FEJ Office Fund

This is my daughter, Elizabeth, who I was fortunate enough to welcome home on October 28th, 2013. Prior to her homecoming, she was cared for by a group of amazing people at Fondation Enfant Jesus in Haiti. (http://www.fondationenfantjesus.org/) FEJ is a non-denominational non-profit organization based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti that promotes sustainable human development for impoverished children and their families through a robust full-life development program which includes culturally-sensitive education, child and family advocacy, entrepreneurship, health services, community building and enhancement and a comprehensive adoption placement program. FEJ provides these various forms of aid and training to marginalized families through government, grant, and personal sponsorship regardless of race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or political association. During the January 2010 earthquake, FEJ lost their primary office and have been occupying temporary office space while awaiting a very exciting rebuilding effort, led by the U.S. Green Building Council. (www.usgbc.org/projecthaiti) In the interim, FEJ is occupying rented office space in a central location to help facilitate an efficient process for their many programs. The FEJ office serves as the hub for all activities that "are" FEJ. Its location is of significant importance, in that Haiti is a busy, unpredictable, crowded place. Travel is a challenge "“ even on the best of days. So, establishing and maintaining a working office that's centrally located not only affects life on the ground in Haiti "“ but also affects the efficiency of the "system." That's to say, access to a working and efficient FEJ office can make or break a family's adoption process and their ability to maneuver through it. Hour and days matter. Believe me, they do. Excess travel only extends the process; and excess travel (especially in a place like Haiti) adds unnecessary cost and hazard to the process. The USGBC's Green Building will be a blessing for FEJ; however, in the interim, it's important to maintain business as usual, and in the most efficient manner possible. That's where funding the current FEJ office comes into play. It's a need that cannot be underscored "“ particularly for those families and children who are so anxiously (yet patiently) waiting to start their lives together. Please consider donating to the fund, on behalf of my daughter, who wouldn't be in my life today were it not for FEJ. Think of it as a "shower gift"... Men anpil chay pa lou. (Many hands make the load lighter.)