Calvary Christian Family Orphanage
Port-au-Prince, Haiti

We would like to invite you to become a sponsor of Calvary Christian Family, an orphanage ministry to abandoned children of Haiti.

“Let the little children come to Me.” – Jesus

 

 

Haiti Orphanage Port-au-Prince–Video Link

 

 

God’s Direction: From Boston to Haiti

Calvary Christian Family is a joint ministry of Calvary Chapel In The City (Boston) and Calvary Chapel Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  Pastor Serge Poteau is a native born Haitian who lived in the U.S. for fifteen years working as a software programmer.  He was was sent out in 2007 from his home church in Melbourne, Florida to start a church in Port-au-Prince.  Around the same time, his daughter Dina moved to Boston to attend college at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and began attending Calvary Chapel In The City (Boston) where she met Pastor Steve Cole.  Through this connection, a relationship between Serge and Steve began.

Haiti: The Challenge

Jesus…was moved with compassion for them because they were like sheep not having a shepherd – Mark 6:34

Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere.   Unemployment rates are estimated between 50 and 70% and about 75% of the population lives on less than $2/day in conditions of abject poverty.  Public education is virtually non-existent.  1 out of 20 Haitians is infected with the HIV virus – the highest rate in the Western hemisphere. 

These harsh economic conditions and moral decay have resulted in the breakdown of the family with many children being forced to live in the streets.  The outlook for these children is bleak.  Some of them have had to feed themselves by wages earned by thievery or male prostitution. 250,000 children in Haiti work as child slaves and every year about 2,000 children fall victim to human trafficking.  The earthquake of 2010 has only magnified this problem.

Humanitarian efforts have largely failed with foreign aid exceeding 4 billion dollars in the 15 years before the earthquake and an an additional 3.5 billion in 2010.  This fact just confirms our belief that if the hearts of the people are not changed, no amount of money can bring lasting relief.  We believe that there is only one thing that will change Haiti – the teaching of the word of God! 

Calvary Chapel Port-au-Prince

God has honored the teaching of His word in Port-au-Prince.  Since the beginning of Calvary Chapel Port-au-Prince in 2006, the Lord has greatly multiplied their numbers.  The church has outgrown 2 rented buildings and they have currently purchased property and are planning the construction of a large sanctuary to house the hundreds of people meeting each Sunday under tents.

It was during a mission trip by Steve to Haiti, in January of 2008, that he and Serge began to discuss the possibility of starting an orphanage ministry in a nearby facility.  By the summer of 2008 a large house in close proximity to Calvary Chapel Port-au-Prince was purchased and Calvary Christian Family orphanage was born.

Calvary Christian Family: The Vision
 

The home of Calvary Christian Family (CCF) is located in an upper section in Port-au-Prince, a short drive from the church.  The facility is large enough to house 15-25 children with room for onsite education.  Rather than modeling other orphanages, it is our heart to raise these children in a CHRISTIAN FAMILY – a place where orphans, as soon as they enter the front door, are no longer orphans. 

The first three children came to Calvary Christian Family in March of 2009. Jimmy Jesuna was almost 3-years-old when his mother Alienne died, leaving him with neither father or mother.  Jimmy was temporarily being taken care of by a member of a local church in Cayes, the 3rd largest city in Haiti.  The pastor of that church contacted Pastor Serge and after a few legal documents were signed, Jimmy became the first orphan to find a home at CCF.  A few weeks later, Jimmy found himself with two new brothers.  Alex and Alexandre Pierre are twin brothers who were destitute in Cayes.  They were almost 2-years-old when they found a home at CCF.

 

After much waiting and many prayers, the orphanage was recognized with a state license in October of 2009.  Since that time, 9 additional children have been taken in from government agencies where abandoned children are temporarily housed.  Their names are Loveson, Letchino, Moise, Ricky, Duby, Samuel, Marvins, Emerson, and Anderson and their ages range from about 3 to 8 years.  Five of the boys have been brought in since the earthquake of 2010 which left Haiti with many more orphans on the streets.  

The day-to-day needs of the ministry are being met by Haitian nationals from Calvary Chapel Port-au-Prince, who are employed in positions of teaching, administration, cooking, cleaning, and grounds-keeping.  Currently, Pastor Seige and his wife Dinnette live onsite to provide close oversight of the children.

Not only are the physical and emotional needs of the children being met, but they will also be educated from kindergarten through high school, learning a variety of skills including computer usage.  Moreover, the children are being raised in a multilingual environment; learning Creole, French, and English.  These languages and skills are in high-demand in the Haitian workforce and will provide opportunities, as they become adults, to be leaders in Haitian society – bearing witnesses to the manifold grace of God in their lives.

Calvary Chapel In The City in Boston provides direct financial oversight of this ministry and representatives of the church make routine trips to Haiti to serve the needs of the orphanage. Since there are no U.S. based staff for this ministry, 100% of the contributions are used to support the orphanage.  It is our hope that this may be the first of more such Christian homes in Haiti.

Please pray for the Lord’s ministry to these children.  If you would like to become a financial sponsor of the orphanage, please click the PayPal link below, or mail a Yes Card to the address below.  If you would like to contact us, please do so by email, ccitc@calvarychapelinthecity.com, or by phone (617) 232-6300.

In Christ,

Steve Cole                   
Pastor, Calvary Chapel In The City (Boston)

Serge Poteau
Pastor, Calvary Chapel Port-au-Prince

We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works – Ephesians 2:10

 

Newsletters

October 2010 – Click here

 

Donations

Donations by Mail

To donate by mail, please click the "Download a Yes Card" link below, print the file, write in the requested information, and mail your check and Yes Card to the following address:

Calvary Christian Family c/o Calvary Chapel In The City – Boston
P.O. Box 200178
Boston, MA  02120
Phone (617) 232-6300

Download a Yes Card

To donate online using a credit card, bank account, or PayPal account, please click the donate button below

Statistics from: 
Why Foreign Aid to Haiti Failed, National Academy of Public Administration, Washington, DC,  2006.  Terry F. Buss, PhD Project Director. http://www.napawash.org/_images/haiti_final.pdf

How to Buy a Child in 10 Hours.  One Reporter's Journey Reveals An Epidemic of Child Slavery in Haiti.  ABC News.  DAN HARRIS, July 8, 2008. http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Story?id=5326508

Center for Global Development

blogs.cgdev.org/globaldevelopment/2011/01/haiti-earthquake-aid-facts.php