Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Roose.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Michelle. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Hope for the Children of Haiti (HFC) was founded in 1996 by Marion Austin- a 67 year old, retired Nutritionist who didn’t want to “just sit around”. The first group of children who were taken in are now young adults and we refer to them as our First Generation.
In September of 2013 we welcomed our Second Generation- 54 new children. In November of 2016, we welcomed 28 more children who had all lost parent(s)/guardian(s) and/or their homes due to Hurricane Matthew- a category 4 storm that ravaged the south of Haiti. These children have been integrated with our existing Second Generation children. Although they are doing well, we know that they, as well as our other children, have all experience great trauma in their lives. We working to have our staff trained in how to care for children of trauma.
Today, HFC consists of 4 programs: a children’s home, a school, a school lunch program, and a post-secondary program. Our children’s home provides clothing, meals, and opportunity for 87 orphaned and vulnerable children in Bolosse, Port-au-Prince.
Our school, which has very high standards of education, provides education to the children in our home as well as approximately 350 additional children from the surrounding neighborhood. We noticed that many of our students were tired and having trouble concentrating. Upon investigation, we found out that many of them were not getting enough food at home and decided to start a school lunch program. Now, every student in our school receives a free, hot lunch- often, the only meal they will eat that day.
One of the attributes that sets HFC apart from other children’s homes in Haiti, and other countries as well, is that we don’t “kick our kids out the door” when they turn 18. We work hard to help them transition into adulthood through our Post-secondary Program. Currently, 14 of our children are enrolled in our Post-secondary Program in which they are studying in college or trade school in Haiti, Cuba, and the United States. Like our mission statement says, we want to give them the opportunity to “become well-rounded, self-sufficient adults”.
Personally, I got involved with Hope for the Children of Haiti (HFC) in 1999 through my church, Grace Chapel in Lexington, MA. I went on a 2 week trip to work at the children’s home and quickly fell in love with the people and the country. Over the next 12 years, I returned 4 more times. My mom says that I “left my heart in Haiti, went back to get it and left it there again.”
I eventually found my way to Brandeis University where I studied Sustainable International Development at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. While there, every chance I had to relate my papers or projects to Haiti, I would. My first year of schooling was in the classroom, and my second was an internship, so I chose to do my internship in Haiti. My husband and I lived in Haiti for a year working in an organization that treats children with malnutrition. While there, the Ministry Director for HFC contacted me and asked if I could help with the nutritional needs at HFC. I was able to gather some information for their yearly fundraiser, to speak with their Medical Director, and to arrange for our organization to come and do a screening of the HFC kids for malnutrition.
Now, a couple years later, I am the Director or U.S. Operations for HFC. Even though I have only been here for about 6 months, I have a long history with the organization, I know many of the donors and some of the board members, and I know many of the First Generation kids. I love working at HFC because I feel that my passions and skills are being put to good use. We are working to make our organization better every day. For example, in the past we have used our mission teams to collect donations and bring them down to the children’s home. However, I have learned, as well as have others in the organization, that this is not best practice. Best practice is to buy products in country in order to contribute to the local economy. Why bring clothes from the US, when someone is selling them in Haiti? We could buy clothes from a woman selling them in Haiti and then she can make money to feed her kids and send them to school, instead of sending them to an orphanage. Also, by helping the Haitian economy, we are helping our children who will one day be working members of that economy. I made a push to change this practice in our organization and we are now transitioning. It won’t happen overnight: there are logistics to consider as well as donor engagement, but I am happy that I can make contributions like this because of the education I was blessed to receive.
Has it been a smooth road?
One of the challenges we are facing now is lack of communication. Our children’s home and school is in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and is Haitian-run. We also have an office in Natick, MA where we handle things like fundraising, improving programs, etc… Communication is key, but has been proving difficult not only across distance, but across cultures as well. We are working hard to improve communications and are planning to have a leadership retreat in Haiti this spring with and Haitian and U.S. leadership.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Hope for the Children of Haiti – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
As previously mentioned, one of the attributes that sets HFC apart from other children’s homes in Haiti, and other countries as well, is that we don’t “kick our kids out the door” when they turn 18. We work hard to help them transition into adulthood through our Post-secondary Program. Currently, 14 of our children are enrolled in our Post-secondary Program in which they are studying in college or trade school in Haiti, Cuba, and the United States. Like our mission statement says, we want to give them the opportunity to “become well-rounded, self-sufficient adults”.
We are also doing things like, teacher trainings, nanny trainings, Trauma Competent Care trainings, etc…. to improve the quality of care we give the children entrusted to us.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the restaurants and coffee shops in the Boston area.
I hate the traffic 😉
Pricing:
- You can sponsor a child from our children’s home for $35/month
- You can provide a scholarship for a neighborhood child to get an education for $27/month
Contact Info:
- Address: 47 Eliot Street
S. Natick, MA 01760 - Website: www.hfchaiti.org
- Phone: 7819378338
- Email: admin@hfchaiti.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/hfchaiti/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/HFCHaiti
- Twitter: twitter.com/HFCHaiti
Image Credit:
Tara Kasey
Jack Bickel
Carrie Tibbles
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