ADVERTISEMENT


Orphanage - Haiti Observer Blog

Orphanage, Haiti Observer Blog. Read the following articles about Orphanage


 

Sister Dona found innocent after spending 42 months in prison

This is a lesson of dedication and commitment. After spending 42 months in prison for something she did not do, Sister Dona is once again free. Dieudonne Pierre Bélizaire, better known as Sister Dona who founded the orphanage Sister Redeemer of Nazareth, was cleared from charges of kidnapping, child trafficking and criminal conspiracy in a criminal court in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and released immediately. As a reminder, Sister Dona was arrested and put in prison in June 2012 for the disappearance of child Raphaël Chenet. The father of the child accused sister Dona of selling his child. Sister Dona has consistently claimed her innocence.

Read more →  


 

Founder of Haiti Orphanage Falsely Accused of Sex abuse

Paul Kendrick, a Maine activist for sexual abuse victims, from his desk in Freeport, led an email and blog campaign publicizing and accusing Michael Geilenfeld, the founder of St. Joseph's Home for Boys and North Carolina-based 'Hearts with Haiti' in false allegation of child abuse. In late 2011, he sent out emails to hundreds of people accusing Geilenfeld of being a serial pedophile and 'Hearts with Haiti' of refusing to do anything about him.

The jury has awarded $7 million in damages to Michael Geilenfeld and $7.5 million to the Hearts with Haiti, although seven Haitian men had testified that they were molested by Geilenfeld. However,, it has been learnt that Mr. Kendrick never met Michael or any residents or staff of the homes, and having never visited any of the three children's homes for disabled and disadvantaged children in Haiti. Many observers are of opinion that Mr. Kendrick had the intention to disrupt St. Joseph Family's fundraising network in the United States and Canada, targeting their largest donors, fundraisers in the U.S and Canada. The Department of Homeland Security had launched an exhaustive investigation into Mr. Kendrick's claims and found them to be baseless.

Read more →  


 

Christian Church Orphanage in Haiti in Miserable Condition

A Christian organization, Church of Bible Understanding (CBU), is not doing the good they proclaim they are. They run a two-home orphanage in the Port-au-Prince hills, which Haiti's Social Welfare Institute (SWI) has rated yellow, meaning it is not measuring up to minimum national standards.

CBU claims on its tax returns it is laying out $2.5 million yearly to run the orphanage. But when the Associated Press made a surprise visit to the homes, they found alarming conditions: dark and barren filthy rooms; ancient, worn-out mattresses, and reeking odors permeating the air. The homes were also overcrowded.

To fund the operation of the orphanage, CBU runs several antique stores in Manhattan, where items sell as high as $20,000-plus dollars. CBU tax returns don't disclose how much cash is actually being spent, due to vague descriptions of in-kind items. A CBU spokesman says it spends $1 million yearly, contradicting the amount they claim on IRS forms.

Read more →  


 

Brother Franklin Armand Community of the Incarnation - Artificial lakes

Brother Franklin Armand and Brother Auxillian of Community of the Incarnation (COI) established Little Brothers and Sisters of the Incarnation Orphanage in 1976. Their mission has been to minister to Haiti's peasant class. Called upon in 2010 to provide shelter and food for displaced children of the earthquake, the two siblings gave them a safe place, clothed, and educated them.

The brothers have also built several private schools, a healthcare facility, a vocational- training institute, and an agriculture school. The cost to educate agriculture students is exorbitant by Haitian standards, $2,000 per student annually. And yet the brothers manage to keep it going, with about one-third of funding coming from the European Union, and the rest from GOH and international-aid donors.

Read more →  


 

Eighty Percent of children in orphanages in Haiti are not orphans

Haiti has a serious problem with child-care facilities, costing the government of Haiti (GOH) a tremendous sum of money. A study, conducted by UNICEF and Institute of Social Welfare and Research (IBESR), determined orphanages house 80% of children, who have parents or other living relatives.

With 70% of the Haitian population living in dire poverty, many of these families cannot afford to feed their children and abandon them. And it often takes place immediately after birth in maternity wards.

The GOH, due to budget concerns, has been forced to shutter 25 child-care facilities in the country. The 12,000 children from these facilities have been transferred to orphanages that meet green standards. IBESR inventoried 750-plus government-operated child-care facilities, assigning a rating system of "green, yellow, or red" to insure child safety.

Read more →  


 

Thomazeau, Keep Hope Alive

Thomazeau, a small village in the Croix-des-Bouquets Arrondissement, is under the Ouest Department. The population, numbering 52,017, experiences grinding poverty. Many of the homesteads house up to 13 occupants, living in cramped spaces, with probably no electricity or running water.

However, one non-government organization (NGO), The New Life Community Project of Thomazeau (NLCPT), has been operating several programs to give the residents fresh hope. NLCPT is helping the villagers de-contaminate their drinking water, get healthcare services, and attend school. NLCPT has also opened an orphanage for abandoned children, attended to the community's spiritual needs, and offered funding for other programs.

Road infrastructure is abysmal in Thomazeau. Like other small villages in Haiti, the roads remain unpaved and dangerous, owing to enormous potholes. When heavy downpours happen during the rainy season, the roads cannot be navigated at all.

Read more →  


 

Our objective is to share with you news and information about Haiti and the people of Haiti. Traditions, habits and the way we were  or  grew are alive in this site. We highly recommend that you Subscribe to our Newsletter and also share with us some of the things that are memorable and made us unique people.