“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” 

Frederic Douglas

Haiti shares the western side of the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. With a population of more than 11 million in an area of just under 11,000 square miles, Haiti is the second most populous country in the Caribbean. According to the CIA World Factbook, Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, with 60% of its population living under the national poverty level.

In February 2013, Barry Williams was one of the members of a mission trip by Fallston United Methodist Church to Haiti to assist with reconstruction after the devastating earthquake in 2010 and were struck by how many places were still heavily damaged or unusable. We remained friends with the translator, Dr. Richard Jean-Baptiste, who founded and runs Shelter of Hope mission serving the families and children in the area. Through him we arranged a return trip in March 2014 and began developing two programs to provide real and lasting relief for children in the small rural village of Desarmes. These programs are funded 100% through charitable donations and volunteer support.

School Tuition  

Statically, only 50% of Haitians are considered literate, and only 2% are able to complete high school. In the rural area we serve, there is no access to public education, but there is a parochial school available to the local children. The tuition is $34.50 per month and the school year is 10 months long. Haiti has many challenges that contribute to its overwhelming poverty rate, none of which can be easily or quickly corrected, but education is one of the most reliable tools to reduce poverty rates, so we decided to send some children to school. The first year we were able to find sponsors for 14 children to attend school and provided them with backpacks and school supplies. Along the way we have gained s few Partners and other devoted sponsors, some of whom sponsor more than one child. Each year the program has grown and for the 2019-2020 school year we sponsored 97 children. In 2017 we added a breakfast program, which has also grown, and we added Christmas in July to provide personal items, essentials, and gifts. The more sponsors we have the more children we can help. Sponsors are always needed but all donations are welcome and appreciated. (Make donate a hyperlink)

Children's Center

There is a great need in this rural community to provide services to children at risk. Families that struggle with homelessness and extreme poverty, or are otherwise unable to care for their children, sometimes send them to work for other families in exchange for room and board. This practice, known as Restavek is a form of child slavery and places children at high risk for exploitation. Although much information is available on the internet, Jean Robert Cadet, a well-known former Restavek who works to raise awareness of this practice, posted this  video about his life on YouTube.

To help children with the greatest need and at the highest risk of Restavek placement, and to help them stay in school, we would like to open a residential children’s program providing essential services such as food, shelter, medical, and education, as well as community services such as homework assistance and recreational activities. We have located a solid structure (pictured) that would house 20 to 25 children, provided we can raise the money needed for building repairs and furnishings. Please help us protect these children by donating directly through PayPal, Venmo, or by using our Donate button below. You don’t need a PayPal account to make a donation. Any amount is appreciated. The following are only suggestions:

• $10.00 to feed a student for a month (provided we have enough for tuition)

• $34.50 for tuition for a student for a month

• $345.00 provides tuition for a student for a school year

Further information is available upon request by contacting us here.

Global does not have an adoption program from Haiti at this time. We support only humanitarian projects.

Medical Clinic

Welcome

We are thrilled to announce that after much hard work by many hands, the Medical Clinic in Desarmes, Haiti is finally open. When Judy Williams went to visit Richard in 2014, he showed her the lot where he dreamed of opening a community medical clinic one day. Over the years we have helped purchase the necessary building supplies, sometimes one cinder block at a time, to fulfill his dream. As our partnerships and donations have increased, so has the progress and one beautiful day in October of 2019, the first patient was seen by Dr. Richard Jean-Baptiste.

We have donated several things necessary for any clinic, such as a microscope, centrifuge, and an otoscope/ophthalmoscope set, and send as much as we can, but so much more is needed. We are gratefully accepting donations of all types of medical supplies, retired medical equipment, and cash donations for medications and supplies in constant need of renewal.

Dr. Richard Jean-BaptistE

If you know anything about our other Humanitarian Programs, you might recall that Barry Williams first met Richard in 2013 when he worked as a translator during Barry’s first trip to Haiti. They stayed in touch and through Richard’s tireless dedication to his country, and a genuine desire to help those in need, our Humanitarian Program was born. Richard runs the Shelter of Hope Ministries in Desarmes, Haiti and was willing to partner with us in any way to help the people in his community. He now oversees the tuition program and breakfast program, distributes backpacks and school supplies, clothing, and Christmas in July Boxes to the children we serve, all of which he started while attending medical school!! This medical clinic has been his dream for many years and his persistence and motivation, along with support from Global and our Partners, as well as many others, his dream has become a reality.

Open for business

The medical clinic, which is currently open on a part-time basis, is located in a very rural and under-served community in dire need of basic medical care. Dr. Jean-Baptiste, who is very grateful to finally be open and meeting the medical needs of the community, was thrilled to welcome his first patient. He looks forward to the day when he will be open on a full-time basis.

Needless to say, we are always in need of donations of cash and supplies to provide the clinic with the testing equipment, medicine, and medical supplies needed to support the health and wellness of the community. While supply donations are welcome, please contact the office to determine if the items you would like to donate are appropriate.

We Need YOU!

We have a variety of programs to support children and their education, and the health and well being of children and their families. These programs could not be sustained without generous support from our individual sponsors, our partner agencies, and the community

School/Education

Many people choose to sponsor a child for a year, or an education. Some children, with the help of a sponsor, have the ability to remain in school for many years. Others are not so lucky, but every child dreams of being one of the few children in Haiti to graduate high school. It is our belief that any education is better than no education. This program could not be sustained without generous support from the community.

• TUITION PROGRAM - sponsoring a child to go to school is easy. $34.50 per month for a 10-month school year will send a child to school. School starts in September each year.

• BACKPACK PROGRAM - each summer we assemble backpacks filled with essential supplies for the children to start school. We are always looking for Hygiene items (toothpaste, toothbrush, comb with wide teeth, bar soap, etc.), clothing (all sizes from 4 through teen) and school supplies.

• HOT MEAL PROGRAM - many students walk a great way to attend school every day without many of the essentials we take for granted. It costs $.50/meal/child to provide them a hot breakfast or lunch. We are always looking for contributions to this program as well.

medical clinic

Our medical clinic is open for business but in order to operate fully we must expand our access to diagnostic equipment and continuously restock medical treatment supplies.

• DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT - we are always seeking and accepting donations of used diagnostic equipment, which often becomes available when medical and dental practices upgrade their current equipment or close the practice due to retirement or other reasons. If you have access to such equipment, and are interested in making a tax deductible donation to our medical clinic, please CONTACT us.

• MEDICAL SUPPLIES - All medical clinics need a regular supply of basic medical supplies, like alcohol, face masks, hand sanitizer, bandages, tongue depressors, sutures, analgesics, and so much more. If you have access to any unused supplies, whether current or expired, that you would like to donate, please CONTACT us.

• CASH DONATIONS - If you would like to support the daily operation of the Medical Clinic in Desarmes, Haiti, but don’t have access to any supplies for donation, we are happy to accept cash or direct item donations. We can provide you with a list of needed items, which you can purchase and send to us, or we are happy to purchase on your behalf.

one-time donations

If you are interested in offering a one-time donation you can request which program it is for, or donating without specifying how it is spent. Every dollar of you contribution is used for the programs we sponsor and all administrative time is donated by the agency. Funds are also needed for shipping donated and purchased items. You can also:

• Donate to the school breakfast program where we provide a meal to every child at the school, regardless of sponsorship. This ensure at least one meal to desperately impoverished children. This helps improve school success and attendance.