Berlinda Dream Fund

The Berlinda Dream Fund
September 26, 2018 Berlinda Returns to Eben Ezer School in Milot, Haiti, able to walk with assistance of full leg braces and an Upright Walker.
Thanks to the generous caring and support of the many healthcare professionals: Dr Wesley Carrion (Chief of Pediatric Orthopedics at Stony Brook Hospital), Dr.  Reuven Pasternak (former CEO Stony Brook Hospital), Mark Goldberg (Prosthetic and Orthotic Labs, East Setauket), Lisa, Kim and the staff of Stony Brook Outpatient Physical Therapy); her care givers on Long Island and the many supporters of the Berlinda Dream Fund, Berlinda was able to return to school  walking for the first time in her 17 years of life.

Berlinda returns to Eben Ezer School Sept 26, 2018

Berlinda in her 2nd Grade classroom at the Eben Ezer School Milot.

Berlinda was able to meet her family again by walking to greet them, instead of crawling on her hands and knees. She is the youngest of 9 children of Bernard Payoute and Marie-Therese Pierre, an illiterate farmer in Milot, who was unable to help her achieve her dream of going to school and learn to read and write.  However her prayers were answered by those who have made this transformation possible.
Part of Berlinda's family came to greet her at her home in the Eben Ezer School

Now that she has more independence in getting around she will be able to concentrate more on her education. She will attend 2nd Grade at the school in the mornings and we will also be provide a tutor in the afternoons, to further advance her education and catch up with where children her age should be.  She will also get some continuing Physical Therapy at the local Hôpital Sacré Coeur in Milot.  http://crudem.org/about-crudem/services-provided/
However to provide for her room, board, education and PT she will continue to need our support at about the $400/month level. Please continue to show Berlinda that you care and contribute to her Dream Fund. With her determination she will continue to improve her ability to walk and learn to be a significant  member of the Haitian community in Milot. Please continue to support this unfortunate girl and he struggle to  overcome the limitations she was given at birth and you will be a part of her amazing story. God bless you and your family.

With the help of the Upwalker Berlinda will gain a new independence.



December 2016


        Most young girls dream of dancing, running, and playing with their friends, but for Berlinda her dream is just to be able to walk like you and me. Born with two club feet, even the simplest routines of moving by herself from the bedroom to bathroom to kitchen and school are difficult or impossible for this 16-year-old Haitian girl. She must rely on others to carry her or face the excruciating task of crawling on her hands and knees over rocky and uneven ground.


       We have started a fund to help fulfill Berlinda’s dream. A New York hospital has said it can help Berlinda walk, and this fund will cover the costs to bring her to USA for treatment and recovery. Berlinda is one of two resident students of the Eben Ezer school in MIlot, Haiti which was started by a Haitian-American woman in NY. With help from people like you, together we can show Berlinda that dreams can come true. More about her life story follows.
      Berlinda Payoute's handicaps prevented her from developing as most children. She was born with spinal bifida and two club feet and by the age of 3 developed polio. The pain and nerve issues she dealt with, made her appear a misfit to her family, who didn’t know how to care for her and treated her as an outcast. Consequently Berlinda (nicknamed Ana Lee) had little social interactions and never went to school during the age of 15. She survived these illnesses and her nervous system repaired itself well enough so that Berlinda could develop into a joyful and happy young lady.
     Berlinda was discovered in 2016 by Lucia Anglade, the Haitian American CEO of the Life and Hope, the non-profit that operates the Eben Ezer School in Milot, Haiti. Lucia saw a smile and bright disposition which caught her attention, so when Berlinda told her she wanted to learn and go to school, Lucia didn’t hesitate. She brought Berlinda to live at and attend the school last October for her first taste of learning. Berlinda took to the challenge of learning with vigor and learned to write and read Haitian Creole and do arithmetic. After only 3 months of school she welcomed the challenge of two rows of addition and subtraction problems, which she finished. She then handed the paper back and asked for more. Her writing is improving as she teaches her nerves to control her arm and hand muscles in ways she never used before.  All this Berlinda faces with a giggle and a joyful smile just to be learning.
     The school has provided Berlinda a wheelchair which gives her slightly improved mobility, but Haiti and the school, with mostly dirt and rocky paths, are far from being accessible. Berlinda dreams of being able to walk one day by herself, to do simple tasks like going to the school rooms, to bed and bathroom by herself. This will do wonders to help her develop into a whole person. She has already missed a normal childhood.
     Club feet can be repaired in young children relatively easily when the tendons are more elastic. At Berlinda’s age the tendons have become less elastic and sometimes need surgery to lengthen them. Dr Wesley Carrion, Chief of Pediatric Orthopedics at Stony Brook Childrens Hospital, has proposed  to use an external fixator device which allow constant and increasing pressure to be applied to rotate the feet and stretch the tendons. The complications of this method are less than the surgical method but will subject Berlinda to 4 to 5 months of immobilizing her legs with metal cages with the concurrent pain and anxiety. The chances of success with this method are high, with the main complication being infections from the pins passing through the skin, which can be treated by antibiotics. This is the reason Berlinda needs to be treated in the US, where the risk of infections will be less and more easily treated. During her recovery, Berlinda will get individual help with physical therapy and building the muscles and coordination she hasn’t used. She will also get one-on-one mentoring with schooling to make up for all those years of education she missed. The local Haitian community will be involved with her care and teaching.
     The Eben Ezer school is operated by the Life and Hope Organization, with contributors sponsoring students and teachers. Lucia started it with just 10 students in 2003, and now has over 400 students.


Life and Hope supports a staff of 12 teachers, one principal and other support personnel. It is a non-denominational, non-profit organization, with 501-(c3) tax-exempt status. With a volunteer board, more than 99% of contributions go directly toward support of the school. See  Life and Hope Haiti  for more details about the Life and Hope Organization.
     Life and Hope has setup a special account to fund Berlinda’s treatment and recovery, The Berlinda Dream Fund. Your tax-deductible donations will help make Berlinda’s dream come true and give her a future where she can contribute toward her own welfare, that of her family and to her community. Your contributions will allow Berlinda to come to the US, where she will be treated at a hospital which have graciously donated their facilities. Their Pediatric Orthopedics Staff will provide the necessary medical care she may need. The Haitian Community on Long Island will provide caregivers for her many months of recovery and adjustments that will rotate the feet so she can stand on them.

     Once the feet have rotated Berlinda will face her greatest challenge of teaching her muscle how to use these feet to balance and walk. Your help in funding these efforts will make this all possible. Your donations will be used to insure Berlinda gets the treatment and recovery she needs to repair the club feet and any additional untreated medical issues that maybe discovered. Any contributions to the Fund beyond that needed for her medical issues will be used to advance the education she has missed. This will be provided for her both in the US and when she returns to Haiti. Contributors will be kept informed about Berlinda’s progress. Gifts and letters of encouragement can be sent to Ms Berlinda Payoute at the address: 210 Essex St, West Babylon, NY 11704. Please join us in helping to improve the direction of Berlinda’s life and contribute as generously as you are able. Life and Hope will bring Berlinda to the USA just as soon as the medical team can schedule her treatment and once there are sufficient funds available to cover her major costs, trusting that continuing donations will provide her continuing costs of living and care.
     Although not an emergency situation, we feel this need is urgent to help Berlinda recover from the neglect and loss of personal growth that she has already suffered. Please give generously to help show Berlinda many people care and that dreams may come true. Thank you and may your generosity be a blessing to you many times over.

September 26, 2018 Berlinda Returns to Eben Ezer School in Milot, Haiti, able to walk with assistance of full leg braces and an Upright Walker.
Thanks to the generous caring and support of the many healthcare professionals: Dr Wesley Carrion (Chief of Pediatric Orthopedics at Stony Brook Hospital), Dr.  Reuven Pasternak (former CEO Stony Brook Hospital), Mark Goldberg (Prosthetic and Orthotic Labs, East Setauket), Lisa, Kim and staff of Stony Brook Outpatient Physical Therapy)