Safety in Montrouis, Haiti What do other Racers need to know in order to be safe? Current safety protocols/precautions in place? Any relevant issues/concerns? Any precautionary suggestions?
People’s Opinions
Our team always felt safe in Monwi, even when it was just the girls. We didn’t go out after dark without a local. Overall, if you are aware of your surroundings and use common sense, you will be fine!
Monwi isn’t the absolute safest but it definitely isn’t scary. I would say to just be aware of your souroundings and travel in groups. At night I would have a local with you just so you can have peace of mind and have a local who speaks the language of you do run into an issue.
We walked every where we went and I felt very safe. We were with 20 girls and I never felt threatened by anyone. There aren’t street lights so night time I would suggest bringing flashlights if you have to be out for any reason.
Keep belongings close by or don’t bring much with you. You will constantly get asked and approached for money or for your bag/ items you are wearing. Young children will run up and grab your hands and a lot of people will holler at you, “blancs.” Montrouis was a generally safe place, however, woman shouldn’t walk around after dark. They didn’t have street lights and we got a bit harassed. Hair pulled and punched a few times.
The only recommendation for safety would be to get back after dark. A few times we were late getting back and there was a lot of hollering and people touching us as we were walking by. But it is pretty safe all around!
Montrouis is a safe place. Where we stayed we walked around the community everyday to get to various ministry sites. We tried to be back by dark. It was not inherently dangerous after dark, just a little more intimidating since there are not too many lights in the area.
Ministry Summary
Ministry Summary in Montrouis, Haiti Breakthroughs? Suggestions? Concerns? On a scale of 1-4 (1 being not at all, 4 being absolutely) how strongly would you recommend another World Race team go to this ministry location & why?
People’s Opinions
We worked with Supply & Multiply and Haiti is still one of our favorite months. We primarily did evangelism in the local mountain communities, hung out with the old ladies at their Matthew Houses and played with kids at the school yards (bible stories, songs, etc.). While we were there, we developed a relationship with a school outside Monwi that absolutely stole our hearts. Here is a video about our time there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anMt1dV89CM&t=73s
My team worked with Supply and multiply. We did door to door evangelism the majority of the time we were there. We also worked with a special needs orphanage that we all loved a ton! You will also do multiple bible clubs and children’s church/ VBS type teachings while at this ministry. At first the ministry was weary to give us both a sabbath day and adventure day but as the time went on they definitely saw the importance of rest as they were also getting burnt out. You will definitely enjoy this ministry and get used to walking everywhere!
We worked with Supply and Multiply. We did lots of evangelizing (get your walking shoes ready) and worked with the elderly hanging out with them and eating meals with them! We also did bible clubs for kids every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
We worked with Together We Can in Montrouis, Haiti. For this ministry we worked with an orphanage called the Agape House which is home to 17 children. We spent a lot of time working with the children at school and tutoring them. We spent time working on a farm tilling, hoeing, planting, and cementing. We also participated in street ministry where we shared the gospel with Haitians in the community. Another ministry provided by Together We Can was a water project where we helped with its construction. We would absolutely recommend (4) for another World Race team to work with this incredible ministry.
Lodging
Lodging in Montrouis, Haiti Where did you stay? What were the accommodations (sleeping arrangements, toilets, showers, etc.)? Cost (per person per night in USD), Contact info.
People’s Opinions
At supply and multiply we had a very cute pink house with many bunk beds completed with sheets, pillows, bath towels, anddddd FANS!!! The house has two bathrooms 1 indoor and 1 outdoor. The house gets very hot during the day so you’ll most likely spend most of your days outside on the porch/eating area or in your hammocks! The generator only runs at night and it’s great! Bathrooms have running water and normal toilets we are used to in America. The water is from a well so they do military style showers and live by “yellow let it mellow” rule. If the water does run out the night guard will pump more for you.
We had a nice house all to ourselves! It held about 20 girls. We had 2 bathrooms one outside and one inside and 2 showers, one outside and one inside. The water never ran out on us but they did say that was a big possibility. The rooms were comfortable they all had 2 or more sets of bunk beds. It was really cozy.
We stayed on the second floor of our host’s home. We each had our own bed and there was a bathroom with a toilet and a shower for both the men and the women. There was a kitchen and a common area. The house was gated and there was a security guard on the premises at all times. We felt very safe and comfortable in these living conditions.
Food / Meals
Food / Meals in Montrouis, Haiti What did you eat? Where did you get the food? Cost (per person per day in USD)? Contact info (if applicable).
People’s Opinions
At supply and multiply they had staff who cooked our meals for us and it was always good and filling. If you absolutely want snacks you can take a tap tap to stop over and get many American snacks (chocolate, Gatorade, soda, cake, Pringles) and they take card. We found out about stop over near the end of our time there so it is possible to go without all the extra snacks! And they have ICE!!!! Yum. Yay. Cold drinks are great and the ministry host is great for supplying that for us
We worked with supply and multiply and they always served us all of our meals. We ate avocado toast every morning and switched between 3 different at night. If you like to snack there is a gas station down the street stock full of all kinds of candy bars & the house we stayed at had a deep freezer. Real nice.
We bought fruit and bread for breakfast from suggested vendors by our host family. For lunch, we usually took a tap tap for 5 goudes to buy sandwiches at the local gas station or we bought egg sandwiches for extremely cheap from a restaurant nearby the gas station. Ask the hosts for recommendations on places to eat, it was extremely helpful. Food is usually cheap and well within the world race budget!
For breakfast and lunch, we bought our own food from either the market or the local gas station. Dinners were cooked by the mamas at the Agape House orphanage. The cost per day was approximately $5 USD.
Transportation
Transportation in Montrouis, Haiti What transportation did you use to enter the country? Where were you coming from? What transportation was used to move throughout the country? Be sure to include the cost per person in USD and contact info if applicable.
People’s Opinions
We used a school bus and a truck to get most places, except for walking distance ministries. I.E. swimming with the children at the beach, the orphanage, and the Matthew 25 houses!
Supply and multiply provided transportation from our bus stop in port au prince to the ministry site. During our time there we walked most everywhere except to ministry close(r) by if it was more than an hour & half walk then we took a bus. We took tap taps when we wanted to go out on our own (in buddies of course!). All was good!
We literally walked everywhere. The only time we took a bus anywhere was for very long distance trips. If they ask you about going on a hike to a spring be warned it’s about a 7 mile hike just getting up there.
We entered the country on a plane and then took a bus owned by the ministry to our host’s home in Montrouis. We often rode in TapTaps or walked to get around the community.
Medical
Medical in Montrouis, Haiti Information on local hospitals / doctors / pharmacies. Where would someone go in a medical emergency? (addresses and contact info).
People’s Opinions
For our time here we were joined by a missionary who was a doctor so he was the one who advised our medical decisions.
Communication
Communication in Montrouis, Haiti Did you have cell reception / Internet service? Where? Carrier / Provider, where did you get phones / SIM cards, cost? Country code?
People’s Opinions
At S&M we didn’t have reliable wifi at the house but the ministry host let us use their personal wifi at their house for about 10 mins once a week. Our team phones worked okayish at the house worked best in the yard by the trees in the corner of the yard
We had no wifi at Supply and Multiply compound but our hosts were very kind and took us a to a free resort where we could get wifi on our off days once a
We had cell reception in the area where we were living. We only had WiFi for a short period of time at the host’s home but there was not anywhere local where we could get WiFi. Our host helped us to purchase SIM cards and minutes.
Financial
Financial in Montrouis, Haiti Location of banks or ATMs, notes about transaction fees, best places to exchange money, and other money related advice.
People’s Opinions
We had access to an ATM at Club Indigo. This would be the recommended ATM to use because the gas station ATM was inconsistent and often out of order.
Translators
Translators in Montrouis, Haiti List any local translators – name and contact information, languages spoken
People’s Opinions
GET TO KNOW THESE TRANSLATORS!!!! They are so awesome with great stories and backgrounds. Alex, Shama, and Diana are awesome really gifted people.
Our translators for supply and multiply were incredible. We had a whole team of them, Ben, Shama, Alex, Diana, and JP. They knew fluent creole and english and always translated exactly what we wanted to say to the people we talked to.
All of our contacts spoke pretty good Creole, and the children at the Agape House spoke good English and were quite willing to teach us some Creole.
Off Days / Fun Activities
Off Days / Fun Activities in Montrouis, Haiti What activities did your team experience? Recommendations? List locations/contact info. Any locations to be avoided? Any extra safety tips for off days?
People’s Opinions
Ask to go to the Sugar Cane Plantation! It was very informative and an adventure in itself to get there! haha…
We traveled to Moulin Beach Resort on our off days to get wifi and they had the best food there. It was a little on the pricier side but if you’re hungry enough it’s super worth it. We lived about a 2 minute walk away from the beach at supply and multiply so you could always catch our teams hanging out with kids swimming down at the ocean.
Club Indigo was a club on the beach. Admission fee is not cheap, but if you are willing to pay it, it is a relaxing and enjoyable experience. We were also able to go hiking to a spring in the community. Safety tips: just always be aware of where you and your personal belongings are.
Other Important Contacts
Other Important Contacts in Montrouis, Haiti Additional ministry opportunities, local pastors, etc. Relationship & follow up suggestions
People’s Opinions
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Tips
People’s Opinions
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Additional Info
Additional Info in Montrouis, Haiti Anything we’ve left out? Any additional suggestions to make travel easier for others?