Provide a safe home for Haitian Orphans

Thanks to your amazing generosity the children at the HTDC orphanage have now settled into a new school year.

In our last report we explained that, as well providing a safe home, your kind donations were helping to buy uniforms and books so that the kids could start class. While another of the orphanage’s partners was able to contribute, this wasn’t as much as initially hoped. So, in the end it was your generosity which covered most of the costs.

Although many of the children at the orphanage have lost parents, several live there because their remaining family are too poor to look after them. This is often because they lack the education needed to find a job. So your support really is helping to break the cycle of poverty for these kids. Thanks so much for making this possible again this year.

We asked Carlo, the orphanage director, how the children were getting on in school, and he had this to say:

“Nathanaelle has started secondary class and she’s very happy with the school and she does very good. She’s looking forward to finishing school in the next couple of years to go and study nursing.

Wisly also started school very well. All is good for him, and he’s waiting for the result of some exams he had a few weeks ago, but he think he will make a good score.

Wilson is very excited to be in secondary class now as well. He likes the new type of classes like English, Spanish and literature. He says that he will do his best to be good with all the new classes as he just started secondary classes and wants us to be proud.”

After watching them grow up over the years it’s amazing to see the older kids move into secondary education. Some are even ready to acquire job skills too.

For example, Wikenson and Nathanaelle will soon go on a course to learn about plumbing and electricity, and Paolo and Wisly will learn floor tiling. While it’s another orphanage partner who’s organising this vocational training it’s your generosity over the years that’s given these growing young people the education needed to take up this opportunity. Thanks again for making all this possible.

With the children all back in school and some also learning job skills the next challenge the orphanage will have to face is paying next year’s rent which is due again just after Christmas. Thanks to your donations over the last ten months we already have over half of the $7,000 due. However, more help is still needed to keep a roof over the children’s heads. So if you are able to help further as the holiday season approaches then we’d be incredibly grateful as always.

If you ever have any questions about the orphanage and how we use your donations, please don’t hesitate to email Andy@IDVolunteers.org. I would be delighted to hear from you.

For more updates about our work please like us on Facebook or follow IDVMedia on Twitter. You can also email Andy is you would like to be added to our direct mailing list.

Thanks to your incredible generosity the children at the HTDC orphanage are continuing to make the most of their summer.

The swimming classes we described in our last report have continued, and as well as giving the kids some important practical skills they also provide a cooling respite from Haiti’s ferocious heat.

Carlo, the orphanage director, recently sent us some photos and it’s great to see how much fun the kids are having. There’s a few included in this report.

Yet, swimming isn’t the only activity going on. Entertaining thirty children over the school break can be hard work for the orphanage staff, who still have to cook and clean as well.

So, Carlo recently organised some arts and crafts sessions, which again keep the kids busy while teaching them something practical.

Carlo had this to say about the summer activities:

“Now it is summertime the kids are enjoying themselves with their friends from the neighborhood. We have art crafts class and a teacher shows the older kids how to make sandals.

Nathanaelle is the one who makes the most sandals, she is very good at it and she started to help other kids who is interested to learn.

Nefky is good as well and he always like to make improvements to how he is making the sandals - he is very smart and the teacher like him a lot!

Wisly and Rose do well at making paper flowers and other decorations. We will use the decorations during a fete this Saturday, and show what the kids have accomplished during the summer time.

We also have a volunteer who wants to teach some of the kids how to play guitar and keyboard. The children are very excited to learn music.”

All in all the kids have been having a great summer break, but while they’re busy having fun we’re conscious that the new school year is also on its way, and we have to be ready for when it arrives.

So, Carlo also sent us some updates on plans:

“School will be start by 4th of September, and we have to spend $2,200 for books and uniforms just to get started.

Then of course there is the monthly cost for the teachers too. Elise [from Casiopee] is in Haiti and she tries to help with school matériels, but we need more help too”.

We’ve worked hard over the last year to make the orphanage less reliant on us, so we were initially a little hesitant about helping with the books and uniforms on top of our monthly support.

However, we also know that if the kids don’t start the school year prepared this will undermine their education over the rest of the year. So, in the end we agreed to use your kind donations to cover the half the school start up costs as well.

This arrangement still leaves room for the orphanage’s other partners to contribute, but it also means that the staff can start preparing so that the kids get the best possible start to the new school year.

Thank you so much for making all this possible.

As always, if you ever have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email Andy@IDVolunteers.org. I would be delighted to hear from you.

For more updates about our work please like us on Facebook or follow IDVMedia on Twitter. You can also email Andy is you would like to be added to our direct mailing list.