Project Espwa a haven in Haiti

If you have stumbled upon this blog you are most likely aware of the problems in Haiti. It is a broken country the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. Desperate poverty is rampant, children are starving and made to be slaves, the average wage is around two dollars a day some are eating dirt and the government is either helpless or indifferent to the plight of the people. I just arrived from Haiti and what I saw there is hard to fathom. Yes, there is unbelievable poverty but worse there is an undercurrent of hopelessness and despair which is even more disturbing. People have nothing to look forward to. People have no future except a constant battle for survival.

Enter Father Marc Boisvert a modern day hero and founder of Project Espwa. He is a man who who sold his earthly possesions and has given his life to help save kids in Haiti in order to give some hope and a real chance for a future. Project Espwa is an orphanage near Les Cayes in the southern part of Haiti. It currently feeds, clothes and educates over 700 kids and also provides jobs and self worth for many in the community. Espwa is a Creole word for "hope" it is the name that the kids picked for the orphanage and it certainly is apropos.

I could go into all the details and programs that project Espwa is providing for the kids and community but you should read about those things on their website www.freethekids.org I would just like to say that having met Father Marc and seen the work at Espwa first hand with my own eyes and also seeing the horrible alternative for the kids if Espwa were not there I can testify truthfully and faithfully that it is more than just a worthy cause. It is a vital cause where lives literally hang in the balance. I know that may sound dramatic but it is veritable and true. The work they are doing is incredibly important and incredibly necessary and it needs to be supported and go on.

I will just say that with all the hell and chaos in that country Espwa is a haven. Espwa is a place where kids can laugh and play and be kids with their innocence intact. They can experience something most of us take for granted, a childhood. I know for myself the kids at Espwa gave me much more than my meager good intentions brought them. With their smiles and hugs and laughter I was taken and may never be the same. In fact after visiting Haiti I hope I will never be the same. Thank you Father Marc. You are a hero and the hands of God as you lay down your life daily for those kids. To all else if you've read this far, please help as you are able. Go to www.freethekids.org