April 2023 Newsletter

Over the past decade, the community of Fond Blanc, The Fond Blanc Foundation, and the children have all grown so much. We’ve navigated through natural disasters, political instability and food shortages. Working in a country like Haiti, we’ve had to become really good at adapting. One of our biggest adaptations has been in our Child Sponsorship Program. In the beginning, we set out with the goal that these sponsorships would help to meet the basic needs of the children in Fond Blanc; food, water, education, health & general care. We’ve been proud to have been able to not only meet these basic needs, but the program developed even further through our sustainability projects and post-graduate vocational opportunities.

While we still intend to continue to meet these same needs of the children of Fond Blanc, we are having to adapt once again. Many of the children, who have been in Fond Blanc since the very beginning, are beginning to “age out” of the orphanage. They’re graduating from high school, moving on to vocational training & in many situations, moving home. This was always the vision for our kids! We’ve wanted them to be prepared with the education and skills to take on the real world and seek new opportunities outside of our orphanage walls. And in our adaptation, it felt important for us to continue to provide financial support to these kids as they pursue secondary education and vocational training, despite them no longer residing in Fond Blanc. Here are a few kids we’re so excited to highlight for you:

Eugens (pictured in lower left photo) was one of the original children to join the orphanage, being with us since 2011. A fan-favorite, Eugens was one of the fastest of our children to pick up the very difficult English language, allowing him to connect quickly with visiting missionaries, and helping others develop life-long relationships. Eugens recently got the opportunity to finish out his Haitian High School Diploma in Cazal and has been fully-funded by the Foundation for the duration of this process.

Charlie joined us in 2012 from Les Cayes. During his time in Fond Blanc, Charlie was able to finish school up through 11th grade and become one of the best soccer players in Fond Blanc! Charlie opted to pursue a highly sought after & stable career in Haiti, becoming a plumber! With support from the foundation, Charlie was able to move to Cabaret to live with his older sister and attend plumbing school.

Givenchy & Lovensky are a pair of brothers that many of our visitors have grown to know and love. What many guests to the orphanage do not know is that Givenchy & Lovensky’s mother, Evena, joined us for several years at the Foundation, employed as a caregiver. A few years back Evena got the opportunity to pursue other opportunities away from the foundation’s grounds but trusted the care of her boys to us while she got settled. We are so pleased to announce that Givenchy & Lovensky were able to move back in with their mother, and with the support of the foundation, have been able to continue their schooling in Port Au Prince.

And while we’re so excited for the great things these kids are moving on to do, we’re facing yet another challenge and once again need to adapt. Many of these older kids are the ones who have personal relationships with our sponsors. So many of you were fortunate enough to travel to Fond Blanc, and you likely have one specific child or maybe more, who hold a very special place in your heart. We know this is why so many of you have continued as loyal sponsors for so many years and for that, we are immensely grateful for all of you!

It is not only your loyalty to your sponsored kids, but to our mission that we must heavily rely on in this next transition of our foundation. While we still have many children that many of you have met, we have had many new children join us in Fond Blanc. Most of these children have not gotten to meet the Child Sponsors and friends of Fond Blanc. Due to constant political instability and civil unrest over the past few years, we’ve remained unable to travel to Haiti, which has changed our ability to exchange communication between our sponsors and our children. All that to say that our sponsorships are declining, while our costs & number of supported children are not.

So here’s where we again need to adapt. And we’re looking to all of you for help! The biggest question we’re facing is “how do we get people to care, when they haven’t been there?” It’s through all of you. Would you be willing to share how special these kids and this place is to you? What did it felt like to be there? The gratitude you felt from each child in Fond Blanc? The meals you saw the kids devour because of our sponsorship funding? We need you all. Please consider sharing about your experience in Fond Blanc, and why it means so much to you. It would mean the world to all of us and to the children of Fond Blanc!

But ultimately, our need right now is financial. Do you currently sponsor a child? If not, now is a great time to get started! Click the pink button below to learn more about our children & how you can help them through child sponsorship. Sponsorships start at as little as $15/month. Are you a current sponsor, who has the means to provide further support? Send us an email at tia.bunz@fondblanc.org to let us know you’d like to increase your monthly gift. As a reminder, we are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, meaning that all donations including those ongoing monthly contributions are tax-deductible, and as always, 100% of your donations go directly to the children in Fond Blanc. Thank you so much for your consideration. It is only through the support of all of you that we can continue our mission in Fond Blanc!

Mesi & Bondye Beni Ou,

Molly Hessel & Olivia Riggs
Fond Blanc Foundation Board Members

Fond Blanc Foundation