Housing Education and Rehabilitation of Orphans

Housing, Education, and Rehabilitation of Orphans (H.E.R.O.) was founded to provide housing, education, and rehabilitation for the most disenfranchised youth in Haiti: orphans and street children.  H.E.R.O seeks to create a self-sustainable community that integrates 21^st century knowledge and innovation to secure basic human rights for the children of Haiti.  Through our programs, street children and orphans will be provided with permanent housing, an opportunity for quality education, and the ability to rehabilitate the mind and the body from years of neglect.  As a result, the children will attain the knowledge and skills necessary to become successful participants in both the country of Haiti and the world.

Currently, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.  Approximately 80% of the population in Haiti is living under the poverty line, on less than $2.00 US a day.   The UN has designated Haiti the 4^th hungriest country in the world.  Less than 50% of all children attend primary school, and of those that do attend, only 27% successfully finish through sixth grade.  Additionally, 6.1% of the adult population is infected with HIV/AIDS.  There are over 200,000 orphaned children as a result of HIV/AIDS.  The list of statistics and facts with regard to the immediate crisis that Haiti is facing are too many to list.  The most important lesson to glean from this information, however, is that despite all of the obstacles and crises that Haiti and its people have faced, they remain resilient, courageous, and committed to making their country strong.  

Three founders of H.E.R.O. moved to Haiti in August of 2009, embarking on what was to be a two year teaching stint at Union School in Port-Au-Prince.  In addition to their full-time employment as teachers, Steven, Michele, and Natacha looked for additional opportunities to help Haiti.  As a result, H.E.R.O. was founded and began immediately to assist in the education of street kids and orphans.  They partnered with SOPUDEP, a locally founded organization that provided a free K-12 education to orphans, restaveks, street children, and children of families that could not afford school fees.   During the first week of January 2010, Steven and Michele had organized to tutor street children in English twice a week and to provide English lessons to the faculty and staff of SOPUDEP, all free of charge.  Furthermore, H.E.R.O. had begun a tailoring project with SOPUDEP that would provide a vocation for students.  It was with great disappointment and hardship to all involved, that these programs had to come to a temporary halt.

On January 12^th, 2010 at 4:53 p.m. Haiti was struck by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake.  As a result of this catastrophic natural disaster over 225,000 Haitians lost their lives and over 3 million people were displaced and in need of emergency aid.  The effects of the earthquake have only compounded the aforementioned problems.  Schools and orphanages have collapsed, hospitals have lost many doctors and nurses, and the psychological effects of this disaster will linger indefinitely.  Haiti’s need in the areas of housing, education, and rehabilitating orphans and street children is larger than ever.  H.E.R.O. has been and will continue to be fully committed to helping the most vulnerable population in Haiti, the orphans and street children that are denied basic human rights on a daily basis.