Imagine having to flee your house leaving all your possessions behind, with only the time to grab your kids and some key documents, not knowing what the future holds. This is the story of one of our preschool teachers.
Marie, like many Haitians, was living in Martissant, a suburb of Port-au-Prince controlled by gangs where the insecurities, crimes, and the kidnapping are at the highest. However, being a single mother of two, she was determined to continue to provide for her children. She was working as a teacher in a school, but this quickly came to an end when one afternoon, after coming home with her children, some heavily armed gang members went to her house and gave her an ultimatum: to leave ASAP. By pity, they allowed her to grab her children and a few documents. She left behind her whole life and all material possessions. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything.
The next morning, not having a place to stay in Port-au-Prince, she went to Terrier-Rouge to live with a distant cousin. When she arrived in the community, she was looking for help with starting her new life and finding a school for her children. She was advised to go to Saint-Barthélémy since we are known in the area to help people in need. Once she got there, our director of scholarship enrolled her children in school for free. Marie, feeling safe, talked about her horrific experience. During the conversation, the director of scholarship realized that she was a teacher with many years of experience. And since we had an opening, a job was also provided to her. This was just the beginning. We also realized that her living conditions in Terrier-Rouge weren't appropriate. We helped her secure a place for her and her children to live. She was so moved by the way she was received at the school that she wrote us a letter expressing her gratitude, stating that once she went to Saint-Barthélémy she was no longer alone and became part of a family. To quote a sentence from her letter: «Cet acte de votre part m’a confirmée qu’ici à Terrier-Rouge, je fais partie d’une famille unie qu’est vous institution.»
"Your actions have assured me that here, in Terrier-Rouge, I am part of a united family..."
This is one of the many situations that we face daily. Without your prayers and financial contributions, we wouldn’t be able to help our brothers and sisters in Haiti and provide them with a new beginning.
With gratitude,
Rachel Bruno, Chief Operating Officer
Sarah Bruno, Chief Association Executive
Jean Robert Bouloute, Chief Financial Officer
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