Free The Kids brings future hope to this impoverished nation. With the education that is being provided to over 800 children there is a future for them in Haiti. In addition providing food for the destitute and a home for so many children will help Haiti to develop a more sustainable economy
I had the honor of visiting Pwoje Espwa! With the basics of food, clothing, shelter, education, and medical
provided to the children, they are becoming remarkable, caring young people who will give back to their
own country and make it a better place to live. They are taught compassion, kindness and and leadership skills while they look out for one another. They work hard, learn a trade, care for the land and
care for their "hearts"! Fr. Marc is a remarkable man taking care of our most precious individuals - children - with respect and loyalty! Free The Kids uses its funds directly to provide for the young
people so they can eventually stand on their own two feet and truly make a difference. With Haiti only
1 1/2 hours from our shores and our great abundance in our country, we have the opportunity to reach
out and change the life of a child forever! at Hope Village. Free the Kids and Pwoje Espwa is a remarkable
sanctuary on earth.
A wonderful organization that truly puts the children first. I have spent time with espwa for over 10 years and find it to be an oasis in southwest Haiti. The children are loved, taken care of and educated.
Free the Kids and Pwoje Espwa give me hope that Haiti is finally moving in the right direction. The kids being educated there are going to grow up and make Haiti a better place for generations to come. Father Marc is an inspirational figure.
It would be impossible to describe the love and care provided to the vulnerable children of Haiti at Pwoje Espwa. In a desperate country Espwa provides hope and a future to its children. I visited last February and plan to return in December. The people there make it possible through hard work and dedication. Donations are put to efficient use. Extremely low (3.2%) administrative expenses. Check out the financials at www.freethekids.org.
People at Espwa are very caring and want to see the children succeed. They have been growing by leaps and bounds, but at all times the comfort and safety of the children has been the number one concern. The children are so happy and rambunctious, it was a blast working with them.
This organization is being run by a very, very caring staff. The children at the orphanage are very fortunate to have a place where they can be cared for and given a wonderful education and a chance at success in life. Fr. Mark came to our church twice and described the conditions they have to contend with. I sponsor a child each month that goes towards his education.
In a country over run by failure, this is a true success story. 600 orphaned and vulnerable children no longer face illiteracy, ill health and potential early death. 1,600 more young Haitians get free education, food and basic health care.
I have traveled to Espwa, Haiti TWICE and have been blown away on how much Love and care there is for these children. No one is turned away! Volunteers and staff work effortlessly daily making sure that all of the children's needs are met...physically, emotionally and spiritually . God Bless you Fr. Mark and your team! You are making a positive difference in these children's lives. Dianne Joy
I traveled to Haiti and to Project Hope 2 times. Going to Haiti and seeing how hard life is changes the way you see the world. The work being done at Project Hope is amazing. The effect of this village of Hope for the children and the entire community is so uplifting. So much is being done. New ideas are welcome. You can see real progress for the children and people of Haiti every day. I so loved the Haitian people. They have the ability to keep going and are very hard working and happy with very little. Father Marc and the staff do so much to change lives everyday. Any help we can provide goes a long way to make this possible.
I decided to donate to ESPWA after Fr Mark came to our church and spoke about the conditions in Haiti. He is helping children who would otherwise be orphans alone on the streets. The work that they do with the little amount I send is amazing. It is nice to know that every dollar I send is going to help raise these children well and give them a future.
I am very happy to be a donor in this honest and trustful organization. I am very proud of the achievements Free the Kids had accomplished, even under the most difficult conditions. I admire the love, attention and care these kids are having to improve their lives and make them responsible adults.
I learned of this non-profit when Fr. Boisevert came and spoke at our church. As a donor, I really like that my entire donation goes to the children and the development of the community so that they can service even more children. Schooling, health and sustainability seem to be high priorities for this organization.
For one man to see a need, and change his life, to thousands of people in southern Haiti now benefiting from his vision, is in itself a miracle. When I first heard about Espwa, and Free the Kids, I knew I had to visit myself. After my first visit, I had to go again. Now, I want to help others have the same overpowering, life-changing experience I did. Espwa is a place of beauty, love, hope, and joy in a desperate country.
The world felt compelled to help Haiti after the earthquake, but I think a lot of people have now forgotten Haiti again. Father Marc dedicated his life's work to Haiti long before the earthquake and in the aftermath. There are children in Haiti that are no longer homeless nor parentless thanks to Free the Kids. They are being educated and taught that charity sstarts within. There are so many ways to help this organization, one being a modest monthly contribution to "adopt" a child or to underwrite their specific needs. By helping this organization you feel that your contributions are going to pay off in the long run as Haiti's future is brighter thanks to Free the Kids.
19 years ago our daughter Isabel died after open heart surgery. She was 2 weeks old. We have always felt an emptiness in our hearts and thought "We need to donate the money it would cost to raise her to another little girl who needs it". Eventually, we learned of Free the Kids and we decided to sponsor a little girl named Delsana that was born in the same month as our Isabel. There are five members of our family and we each chose one area to sponsor her in. School, Shelter, clothing, medical needs and food. We hear from her via email and have a beautiful photo of her. We suddenly felt that our daughter was alive in spirit through Delsana and we were so thankful to Free the Kids for providing the love and care for these children. They are incredibly dedicated, communicate regularly with us and we are looking forward to going to Haiti some day to visit and help out. We may even sponsor another child..who knows? Maybe a boy next time. Free the Kids gets our vote!!! These children need love and a chance at life!!
I have followed the work of this great organization for several years. Although I am too old to go to Haiti to voluneer there, I assist with fund raising here as well as donate myself. My daughter has visited there twice and is planning on another visit in the Spring of 2013. I follow the daily work of Proje Espwa though blogs of the staff and other visitors. They not only educate, feed, clothe and generally care for these children but they provide jobs for many Haitians, in fact are the largest employer in the south of Haiti I believe. The dedication of the staff is profound!
I am a volunteer, former board member and donor for Free The Kids, inc. which supports Pwoje Espwa in southern Haiti. I have been involved since the project began because I believe in its mission and have seen first-hand how the children benefit. One boy, when asked what he liked about living on the campus at Pwoje Espwa, replied that he "loves it because he gets to eat every day!" Each child comes to them with a story of suffering, rejection, or trauma. No one can visit and forget the faces of these innocent children who have been welcomed into the program.
We were moved to hear the story of Pwoje Espwa at our church many years ago, and have donated monthly ever since. We are always amazed at the level of commitment the staff and volunteers have for these children, the joy of the children who are served, and most importantly, the heatlh and growth of the community under Espwa. It is amazing work, and our family is proud to be a tiny part of it.
Our family has helped support Free the Kids for about 8 years or so. Our parish has helped send needed money and items to help Father Marc's kids in Haiti. Our family helps to support a young boy named Stevens at the orphanage. I receive emails from him several times a year. He draws pictures for us and tells of his activities, he says he enjoys eating mangoes, which I am happy that he has.This is a wonderful charity which gives meaningful help to the kids and their community. I am proud to be a sponsor.
I sponsor a young boy's education at Pwoje Espwa in Haiti. I receive updates on his progress every few months and notes and pictures drawn by him. I wanted to put a 'face' to my giving and this is the perfect way. Free the Kids does wonderful work helping to care for and educate children without homes, giving them a safe and happy environment in which to grow and thrive. Jean
A friend on mine from our church starting getting involved with the children in Haiti after Fr. Marc came to our church and told his story. She went to Haiti with Fr. Marc and saw the great need these children had. She came back from there with a passion to help them. I believe this is when Pwoje Espwa was born and it is when I started supporting this great cause. A program within Free the Kids was started called "Army of Angels" where we could give our support directly to a child to help with the costs to educate and feed them. I chose an older girl, who if she were here in the US, would have been in about 5th grade but instead was just going to have the opportunity to start kindergarten. I thought if there was someone who needed to know someone cared it was her. I have been donating to her on a monthly basis ever since. My greatest joy is receiving a note from her to hear how she is doing. I don't have a lot of money but I'm very happy to give what I can to such a worthwhile cause knowing that I am making a difference.
I have been supporting this charity for over ten years. I love the website which gives real, believable and current information about what is going on at the charity and in the neighborhood in Haiti where it is located. From information about specific kids and health conditions, to medical intern's encounters with the corrupt hospital system in Haiti to what happened during the earthquake and in the weeks that followed, I always feel like it is respectful and honest, and a realistic insight into what is happening on the ground in Les Cayes. I feel like I can trust these people with my money, and that they are doing demonstrable good.
I have been supporting Free the Kids for several years. Last year I started co sponsoring a young girl at the school. I receive communications from her several times a year and she speaks of her education goals and her progress and thanks for the sponsorship.This time she drew me a beautiful picture i keep on my desk to remind me of her and the children which are receiving food and education due to the dedication of this small group. The organization is just wonderful with regards to requests for donations. I receive email requests for campaigns three times a year at most. Never spending precious money on postage or mailers. When I had to update a credit card for my automatic donation I received a personal email response within 8 hours and a second person emailed me the next day to coordinate the change. It has been the same people for the last 3 or 4 years I have worked with them. The dedication and kindness of the staff has always made me feel as if Free the Kids is a family united in a common cause to help this vey poor nation's children. I will support them always and am so happy they have the chance for this award. Free the Kids is a unique group that must have almost every dollar raised go directly to the home and schools support and almost nothing wasted on marketing. Please consider them. If you read about their work and dedication it will confirm the huge changes they have made to this country!
My parish, All Saints Parish - Brunswick, ME, has been supporting Fr. Marc Boisvert and his orphanage for quite a few years. We have an annual Oktoberfest dinner that raises money for the orphanage and Fr. Marc's good work. Listening to speakers, seeing the faces of the children in the orphanage, and just knowing people do benefit from the money we can send to Haiti, makes me want to do more to help. Thank God for Fr. Marc and his volunteers and staff members. They are angels sent to care for the kids that might not be here today if it wasn't for Free the Kids. They do wonderful work and need to continue to care for over 600+ children in Haiti.
Been supporting Free The Kids since its inception. They have grown in number and breadth of service to the vulnerable children of Les Cayes, Haiti. they have saved lives and made the future brighter not only for the children served but also for the people employed by them.
I have been volunteering since 2005 for FTK. The impact being made on the children of Haiti is indescribeable. I have seen first hand the positive work being accomplished at Pwoje Espwa, and consider it to be a second home to me.
I am a volunteer and supporter of Project Hope/Espwa. I also sponsor a child through their Army of Angels program. I support this organization because its clear that change in Haiti won't come from its government--it has to come from it's people. Project Hope supports this idea by not only providing basic needs to the children who live and go to school there, but also through education and job skills programs. By providing the children with important job skills, Project Hope empowers the children to make Haiti a better place for future generations. So often, non-profits use the majority of their donated funds on advertising. This is not the case with Project Hope. They try to stretch just about every donated dollar to benefit the children. Much of the administrative support is donated by volunteers who are passionate about this cause. I was fortunate to visit Espwa last November 2011 and I look forward to returning again this November. I will be a life long supporter of this organization and all the wonderful things they've accomplished for its community and for the children of Haiti.
Free the Kids has not only provided shelter for orphaned and abandoned kids in Haiti, but also taught them life skills and trades. In addition they help feed their needy niegbours
One doesn't expect to find a whole lot of hope and positive experiences in the middle of Haiti. However, Pwoje Espwa Sud is an unexpected oasis for vulnerable children. In Haiti, children have little value, so they begin early earning their keep. Pwoje Espwa (Project Hope) offers a safe haven from a cruel life on the streets, providing schooling, housing, and nutrition for the over 600 boys and girls who thrive there. This community is a blessing in a harsh and depleted country where there is little time for children to simply be kids. I urge you to learn about how one man's vision and steadfast faith grew into a village that puts Christ's words into action. Visit http://www.freethekids.org/sos-for-haiti/ to learn more about Pwoje Espwa and FreeTheKids.org .