Sept 5 2011 at Jean Baptiste's Orphanage in Haiti

We went to this orphanage 2 days before we left Haiti, and we were so exhausted, both physically and emotionally, that to be honest, we had a hard time playing with these dear children. We left an hour earlier than normal! This orphanage was like the other ones, so many needs! I had the time to sit and talk with the owner in French, but only understood half of what he was saying, he kept mixing in some Creole! OF the part I did understand, one of his own children, a 7 year old daughter died in the earthquake. Since then, he started taking in children whose parents had died that terrible day. 

There was some rubble out behind the orphanage on his property, and when I asked what it was for, it was their school building. His home was also on this piece of land and it was a pile of rubble also. Thankfully, the orphanage survived the earthquake. 

I learned from him why each orphanage has it’s own private school in a country so poor. They only have to hire a teacher, and pay his/her way to their little shelter, pay for notebooks and pencils, etc. To send their kids to a public school is really expensive. There is no government funding, the children often have to buy uniforms, the parent have to pay to send their kids to school, and also pay the exorbitant prices of travel, as there are no free transport in school buses, and the price of gas is actually higher than it is here, if you can imagine!

Another thing I saw was stacks of mattresses.  I didn’t even ask him about them, he went on to explain that they had been donated by New Life Orphanage. (The place we were staying at) But they still don’t have enough. In one room, the children sleep on a rug on the floor. 

Now, I took this all in stride, as I saw a lot of that in Guinea as well. And it’s not as big a deal as WE think it is! Sometimes we look at the outside and what we see is so different from us, and looks so bad. But those things aren't usually the real problem. The big deal for them is the food, and the schooling. One of the things the girls commented on was the empty kitchens. Literally, not a single thing anywhere. But, they have a cook shack outside, where there is some oil, rice and beans, and the bowls and utensils they need for cooking. That is how THEY cook. They go to the market each day and pick up whatever herbs and fresh produce they can afford for that day, prepare it and eat it. There is no storage for a rainy day. Schooling really is so important. Without schooling, they have no future, no possibility to rebuild and care for the needs in their country. Most of the people there only have about one to two years of school ever, if that. Thankfully, we were able to be a part of making a difference in this area. Click here to read more on this. 

Click here to see pictures of our time at this orphanage.