Coming Home: Village of Hope Haiti Returns to its Roots

Village of Hope (VOH) is returning to its roots by coming home to Food For The Poor (FFTP), the organization that first inspired our mission nearly 30 years ago. The decision to return home was made after great consideration and prayer by our Board of Directors. This new chapter, which begins on Jan. 1, 2026, signals a celebration of renewed strength and greater capacity to provide education, healthcare, and spiritual growth for vulnerable children in Haiti.

Our Shared Story: From a Yard in Ganthier to a Movement of Hope

VOH was founded in 1994 after pastors embarked on a mission trip to Haiti with FFTP founder Ferdinand “Ferdy” Mahfood. Inspired to help children they saw living in extreme poverty, the pastors partnered with FFTP and Mammy Carol Herget to open a small school in Ganthier. Our Village of Hope School subsequently grew from 60 children studying in the front yard of a resident named Maxi Charles to a 30-acre campus with nine buildings, 70 staff members, and more than 600 students.

Following the 2010 earthquake, we opened a health center that served about 50 patients daily. However, political turmoil, natural disasters, and rising violence since 2021 forced the closure of the Ganthier campus.

Today, even as gang activity displaces over a million people and leaves nearly half of Haitians food insecure, we remain committed to our mission, focusing on education and healthcare for children in safer areas.

Impact at a Glance

With your help, VOH has accomplished a great deal over the past three years. Together, we are supporting three schools, educating 350 children, and serving 72,500 meals to students and teachers.

Looking Ahead

By returning to FFTP, Village of Hope will scale up to serve even more children. Our plans include:
• Exploring a three-year plan to expand classrooms in Dubout and Bord de Mer to meet growing demand.
• Providing funds to sponsor 75 displaced students at Bon Samaritan School, amplifying our impact in Bondeau.
• Expanding to help 400 students next year and exploring new options in Cap-Haïtien.

Village of Hope Haiti is Coming Home to Food For The Poor
Frequently Asked Questions

The following frequently asked questions are designed to respond to your concerns and reassure you that this move will honor VOH’s legacy while amplifying its impact.

VOH was born out of a mission trip that 10 pastors took to Haiti with FFTP Founder Ferdinand “Ferdy” Mahfood in 1994. The pastors witnessed extreme poverty and despair and prayed for a way to provide hope to children and families in Haiti, and out of that prayer VOH took shape, culminating with Village of Hope School in Ganthier, a small village east of Port-au-Prince. The Village of Hope School grew from 60 children and one building into a campus of nine buildings on 30 acres, with 70 teachers and staff serving more than 600 students. In 2011, VOH built a health clinic in Ganthier, where it served approximately 50 patients per day.

Starting in 2021, a series of crises, including the assassination of Haiti’s president, gang violence, and civil unrest, made it impossible to safely operate the school and the health clinic. Both were temporarily closed in 2023 due to safety concerns and have yet to reopen.

VOH subsequently partnered with Y-Knot Missions and South Florida Haiti Project, to support schools in northern and southern Haiti, impacting the lives of nearly 400 children in the villages of Dubout, Bord de Mer, and Bondeau. FFTP shares our commitment to facilitating paths out of poverty for entire villages by collaborating with partners to bring social transformation through education and sustainable programs that address each community’s needs. After years of operating independently, we are at a crossroad that requires a renewed focus to continue the existing programs while strengthening our position and amplifying our impact in Haiti. Returning home to FFTP allows VOH to build on our original foundation, consolidate our efforts, strengthen our programs, and reach even more children with education and healthcare.

VOH is returning home to FFTP – back to where it all began – effective January 1, 2026.

No. Rest assured that VOH will continue to focus primarily on providing education and healthcare for vulnerable children in Haiti. What will change is our capacity to serve. We’ll be able to do more for even more children, thanks to FFTP’s expertise, infrastructure, and partnerships.

Your donations will continue to support children in Haiti, their schools, and programs you have always cared about. All contributions will now flow through FFTP’s established systems, ensuring efficiency and accountability. An Advisory Committee, including VOH Board Members and Executive Director Dan Zieschang, will guide the process so that donor intentions remain central and the VOH legacy is honored.

FFTP has more than 40 years of experience in Haiti, with:

  • 280 employees
  • 2 warehouses (Port-au-Prince and Caracol)
  • A network of 2,244 local organizations and partners that help with distribution of food and supplies
  • 12 distribution centers (including the offices of Port-au-Prince and Caracol and regional distribution centers)
  • A housing construction network that has built more than 14,000 homes in Haiti since the January 2010 earthquake

This infrastructure gives VOH immediate capacity to serve more children, even during Haiti’s current crises.

We remain fully committed to the schools in Dubout, Bord de Mer and Bondeau. In fact, through this transition, we are hoping to expand classroom space to support more displaced children, and provide additional resources like meals, books, supplies, infrastructure, and teacher support.

The Ganthier campus remains temporarily closed due to security concerns. However, its legacy continues to inspire our work. When it becomes safe to return, we will prayerfully evaluate how best to reopen or re-engage in that community. In the meantime, our focus remains on helping children in other locations throughout Haiti.

Together with FFTP, we will be stronger. FFTP’s scale and reach mean that VOH programs can grow faster and serve more children with:

• Daily meals for students and teachers
• Classroom expansion in high-demand areas
• Literacy programs for adults
• Resources for displaced children
• Support for healthcare needs and possibly new healthcare projects

Yes. We will continue to honor VOH’s legacy and commitment to children in Haiti. The Advisory Committee – made up of VOH Board Members and Executive Director Dan Zieschang – will ensure that all programs reflect the VOH mission and donor commitments. This return home is about honoring the past, while amplifying our future.

Your continued faith, prayers, and generosity are vital. Your faithful support during this transition will make it possible for VOH and FFTP to bring hope, education, and healthcare to more children than ever before.

VOH began with FFTP and now by returning home, we will be better equipped to face Haiti’s challenges together. With FFTP’s infrastructure and VOH’s dedicated mission, your gifts will go further, reaching more children and families in need. While there is no official count of the number of NGOs that have left Haiti in the past year, the United Nations and other international agencies have reported a steady withdrawal. Numerous humanitarian organizations have scaled back, suspended or closed operations amid escalating gang violence, political insecurity, and funding cuts. FFTP remains committed to continuing its operations in Haiti despite these challenges, and we are grateful to be part of this effort.

Yes, VOH has partnered with two organizations to support schools in three villages – Dubout, Bord de Mer, and Bondeau – with promising results:

  • The Villages of Dubout and Bord de Mer: Three years ago, two schools in the northern villages of Dubout and Bord de Mer were struggling to survive. The schools, supported by Y-KNOT Missions, served about 200 children from preschool through sixth grade. They operated only three hours a day because food was scarce, and they had few books, supplies or basic facilities. A collaborative partnership between VOH and Y-KNOT Missions expanded and enhanced both schools’ capacity to serve, boosting enrollment to 150 students at each location, with an 18-month waiting list, and strong attendance. VOH has provided more than 63,000 daily meals over nine months, hired six cooks, supplied books, school materials, and recreational equipment, funded tutoring for students who are behind on their studies, and launched an adult literacy program serving 50 residents. Investments in facilities include new restrooms and a kitchen at Bord de Mer, sidewalks, and expanded space at Dubout.
  • The Village of Bondeau: In the summer of 2024, families fleeing violence in Port-au-Prince resettled in Bondeau, a rural community in southern Haiti, where they hoped their children could attend Good Samaritan School. The school, supported by Boca Raton, Fla.-based South Florida Haiti Project, could not take on the added demand of 50 displaced students and turned to VOH for help. VOH responded by providing tuition, uniforms, school supplies, desks and chairs, teaching staff, and more than 9,500 meals over 10 months.

The progress in each community reflects VOH’s ongoing commitment to Haiti, which will be strengthened and amplified through its return home to FFTP.