August 31, 2021
As recent natural disasters, from hurricanes to earthquakes, illustrate, Haiti is an island that faces great challenges – and even basic infrastructure is frequently compromised. But with a donation of solar equipment from Dallas-based Sunfinity Renewable Energy, one Christian ministry in the Caribbean nation will have more secure electricity, enabling them to continue important outreaches to people in need.
Sunfinity has donated solar panels and inverters, valued at approximately $14,000, to Duckens and Francelene Saint-Phart, Haitian ministers who recently spent four years studying at Dallas Theological Seminary. After graduating in May 2021, the couple are returning home to continue working on behalf of the people there. The solar will be installed by a Haitian contractor at the couples’ home, which is the base for Duckens and Francelene’ s syndicated radio broadcast, carried on multiple stations on the island. (He is also a teacher at a nearby school in Port-Au-Prince, and is active at STEP Seminary, which trains men and women to become Christian leaders improving their communities.) Francelene works with local women at their residence, teaching vocational skills such as cooking and sewing, along with counselling young women at risk. The couple plans to add a generator as part of the home’s solar power array.
“We became acquainted with Duckens and Francelene while they attended Prestonwood Baptist Church, and they shared with us some of the situations that the people of Haiti face,” said John B. Billingsley, Chairman and CEO of Sunfinity. “For instance, even without weather events, gangs will cut power to a neighbourhood, then try to sell the power back to those people. It’s very clear that the more energy independence they can have, the more they can focus on real priorities. In America, solar is most often a means to save money – but in a country like Haiti, it can mean improving, and even saving, lives.”
Sunfinity Renewable Energy (www.sunfinity.com) is headquartered at 17300 Dallas Parkway in Dallas, with full-service operations for residential and C&I (commercial and industrial) solar systems throughout Texas. Recent projects include solar design and installation for Ann’s Health Food Store in Waxahachie and North Texas Express Mobility Partners in Fort Worth. The company will be installing solar on two buildings at San Jacinto College in the Houston area this fall.