Important Work Continues

Aug 30

Although COVID-19 hasn't had the horrific impact in Haiti as anticipated, our preventative efforts definitely haven't gone to waste!

Little Footprints Big Steps (LFBS) is continuing to take precautions and to help vulnerable families do the same. Having provided hand-washing stations, hygiene supplies and training to families in rural regions, we are now focusing on helping them with food security. In our Transitional Safehouses, we continue to take preventative measures such as hand-washing and limited access.

Every week, we purchase fresh vegetables, fruits and spices from the local market to use in our Transitional Safehouses. Since COVID-19 reached Haiti, we've been purchasing produce directly from parents who are in our small business program - which helps those parents generate an income during difficult times, while we get fresh organic produce without having to risk sending staff members to the crowded market place!

Documenting all children living in orphanages

The Haitian central adoption authority L’Institut du Bien-Etre Social et de Recherches (IBESR) - also has started the process of documenting all children living in orphanages in Southern Haiti. This will assist in monitoring the quality of the orphanages, identifying those which urgently need to be closed, gathering data to facilitate future reunification of those children, and preventing trafficking. LFBS had committed to assisting with logistics in this endeavor, as we did previously in 2017/18.

As we began the documentation process, authorities discovered several new centres that had formed illegally after the 2018 law banning new orphanages in Haiti. They also discovered several orphanages that were so severely neglectful they needed to be shut down – immediately. LFBS assisted IBESR in emergency closures of two small orphanages.

Fourteen of these children were placed in foster families. With your support, LFBS has been able to support them with medical care and other needs while their biological families are being traced. Nine children were placed in the our Transitional Safehouses, and most have quickly been reunited with their biological families.

Thank you for helping us ensure children are able to remain with their families.

The importance of foster families

With the closure of corrupt orphanages, there is an even greater need for local foster families when local authorities are unable to find children's biological families. These foster families are willing to take in children and care for them as their own - with no support promised by the government. Some of the children placed in foster families are severely handicapped, or are very young babies born in difficult circumstances (such as one 2-month old baby born in the local prison, whose mother has not yet been released). With your support, we can strengthen Haiti's foster family system - allowing separated children to be cared for in a family environment instead of in institutions. LFBS regularly follows up with foster families to make sure that the children's needs are being met. Many of the babies in foster care require support for baby formula and medical care.

YOUR support allows us to continue to assist the local foster families during this difficult and critical time.

Rising number of sexual assault cases

Recently, local authorities in Southern Haiti have reported an increased amount of cases of sexual assault on young children. This increase may be related to children being home unaccompanied while schools are closed, yet parents still needing to leave the home to work to provide for basic food needs.

Through our partnership with IBESR and psycho-social support centre Centre de Formation et de Recherches en Appui Psychosocial (CFRAPS), we’ve been able to provide many of these victims with medical and psychological care. We continue to work with, and reinforce, local authorities such as IBESR, police child protection unit Brigade de la Protection des Mineurs (BPM), and Ministry for Women's Rights Ministère à la Condition Féminine et aux Droits des Femmes (MCFDF) so that they are able to react and support victims immediately. We need to continue to educate communities about how to protect each others' rights and children.

Thank you so much for your support, ensuring LFBS is able to reinforce local authorities and support victims.

What else do you make possible?

Thanks to special support we were able to temporarily hire a senior medical student to provide medical evaluations for minors currently in the local prison. Of the 23 children he saw, over 80% had skin infections. Nearly 50% appeared to have urinary infections. Three need immediate intervention, including one boy who requires surgery. We hope to get these youth the medical care they need, while IBESR advocates with other authorities for the improvement of sanitary conditions within the children’s cell.

*Students are happy to be back at school.*

While universities were closed due to COVID-19, our most advanced Agronomy student worked part-time with our team. This diligent student and our Outreach staff travelled to families to review the land they have available for gardening to ensure sustainable food security. Sometimes this meant several hours of hiking through mountains! We're so proud of our team and this young man for truly walking in the steps of vulnerable families in order to understand their reality, so that the support we provide will truly make a difference. Good work, team LFBS!

Class is back in session!

On August 17, many schools opened again in Haiti, trying to salvage the 2019/20 school year. Along with closures for COVID-19 in March, schools were forced to close due to political unrest in the fall of 2019.

We were able to continue private tutoring for children in our Transitional Safehouses and for some children who live with their families. Students are so excited and hopeful that they will be able to continue their education. Thank you for making that a possibility.

Holding onto hope

In our Fall 2019 Update, we told you of a boy who had been shot during an incident during the political unrest last October. LFBS was called about this youth who had 8 bullet wounds in his legs and who couldn't afford medical care - or even food and water while in the hospital. Our staff visited this boy twice per day for months to ensure he was well nourished and had the medical supplies he needed... despite challenging and sometimes dangerous circumstances.

To see this young man now - walking again and living with his family - seems like a miracle. Never give up hope! You never know how much of an impact you can make in someone's life until you try... and you never know how much you can get through until you're placed in the most challenging situations. We're so grateful that our staff – and you – do not give up!

Staff undertake safety training

The local Civil Protection Unit provided hands-on training for the LFBS staff. The instruction and practice of the safe use of fire extinguishers and how to perform CPR on adults and children took place on the open area of the LFBS land under construction.

Further progress has been made on Phase 1 of the LFBS land development project!

The septic field has been completed and the security gates have been completed and installed. Some of the crops planted on Phase 2 portion of the land have been harvested and will be used in the Transitional Safehouses as well as for distribution to families in our Outreach program.

We hope you found this glimpse into just some of the activities that your interest, caring, and support have made possible over the past three months interesting. Please share with your friends, family, and colleagues.