A group of former and would-be soldiers in Haiti openly refused government orders to disband as hundreds of them dressed in mismatched uniforms marched through the capital on Friday.
CANNES, France - Sean Penn tried to turn the conversation at the Cannes Film Festival to Haiti, hosting a fundraiser for the earthquake-ravaged and poverty-stricken country.
Sean Penn tried to turn the conversation at the Cannes Film Festival to Haiti, hosting a fundraiser for the earthquake-ravaged and poverty-stricken country.
Hope for Haiti's Children(HFHC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 1995 to educate and care for the impoverished children in Haiti. We are meeting their needs through an education sponsorship program, health care services, orphan care, and crisis relief efforts.
HFHC is changing the lives of impoverished children, one child at a time. This change is realized by restoring hope, by giving dignity through education, and by daily demonstrations of God’s loving compassion. We hope the time you invest in learning about this ministry will touch your heart and move you to action.
From January 21 - February 4, our staff in Haiti was joined by a group of 55 volunteers and medical professionals from the states and 18 translators to conduct our annual clinic. We arranged for each sponsored child to travel to a school where we set up a clinic. Here, they received a wellness exam, medical care when indicated, and a gift bag filled with school supplies, socks, undergarments, hygiene items, and a variety of other small toys & items. In addition, our team updated the records for the children and got a current photo of each child. These will be in the mail soon to their sponsors!
We were blessed this year to have a dental team join us to address this great need of the children. All told, 1,252 children and community members were seen at the clinic. God blessed us above and beyond what we were able to ask or imagine!
We are so thankful to the mission teams, to those who collected or sent donations for the gift bags, to the many sewing groups who labored in love over each handmade article of clothing, and to the sponsors who make this possible because of your support through child sponsorship.
All of the scenes in the video were filmed during our trip. It tells the story of the beauty and barrenness of Haiti, the joy and sadness of Haiti's people and the bountiful blessings received by all.
Please continue to keep the children in Haiti in prayer.
Their smiles always captivate me. Each time I visit the Cazeau Christian Orphanage, which stands on a hill overlooking the Port-au-Prince International airport, the children run to me with their hands raised – pleading to be held, radiating ear-to-ear smiles. As I work my way kissing and hugging all 72 children, there are two precious 5-year-old twin girls – Faneika (“Fuh-nee-ka”) and Djinika (“Ji-nee-ka”) Lindor –who inevitably work their way up to sit on my lap. Faneika and Djinika had their world literally turned upside down on January 10, 2010 when the devastating Port-au-Prince earthquake left them without a family, without a home, and without a school. It is difficult to imagine how hopeless their situation appeared. But since being placed in this HFHC-sponsored orphanage, they now have a family, a home, a school, and they rejoice in hope! God has turned “their mourning into dancing” (Psalm 30:11)!
We thank God for each of you who have prayed for this ministry during these past two years. Many of you have sacrificially given during one of the most challenging economies; you have held yard sales, packed Christmas Joy Boxes, served on a mission team, assisted with a Rebuilding Hope 2020 breakfast, and demonstrated your concern in so many ways.
Stark assessment of Cholera situation in Haiti - “Cholera Prevention Kits” needed!
Although easily treated, cholera has a short incubation period and causes acute diarrhea that can lead to severe dehydration and death in a matter of hours. The outbreak erupted in the Artibonite River valley in central Haiti in mid-October where three HFHC schools are located (Mirebalais, Dubuisson, and Pageste). Fifteen HFHC-sponsored children contacted symptoms of cholera and have been successfully treated. HFHC personnel visited the Artibonite River Valley on October 22 and November 2 and brought several weeks of uncontaminated food supplies and bottled water for those in the affected areas.
The cases initially seemed to have been contained. However Hurricane Tomas last week aggravated the situation as it dumped heavy rains causing the Artibonite River to flood. The toll from the chronic diarrheal disease has since soared to 643 dead and just under 10,000 people being treated in hospital. Some 115 cases and a first death have been confirmed in Port-au-Prince. Most of the estimated 1.3 million Haitians living in refugee camps are in tent cities around the capital and water-borne cholera could spread easily in the unsanitary conditions where supplies are shared for cooking and washing.
