Looking Ahead ...

While Maison Fortuné Orphanage has many immediate needs, Jean-Louis has also developed long term goals for the orphanage. These goals are designed to help the orphanage meet the growing needs of both its current residents and those in the future. While much has been accomplished in a relatively short period of time, there remains much to be done so that we may continue to offer a safe, nurturing enviroment for all of God's less fortunate children. And not just boys, but also the girls.

The orphanage will not only provide a basic education, but also provide training in both agricultural and other trades so that the children may be able to one day support themselves and their own families. The orphanage currently has a small garden that serves not only as a source of food, but also as a field classroom for the children. There are also plans to raise rabbits at the orphanage as a source of meat. This type of training is extremely important because with the extremely high unemployment rate in Haiti, even many educated Hatians must learn be self-supporting by growing and selling their own food.

Another planned improvement is the constuction of additional dorms at the new girls campus. These additional dorms will allow for the orphanage to also begin accepting gisls and help prevent having to turn away a child in need. We must currently turn away girls looking for a place to stay. This is not something that is done lightly, but Haitian law prohibits girls and boys sharing the same dorm buildings or common areas.

Currently most volunteer work at the orphanage is done through arrangements with the Xaverian Brothers. They generally have two volunteers in the area (mostly from Virginia or Pennsylvania) who spend a great deal of time at the orphanage helping in many ways. These volunteers are usually in the area for a year before returning to the states at which time others often take their place. These volunteers play a very important part in helping run and maintain things at the orphange and we are most greatful for all they do. Jean-Louis would like to expand on the current volunteer program, opening it to more individuals from all over. To allow volunteers not only from other parts of the U.S., but from other countries as well, including Haitian Nationals to come work at the orphange. This would not only allow local Haitian volunteers to help the community while promoting a Christian environment in which they could work in solidarity with other Haitians, but would also allow them to help educate any foreign volunteers about life in Haiti. Such a program would also ideally include both male and female volunteers, something that is currently difficult due to lack of housing for women.

A volunteer (Ben) plays with the children

While the orphanage currently depends on, and is blessed with, the outside help of many individuals and groups, it is important to eventually have the orphanage become as self-sufficient as possible. In this way it may serve as an example for both the children and the community, that much can be accomplished by working together. We know that the orphanage cannot permanantly rely solely on aid from foriegn groups and individuals, but instead should use this aid in ways which will help to one day make it a self-sufficient entity, relying less on outside contributions. Some of the possible ways of achieving this are through a market place where the children and staff can sell food from the orphanage. Another idea was to build a facility from which they could sell ice.

To put it simply, the goal of Maison Fortuné Orphanage is to not to just provide for the children now, but to also teach them to one day be able to provide for themselves and their future families and to give something back to the community. To use their education and their talents to help make Haiti a better country and to hopefully one day be in a position to help prevent others from suffering in poverty as they have suffered. To accomplish this, it is important that the children be encouraged to give back to the community. This can be done in various ways, from performing chores or providing meals for the sick and elderly, to even teaching other children in the village about agriculture or other skills they have learned at the orphanage.