Provide a safe home for Haitian Orphans

Thanks so much for your support of the HTDC Orphanage. With much of the world’s attention focused on Covid-19, the worsening political situation in Haiti may not be getting much airtime, and your amazing generosity is one of the only things keeping the storm outside the orphanage’s gates right now.

Political unrest has been simmering away for well over a year, but it’s taken a dramatic turn for the worse recently due to plans to hold a referendum in June on strengthening the President’s powers. With presidential elections already overdue since 2019 many in Haiti fear a return to the days of dictatorship.

Thousands of people have flooded the streets to angrily protest and demand the President’s resignation. The President’s own supporters have responded in kind, making travel across the capital dangerous due to running conflicts between opposing factions. Kidnappings and crime have also become commonplace, and schools and businesses have been forced to close.

As mentioned in a project report last summer this situation has placed extreme pressure on the HTDC Orphanage because basic essentials, including food and fuel, are hard to find and this has driven up costs. At the same time the impacts of Covid-19 on the global economy has meant that funding from the orphanage’s other international supporters has fallen dramatically. 

In response to this we’ve increased our own monthly contributions towards the orphanage’s running costs, and this has only been possible because of your incredible support. Thanks to you the children are still receiving healthy meals, including chicken and rice on Good Friday and rice, beans, macaroni salad and fried fish on Easter Sunday.

The orphanage’s property is of course the foundation on which everything else is built, and the annual rent will be due again in June. Happily, thanks to your previous donations, we have enough in hand to cover this for the next year, meaning that for now at least the children will all continue to have a safe home. Thank you so much!

The situation in Haiti is still very fragile however, and at the moment there is no clear path to resolving the political tensions which have once again boiled over into violence. So, your continued support will be essential to ensuring the continued security of the children in the orphanage’s care.

If you have any questions about the orphanage and how we use your donations, or if you think you could help with donations and clothes and more in Florida, then please don’t hesitate to email Andy@IDVolunteers.org. I’d be delighted to hear from you.