “fees” for the shipments to pass through safely. In recent years, gangs have intimidated farmers in these regions, pressuring them with threats of violence to stop growing crops and raising animals. Recently, gangs have attacked citizens living in these regions, forcing them from their homes and livelihoods to seek safety in other parts of the country. 

As the problems that lead to widespread hunger persist, we pray for the people of Haiti that there will soon be political stability, that the people can soon live in peace and feel safe from the threat of violence, that they will be spared from natural disaster, and that families may one day experience the comfort of full bellies, free from the worry of where one’s next meal may be found.

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Upcoming Presentations and Events

The following is a list of presentations, fundraisers and tabling events that are coming up for and with Branch Lutheran Schools of Haiti: 

• April 12 - Divine Peace Lutheran Church in Rockwall, TX
• April 18 - LWMS Spring Rally at St Mark's Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, WI
• April 18 - LWMS Spring Rally at Grace Lutheran Church in Ringle, WI
• May 17 - Grace Lutheran Church in Scroggins, TX
• June 25 - 28 - Annual LWMS Convention, Madison, WI
• October 10 - LWMS North Florida Fall Circuit Rally, Jacksonville, FL

If you would like more information about presentations, fundraising or to request a speaker/representative from Branch Lutheran Schools of Haiti to visit your church or group, please reach out to [email protected]! We would love to share about this work and how God is working in the hearts of the children in Haiti.