Young Life has been ministering to youth in Port au Prince for half a decade.  More than 25 years ago long-time staff couple Charlie & Mary Scott helped start and fund a school in one of the city’s poorest communities, Pele (pay-lay)  Around the year 2003, several of the teachers from that school, called the Good Shepherd, went to neighboring Dominican Republic for Young Life training, where YL has been operating for more than 20 years.  Since that time, “Jenn Vi” has grown to 5 full-time staff and more than 70 volunteer leaders ministering to young people in three main cities.
 There are several Young Life clubs (or “chapters”) in the capital city.  The longest sustained club is centered around the Good Shepherd school.
 
Projects
 Most service opportunities in Port au Prince will center around volunteer efforts at the school in Pele.  Today, more than 1400 students attend the Good Shepherd school.  Many of these students, ranging in age from 5-18, are funded to attend the school by US sponsors.  Each student gets a healthy, full lunch, which for some is the only meal they will eat that day.  The school is located in the middle of the community with economically-depressed housing surrounding it.
 A large number of the students are also involved in after school and evening Young Life activity.  The local Young Life club is held at the school.  The school also has an on-site church with Sunday services and a simple medical clinic.
 Most service teams who volunteer in Port au Prince will serve in various capacities at the school.  Projects will include:
• Light construction on unfinished classrooms.  At present, classrooms are overcrowded and there is a great need for more to be completed.
• Exterior and interior painting on several of the school buildings.
• Repair and renovation of the school church/chapel.
• Much needed repair and renovation of the school kitchen.
• Conducting sports and crafts camps.
• Limited medical service opportunities.
Lodging Accommodations
 Most of our teams will stay at Walls Guest House, located in the heart of the capital.  Walls was founded by Canadian missionaries almost 30 years ago and caters to short-term service groups.  It is extremely safe, self-contained and enjoys a very favorable and positive long-standing relationship with the surrounding community.  There is a small pool for cooling off after hard work in the heat, comfortable beds, good baths with overhead showers and running water, indoor and outdoor group meeting rooms and a dining hall that serves 3 daily meals.
 The school in Pele is approximately 15 minutes from Walls by car.  The drive is very easy and safe.  Of course teams will always travel together in privately arranged transportation.
Meals
 Lodging at Walls includes a simple but sufficient breakfast and dinner.  Sandwich lunches can be purchased for approximately $4 per person.  Sack lunches are also available to take to the work site for the same cost.
 Purified drinking water is available at all times and good coffee in the mornings.
 Groups might also go out for pizza or burgers on some nights.  There is a Domino’s nearby if a group needs a “sure thing” mid-week.  (Though it tends to be more expensive than here in the US!)

Ground Transportation
 Teams will always use private transportation arranged by our staff while in Port au Prince, including when traveling to and from the airport.
Safety
 The history of Haiti is one full of political instability, with decades of peace intertwined with years of disorder and regional unrest.  Most recently, about 3 years ago, the country went through a period of heavy unrest and upheaval when the president was ousted and the United Nations moved in to provide a peace-keeping presence in an effort to pacify rebel groups vying for control of the country.  Today Haiti is relatively calm, safe and peaceful.  The UN maintains a fairly significant presence and there have been few instances of violent crime or demonstrations/protests against the government during the last 6-12 months.  The recent election in 2007 went largely unchallenged and our Haitian staff and leaders are very optimistic that conditions and safety will continue to improve.
 All of our teams are hosted 24 hours a day by our Haitian staff and leaders.  These folks have hosted many teams over the past 10 years and know what areas to avoid for safety reasons.  We always use private transportation, never public, always stay in self-contained lodging facilities where only those involved with our team can enter and team members are never allowed to stray off alone or put themselves in unsafe situations.  Young Life senior leadership and our Expeditions staff have made frequent trips to Haiti over the past year and feel it is quite safe to send service teams to this needy nation.  Throughout the past 3 years, since the most recent unrest began, many churches have continued to send mission teams and missionaries to Haiti. 
 Of course there are no guarantees when working to minister and support efforts in Third World/developing countries, however Young Life would not sponsor trips to any country where we did not feel confident that the structure of our hosting program and our local staff were are able to host groups without any unreasonable risk for harm or danger.
 The US State Department has encouraged travelers to Haiti to be cautious and alert when traveling there for many, many years.  Of course if someone puts themselves in a compromising situation, things can happen, but we and our staff in Haiti do everything possible to ensure this does not happen.
International Travel
 All groups will need to arrive and depart through the capital city, Port au Prince.  The airport in Port is by far the largest and busiest in the country and several major US airlines have multiple daily flights, including American Airlines and Continental.  Group flights typically range in cost from $400-$600 per person. 
 The Expeditions office will gladly assist all service teams with their international travel.
Costs
 Estimated costs for service trips to Port au Prince are slightly higher than Maissade since Walls is more expensive.  2009 costs are estimated to range from about $560-$585 per person PLUS airfare.  Costs will vary depending on ground vehicle rental, whether a group chooses to end their tip with a night at the beach and gas prices.