Provide a safe home for Haitian Orphans

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.

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