I met Pastor Bazner in Haiti in 2019 while volunteering with a small nonprofit feeding children. Today, he supports 150 children in a rural area with no electricity, amid worsening violence and displacement. I’m raising $5,000 to help provide solar power, food, and basic learning tools so this work can continue.

My name is Brandon, and I’d like to share a little more context about why I’m starting this fundraiser.

I met Pastor Bazner in Haiti in 2019 while volunteering with a small nonprofit feeding children.

That trip changed me.

At the time I met him, Bazner was our driver from the airport but later I learned that he also runs a small rural school serving children of multiple ages, and pastors a local church. He is a leader who wears many hats because he lives in a place where food is scarce, electricity is unreliable or nonexistent, poverty is extreme and children often live on one meal per day. His leadership has a ripple effect that helps many.

What I Realized About Fundraising

I was always told that the money you donate to non-profits and fundraisers mostly goes towards bureaucracy and hardly reaches the people in need.

On this trip, I saw firsthand, on the ground, that donations really can reach the people they’re intended to help and that people working in non-profits genuinely genuinely care about being a force for good in the world. In Haiti, I watched small, grassroots efforts directly provide meals, education, and stability to children who otherwise wouldn’t have access to any of it through no fault of their own.

Since 2019, the situation in Haiti has grown far worse

The president was assassinated. Gang violence has spread across the country. Entire communities have been displaced. People struggle to find work, clean water, and regular meals. Lives of people I'm connected to, have been lost to extreme violence. Pastor Bazner, his family, and his community were forced to flee their village to find safer areas, leaving behind the school they had built (and one that I had helped fundraise for in the past). They are making the best of a terrible and tragic situation.

And so, despite this, Bazner has continued his work.

That’s why I’m starting this fundraiser.

The funds you and I will raise will go toward:

The total goal is $5,000, which covers essential equipment and short-term food support.

How funds will be handled

I've done this successfully before.

All funds will received through GoFundMe, then I have to withdraw them to my account, and then I will send 100% (minus any GoFundMe fees) directly to Pastor Bazner via Western Union. I will then share updates as funds are sent and used.

Why this matters to me

I've walked by so many people in dire situations, lying on the street, in my life. I know we can't be expected to help everyone but Bazner (and others from Haiti) has been a presence in my life for 7 years now. If God or the Universe was ever giving me a sign of how I can so simply contribute to helping those with far less material privileges than I have...this is it.

If you choose to give, thank you.

If you choose to share, thank you.

And if you simply read this and hold Haiti in your awareness — that matters too.

Regards,

Brandon Heredia

Current Situation in Haiti (as of early 2026)

Haiti is facing one of the worst humanitarian and security crises in its recent history. Armed gangs have seized control of large parts of the country, including much of the capital and major regions, forcing residents to flee their homes, abandon farms, and live in makeshift camps. Violence — including shootings, kidnappings, and attacks on civilians — has driven over a million people from their communities, leaving them without shelter, clean water, or reliable access to food and basic services.

Food insecurity is extreme: millions of Haitians are struggling to eat, with many facing acute hunger because violence has blocked food distribution and disrupted farms, markets, and supply routes. Prices for basics have soared, and humanitarian agencies report that millions lack reliable food, water, and healthcare.

Political instability — including a fractured transitional government and postponed elections — has left national institutions unable to protect people or deliver services. International peacekeeping and security efforts are underway, but they struggle to contain well-armed gangs supported by trafficked weapons.

In some areas, villagers have been attacked at night, homes burned, and dozens killed — including women, children, and the elderly — underscoring how dangerous daily life has become for ordinary Haitians.

What This Means for Daily Life

Many families have no secure source of food and skip meals, especially in rural regions. Electricity, clean water, and healthcare are rare or dependent on community efforts. Schools frequently close or operate unpredictably because of insecurity. People who once relied on farming or small businesses find those paths blocked or unsafe.

Why Support Still Matters

In this context, even small interventions — like providing food for children, helping a school operate without electricity, giving teachers tools and resources — can mean the difference between a child going hungry or getting fed, or a community having stability amid chaos. Aid doesn’t solve the entire crisis, but it reaches human beings in places that are otherwise cut off from basic opportunities to survive and learn.