"CHAMPs"
Connecting Hope And Medicine to People in Haiti

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January 12, 2010 began like any other day in Haiti ~ sunny, warm, breezy. People in the “poorest country in the western hemisphere” went about their business as usual.

​That evening, 4:53 pm local time to be exact, the earth rumbled, then buildings crumpled, and soon people ran desperately into the streets. A 7.0 magnitude earthquake had occurred just west of Haiti's densely populated capital city of Port-au-Prince (PAP), causing mass destruction and loss of life. 

When it was over, an estimated three million people were affected by the quake, with death tolls ranging between 100,000 to 160,000 people. The Haitian government reported 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged. Millions were homeless with nowhere to go.

Rescue teams and humanitarian aid arrived, provided basic support and slowly transformed chaos into order.

In May 2010, five months after the earthquake, a Minnesota-based medical/surgical team traveled to Haiti to assist with the ongoing relief efforts. Based at Haitian Christian Mission (haitianchristianmission.org) in Fond Parisian, 35 miles southeast of Port-au-Prince, the team worked at the attached clinic and obstetric hospital, providing still desperately needed services.

After a grueling yet energizing week, several team members were so moved by what they saw, and felt so inspired by how they could help, that they vowed to return. 

A “yearning,” as they described it, to serve the Haitian people had been awakened. They dreamed of providing basic health care services to small, forgotten villages. They dreamed of empowering Haitians so they could develop their own sustainable health care practices. They dreamed of celebrating the improved lives with this beautiful faith-based culture which is so strong, so resilient and so proud of their own gifts. 

From these dreams, CHAMPs was born. 

CHAMPs is a non-profit government organization (NGO) dedicated to helping the Haitian people. To meet our goals, CHAMPs organizes a team of 15-18 people who travel to Haiti once or twice a year to provide direct medical services in outlying villages. A variety of medical volunteers (MD, NP/PA, RN, respiratory therapists, technicians, wound care specialists, physical therapists, dentist) assisted by non-medical volunteers, evaluate, diagnose and treat patients in the villages. If a person needs further or continued care, arrangements are made with partner organizations or local medical practices.

Year-round, CHAMPs collaborates with other NGOs in their efforts to develop healthy sustainable communities. These partner NGOs have dedicated compounds in Haiti providing“boots on the ground” and community connections which provide necessary resources for our annual mission trips.
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With your support CHAMPs is able to supply medicines, medical supplies, and vitamins, as well as supplemental rice to each of the villages we visit. Collaboration with other NGOs allows your gift to go directly to what is needed most (medicine, medical supplies, and rice) making a greater impact in the lives of the Haitian people.​

Mission Statement

CHAMPs is a non-profit charitable foundation reaching out to meet the needs of underserved children and families in Haiti. CHAMPs in Haiti  connects Hope and Medicine to People in Haiti by:

  • Providing direct medical care and population health/wellness programs in Haiti.
  • Empowering communities to have sustainable healthcare, leveraging resources for population health management.
  • Supporting and empowering the citizens of Haiti evidenced by programs that perpetuate and sustain independent healthcare within Haitian communities.
  • Engaging ongoing collaboration with Haitian community leaders to improve health and wellness.

CHAMPs volunteers work in partnership with local service and medical groups to enhance quality of life through medical mission trips, local service projects and cultural and educational enrichment opportunities.