Port-au-Prince Ultimate Frisbee Club

Port-au-Prince, Haiti is a difficult place these days - gangs control much of the city, the exchange rate is surging, and foreign investment / tourism are very low. Kids across this very hilly city can be hard-pressed to find a decent, safe place to run around, but every Sunday, a group gathers at the Bristout Park field in Port-au-Prince (https://maps.app.goo.gl/MDKJzADCgCDv3ssy6), and holds an ultimate frisbee practice and scrimmage for 2 hours. Kids drink cold water and juice, run drills, and get a chance to have some fun (and for some, get VERY competitive!)

My name is Drew Lebowitz. I lived in Haiti for 5 years, from 2013-2018, working as an engineer on construction and electrification projects. I played ultimate throughout my time in Haiti and got to know many expats and Haitians who loved the game.

Emmanuel St-Cyr is a Haitian man who played with us nearly every week (and was faster than just about everyone on the field!) Outside of the weekly ultimate games, he began a program to bring Haitian kids out to play with us, and eventually set up a clinic to teach the game to Haitian youth. For the past 7 years, Emmanuel has taken time out of his day on Sundays to teach the program, build the community, and give the kids of Port-au-Prince some time to have fun and move around. Some kids have come every week for years, and others have become teachers themselves to assist Emmanuel as coach.

I moved back to Portland Oregon in 2018 and left Haiti, but Coach Emmanuel has kept the program alive. Up until now we have been running it from personal contributions from myself, Madeline Kreider Carlson and Paul Peek. We have bought the team cones, discs, and pinnies to have a proper game, and these are cared for by Emmanuel, who brings them to the practice every week. Anywhere from 10-30 kids attend.

For a lot of these kids this is the highlight of their week - being able to run and laugh and have a cold drink with their friends. Many girls attend and have become strong players through the game, which is important since many girls in Haiti don't get a chance to participate in sports as often as the boys do.

We have a modest budget of:

$50 / month for rental of the field

$10 / month laundry for the kids

$20 / week for purchase of water and snacks for the kids

$20 / week payment to Coach Emmanuel for organizing and coaching.

Annually we do a special 'birthday party' for the group with a budget of $100. All payments are made via electronic transfer to Emmanuel's UNIBANK account in Haiti. Every Sunday he takes pictures. Periodically we have a 'checker' that attends the game.

This fundraiser seeks to raise $5,000, which will allow us to fund the program for the next 18 months. Any help would be most appreciated.

We will send updates, pictures, and videos from the activities throughout the year. Thanks in advance for any support you can give, and please spread the word!