Lives Changed in Haiti

A look at how Holt is helping children and families in Haiti

By: Bruce Dahl, Director of Programs for Africa

On a recent trip to Haiti, Country Director, Mansour Masse drove Dan Lauer and me around to see the wonderful work Holt is doing in the lives of families and children in Haiti.

The Holt Fontana Village
When we arrived at the Village, the children were taking their afternoon naps, and it was quiet as the midday heat surrounded the compound. Inside, the almond trees and other tropical plants provided abundant shade and a small, almost cool breeze below the canopy.

During my last visit to Haiti, the construction of the Holt Fontana Village had just been completed, and our first children, six girls, had been accepted into care. Today there are 31 children in care, and the second phase construction of four additional houses is close to completion, which will allow the intake of another 20 children, expected by the end of this year.

Family Preservation
We traveled the half hour north from the Holt Fontana Village to Montrouis, where we met Abdullai, who is managing Holt Haiti’s Family Preservation program.

Holt’s Fanmi Ansam (family together) program has about 90 participating families. The central focus of the program at this time is the provision of school sponsorship and family trainings, which family members are encouraged to attend each month. Besides learning about health, hygiene, family planning and other practical information, the families receive useful kitchen utensils, dishes, a pot or pan, a tool, or cleaning supplies at the end of the training to improve their lives and, of course, to encourage their participation.

The monthly trainings are instrumental in bringing the families together, but also teach people who live in dire poverty how to protect themselves from disease and to improve health, through adopting simple daily behaviors, such as washing hands with soap and water.

Mansour shared a story of a single mother whose child had become seriously ill with diarrhea and a high fever. She took her sick child to the doctor and was told that he had parasites. This had been a recurring problem with all of her children and no matter how much medicine was prescribed, the condition would always reappear.

However, it was because of the Fanmi Ansam trainings that this mother realized her children were not good at washing their hands and that this alone could be the reason for her child’s sickness. She immediately began to train her children on the basic hygiene routines she had been taught through the program, and after several weeks her children remained well and their health was stable. She thanked Holt Fontana for the information she believed had saved the life of her child. The experience provided new confidence in raising all six children. She provided testimony to other families in the training class, which increased the awareness of the entire group about the results of proper hygiene.

This is just one small example of how Holt Fanmi Ansam is having a significant impact on the 90 families currently involved in the program.

At this time, an additional $5,000 is being freed up in the budget to cover the cost of housing improvements, to replace roofs, walls, doors, and windows at homes that have experienced damage from storms or from general wear and tear. Perhaps 30 families are being considered to exit the program by year-end. However, continued monitoring will be essential considering the poverty in the country and general unavailability of opportunities and capital.

The new adoption law
Towards the end of our visit, we met with staff at UNICEF, regarding the status of the new Haitian adoption law, which is currently before the Prime Minister and will soon be passed to the legislature for consideration. From what we learned there is strong support for the new law by all stakeholders. Holt has been working with Joint Council on International Children’s Services members to develop support for a few changes in the law that would further open family eligibility. We believe that advocacy efforts through Holt and other agencies, for approval of the law is a priority given the limited time the legislature will be in session and in consideration of the all-too-real possibility of government ministerial changes and reorganization, that could de-rail efforts made up to this time.