Our new home being constructed in Haiti is progressing nicely! All of the wood for the roof is now in place and almost ready for metal sheets on top. This will happen right after the construction workers plaster the central top part of the walls in the middle of the house. We are going to proceed accordingly so that by next week the workers can nail the metal sheet and that will be the end of the roof phase. If you would like to contribute to this project please click [...] Read more »
When I look at the BEM and RFA websites, God shows me how He can use each person who has a desire to help His children. We are all different ages and have different gifts & talents, yet each person makes a valuable contribution. There are SO many who have volunteered in Les Cayes, Chantal and Ducis. Any one of us might think “how could I make a difference?” But I think the better realization is that the people and children of Haiti make a difference in me. In spite [...] Read more »
By: Kathy Novak (RFA Board Member) Our day began with the radiant Haitian sunshine against a background of the clear,deep blue sky and palm trees: simply beautiful! But even this didn’t compare to the smiles and enthusiasm of the 36 children of the two combined RFA houses during our trip to Gelee Beach. The children arrived separately in tap tap vehicles that are abundant in Haiti, with the children seated on wooden benches in open vehicles, with hands waiving as they greeted us, anticipating the day of fun in the water. The [...] Read more »
Written by: Nina Brandi Tiny feet ran towards the car, with extending arms craving an embrace. I saw smiles spread further than the miles we traveled. Beautifully captivating, distant eyes, gazing up at me singing thousands of verses of songs that I may never completely understand. These were my first moments, in Ducis. My eyes were filled with tears. I was overwhelmed with an indescribable compassion and joy. I was completely and utterly in love with these children. So, I did the only thing I knew how to do. I [...] Read more »
Our past two days here in Chantal and Ducis, Haiti have been incredible. An update and many photos from Wednesday are below our photos from today. Thursday, December 20, 2012 Today, we have experienced moments of joy that we never expected. We had a party today at Chantal under our trees. The kids were playing for a while with a parachute that one of the BEM team members brought, and they absolutely loved it. They will be excited to know that we recently received two donated parachutes which they will [...] Read more »
Ellen Graber Donohue and Nina Brandi had a great day today in Ducis, Haiti getting to know the new RFA kids a little better. They spent the day playing with legos, making bracelets and having a blast with handmade hackey sacks. They also loved our version of duck, duck, goose (which they call “chat” “chat” “chen”). The new group of kids also learned and memorized the RFA”Tootie Ta” song and dance! In Chantal, the children played with balloons and had some nice conversations and are doing very well. Close by in La Croix, [...] Read more »
Today Ellen and Nina spent most of the day in Ducis with the new children of Restavec Freedom Alliance. After spending some time getting to know the children, they headed to the school and then had lunch at the rented home. Once lunch was over, all the children received their new clothes! Soon thereafter, the BEM team arrived from their holiday party in Les Cayes and they toured the school. The team enjoyed some refreshing coconut and then left to see the children in Chantal. Unfortunately the day was coming [...] Read more »
Our new home construction continues, with the walls now up and the roof waiting to go on. Our children look at the building in amazement, and can’t believe that someday they will be living in such a spacious and lovely place. Please view the pictures from our most recent trip where we toured the home with our team. We continue to need your support to finish the home. In order to finish the construction project we need another $30k. Over the past year we have raised half of the cost [...] Read more »
By: Jake McGlone My trip to Haiti entailed with it; numerous joys and vicissitudes I would never have thought to encounter in my life. I arrived in the tumultuous Port-Au-Prince with an optimistic attitude and quickly felt victimized at the horrific sites that are literally ubiquitous. Paradoxically, this is something that I am now very grateful for, considering I’m fortunate to live in a safe, wealthy, environment with all of my needs and most of my wants. While driving through the squalid city streets of Port-Au-Prince, I felt my entire [...] Read more »
We are seeing some great progress with the construction of our first permanent home in Chantal, Haiti! Our contractors are working at an incredible rate and are really motivated to finish the construction so that our children can move into a place they can truly call “home.” As of right now we have raised approximately $20,000 from our extremely supportive donors and foundation partners. The total cost of the project is roughly $58,000 so we need your help! Please consider making a donation to our construction project to help us build a loving and [...] Read more »