Bermuda Overseas Missions will be travelling overseas twice next year to help poverty-stricken families.

Charity president David Thompson said the first visit will be to Haiti, where the group will link up with the Feed My Lambs Ministry, and the second will be to Honduras or Guyana.

In its 13-year history, BOM has taken more than 500 volunteers overseas and built 82 homes. This summer, it took 32 Bermudians to Muhiyo Village, near Mulanie, Malawi, to build four homes in support of Habitat for Humanity.

Mr Thompson said in a statement: “As support for our charity had grown, and in an effort to enhance collaboration with other local charities, in March 2016 we plan to undertake our first mission to Montrouis, Haiti, in conjunction with the Feed My Lambs Ministry spearheaded by Philip Rego.”

In Haiti, the group will help construct a building that will house a dental clinic as well as two workshops that provide skills development and a work area for local Haitians.

Mr Thompson said: “Providing the local community with a facility where they can get easy access to dental care is critical for the wellbeing of the elderly and children in this rural area.

“In addition, the building will act as a central hub for local entrepreneurs to develop micro-businesses, which will help to create economic activity in the area — important for the long-term sustainability of the surrounding villages.

“We see the Haiti trip as a new opportunity for BOM, as this will be our first mission in support of Feed My Lambs. We plan to develop a continuing relationship with this important charity and look forward to supporting them with their future expansion plans.

“We also intend to undertake a mission in the summer of 2016 in conjunction with Habitat to Humanity and, after recent trips to Africa, India and South America, we are looking to partner with Habitat for something closer to Bermuda, likely Honduras or Guyana.

“We are thankful that the donor community has been very supportive of BOM through the years and we have been listening to their calls for collaboration and to manage the financial scale of our trips.

“As such, our volunteers will be conducting more local fundraising in support of these missions and we appreciate all the donations we have received from the community at our various fish fries, carwashes, grocery bag packing days, corporate denim days and roti cookouts. We plan to do more of the same in 2016.”

• To join BOM on either mission in 2016, contact Mr Thompson at 295-1078. Sign-up sessions will be held on January 7 at Christ Church, Warwick.