Chris continued to go back to Maranatha…

That led to the formation of the non-profit Maranatha Development Society – which many friends and colleagues have supported over the years.

Since Chris’s death in February 2020, his work colleagues and friends generously donated to continue the work.

  The latest project in partnership with the Maranatha Beach Camp and School, was the funding of the “Sewing College”, which already has students signed up for classes starting in January, 2022.

Previously, the Society supported the Maranatha Women’s Association – and started training in sewing, so women could have a source of income.

Then, the Society supported Ebenezer (Chris helped put him through school) and then  helped him start a barbershop. Most recently, during Covid, we’ve helped Chris’s good friend Arnold get re-established with a chicken business.

What’s next? We’d like to create a small reserve fund, so we can offer support to the community in small ways. Perhaps it’s a little start-up capital for an income generating project, maybe to cover unexpected repairs or costs. There’s always something to be done!

How to contribute

If you’d like to contribute to this next stage: In Canada, send an etransfer to chrisyetilove@gmail.com – and it will be auto-deposited into the Society’s bank account.

If you’d like to use PayPal, click here:

Here’s a short video about Ebenezer’s barbershop and the start of the sewing college project..

Watch the video (about 4 1/2 minutes) – here’s a link to it on Vimeo, and there’s also a YouTube version link .

News and Updates

The sewing college was opened on August 26, Chris’s birthday, with a ceremony and a celebration. The people at Maranatha made a short video about the day’s events. There’s a lightly edited version of the video on Vimeo. Click HERE to view.

There’s also a YouTube version. Click HERE to watch that version

UPDATE November 10 from Winfred: There are now 36 students registered, although they can only manage about 20 students at a time. School will start on January 10, after the government formalities are complete.

What’s next?

The Sewing College continues, and there’s a waiting list! With an increase in tourism, there’s a demand for staff – so they opened a Cooking School for training. And the Beach Camp is building 10 new huts. Next – finishing the Community Pre-school, and renovating some of the older classrooms.

How to contribute…

In Canada, the simplest way is to send an etransfer to chrisyetilove@gmail.com. It will be auto-deposited to the Maranatha Development Society’s bank account. For Paypal, use this LINK

Some of the money raised after Chris’s death went to help Ebe open a new shop in his home community, and it’s up and running. We funded the equipment for the sewing college, and we helped Arnold (Chris’s friend) start a chicken business.