Bringing hope and love to vulnerable children and their families living in extreme poverty in southwest Haiti.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and over the last decade, natural disasters have left millions of families displaced and countless children as orphans. One of the hardest-hit areas is Vernet, a small community located just outside Les Cayes in southern Haiti. It is home to approximately 3,000 people, some of whom are native to Vernet, and others who fled to the community seeking relief from the destruction of Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
Children in this region suffer from polluted water, extreme malnutrition, no medical care, and difficult access to education. Extreme poverty has led to more than 400,000 Haitian children nationwide becoming trapped in a form of domestic slavery known as ‘restavek,’ which means ‘to stay with’. They may live with relatives, friends, or even strangers and are often mistreated and forced to work in the home, usually at the expense of their educations. These restavek children are vulnerable to many forms of abuse.
Our program works hand in hand with the local Baptist church to serve the most vulnerable children in the community. We provide children with nutritious meals, financial assistance for school tuition, access to medical evaluations, vocational training and spiritual guidance. We also support families through disaster recovery, food packages, and homebuilding. All of these services aim to help families prevent more children from entering the restavek system. Currently, we are collaborating with a partner organization dedicated to protecting restavek children from abusive situations. Additionally, we are considering plans to construct a community center and establish a safe water program.
Declaring and demonstrating the Good News of Jesus Christ has always been – and will always be – at the heart of everything we do. Our program leaders are closely connected to the local church, and integrate discipleship into their feeding program.
Children are the seeds of the future. When we invest in them, they have the capacity to be agents of change in their communities for generations to come. Our program focuses on the individual needs of each child and reaches out from there to their families and communities.
Our program is holistic, caring for the whole child – their mind, body and spirit. We provide regular meals to children, food baskets for families, school tuition and supplies, medical care, discipleship, and a caring community.
Chavannes and Lucy, natives of Haiti, are well-known and respected Christian leaders with a heart for the next generation. We work closely with them to ensure high levels of trust and stewardship in the program.
Jean Chavannes Jeune is a pastor, evangelist, and missionary widely known and respected in the nation of Haiti. Over the past 38 years, Pastor Chavannes has participated in the creation, administration, and functioning of many organizations and institutions in Haiti geared for social and economic development.
He has served as President of the Baptist Mission of Southern Haiti, and as President of Lumiere University in Port au Prince. He holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Washington, and a Masters degree in Theology from Seattle Pacific University.
Pastor Chavannes has also participated in the development and promotion of many national and international religious and missionary institutions in Haiti, including the Bible Lumiere Institute, the Extension of Radio Lumiere Network via the Internet, the Worldwide Missionary Vision Organization, and the Protestantism Global Vision Organization in the Haitian Milieu.
Pastor Chavannes is married to Marie Lucie Carisma, a business administration specialist. They have four grown children, three sons and a daughter.
We are blessed by Pastor Chavannes’ heart for the country of Haiti, his desire and commitment to serve his community, and his passion to further God’s kingdom. We believe his extensive managerial and leadership experience will be a crucial part of our long-term success in Haiti.
Monthly giving enables our program to have sustained impact in the lives of children and their community, but every gift of generosity makes a difference.
$25 can provide one month of weekly meals and the gospel for eight children.
As a child sponsor, you’re providing things like nutritious meals, safe drinking water, education, health care, and spiritual instruction. Beyond meeting their critical needs, you’re also building a priceless personal relationship with your child, helping them discover their true worth and God-given potential.
