Meet the children ...

While most orphanages have many needs, there is one thing that never seems to be in short supply ... children. Just slightly larger than the state of Maryland, Haiti is home to more than two million orphaned children, most of which live in the streets. So, while we can talk about all of the goals we have set and the accomplishments we have made, as long as there is one child still wondering when they will get their next meal, or where they will sleep, then there is still more to be done. Approximately one-in-four Haitian children will die before they even reach the age of five. These children are dying from poor hygiene, malnutrition, neglect, and sometimes even abuse. It is here that Maison Fortuné Orphanage hopes to have some impact, by taking in and caring for the children of Haiti. Since that very first day when Lefort Jean-Louis took in the first four children, the orphanage has grown tremendously. Many other children have come to Maison Fortuné Orphanage and though they have all had much in common, they each are also unique and very special in their own little way.

Like the young boy named Johamson Peralte. Like many of the children, we are not certain of his age, but when he was brought to the orphanage he appeared to be between four and five years old. Johamson is from the village of Hinche, where his father was a poor barber that would also ring the bell at the cathedral every morning at 4 o'clock. His mother has been gone for some time now and no-one in the village knows where she is. Johamson's father was awakened one night at around 2 a.m. by someone outside calling his name. Unfortunately when he went out to investigate, this person doused his father with gasoline and set him on fire. Though his father was immediately rushed to the hospital, his burns were severe and unfortunately he died just two weeks later. With his father now dead and the location of his mother unknown, Johamson was brought to the orphanage. Having known the boys father and remembering how this boy would always be sitting in his fathers lap Jean-Louis was forced to make a difficult decision. With the orphanage already exceeding its capacity at the time, Jean-Louis knew room for another child would be a problem, but he also understood he could not simply turn the boy away to live in the streets. Johamson was brought in to the orphanage where he was quickly accepted by the other boys and while he misses his father, he has adjusted quite well to his new life here at Maison Fortune Orphanage.

Then there is Adelson Gauthier, one of the more recent arrivals at Maison Fortuné Orphanage. Adelson is actually a former resident who had left in 2007 when a relative picked him up at the orphanage to take him to a family funeral in Port-au-Prince. He had been gone for quite some time, but having been abused by the family member Adelson eventually found his way back from Port-au-Prince showing up at the gate one day. He was welcomed back by Jean-Louis and the boys and now he seems to be doing fine. He is a very outgoing young man, has a lot lot of friends here at the orphanage and is delighted to be safely back 'home'.

There are now nearly 100 boys living at Maison Fortuné Orphanage and these are just a couple of the many stories we could tell. Please be sure to visit our photo galleries where you can meet the boys who live at the orphanage, as well as the girls who currently attend classes at the free school at the orphanage.