The "Children of Israel" Orphanage (CoIO) opened its doors in the fall of 2001. Initially, the orphanage was home to five little girls. The orphanage was named after its founder, Pastor ISRAEL Izidor. It is located on the southwest coast of Haiti, in the city of Les Cayes.
Following the unexpected death of Pastor Israel in March of 2005, the surviving members of the Izidor family took on the administrative responsibilities of the orphanage. Leonie Izidor (his wife) and Yelline (their daughter) are the main persons responsible for the operations of the boys’ and girls’ facilities.
DUE TO EARTHQUAKE 2010, the children were displaced. Their first temporary home, following the earthquake, was in tents. In February 2010, they have been relocated to two houses whose owners have allowed the children to stay there until homes can be built for the children. The orphanage is in need of funds for building and volunteers to help with construction.
The "Children of Israel" Orphanage depends on sponsors from Caribbean Children’s Foundation to meet the needs of the children under their care! It is anticipated that the number of orphans in the orphanage will increase, due to the many children who lost their parents in Earthquake 2010, The orphanage is in need of additional sponsors who can help make that possible!
The "House of the Lambs of God" Orphanage
The "House of the Lambs of God" is the second orphanage for which Caribbean Children’s Foundation is seeking sponsors. The orphanage is located near the Dominican Republic border in the northeastern part of Haiti, in a city called Ouanaminthe.
The founders, Pastor Daniel Paul and his wife Clynie, opened the doors of their orphanage in 2007. The orphanage is now home to 40 girls and 1 boy. The ages of the children range from three to twenty-one!
The story of the one boy, living in a girls' orphanage, has an interesting beginning. When construction of the orphanage was underway, a young boy hung out day and night at the construction site. It seems he had no home to go to. The orphanage became his new home. Recently, his older sister also came to the orphanage. She has never been to school and will have a chance in the fall of 2009 to attend school for the very first time in her life!
The "House of the Lambs of God" Orphanage has three very large gardens that help to provide food for the children. The older children love to work in the garden. The children also participate in martial arts classes and sing in one of three orphanage choirs.
The "House of the Lambs of God" is changing the lives of children, but without the help of sponsors from Caribbean Children’s Foundation this would not be possible!
FUTURE PLANS
A new orphanage campus The "Children of Israel" Orphanage (of Les Cayes, Haiti) is currently drawing up plans for a permanent orphanage that will house both the boys and the girls. The Izidor family is waiting on the Lord for funds to make this permanent home a reality.
Hundreds of children in Haiti are left homeless every day due to the early deaths of their parents from disease and malnutrition. It was the dream of Pastor Israel to be able to take hundreds of these children off the street and into a loving, Christian environment. Every day, Pastor Israel’s wife, Leonie, is approached by families wishing to find a home for a little one. Many times she must turn them away, asking them to pray for the time when she will have room for them in the orphanage. The new facility will have the capacity to take in more children than can be housed in the structures that now exist.
The whole "flavor" of the needs of orphans has changed since Earthquake 2010! Not only are are existing orphans homeless, but there are now thousands of new orphans needing a home! The need for homes for these children is not just on our "wish list". The homes are now a necessity!
Helping children living in the bateys of the Dominican Republic With the help of new donors, Caribbean Children's Foundation is hoping to launch a program to help children living in the bateys where their families work as slaves in the sugar cane fields of the Dominican Republic. Our first goal is to help finish the construction of the "Huerfanos de Santo Domingo" Orphanage and to obtain sponsorships for children on the waiting list for this orphanage.
Get a glimpse of our work through the eyes of a June 2009 mission team video
