Mats for Haiti Project

Northwest Haiti Christian Mission - Canada

Mats for Haiti Program

Northwest Haiti Christian Mission Canada has been helping Canada recycle while providing sanitary and comfortable sleeping mats for Haitians.

The plastic bag which holds our milk bags takes approximately 15 years to breakdown in landfill sites. Volunteers around Ontario have been cutting these bags into one inch wide loops, tying them together into long ‘yarn’ and crocheting them into very useful sleeping mats for Haiti.

Biting insects and poisonous spiders do not like the plastic, and they do not hide in it. The mats can be hung up to air in the day time, washed in the river when dirty, and used almost endlessly. These mats are highly useful.

In the northwest province, the poorest population in all of Haiti, most homes are made of woven palm and banana leaves with thatched roofs. Some have one or more walls of cardboard. Almost all, even the expensive homes made of cement block, have dirt floors. Very few people have furniture. Normally, they weave leaves into bed mats. During tropical storms and tornadoes, these mats do not dry out. Insects find homes in them, and the people are bitten all night.

The recycled milk bag mats are a tremendous blessing. They have been given out to many poor people who would otherwise sleep on the dirt floor or the insect infested leaves.

During surgical mission trips, many patients have families who travel from far places with them to take care of them. They are poor and would have nowhere to sleep. But, with these mats, we are able to give them someplace to sleep until they go home. These mats have travelled far into the mountains of Haiti with those who have received healing for their bodies at the Mission. They are a unique testimony to many of the love of Canadian Christians for them. No one else has milk sold in bags – only Canada.

For more information please contact Rev. Tina Leslie.

[Last Updated 12-Jan-10]