Provide a safe home for Haitian Orphans

As we approach Thanksgiving many of us will be gathering our friends and families give thanks for all that we have. In Haiti, the Holiday Season is also getting under way, and this year there are 27 children in Port au Prince who are thankful for you.

One of those kids is Jean Wilkenson. Wilkenson’s mother died when he was young, and he lived with his father. They were poor, but getting by, and they managed to survive the earthquake together. But then his father died of cholera.

At just 12, Wilkenson found himself alone on the streets of Port au Prince, selling bottles of water to survive and sleeping rough.

In late 2010, a friend of the orphanage met Wilkenson and brought him to the orphanage. Because of you, the orphanage had the funding to take him in and give him his childhood back. Before arriving at the orphanage, Wilkenson had never been to school. Thanks to your generosity, he’s now in class and catching up.

Wilkenson is now 14. We asked him to tell us about how he feels about life now. “I like it here because I can go to school. I have friends and feel like I belong to a family. I also like that I’m learning English and maybe one day I can speak it as well as the volunteers that come help us. I hope to be a teacher when I’m older.”

He has a future because you chose to give in 2012. This year, he’ll be giving thanks for you.

We still face challenges in securing a sustainable future for Wilkenson, but what we’ve accomplished in 2012 is worth celebrating. This year, Wilkenson counts you among his blessings – and so do we!

Thanks so much of all you’ve given in 2012, and we wish you the happiest possible Thanksgiving.

Links:

• Learn more about the orphanage

What a fantastic day the Hands Together to Defend the Children (HTDC) Orphanage had on GlobalGiving’s last matching day. On Wednesday the 17^th, you brought us so much closer to raising the funds we need to pay the rent and secure another two years of safe housing by donating $2,090 – that’s $2,717 with matching!

Thanks so much to all those who gave – your generosity is helping the kids in the orphanage’s care secure a bright future.

You’ve been so generous in October – this month we’ve already collected $3,157! We haven’t yet reached our goal of $11,000 to secure another two years of safe housing for kids like Medjina and Nolson, but we’re really getting there.  

We need another $7,843 by November 1^st to make sure that these kids have the education, home, and care they need to ensure that they grow into tomorrow’s leaders. That may seem like a lot, but together we can make it happen.

Thanks so much for your generosity so far in October. Please help us end the month with a bang and secure another two years of safe housing for all the kids at HTDC orphanage by donating now, sharing this page, or writing an email to friends and family.

If you want any help getting started or more information on how we use your donations, please don’t hesitate to email media@EDVolunteers.org.

One last time, thanks so much for all you’ve given, and our warmest regards from Haiti!

Links:

• Learn more about the HTDC orphanage

The HTDC orphanage continues to impress us with their hard work and perseverance. Orphanage directors are working hard to secure UN grants so that the orphanage can start its own business, and authorities as high up as the US embassy are taking notice.

It shows in the kids – they’re excited about their futures. This year, three of the kids are starting at secondary school. Wilkenson says that he’s looking forward to going to a “big” school, and that he wants to grow up to be a doctor so that he can help other kids.

But while the kids continue to play and thrive, the directors are worried. On November 1^st, we need to pay $11,000 in rent for another two years on the house at the HTDC orphanage.

You’ve given so much, but keeping 27 children safe, healthy, and learning is expensive. It costs more than $2,000 a month to meet the children’s’ needs. After we pay the rent, we’ll have sufficient funding for just two more months of basic needs for the children. In other words, without more donations, funds will run out money in January 2013 and HTDV will be without food, staff, a school, or even basic health care.

We’re working with the directors to push through grants which will let the orphanage open its own business and become more self-sufficient, but these grants take time and are unlikely to be approved until early 2013.

We know you’ve already given, but we hope that you’ll dig deep and donate again to help us over this last hurdle. We are working hard to help the orphanage become more financially independent, and we will succeed. But until we do, we need you.

Wednesday, October 17 GlobalGiving will match your donations by 30%. Please share this page and give what you can so that we can keep providing the safe home and education that has changed these kids’ lives.

If you have questions about our plans, please don’t hesitate to contact us by emailing Media@EDVolunters.org. Thanks so very much for all you’ve already given.

Links:

• Learn more about the HTDC orphanage

EDV directors Andy and Emma just completed their first visit to the orphanage. We wanted to send you an update, but we weren't sure what to say.

After all, you already know that because of you these kids have a safe home, a school, nutritious food, and a more secure future. So, rather than re-state those facts, we’re keeping this update very short and just sending through a few of our favorite photos.

In the coming weeks we’ll be sending you more detailed updates about our plans for the orphanage’s future, but today we just wanted to focus on the lovely kids whose lives you’ve changed.

Thanks so much for all you’ve given, and our warmest regards from Port au Prince!