Shelter for Haiti

In 2011 the age of 19, I made the crazy decision to sell all of my belongings and move to Haiti to care for a group of children that were residing in the countryside. I lived in Haiti full time and called it home until 2016 when my first son was born. Since then, I have continued to travel to and from Haiti and have hired Haitian staff to run our home in my place.

From 2011 until today we have been running a shelter for children and women. We have run bussiness programs to support and encourage Haitians to become self sufficient and to be able to provide for their children, we have supported families in the rural areas with food packages, we have covered medical expenses for many families, and we continue to pay for children to receive an education in a country where even basic education is costly.

It has been a long and tough 12 years (to say the least) in terms of sustainability. We have faced numerous obstacles and difficulties throughout this journey and there have been many times (especially since COVID and the rise of violence in Haiti) where I have been ready to throw in the towel and have been completely burnt out from it all. The current situation in Haiti is dire. Prices have sky rocketed and the danger has increased as gangs have overtaken many communities. The importation of weapons has increased. It has become an even more politically unstable and volatile nation.

However, I also have ten children and Haitian staff members who are relying on me. Who are waiting for me to get my drive and motivation back to ensure that their future is secure and that they will have food in their bellies and shelter over their heads for the months to come. I have failed them in many ways by being burnt out- unable to speak of Haiti, unable to share photos of the kids because its too painful- unable to push forward and ask for support to continue to care for them. But this morning I woke up and read a blog post that I wrote 9 years ago that spoke of the struggles and burn out that I would likely face- and it reminded me that I have a responsibility and a duty to these children, families, and the staff we have running our home in Haiti.

We are currently in a situation where we are needing emergency shelter- the home that we have been renting- we can no longer rent as the family that owns it wishes to reside in it now. Our children and staff have been threatened that they will be thrown onto the streets if they don't leave soon. I have felt stuck and unsure of what to do or whether to just use this as an opportunity to call it "quits", however, morally and ethically I know that would be extremely selfish of me. So today, I am reaching out and asking for your help. We have a group of Haitian children and adults that need us. Who need a safe spot to continue to call home and a place where they know that their basic needs will be met.

We need to raise $7000 in order to secure a year of rent. This will allow us to find a new home in the area where the children go to school. We have always leaned on the support of others to get us through difficult times, and today, I am asking you again to please find it in your hearts to help us once again rise above this challenge and ensure these children and staff members are given a place to continue to call home. I will post updates along this journey -- and once (not if) we reach our goal I will share photos of the home that you helped us to secure! I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please share our story and help us reach our goal!

Sincerely

Emily

Link to Blogs from Haiti https://help-4-haiti.blogspot.com/2014/08/dear-my-19-year-old-self.html