haiti and honduras - outreach abroad

HAITI - St. Vincent's Center, Haiti

St. Vincent’s Center, Haiti, was founded in 1945 by Sister Joan, a physical therapist and Episcopal sister, who gathered children deaf, blind, or unable to walk, first into her arms and then into a home, a school, a medical clinic and brace shop.  Today St. Vincent’s is a remarkable institution still functioning despite the gang violence, thanks to a remarkable leader, Executive Director Père Irnel Duveaux.  (Père Duveaux, who has not had a day off since January, 2024, rides his bike to campus seven days a week.)
 
St. Vincent’s serves some  200 children with disabilities from ages three to 19.  While other schools in Port-au-Prince have closed because of the gangs, St. Vincent’s remains open.  On “good” days some180 students make it to class; on days of unrest, there may be no school.  Faculty teach in Kréyol, French, English, Spanish, Braille, and sign language.  Most walk or bike to school.  After gangs burned down the entire neighborhood where 16 faculty members lived, 14 of them came to a Teachers’ Day two days later.  Their commitment is unquestioned. Their average pay is $3,600 a year. Many of them are the sole wage-earners for their families.  The students, their families, and the SVC staff know that the road from poverty and illiteracy to employment and productive citizenship is through competent, compassionate education.

For more information go to https://stvincentshaiti.org .

HONDURAS - El Hogar

Founded in 1979  by members of the local Episcopal Church, El Hogar de Amor y Esperanza – The Home of Love and Hope – now serves over 200 boys and girls providing a home and education including both academic and practical training.
 
Visit their website for more information:  http://www.elhogar.org/about/