Haitian History and Service

Day 1

Your group will take a flight to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where you will meet your Joshua Expeditions tour director at the airport after passing through security. After transferring to your hotel and checking in, your group will meet together for dinner and an orientation session in the hotel restaurant. During the remainder of the evening you will have free time to swim in the hotel pool and prepare for the busy week ahead.

Day 2

This morning you will enjoy an early breakfast and then set out to tour the city of Port-au-Prince. You will see the incredible Neg Mawon statue facing the National Palace (still damaged from the 2010 earthquake), as well as visit the National Museum in the current tent city of Champs de Mars and take a tour of famous Gingerbread Houses in the area. The group will stop for lunch in Pétion-Ville on the way to visit Boutillier, a mountain overlook of the city, and in the afternoon you will continue up the Kenscoff road to the famous Fort Jacques, a 200-year-old fort surrounded by rural communities. Dinner and devotions at the hotel will conclude the evening.

Day 3

Following breakfast your group will check out of the hotel to depart on a flight to the northern city of Cap-Haïtien. In the afternoon you will enjoy a guided tour of Sans-Souci Palace then travel by horseback to the incredible Citadelle La Ferrière. Your group will have dinner in the city followed by an opportunity to shop with local vendors before returning to the hotel for reflection on the day’s activities.

Day 4

This morning you will transfer to Labadie for a visit to Paradise Cove, where you will have the chance to see some of the local industries, including peanut butter production. During the afternoon your group will head to the area's beautiful beaches and spend some time shopping among local artists. The day will conclude with dinner and devotions at your hotel.

Day 5

Today your group will take a private charter to Gonaïves, the site of the signing of the Haitian constitution. There you will have a chance to see the effects of the environmental devastation in Haiti and on the community, as well as learn about the painful process of democratization within the country. After taking some time for lunch in the city, the group will transfer back to Port-au-Prince and close the evening with dinner and devotions.

Day 6

During the morning you will visit the famous Iron Market, a huge marketplace that was rebuilt after the 2010 earthquake. Later, your group will tour the Sugar Cane Museum then enjoy lunch across the street from the U.S. Embassy. From there you will travel to Croix-des-Bouquets for a visit to the famous metal sculpture village, and then the group will return to Port-au-Prince in the evening for dinner and devotions at the hotel.

Day 7

Today your group will partner with TeacHaiti, a non-profit organization that sponsors children to attend school. Following the earthquake, TeacHaiti started a school for children in Port-au-Prince after the city's schools were all destroyed, and it is there that you will serve by presenting an interactive history program for the students. During the morning your group, with the help of translators, will teach a lesson on Haitian history, and the afternoon will be spent on light construction and/or cleanup projects at the school site. You will return to the hotel for dinner and conclude the day with devotions and a discussion of the week's events.

Day 8

On this final morning in Haiti, your group will pack up and take a private charter to Titanyen, the site of two famous Haitian memorials. You will first visit the memorial to Haitians killed under the Cédras coup government, and then you will see the memorial established for the earthquake victims. These two sites are reminders of the threats that continue to face Haiti: political instability and environmental concerns. The impact of your time in Haiti will continue to resonate as your group returns to the Port-au-Prince airport and takes a flight back to the States.
 
 
 

ESSENTIALS FOR TRAVEL TO HAITI

• Passport
   
• Travel Insurance that includes emergency medical treatment and emergency air evacuation from Haiti to the U.S.
   
• Up-to-date Tetanus shot (Hepatitis A & B immunization is also recommended)
   
• Malaria pills — It is also required that all travelers acquire 8 weeks worth of chloroquine or other anti-malaria medication prior to departure.