Free · Certificate included

Preparing for a Mission Trip to Haiti

Arrive as a guest who did the homework — the language, the faith, the history and the harm to avoid.

Reviewed monthly · last reviewed October 2026

46 min Beginner 7 modules Pass 80%

EspañolFor: Short-term mission team members, youth group leaders, trip coordinators and first-time travelers

What you’ll learn

Explain who you are visiting — Haiti’s regions, its revolution, and the history still in the room
Greet, thank and apologize in Haitian Creole, and understand why Kreyòl matters more than French
Speak about Vodou, Catholicism and Protestantism without contempt or caricature
Apply the photography and child-safeguarding rules that protect the community and your team
Recognize the short-term practices that do harm — including orphanage visits — and choose the ones that help
Prepare for water, cholera, heat and movement restrictions before you go

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Course outline

1
Why preparation is the work
What goes wrong when teams arrive unprepared in a country that has hosted thousands of them.
6 min Quiz
2
Who you are visiting
Haiti’s regions, the 1804 revolution, and the history that is still in the room.
7 min Quiz
3
Kreyòl, not French
Why the language you choose is a statement, and the two dozen phrases worth memorizing.
8 min Quiz Written + interactive
4
Faith, Vodou and respect in practice
Church, Vodou and the everyday norms of dress, hospitality and photography.
7 min Quiz Interactive
5
Do no harm
The short-term practices that quietly cause damage in Haiti — including orphanage visits — and what to do instead.
8 min Quiz Written + interactive
6
Staying well and moving safely
Water and cholera, heat, mosquitoes, and what the security situation means for team movement.
7 min Quiz
7
Before you fly
The team checklist, including the screening step most groups forget.
3 min Written + interactive

Sources & further reading

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