Life is difficult for everyone in Haiti. Even if you have all of your basic needs, and more, met, life is still difficult! The youth in our education program who live in the mountain villages of Brajirois and Robert have an added difficulty. In the villages where they live with their families, there are no secondary schools for them to attend. They have three options for school: 1) Walk the 3 hours down the mountain each morning and 3 hours back up in the afternoon 2) Move to the village at the foot of the mountain and live with relatives or friends. The walk to school is still from 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours each way. 3) Drop out of school After several of the youth in these two villages asked me for bicycles to get to and from school, and as I talked with them more and understood the difficulty they faced to get to and from school each day, it was time to take action. Many of our sponsors give generously to our “Where Needed Most” fund. We were able to use some of these funds to purchase 22 bicycles the first of this week. On Wednesday we went to meet the kids and distribute the bikes. This distribution took quite a little while to accomplish. In Haiti, one has to register his/her bike with the police. So we had to find the serial numbers on all the bikes, fill in the paperwork and then have each youth sign the original and the copy. One young man, Jean-Jean Vertilus, (sponsored by Susan Lanier), was especially appreciative of this gesture towards them. He said he had been getting to school on foot and it would take at least 45 minutes each way. He said that now with the bike it will take him about 10 minutes each way! He was so happy. He said, “I thank God for the Americans who are helping us to develop, because without their help I would not even be able to write my name. I have no parents to send me to school, so if not for my sponsor, I would not have the hope of an education. I am praying for God to strengthen and encourage all of you, that you may continue helping others.” Thank you to all our supporters who help to bless the lives of these children and young people through your generosity and love.