Asana, Ventra I. White

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Title: Asana, Ventra I. White
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Ventra Asana is the new
to find ways to help the
mimster of community out- ·
women in particular to
reach ~md nurture atYpsilanti:
become self-sustaining.
0{
First UMC. While at Garrett
1
Evangelical Theological SemiMCA: Did you go to
nary she initiated the Barey
Dominican Republic this
Project to help r--:-:-=,....,...-----..,.---_,year?
Haitian women
Asana: I went
in the Dominiin March. As
can Republic..
always we take
\~lllt'361 a very big ship- ·
ment of over-·
MCA:What
led you to inithe-counter
medicine, which
tiate the Batey
the Garrett ·
Project?
Seminary comAs ana:
munity gathWhen I got to
ered for us.
Garrett in the
The purpose
winter of 1997 I
of the Batey
was one of sevProject is to
eral students
who signed up
;....~:~-"-"'!:......1 provide fmancial resources for the women.
to go on a theological field
trip. Part of the trip was to the
It's modeled after a bank's
Dominican Republic.
micro-credit program for susWe went out to the .countainability. We discovered what
tryside to visit a sugar cane
kind of busiriesses the women
would like to have. One of
plantation. I was very struck
them is a panaderia, a bakery.
by the amount of poverty that
Financial resources would go
I witnessed there. There were
men, women and children livtoward the purchase of small
stoves, ingredients for bread,
ing on the edge of the sugar
cane plantations, the barey.
etc.
They were living in .squalor.
In some cases there is no
sugar cane -being cut, so those ·
. There was no electricity, no
sewers, no water in many
people have been abandoned.
places, dirt floors and lean-to
In many cases the sugar mills
shacks. My heart was really
are being privatized by the
moved to see if there was
government.
Because Haitians are .not
something I could do to assist
the women.
wanted in DominiCan society
MCA: What are the
and are ostracized, there is no
wages?
work for them.
Asana: I discovered at that
Haiti cannot absorb them
time that the average worker
back into their economy,
(if there is cane to cut) makes
because Haiti is very poor
itself.
RD$763 a week, or $5 U.S.
The majority of the people
MCA: How is the Batey
who work on the barey are of
Project supported?
Haitian heritage. Even though
Asana: I wrote a proposal
the Dominican Republic is
to have it as an extension minvery poor, Dominicans disdain
istry, and Bishop Donald Ott
working on the sugar cane
appointed me to that proje"'t.
p~antations. So the Haitians
My colleague and I will be
do the scut-work.
making another trip late this
Generally the people canyear to find out how ihe
not read or write. And there is
women can set up the entervery poor pre-natal care, if any
prise. It is our hope that in
at all. The health problems are
2002 we'll be able to take mis-very high.
sion partners.For more inforI began to look around and
mation contact me at vensee how I could be of service.
tral asana@yahooocom.
I feel the Holy Spirit was
Ed. note: Asana is a commisspeaking to me.
I
I've gone back every year
sioned minister in the ordained
since that time. We're trying
deacon track.
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<1,//p

. The Rev. Ventra Asana
of Ypsilantit'F'r rst o&tt '
(Ann Arbor District) traveled with 11 other deacons
working in a partnership
ministry with the Methodist
churches of Bolivia. They
visited Cochambamba and
La Paz, Bolivia. They
learned more about the
Quechua p eople of the

I

Andes.