> ABOUT CFI
CFI is a non-profit 501(c)(3), non-denominational community of believers supporting a mission located on a six-acre campus near Ranquitte, Haiti, a village in the north central mountains of that country. CFI now works with a second generation of Haitians being raised up to lead the local programs. It's all about giving our Haitian friends hope and a future...
The
CFI Philosophy
The philosophy of CFI
is to support, equip, and otherwise empower gifted Haitian leaders to teach,
heal, train, and restore their own people and their own land. CFI is not an American organization set on achieving American goals and
requiring an American presence. Americans and Haitians are partners in
the overall effort.
CFI's History
The Founding Fathers of CFI first visited
Haiti in 1977, after having worked in Peru and Jamaica, and became acquainted
with Ducange and Ivy Salomon in 1980 (Ducange is now deceased). It was then
that they began a cooperative effort with the Salomons in Ranquitte to develop
that community with schools, health services, churches, dental services, and
construction projects.
CFI Today
Our ministry today is
centered around a school system which is providing a quality education
to over 1,000 students! Each day primary school students get a meal and all
students get a Bible lesson, to
show them that God cares and we care, and to help give them hope and a future.
While our focus is the school, we are also strategically helping develop those
areas which we believe are critical to the children's future and that of their community.
Our additional areas of ministry are:
1. A
Health Clinic which
provides care on a "pay-if-you-can" basis. Two registered nurses lead the
medical staff.
2. A Clean Water Ministry
seeking to maintain two dozen wells in and around the Ranquitte community.
Wells provide the best chance for clean water, which reduces illness and
death.
3. An
Agriculture Program to recover stripped land, grow food and provide income.
(click
here for more info)
4. A Happy Homes Program which provides modest but safe and dry new homes for the neediest of the needy. Homes are paid for and built by visiting CFI Teams and recipients are selected by a board of Ranquitte's community leaders.
Getting There
To get to Ranquitte one
would first take a commercial flight to Port-au-Prince (PAP). Ranquitte is
located about 100 miles northeast of PAP and is 11 miles from Pignon, a town
with a small airport that has a dirt landing strip. Mission Aviation Fellowship
(MAF) makes regular and chartered flights daily from PAP to Pignon. The MAF
planes are single-engine Cessnas and carry six people, including the pilot,
and a maximum load of 1000 pounds. Larger Teams use the 19-passenger,
twin-engine Let-410s of Tortug Air. After arrival at Pignon it is necessary
to travel the last 11 miles to Ranquitte by truck, preferably one with four-wheel
drive. The average cost of a
trip for each individual is $1400.
Who & Where
The official mailing
address of CFI is 2150 Lexington Rd./ Suite J, Richmond, KY 40475.
The Board of Directors includes Executive Committee members Dr. Raymond C.
Jackson, President; Scott Mandl, Executive Director; and Eddie Arnold,
Buildings and Grounds Director.
At-Large Board Members are Treasurer Susan Arnold, Ron Coffman, Greg McMorrow, Al Niedbalski,
Gene Smith and Mort Trimble.
Over 700 people of various skills and professions have
traveled to Haiti with/for CFI over the past 30 years. All of these people pay
their own expenses and the only salaried individual in the organization is
CFI's Executive Director.
Trips to Ranquitte are for one week and are currently made on a monthly basis
for various purposes including, but not limited to, construction and upkeep
of our campus, assistance to the our core ministries (
school, clinic and wells, agriculture/reforestation), fellowship with and encouragement to our Haitian
partners, and providing the participants, many who will go only one time,
with a life-changing experience!
Questions, Comments & Ideas...
Direct all inquiries to Scott Mandl via e-mail:
scottmandl@aol.com or by phone at:
859-623-6402.
The Christian Flights International (CFI) office is located on the second
floor of Harper Square, 2140 Lexington Road, Suite I, Richmond, KY (Just west
of I-75 at Exit 90).
We look forward to hearing from you soon. God Bless!
CFI In the
News:
http://www.easternprogress.com/news/2002/03/28/Accent/On.A-Mission-225039.shtml