Dear Family and Friends:

Stephanie and I were seeking an opportunity to more directly help children in need. After months of research we narrowed our search to an orphanage in Haiti run by Father Marc Boisvert, a Catholic priest and former U.S. Navy chaplain. One of the big differences in what we found here is that not only are the kids being fed but they are being educated and taught self sufficiency. In order to feel 100% comfortable in supporting this organization we decided to go visit it.

Our visit to Les Cayes was only four days but we both feel it was one of the most intense and deeply moving experiences of our lives. As we looked in to the eyes of these abandoned children, we could hardly digest what they had lived through. Stephanie wrote this brief (believe it or not) recap of what we experienced and included a few of our pictures.

Disease, hunger and sadness linger at every corner in Les Cayes. Walking the main street, we smelled the open sewer, a three-foot-wide gutter, where barefoot women raked away trash to allow the vile waste to run its way through town into the sea. Thousands of people roamed the streets: some looking for work, others trying to sell or barter possessions. The lucky ones live on this street where the homes are made of concrete block. The majority of people live in a labyrinth of shanty-homes separated by blanket walls hung on string with scavenged metal for roofs. They sleep on the ground. Most the furniture has been burned as fuel – they are destitute.

Haiti has no social safety net. There is no unemployment insurance, no state-funded school system, no state-supported healthcare system, no food security other than foreign relief agencies. People are very willing to work but often times there is no payable work to be found. Industry is limited and unemployment is around 70%. The U.N. estimates that only half of Haiti’s children attend primary school, which costs about $100 per year per child. Estimates are the average Haitian family with a steady income makes around $350 a year, a dollar a day!

Poverty is so severe some families must choose between offering children up for domestic slavery or watching them die from starvation. These children called restavecs, meaning one who stays with, are sent from their families to live with another family who can support them. The family taking the child in is supposed to feed, clothe and educate the child in exchange for chores. The original intent is rarely honored. Most often the child is treated as a domestic slave – forced with harsh physical abuse to work and serve other members of the family as an unpaid servant. In these environments, sexual abuse of the girls is more the rule than the exception.

We met several children who were former restavecs while visiting Vilaj Espwa (Hope Village), an orphanage and school run by Marc Boisvert, a catholic priest and former U.S. Navy chaplain. Father Marc has dedicated his life to building this village where children can grow into self-sufficient adults through education and training. He is assisted by a small and devoted staff of caregivers and teachers. During our visit, we were saddened by the stories of the children seeking refuge at Vilaj Espwa and touched by their amazing courage and spirit. Each child we met had his or her own gut-wrenching story about how they came to Hope Village. Many of them bore the scars of punishment from adults left behind or the less noticeable but equally horrific scars of brain damage from a lack of nutrition.

Espwa is Haitian Creole for hope. The children gave their village that name because they see themselves as lucky compared to the other kids in Les Cayes. They live in sturdy cement-block dorms, painted bright colors, with beds. They drink clean water, shower and have toilets. They get to eat twice a day. They attend school learning to read and write in Creole and eventually in French. The more linguistically-gifted are learning English. The better students pursue more advanced studies in agriculture and law while the less-academically inclined learn carpentry and metal-working trades in a recently created vocational school. They have access to a free medical clinic. All of these advantages sit in clear contrast with the children outside Vilaj Espwa who don’t know where their next meal will come from or where they might be sleeping that night. We spoke to dozens of children who told us their stories and saw countless others walking the streets barefoot, in tattered clothes, and knew that we wanted to help these kids.

Vilaj Espwa is home to 672 children and has the physical space and the desire to take in approximately 400 more. Unfortunately funding has dropped precipitously due to the economy and they are tight on operating funds, which has forced them to layoff several workers and reduce meal portions for the children. Our goal is to raise funds to allow Father Marc to take in more children off the streets and continue to feed the children they have. Pwoje Espwa is also trying to raise funds to further enhance their medical clinic and build new dorm to be able to take in another 30 girls.

Earthquake Update

Dozens if not hundreds more from Port-au-Prince are expected in coming days. Hope Village needs our help to feed, shelter, counsel, and educate these newly-orphaned children. Their food and medical supplies nearly depleted, Hope Village needs our help to provide for these newly abandoned children. Please help by becoming a monthly sponsor now or to help in any way you can.

Please, Click Here to Help!

Lastly, please let us know if you have any interest in joining us when we make our next visit to see the children of Vilaj Espwa. We would be delighted to have you join us to see first-hand the remarkable work Father Marc and his team continue to do.

With great affection and very kindest regards,
Stephanie and Neil Cohen
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