OUR STORY
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OUR STORY IN WORDS
When the 2010 earthquake hit Port au Prince, Haiti an orphanage run by Pastor Jean Claude fell. Thankfully none of the children were injured. Pastor knew he needed to rebuild a home for the children and thought of the land he owned in the tiny mountain community of Fond Blanc. Not only would these children have a new home, but the Fond Blanc orphanage would also serve the children of a brand new community.
In 2010, the road that led to Fond Blanc was not complete but that did not stop Pastors congregation from getting to work. They carried cinderblock one by one up the hill to begin construction. Soon after, Paul Young of Sure Foundations partnered with Pastor Jean Claude and helped him continue to build the orphanage.
Today school is in session every weekday at the complex. Three times a week the gates are opened for church. Wednesday & Sunday nights the young adults from the community gather for a bible study. And several times a week the Fond Blanc Church band is practicing under the mango tree. The complex in Fond Blanc is more than just a home to children that live there. It is a gathering place for the community, and a light and hope for the future.
OUR INVOLVEMENT
During the summer of 2013 Next Step Ministries ran it’s first summer of mission trips in Fond Blanc. For nine weeks students from across the U.S. gathered to partner with Pastor Jean Claude and his congregation on the construction of a new church building. As we worked in the hot sun, we noticed that the need for a church building was just the beginning.
The children living at the then orphanage lacked proper nutrition in their meals, educational opportunities, and basic medical care. That’s when Alison Praisewater, Andrew Atwell, and Tia Bunz got involved, deciding quite quickly that the needs of the children couldn’t be ignored.
Out of this passion to enrich the lives of the children, the Fond Blanc Foundation was born. Establishing a new standard of care & access to what we would consider basic needs, we got to work.
As we continue to expand our partnerships, we are eager to see the power that our partnership with our Haitian friends can have.
FUTURE GOALS
Our goals from the beginning have been simple, to create an environment rooted and established in love. We want to see these children grow and flourish into thriving adults. We will do this through providing loving, nurturing care, health and nutrition, a solid education, and supporting their spiritual development.
But it doesn’t stop there. There is a vibrant community outside the gates of the compound. A community that is very much in need of these resources too. Our goal is to expand our efforts to serve the whole village of Fond Blanc and surrounding areas. This will take time, but we are confident that it can be done. For as we have grown, our goals have too. With our partners, we have built a full garden site & chicken operation with the intention of self-sustainability at the center. These additions have allowed us to employ more members of the village, as well as become involved in the village marketplace. As we look to the future, our goals for these additions remain simple: sustainability, sustainability, sustainability. Take a peek at our “Sustainability” page to learn more!”
LEARN MORE
Visit OUR MISSION to learn how we are putting our passion into action.