2016 is the Year Of Building!
It has been 6 years since the orphanage was organized after the devastating earthquake of January 2010. And 5 years since GRODYSH-FOHO was incorporated in the United States as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization to help support humanitarian activities in Haiti, with the vision of rehabilitating the country by helping to develop the next generation of leaders.
I wanted to give you an overview of what our plans are for 2016.
There are three building projects that we need to complete. Once they are completed, the Orphanage and School will achieve a goal that we have wanted to achieve for a long time – to be fully self-sustaining. This means that once the school is built, it will produce enough income from tuition that it will be able to fund the teachers, staff, orphanage and food.
Our goal all along has been to create the “Future of Haiti” – children that grow up to be educated, hard- working members of society that give back to their community and build a great nation. These buildings are just concrete and steel, but they mean so much more to the children that will be growing up inside their walls. We need your help to make this happen.
Phase 1: Cafeteria and Dormitories
We are in the middle of rebuilding our cafeteria, which was demolished last year when a large pine tree fell on it (thankfully, no one was hurt). We are almost done with this project. You might know that most of our children are currently sleeping on the floor, due to a lack of space and beds in the main house. We have taken the opportunity to build, along with the cafeteria, two dormitory rooms next to it and four above. Each room will hold 10 children, with 5 bunkbeds. This is very needed on an immediate basis so that the children are in a safe space during the next two phases of building.
Donations needed to complete Phase 1: $10,000 Target to get it fully funded: February 1, 2016
Phase 2: The School Foundation
We began to lay the foundation of our humanitarian school in August 2015. It takes up almost the entire 1/2-acre we purchased next door to the orphanage. This school will provide a high-quality education for not only the children at the orphanage, but another 400 below-poverty-level kids coming from the surrounding neighborhoods who cannot afford to attend school in Haiti. We will be educating 500 students per day, and will allow others to come after school hours to benefit from our online education system. Tuition for the school will be on a sliding scale, depending on ability to pay. Having the school complete will allow the orphanage to finally be self-sustainable, with stable food and basic needs for the children provided, and pay for the teachers and staff.
Donations needed to complete Phase 2: $40,000 Target to get it fully funded: April 1, 2016
Phase 3: The First Floor
Once the foundation is built, we will build the first floor of the school, which will house all of the classrooms. When the first floor is complete, we will be able to move all the children who are studying in temporary outdoor shelters, with standing-room-only, into the protected and furnished classrooms. Our target is to have the children entering their new classrooms this coming September.
Donations needed to complete Phase 3: $50,000 Target to get it fully funded: June 1, 2016
We appreciate your support more than words can express, and we thank you for being a part of this journey with us this far. For that reason, we want these buildings to be imbued with the love and support of all of you.
Here’s how it will work:
With every personal donation of $500 or a Business Sponsorship of $1,000, you will receive a tile that will be a part of our donor mural in the reception area. When each phase is completed, we will have reached our goal of raising $100,000. At which point we will invite the donors and their families to a big tile painting event, where you can paint your tile and deliver your message to the children of Haiti. At the event we will have contributing local artists painting tiles of their own, you will see some of our business sponsors and of course there will be plenty of food, music and fun! When the tiles are finished they will be shipped to Haiti and installed in the reception area for the children to see every day when they go to their brand new school.
Once our targets are met, the school is planned to be completed September 2016.
If you would like to donate a tile and become a permanent part of our legacy, please contact me at (727) 365-3650. You can also donate directly HERE. All donations are tax-deductible.
Sincerely, Leslie Hobbs
Vice President, Future of Haiti Organization