GlobalGiving.org: Provide medical care to Haitian orphans

Christopher is coming home!

Sonya Yencer — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:36:05 GMT

You’ve seen this adorable face for the past two years in numerous reports. The Red Thread Promise has been supporting little Christopher over that time, providing medical care and hospitalization during the treatment of his sickle cell anemia since 2009.

Just this week, we received word that Christopher will be traveling to the United States to be united with his forever family at the end of January! But his care by The Red Thread Promise will continue. Christopher will spend about 5 weeks with his new family in Texas before he and his parents travel to New Orleans, LA to meet with a sickle cell specialist. This generous doctor has offered to help us continue his care, running the necessary tests, after which she will meet with Christopher's parents to discuss the test results, as well as a short- and long term treatment plan for his care.

Because of your generous donations, The Red Thread Promise can continue to support his medical care until after the doctor has met with the family and a clear plan of action is set in motion. We will send Christopher home knowing we have done the best we can so he can live a happy and healthy life with as few sickle cell episodes as possible.

Providing fresh water

Sonya Yencer — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:20:37 GMT

A similar water filtration system in use in Haiti

During our many visits to Haiti since 2009, we have taken a long, hard look at some basic necessities that, while abundant in many parts of the world, are at a premium in Haiti. One of those critical necessities is potable water.

Potable water is pure enough to drink with a low risk of harm, both immediate and over the course of time. In Haiti, thousands upon thousands of people have inadequate access to potable water. Water sources are often severly contaminated, as most recently demonstrated in the cholera outbreak which plagues the country to this day. (For the latest in the cholera epidemic, please see: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/haitians-risk-cholera-deaths-as-aid-agencies-withdraw)

The Red Thread Promise is working with several other agencies to install a large water filtration system at St. Vincent's Center for Handicapped Children in downtown Port-au-Prince. St. Vincent's serves children with a variety of disabilities (including hearing impairment, sight impairment, loss of limbs, etc), providing an education, medical services and home for students and orphans in their care. During the months at the height of the cholera epidemic, the Center's Director had to make critical choices with St. Vincent's limited funds: provide a meal or fresh water for the students. Naturally, water was the choice. Students went with little to no food for some time as funds were constantly being used to purchase expensive clean water.

Working together, our team is currently fundraising and planning for the installation of a water filtration system so that the Center's Director no longer has to make this critical choice. Once in place, a constant source of potable water will be available for the Center, staff and students. Extra water will be sold to the public for a nominal fee in order to generate enough income for the filtration system to be self-sustaining. Routine maintenance will keep the filtration system in operating condition constantly so no child has to go without water.

Thank you for your supporting The Red Thread's efforts to provide clean drinking water to orphans and students at St. Vincent's as well as the people in the surrounding area.

Links:

Partnership for fresh water

Keeping sickle cell at bay

Sonya Yencer — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 00:44:10 GMT

Christopher is an orphan in Haiti who suffers from sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia is a disease passed down through families in which red blood cells form an abnormal crescent shape. The fragile, sickle-shaped cells deliver less oxygen to the body's tissues. They can also get stuck more easily in small blood vessels, and break into pieces that interrupt healthy blood flow. Almost all patients with sickle cell anemia have painful episodes (called crises), which can last from hours to days. These crises can affect the bones of the back, the long bones, and the chest. (Excerpt from PubMed Health)

The Red Thread Promise (TRTP) has been funding Christopher's medical needs since he was a toddler. We have loved being a part of his life, watching him grow and always enjoy visiting him whenever possible during our frequent trips to Haiti.

TRTP received a beautiful note from Christopher's forever mother, Jana, who is anxiously awaiting the final adoption paperwork to be processed.

In her note, she states "The Red Thread Promise has been such a HUGE part of bringing Christopher home. We would not have been able to get this far without you. Rachel [orphanage director] says that Christopher has been in much better health since TRTP has supplied the orphanage with a constant supply of medicine and vitamins for him and the other children. We are grateful for the monthly funding you continue to supply for his care while he is in Haiti."

"Our [adoption] paperwork is at the office of the Minister of the Interior in Haiti, the last step before being issued Christopher's passport and visa. As soon as we arrive in the states, we anxiously look forward to meeting with the sickle cell specialists that you have arranged for us in Louisiana. It is amazing that you were able to make this connection on our behalf to help us prepare a long-term plan for Christopher's care. We will think of you every time we look at our precious son. We look forward to the day that we are able to bring him home to stay."

It has been and continues to be our pleasure to support children like Christopher in their time of need. We too look forward to when he is able to go home to his forever family. He will always be in our hearts.

Links:

We are broadening our focus

Sonja Beals Iribarren — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 17:25:47 GMT

There are 15 children at Rivers of Hope, and they are doing well. Christopher and Stanley have sickle-cell anemia, and we remain committed to helping with their medical costs. 4 children are available for adoption; if you are interested, let us know! We are expanding past Rivers of Hope to work with other similar orphanages and others' childrens' facilities - stay tuned for exciting updates! In the meantime, prepare yourself for unbearable cuteness:

Links:

GlobalGiving Visits Rivers of Hope orphanage

Marisa Glassman — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:25:51 GMT

Whereas I typically think of orphanages, in the US or abroad, as sad places where children are not cared for and get little love or attention, Rivers of Hope Orphanage was nicer than most hotels I've seen, let alone childcare centers, even as compared with the wealthiest of neighborhoods in the US. The orphanage, currently about four years old, has facilitated about twenty international adoptions since its inception, mostly to the US and Canada. Although there is local interest from parents and communities that would allow the orphanage to host hundreds of children at a time, they have consciously maintained a smaller size – anywhere from 10-18 children – in order to provide the best care possible to their children. And they really do view the orphans, both during their stays at the orphanage and once in their adoptive homes abroad, as their own. They maintain a 3:1 child-to-caretaker ratio at all times, and the average length of stay for a child is about two years. The costs to care for each child come to about $300 per month, some of which is paid by adoptive parents once they are secured, and part of which comes from much-appreciated donors like you.

We met many adorable babies during our visit on January 9, 2011. Rachel and Willem were kind enough to host us on a Sunday afternoon. Were Haitian adoption criteria not so stringent – parents must be married for a minimum of ten years, be at least thirty-five years old, and have no more than two children – I might have tried to file adoption papers right then and there. A special case, about which all GlobalGiving donors should feel particularly proud, is that of four-year-old Christopher. He has sickle cell anemia and is the oldest of the orphanage’s children. Had it not been for funds provided by GlobalGiving, Christopher would likely not be alive today, as the orphanage has used GlobalGiving donors’ funds to provide him with much-needed medication. He now has pending adoptive parents who will continue to care for him once he leaves Haiti. Although shy and admittedly small for his age, Christopher is absolutely adorable and a very lucky boy to have received such great care while at the Rivers of Hope Orphanage.

4-year-old Christoper

3-year-old Stephenson

The group - watching Dora the Explorer on TV

we reached our goal! But there is more to do....

Sonja Beals Iribarren — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:53:45 GMT

We have reached our funding goal but Rivers of Hope continues to need our help! Your donations have continued to provide Christopher, who has sickle-cell anemia, with $300 a month for his health maintenance, food, and clothing until he can join his forever family. We also support other children with child-specific donations for well-child care. We continue to supply medical supplies, food, clothing, bottles and other needed items. The Red Thread Promise does not ship goods to the orphanage because customs fees are steep (often exceeding the value of the items sent!), and we prefer to spend money locally in order to support the economy, but we have found that a few suitcases of goods carried in can make a big difference to the orphanage.

Ongoing Efforts at Rivers of Hope

Sonja Beals Iribarren — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 16:10:37 GMT

It takes $300 a month per child to care for each child. We continue to support Rivers of Hope for any medical / daily care needs of the children until they are matched with their forever families. And they ARE getting matched! Once matched, a child’s new family takes over the payments until the child can join his or her forever family. We are also setting aside some money for emergencies or unplanned doctor visits.

Update on the Children of Rivers of Hope

Sonja Beals Iribarren — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:38:20 GMT

Currently there are seven boys and one girl at Rivers of Hope Orphanage. Many parents are asking that the orphanage take their children after the earthquake because food and jobs are that much harder to come by, and they are struggling to keep their children fed and healthy. The director has to turn many families away because she also has very limited resources.

Christopher We are waiting on one more approval on the Haiti side before he will be released to come to New Orleans for treatment for his sickle-cell disease at Tulane. Tulane’s donated support will see him through this year. After that we must begin the visa process again. Red Thread Promise volunteers saw Christopher in March and May. In March he was ill, but in May, he was a typical little 2-1/2 year old boy, running, jumping, and laughing. TRTP brought him medicine from the US to help prevent his Sickle Cell attacks.

Christopher

Sonja Iribarren — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:45:36 GMT

We are so grateful to all of you who have reached out to us to see how you can help "our kids" in Haiti after the earthquake. We are particularly concerned about Christopher, the adorable two-year-old with sickle-cell disease. Previously, when Christopher would suffer a sickle-cell attack, the orphanage staff would take him to a hospital just outside Port au Prince for emergency treatments. We had tentatively arranged with Tulane University to bring Christopher to New Orleans for a more sustainable and preventative treatment plan, and were working out the details when the earthquake hit. If Christopher's treatment plan was unacceptable then, it is impossible now, and we have accelerated our plans to bring him to New Orleans. Please check in for more details in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, if you want to make a real difference in the life of one needy Haitian orphan, please consider donating a few dollars to cover his expenses. Tulane has put together an incredibly generous package but we still need your help to cover travel and other expenses.

updaate on Christopher

Sonja Iribarren — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:18:14 GMT

beautiful Christopher

Christopher, one of the children from Rivers of Hope orphanage, suffers from sickle-cell anemia. We have pledged our support to care for him over the next two years by underwriting his medical bills while he is in Haiti waiting for his forever family. We will also bring him to Chicago to consult with sickle-cell specialists to assess his condition and offer a viable treatment strategy. With your help, together we can provide hope and a better state of health for Christopher.

our May 2009 trip to Haiti

Kathy and Jen, Board Members — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:35:41 GMT

James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…. Dear TRTP Board, Family and Friends: May 2009 We are home from Haiti safe and sound! In a few short days, we were fortunate to have an incredible, possibly life-changing experience. Walk with us as we share our journey. First, we had an issue with checking in our boxes of supplies for the orphans. Spirit Airlines allows only one checked bag per passenger to Haiti. However, the flight was fine, and we arrived in a timely manner. Upon arrival to Haiti, we landed on the runway and exited the plane via a stairwell, and walked to customs. At customs we met a church group who was coincidentally going to the same place we were, Mountain Top Ministries’ (MTM) guesthouse. Mountain Top Ministries, founded in 1999 by Willem and Beth Charles, is a not for profit, dedicated to serving the people of Haiti through education, quality medical care, and by spreading the word of God. They also support two small orphanages. The first, Rachoul’s Rivers of Hope (ROH) orphanage, houses 19 (at this time) babies and toddlers, and the other orphanage, Children’s Home, is a home for older children. We made it through customs uneventfully. Rachoul, ROH orphanage director, was to meet us outside the baggage area, so we proceeded there. She was not there. Many Haitians were however, and we were surrounded. Soon we saw Rachoul, who had been looking for us in the baggage area. Our transportation from the airport to the guesthouse was in a very nice pickup truck. We were fortunate, as we got to ride inside the cab. The mission team was piled into the back of the pickup, feeling every bump in the road, and there were many bumps when we reached the mountainside! The guesthouse was great. We had running water, electricity, and every modern convenience, along with delicious food. We were fed three meals a day. We were told in advance all food and water in the guesthouse was safe for consumption. The guesthouse was surrounded by a cement wall, and had a locked gate, three dogs, and bars on the windows. We were definitely safe. Evidently this is a common practice for nicer homes in Haiti. The view from the balcony was incredible. We were surrounded by mountains. The mountain directly in front of us was a patchwork of crops, but you could see small buildings, roads, and in the center of the mountain was a steeple, which was the home of MTM.

At four a.m. a rooster crowed, yet it was not light out. Then another rooster crowed, and they had a loud crowing contest, which set off the dogs. We were up. In the morning we decided to walk, along with others, down our mountain, through a dry river basin, and up the mountain to MTM. It was rather challenging. Although we enjoyed the experience, we plan on being in better shape next time we attempt that hike. A number of Haitians passed us by, carrying large loads on their heads of vegetables, and had not broken a sweat. It was humbling! Upon arrival, Willem showed us the church, school, and clinic. The church was lovely, and can hold approximately 200 people. The school takes in marginalized children from the surrounding mountaintop communities. They offer classes for children ages preschool through tenth grade, with additional grades added each year to allow children to complete their high school education. They currently boast a total student body numbering around 1500. Along with a quality education, every child receives one hot meal per day. The children are provided with a nourishing meal at lunchtime. We got a chance to hang out with the children during recess. We played the hokey pokey, London bridges, thumb fights, hand clapping games, anything we could think of without using props. They loved having their pictures taken. It was fun, and rewarding. The medical clinic was well stocked, with five separate examining tables, separated by curtains, along with two dental chairs. A waiting room for the clinic was built. A wide screen television, donated, allows MTM to educate waiting patients and their families on Christianity, personal hygiene, communicable diseases, etc. Because MTM is not allowed access the public hospitals using mission team doctors, Willem and Beth are building a surgical center! When that is built, MTM will be able to perform operations using anesthesia.

After that we drove down the mountain. Jen opted for the cab, but Kathy wanted to have a “Haitian experience”, so she stood in the back of the truck with Willem and hung on as we rode down the mountain. Jen has pictures! We were off to Rivers of Hope orphanage, truly a home and not an institution. The home is clean, spacious and loving. The children had a place to sleep and play inside. Outside offered a screened porch, patio, swing set and lots of grounds to romp around in. Again, the grounds were surrounded by a tall cement wall and locked gate. The children had a new kitten to raise and love. It is the mission of Rivers of Hope to find adoptive families for each child. Rachoul works with Lifelink adoption agency in Illinois, she works with specific Canadian adoption agencies, and is currently also doing private adoptions via attorneys. There are four nannies employed at the orphanage. The nannies live there full-time, and are paid approximately $170 a month, rotating one day a week off. The children were contactable, alert, eager for play and attention, easy to soothe for the most part. They were in good health, clean, and obviously nurtured. Rachoul seemed very businesslike until she walked in the door of the orphanage. Then she immediately turned her attention to loving the children. It was rewarding to watch. We spent the afternoon there holding babies and playing with children. Then we went back to the guesthouse. It had been a long day. The following day we went to the Children’s Home, the orphanage for older kids. These children are not adoptable, albeit they were orphans. The goal of this home is to raise these children in a warm environment, educate them, and send them into Haitian society to help their communities. This was also a home, not an institution. There are eleven children living there, and they attend school at Mountain Top Ministries. We spent the rest of that day playing with the babies at Rachoul’s. One of the babies, Christopher, age 18 months, has sickle cell disease, and wasn’t doing well. The next day, we were already leaving Haiti. Rachoul was late picking us up, as Christopher was in crisis. His feet and legs had swelled up and he was in a lot of pain. In Haiti there is no medical insurance. One needs $500 to be admitted to the hospital. Rachoul had brought him there, but only had $300. TRTP donated $400 towards Christopher’s care. We stopped at the hospital, where he was with a nanny in the waiting room, and were able to get him admitted. Thank you donors of TRTP!! We are waiting to hear how this little boy is doing, and will update you.

The trip home was uneventful. Already, we are thinking of ways as a group that we can come alongside Rachoul, Willem, and Beth and bring care to these sweet children. We are thinking of providing health supplies via a mission drive, seeking medical assistance for Haitian orphans, both in the U.S. and within Haiti, coordinating mission trips, monthly sponsorships for each baby who has not been matched with an adoptive family, etc. We are excited, and feel we have been led to a unique opportunity, one that may provide life-changing assistance for children who have so little. In the future we will be asking you to help us connect with organizations and individuals who may share our mission. Financial assistance is needed to help purchase health supplies and provide doctor visits for each child. We believe that one person can truly make a difference, one child at a time. Thank you for helping us make this trip possible through prayer, financial support and all the wonderful baby supplies that came our way! Wishing you a blessed day, Jennifer Mesick Kathy Korge Albergate As our T-shirts read: I promise…to help change lives.