Pierre Needs A Family!!

by Robin "Bonnema" Knight
Pierre is another little boy who needs a family of his own. Pierre is 3 years old and has been with us for almost 2.5 years. Pierre has cerebral palsy and sickle cell anemia.  His sickle cell anemia is being closely monitored and he receives medication for this.  He also has a history of seizures.  He responds with smiles and movements when being spoken to or held. Pierre seems to really enjoy time spent in the swimming pool.  He cannot sit, hold his head, or roll over unassisted.  Please help us find Pierre a family.

To see photos of this cutie click here.
To see other children at COTP that are waiting on families click here.

Are you Isaiah's Mom or Dad?

Children of the Promise shared Robin 'Bonnema' Knight's note: Are you Isaiah's Mom or Dad?
(Written by his preschool teacher)

Isaiah is a handsome two year old boy.  All of the staff love Isaiah for his great smile and giggle.  He loves to follow us throughout our days.  He wants to help and experience everything going on.To Isaiah the world is an exciting place, but he is not ready to explore it solely.  A good example of this is our dog, Roxy.  Many people here in Lagosette, Haiti are scared of dogs.  Isaiah seems to have that same fear.  Even though he is scared of the dog, if he can hold on to your leg and know that someone is there he is curious too. He will watch, talk about, and point to the dog.

To read the rest of this story and see cute pictures of Isaiah click here.

Hello Somebody

As many of you know 2 years ago today an earthquake devestated the area around and in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  In honor of those lost, those hurt, and those rebuilding in Haiti the organization Hello Somebody is donating 100% of their proceeds today to Children of the Promise.  Shop http://hello-somebody.com/.



Seven Places Earthquake Money Did and Did Not Go

I awoke early this morning, so why not write a blog post...

My uncle sent me this article that really got me thinking about the country Adam and I are currently living in.  I highly encourage you to read it.  The authors Bill Quigley and Amber Ramanauskas might help you reconsider your thoughts on Haiti.

This Thursday it will be 2 years since the the January 12, 2010 earthquake occurred outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  Adam and I haven't spent time in Port-au-Prince.  Our only experience was driving a mile from the international airport to the domestic airport.  But, during our flights in and out of Port-au-Prince we saw the informal camps.

Our home near Cap-Haitien is 84 miles from Port-au-Prince, but feels like forever.  In fact, our friends just made the drive and it took them 7 hours each way.  These are the two largest cities in Haiti and it takes 7 hours to travel between them.  Haitian and non-Haitian friends tell us the road hasn't always been like this.

With the publicity from the earthquake millions of dollars in aid are being raised.  In my opinion some of this money should be going to infrastructure and provide employment.  Unfortunately much of the aid isn't being spent by the Haitians or even on the Haitians.



That is why you need to read the article to find out where the money is going.

Note:  It is difficult to get accurate and up-to-date statistics on Haitian unemployment, but from my experience even in northern Haiti the unemployment rate is high.  There are more unemployed Haitians then employed.  That is one reason I am thankful for COTP, because they employ 80 Haitians.  Currently COTP has been working hard to create leadership positions that empower Haitians.  On the bottom of this page you can read about COTP management employees.

We met some of the most beautiful children and would love you to meet them!  No they don't live at Children of the Promise, but we do have cute children here.  These children live at Cross Roads Church in Cap-Haitian, Haiti.  This is the song they sang for us...

On January 3rd, we were given the opportunity to pick up a shipping container that we had been waiting to clear customs for nearly a month.  This container held 5 flats of food weighing 5,645lbs.  All of this food was sent from our church for 37 beautiful children.

These children live with a Haitian man, Pastor Bleu, and his wife.  For the last 14 years the couple has been living in their orphanage with the children, while also operating a church and school.  I asked Pastor Bleu why he does this and he shook off the question as if it is no big deal.  I knew that it is a big deal. For even living at COTP for 4 months has made me understand that it is hard living at work. 

Mid-November our church, Central Baptist, teamed with Kids Against Hunger.  Brian Mulder brought all of the supplies to our gathering space in the church, so that families could help pack food before and after church services.  To watch Central Baptist pack these boxes go to http://centralsf.org/missions



Pastor Bleu and his wife were thrilled to have so many meals for their children.

Considering I love everything school related, I couldn't resist asking Pastor Bleu to show me around his 3 story elementary school.

Their school educates over 500 K-6th students.  This is a photo of me in an empty Kindergarten class.  The school is on Christmas break till next Monday, so unfortunately I wasn't able to see the kids in action.