INTERNATIONAL TRENDS AND SERVICES
The International Trends and Services facet provides services and delivers transformational programs to people of African ancestry globally so that they may have a better quality of life. Programs are designed and developed to service educational, health and cultural needs and to help people emerge from poverty. A primary objective of our international work is to enrich the lives of women and their families.
Our “boots on the ground” approach provides for more personalized methods for assisting and improving the lives of women, children and men worldwide through long-term programs committed to empowerment and public policy leadership in advocating for social justice.
MISSION TRIPS TO HAITI
With a purpose to empower women and positively impact children in Haiti, members of the International Trends and Services Facet Committee of the Pontchartrain Chapter have embarked upon several mission trips. We traveled to Haiti with the We Care Charitable Foundation, which visits the Grand Boulage Village in the country yearly to feed over 500 children and 300 adults. Along with volunteers from the foundation, the Links Sisters have served food to the families as part of a Christmas Celebration and Mass, and staffed a Christmas Toy Giveaway.
WOMAN'S SURVIVAL KITS
The mission trips to Haiti also provided a unique opportunity for the Pontchartrain Chapter members to personally disseminate Women’s Survival Kits in the village. This year marked the distribution of more than 300 Kits since the Chapters launch of this initiative. When handing out the kits in Haiti, we give a brief presentation on the importance ofpersonal hygiene and demonstrate the use of items in the survival kits. The session also includes instruction on how to conduct breast self-examinations accompanied by a laminated pictorial for each woman.
BOOK DONATIONS
In addition to the members’ service in Grand Boulage Village, they also visited the Foyer Espoir Pour les Enfants (FEPE)orphanage and school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which the Chapter has supported since 2011. The members provided each child with packs of undergarments and presented the school with school supplies. FEPE serves a resident population of over 25 children at the orphanage and more than 100 students in its school. We also donated books and established the Pontchartrain Links Library at the school operated by the Hope for Haitian Children Foundation Inc. in Delmas, Haiti.
RISING STARS MENTEES & INTERNATIONAL TRENDS AND SERVICES
We always invite our mentees from our Rising Stars Program at McDonogh 35 High School to join us as when we stuff survival kits to give to women in Haiti. We believe it's important to teach and show our girls how impactful giving back to your community and other women of color can be.
We have been able to connect our Rising Star Mentees with young ladies just like them in Ghana. Their Skype sessions are amazing opportunities to share and learn more about our similarities and differences across the globe. This phenomenal experience was made possible thanks to McDonogh 35 High School and SISTAWorks, Inc.