Family Strengthening in Haiti
08/11/2007
Report from Ms Marie Paul Pierre, sponsorship coordinator at SOS Children Haiti
The family strengthening programme that SOS Children has set up in Cap Haïtien aims at achieving better living conditions for Haitian families. Another chance for families in Cap Haïtien
Nathalie and Oberlie are two little girls who live in an old hut; Oberlie is four and Nathalie is three. Their family is very poor. The parents used to feel hopeless and clueless because they sometimes could not even feed the girls and because they did not see any possible way out of their misery.
Some months ago, a woman visited the family and told Nathalie's and Oberlie's parents about the family strengthening programme of SOS Children Haiti and all the good things it brings to a family and especially children. The parents were immediately interested and decided to contact the person responsible of the programme to explain them their situation and to ask for their children's admission. They did so soon afterwards and they were accepted.
Months later, on their way to the community centre, Nathalie and Oberlie met Jack and Paul, two boys aged three and six who had skinny faces and were badly dressed, obviously due to their family's poverty. Oberlie, a sensible girl, came closer and told them, "Guess what my mom found? A fabulous place where we can spend all the day! There, they give us everything we need for our well-being and they teach us how to read, write and even how to draw! Unfortunately, I won't be able to stay there any more when I'll be older." Nathalie continued, "I loved when they organized a party and made us dance beautiful choreographies. I loved the folklore but mostly the poems and songs". Jack answered instantly, "I would love to spend my day at the fabulous place you are talking about as well".
Once they got home, Jack and Paul told their mother about the beautiful place the girls talked about. The next day at dawn, the mother went to the community centre with her children and one month later she could see pure happiness in their faces. The mother was glad to see her children stay in a warm and cordial environment, and also to have the opportunity to work with a micro enterprise that the family strengthening programme staff has set up. Thanks to the programme and the advice received from its co-workers, the parents learnt to deal with their income in a more efficient way, which lead to a substantial improvement of their living condition.
The family strengthening programme in Cap Haïtien which was launched almost two years ago currently helps 724 children and their families through ten community centres. Another family strengthening programme is operational in Santo, attending children and their families of communities in and around the capital Port-au-Prince. A third programme is scheduled to become operational in Les Cayes in July 2008. Areas of family strengthening programmes are chosen after field studies and mainly based on the poverty index. SOS Children Haiti plans to increase the number of attended children in Cap Haïtien to 1,140 and in the whole country to 2,880 by October 2008.
At the ten community centres in Cap Haïtien, the parents are grouped in associations; working together, they look for solutions to their problems. Recently, supportive entities were formed in each association. They are responsible for providing loans to community families so that they can start small business. The various associations are in close contact and support each other mutually. Joint activities such as the projection of films at the SOS Social Centre Cap Haïtien are being organized.
The family strengthening programme in Cap Haïtien was well received by the communities. The communities are actively involved in further developing and promoting the programme. This includes the difficult task of searching for and establishing alliances with other organizations. Such alliances could ease procedures and increase the impact of the programme.
Relevant Countries: Haiti.