The Orphanage Today...
As stated previously, 26 boys reside at the Maison Fortuné
Orphanage and five people have been employed to assist Jena Louis with
the day-to-day operations of the orphanage. The building the children live
in now is much too small and the children must sleep two to a bed. They
have no electricity, no playground, and only have running water (coming
from the state water system) from 6-8 am each morning (it is suppose to
come each morning but sometimes it does not). The water comes from a pump
installed by the state and is stored in plastic jugs for cooking, bathing,
and drinking. The orphanage has no showers and the drinking water is neither
filtered nor purified. There are two outhouses behind the orphanage that
can hardly be called bathrooms, and because of expense, there is no toilet
paper available for the children to use.
Clothing and shoes are scarce and sandals need to
be bought for the boys every month. The children eat twice a day in the
shed that also serves as a classroom (sometimes a snack is given during
school). The kids receive milk or juice occasionally, but again it is difficult
because of expense. School is conducted with one teacher for all the kids
from 8 am - 12 pm Monday through Friday to teach them basic skills. The
teacher has the daunting task of trying to teach children who should be
separated into three or four different grade levels. Because public school
in Haiti is not free, Jean Louis cannot afford to send all the boys to
primary school so he has begun educating them himself.
The lease for the current building expires in June
2001. It has been arranged to move the children in June to another location
on the outskirts of Hinche with much more land and better facilities -
running water all day and electricity from local sources and solar panels
(project in progress). However, this property can only be rented for one
year. After that, the children must be relocated again.
The staff that presently works at the orphanage
includes:
-
Lefort Jean Louis founded the orphanage and is its director.
-
Jonas Previlon is the primary school teacher for the children. He teaches
the children to read and write Creole and French as well as basic mathematic
skills.
-
Fifi Coriolan is the surrogate mother for the children and she is primarily
employed to watch and discipline the children, shopping for the orphanage,
and helping with some cooking.
-
Rosemane Camile is the primary cook and makes two meals each day for the
children. This is a full-time job because all the cooking is done using
a charcoal grill. She also helps Fifi with shopping on occasion.
-
Jakson Charles and his son Jonson Charles sleep with the children every
evening for security reasons and perform odd jobs and maintenance for the
orphanage.
-
Clerimèn Adrien is the laundry woman. She washes clothes, sheets,
and towels by hand for 26 boys almost every day.
Maison Fortuné
Orphanage Home Page
Overview of
Haiti
Introduction
The Orphanage
Today
The Orphanage
in Motion
The Orphanage
Tomorrow
Long-Term Goals
Supporting the
Orphanage
People Involved
Letter From
Lefort Jean Louis