The 80 children currently living at the orphanage.
Currently, the 80 children are living in a two story "house" with no running water, no kitchen (just a fire on the cement in one room with a pot to cook), and very little electricity when they have the funds to run a generator after the sun goes down. Multiple children share a bed every night while others sleep on benches and cement floors. There is no yard for the children to play in, so their play area is two hallway areas. The government has deemed the property unsafe and the director, Madame Soliette has been told she HAS to move the children by the end of March.
Play area, eating area, laundry folding area, etc...
The local Haitians working and learning new skills!!
A team of people who are dedicated to helping Mme Soliette achieve her vision have come together under the direction of Shine's Bill Cody and put together a coop called Okipe. We are working alongside Mme. Soliette to assist her in achieving her dream of creating a Children's Village for the children of her orphanage. The almost 4 acres have been purchased and the first phase of the building is almost finished. There will be about 10 children in each pod with one house parent. Each pod will have clean, running water, enough beds for each child and a bathroom!! There will be a common "cafeteria" with actual tables and chairs to eat on. Currently the children sit on the floor or benches in the hallway and eat on their laps. This will also double as the school area until the money is raised to build the school.
The new housing pods!!
I have seen this property first hand and my heart about explodes every time I think about the children moving in!! We have also found it important to use all Haitian workers to complete this project with just a few non-Haitian supervisor/trainers. It is amazing seeing the locals learning so many new skills that they will be able to use for the rest of their lives!!
Here's where you come in!! We are trying to raise the rest of the money so that we can get the kiddos moved in on time. We are asking you to consider giving to our 150 Campaign. We are looking for 150 people to pick a number from our chart and send that amount to help reach our goal. There is an amount for everyone, even children!! For example, if you pick the #1, you would give $1. If you pick the number 84, you would give $84. And, if you feel that you and your family can afford to give over $100, please choose a number above 100. We are hoping to get all of the numbers X-ed off by the end of January!! Please consider helping us reach our goal so that these children can get moved in to this amazing facility and Mme. Soliette's dreams can become a reality. We are SO CLOSE!!
If you are willing to help, please just leave a comment below, or email me at crjfamily@gmail.com with the number that you and your family would like to have. I will be updating the chart regularly so if the number is not "x"ed off, then it is available!! You can pay with cash, check, debit/credit or Paypal.
Thank you SO much for your help, you are making a huge impact on these children's lives!!
(Updated Saturday 1.11.13)
Please feel free to share via your blog and facebook to spread the word!! THANKS!
Click on the Donate button below and enter the number you would like to give!!
