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Our Stories

New Life for Haiti and God's Beautiful Mosaic

By former executive director, Marnie Van Wyk: On November 15, 2021, I felt a little perturbed. I hadn’t heard from our field director, Vilex Plaisir, all day, and I was waiting for answers to some important questions about a construction project. Finally, at 8:43 p.m., I received this message . . .

Before the School of Hope, Ganaelle Darius didn’t know how she would attend school.

Her mother and father struggled just to keep food on the table, and the closest school was across the Grand Anse River. When the weather was just right, Ganaelle and her siblings could wade through the river and get to school.

Imagine if six hours of your day was spent thinking, “How do I get clean water to my family? Or any water, for that matter?”

This is the reality for many families in Haiti, especially in communities like Chameau . . .

Mikelda has an extraordinary story of how God rescued her.

Just like Moses, when Mikelda was a baby, her mother placed her in a basket and sent the basket floating down the Grand Anse River. Passersby found the baby in the basket and took her to a poorly run orphanage, far from the Village of Hope. Unfortunately these type of orphanages are the norm rather than the exception in Haiti . . .

In a village tucked in the southern peninsula of Haiti is a family whose lives are struck by hardship.

But they’re not your average family. Or at least the picture of a family you may be familiar with . . .

We believe that education changes lives, so when we discovered that the school system in Haiti was failing its students, we knew something had to change.

It began with a series of mission trips.

Our founder, Fran Leeman, had spent many years traveling to Haiti to serve in various ways.