The mission of Hope Community Project is orphan prevention through strengthening families and communities in Gonaives, Haiti. We seek to help the most vulnerable families stay together and to encourage extended families and communities to care for the orphans among them. We are committed to providing at-risk families with a viable and sustainable alternative to institutionalizing their children.
The reason that many children are separated from their families and placed in an orphanage is extreme poverty. Families do not have access to basic health care, education, or opportunities to increase their income. Frequently parents must make the awful decision between feeding, caring for their children, or sending them to school. Government funding for education is massively inadequate in Haiti and the deeply impoverished are the first to suffer. Out of desperation, some parents place their children in orphanages where they will be fed, clothed, and educated, hoping they will receive better care than they believe they can provide. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case.
More than 80 years of research prove that, even in the best-case scenario, an orphanage is no place for a child. Staff struggle to cope with high occupancy, and children are isolated and often starved of the unique attention they need. Any schooling children might receive is certainly no compensation for the families they are denied. Inside the four walls of an orphanage, children are cut off from the community and ill-prepared for life outside an institution. Increased exposure to abuse puts children at risk of future criminal activity and even suicide when they are grown. In addition, it is not uncommon for orphanages in Haiti to recruit children for the purpose of fundraising, a practice which is actually viewed under the current international law as child trafficking. We have taken a strong position of advocacy for this reason: so that generous and well-meaning donors who are unaware of the potential harm do not keep pouring millions of dollars into a failing and broken system.
And the Truth Behind the Numbers
Following the earthquake in January 2010, the number of orphanages in Haiti increased significantly. There are approximately 750 institutions in Haiti. Less than 15% of these are officially registered with the government of Haiti. Orphanages tend to be privately run, and funding, for the most part, is provided by foreign donors. With little to no oversight given to corrupt leadership, resources are selfishly squandered as children live in deplorable conditions. There are currently approximately 30,000 children who live in Haitian orphanages. 80% of these children are not orphans at all but have at least one living parent or extended family who could care for them, given some support. Case evidence demonstrates that many of these 30,000 children could be at home with their families if basic health and education costs were covered.
Strengthening Families and Communities
By better channeling existing donations, we can support these vulnerable children at home, directing funds away from orphanages and into the communities where they live, providing the economic, health, and education services they need. We can completely transform systems of care and establish community-based services to prevent these orphanages from ever taking root in the first place. Furthermore, community-based services—a better investment for donors—are more cost-efficient than residential care, protect children, and preserve families for generations. The beautiful truth is this: placing children into orphanages is generally preventable. By giving communities options and creating strong families, we can change the lives of Haiti’s children and give them strong beginnings and the futures they deserve.