Hope for Haiti

When I was in Haiti, I got to visit so many interesting towns, villages, beaches, and places. I'd like to tell you about one of the places that touched my heart the most - the orphanage run by my friend and our trip leader, Greg.

The Port Au Prince location of House of Hope is located in an old house on the mountains that overlook the city. The home is owned by Pastor Eddy's sister (Pastor Eddy was our Haitian trip leader and trip organizer). Driving up to the orphanage, I saw some of the most destroyed, ruined, and outright awful parts of Port Au Prince. But once you drive up the mountain, you so easily forget the destruction, pain, and suffering so apparent in the city streets. The air is cleaner and cooler - it is the most refreshing place in Port Au Prince that I visited.

Fifty-one children live in this home. They are the most blessed children in Port Au Prince - they have clean water to drink, healthy and regular meals, and they get to go to school and learn about Jesus. Clean water and food might sound like obvious elements necessary for survival, but most children in Haiti do not have even these most basic of physical needs met, let alone their spiritual, emotional, or intellectual needs.

Despite how (relatively) healthy these kids are and that they all know Jesus, they totally broke my heart. I tried to give them hugs, and none of them knew what I was doing.

Can you imagine growing up without knowing the meaning of a simple hug? To not know physical affection? Totally breaks my heart. And it should break yours, too.

Greg has been working to really renovate this orphanage. A recent missions group made all of the kids beds and painted their classroom. Future projects/needs include a better generator so they can have power through the night (this is important, because it is so dark that the kids are scared to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and wet their beds), getting plumbers to help with the septic system, and a gas oven for the kitchen (the current kitchen is a tiny room without windows, and all food is cooked over charcoal). Most of these projects would cost less than $1000, but there are not sufficient funds to do these projects right now.

Let me explain it to you this way: the orphanage, for 51 kids, is run on $3500 per month (that's about what many of us take home after taxes!). Some of the kids are sponsored, a $30/month commitment, which covers their food and school expenses.  Unfortunately, not all children are sponsored, but thankfully, all children are fed. Besides food, the biggest expense is staff payroll (there are eight full-time staff members).

My heart was so moved by what I saw at House of Hope and the good work they are doing there, that I decided when I got home, I would sponsor a child - to help give $30 more to each monthly budget, to save for a better generator, school supplies for the kids, or a new water filter. It was something small (and I'm not exactly in a position to adopt a Haitian child in the immediate future), but it can definitely make a difference in one life, and maybe open up the opportunity for another child's life to be changed.

After looking through my pictures, I went to the House of Hope website, only to see many familiar faces that had changed my heart only a few days before. One face stuck out - the face of Guerline, a girl who had asked me for many pictures, and had brought other children to me to have their pictures taken. According to the website, Guerline and her sister were orphaned after their parents died. When their aunt could no longer afford to care for them, they were brought to House of Hope. She is wearing pink in the picture.

Sadly, Greg told us that many of the children at House of Hope will not be adopted.  When they turn 18, they will have to find a way to provide for themselves in a country where the unemployment rate is at least 90%.  I know that when the time comes, Greg and his ministry will do their best to help kids like Guerline find a way to survive in their survival-driven country.  The ideal situation would be that these kids can be future staff at this and other Christian orphanages in Haiti.

I hope that you are touched, not depressed, by the story of Guerline and her friends.  Personally, I experienced the most hope while I was in Haiti while I was visiting and playing with these beautiful kiddos, and pray that their generation can change Haiti.  There are so many needs at House of Hope and throughout Haiti, that I think a unified Church could easily meet and exceed, if we were moved to action and better stewards of our resources.  How will you choose to be different today to help spread the Gospel and help our brothers and sisters in need in Haiti and throughout the world?