Okipe is a Haitian Creole word which means “to care for”
The Village Director is Mme. Soliette, she does a great job on a very limited budget.
The village is staffed with house mums, teachers, admin staff and groundsmen. There are 8 houses with accommodation for 10 children and a house mum in each. The emphasis of care is on nurture, education and keeping any family ties active. There are extensive grounds where they grow lots of vegetables and keep some livestock. The Children’s Village has capacity for 80 resident children and could provide education and a mid day meal for up to 200. Children from the surrounding area attend the school, often they have no other access to education, many of them are underweight and malnourished. Currently, a restricted budget means there are around 60 children resident and food is not always available for the visiting pupils.
If Mme. Soliette had more money she could run the village at capacity and give a nutritious meal to the children who attend the school.
Haiti Help currently sends £670 a month, which is around 10% of the budget Mme Soliette receives. The rest comes from other international chatities.
If you set up a regular donation and would like the money to go to the Children’s Village please let us know.