The story of Jodeline was shared with us by Rosena Joseph, one of our Haitian local leaders and the Director of Ferrier Village. Jodeline is two years old. Born near Ouanaminthe, in the northeast corner of Haiti, she has two brothers, Mickenson and Meckendie, and a sister named Katiana. While just a small baby, her mother died, leaving the children to be raised by their father, who was himself crippled and unable to provide for the children. Her father passed away this year, and the siblings were sent to live with their grandfather. He did not care for them at all; they would often go days without eating and were forced to beg on the streets to get a little food. When social services were finally notified, they discovered that the children were not actually living with their grandfather but were wandering the streets in search of shelter and food. Meanwhile, their grandfather, under the palpable pressure of extreme poverty, was looking into the possibility of selling the children as restaveks. Thankfully, social services intervened before the grandfather was able to find a buyer for his grandchildren. They brought the siblings to Ferrier Village to receive care and protection while their situation was worked out. Now, they receive three meals a day, the older children attend school, and they are part of a larger family, courtesy of the Ferrier Village house mothers and the other children. Jodeline is two years old. When she arrived at Ferrier Village, she was barely alive. She was covered with sores, she could hardly keep her eyes open, and her hair was bright orange, a sure sign of malnutrition. Furthermore, after being rejected nearly every day of her young life, she refused to go near anyone. Two months later, the improvement is incredible. She is eating, her hair has grown and darkened, her skin is clear. Most importantly, she is now running and playing with the other children of Ferrier Village. And, she has the brightest little smile. The transformation speaks to the amazing love and care that the house mothers and the community directors offer to these children. It is so important that they receive shelter and food, but the impact that being loved as a part of a family has on a child is immeasurable. At Help One Now, we hope that we can reunite children with their families whenever possible, but until then, we will continue to provide that care and affection at Ferrier Village. Already, 50 children like Jodeline have been rescued, and we have been able to reunite 14 of them with their families! Jodeline Elie is two years old, but now, she has hope. She has hope that, as she grows to three and four, she will get to attend preschool. She has hope that as she grows older, she will remain with people that love her like a sister and a daughter. She has hope that as she becomes an adult, she will have more opportunity in her life to continue her education or to get a job that will help her provide for her own family that she now has hope that she could have. We have hope, too. We have hope that, even though there are more children like Jodeline and Mickenson and Mackenzie and Katiana, we can help the amazing people at Ferrier Village change the lives of these children. And, this Giving Tuesday, we have hope that you will help us by supporting Legacy Project 2014: Stand With Ferrier. We hope you will buy a brick or two and tell others to do the same. Together, we can hope to truly see change for the children of Haiti. The story of Jodeline was shared with us by Rosena Joseph, one of our Haitian local leaders and the Director of Ferrier Village.
