There Be Hope: Islands of Hope, My Memoir of Haiti, & The Hopeful Coconut

Hope is like the dirt and the stars; it is part of forever.

In 2007 the international relief organization Food For The Poor spoke to a small parish in Hope Valley, Rhode Island, about a massive project of building a village in Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere. The pastor of the church challenged the families of his congregation to make a difference in the world through this mission of hope because at the same time many families in Haiti were being challenged to hold onto another form of hope, that of mere survival. Kiki Latimer became St. Joseph's Church Haiti Project chairperson for the next fifteen years.

Over these years these two worlds would be brought together through many different housing, educational, and agricultural projects. The original village story, written by Kiki, was published by Educa Vision as the children's book Islands of Hope. The sequel, The Hopeful Coconut, continued the mission story with a deeper, more philosophical, understanding of hope. Kiki would eventually make three trips to Haiti. Here at last is her story of the heart-opening journey into a land of great joy and great sorrow; My Haiti Memoir brings to readers an understanding of hope that is indeed like the dirt and the stars.