"When they smile I can be happy!"

Louisanne and her children, Douimy, Jennifer and Marie Jo are one of the beneficiaries in the Hope Force Child Sponsorship program. They live along the main road in Sous Savanne, just at the edge of the village next to a big open field with shady trees. After their home was destroyed in the January 2010 earthquake, they lived in a small makeshift hut (pictured at right). Her family was the first one to receive a tent during the Hope Force shelter program in August of 2010.
Often Louisanne will have a small table set up to sell some food or other items to try and make a living. The daily life of one of the moms and her family in the village of Sous Savanne is not easy. There are no amenities such as running water or electricity, no social services, and virtually no jobs. They have the land to live off and small items to sell to those who have little money themselves.

Louisanne's family is a small one with three girls. Mom is the main caretaker; the father of the girls is regularly around but at times also gone. When Hope Force first began assessments in the village, the two older girls were not going to school; now they attend the nearby Christ Roi preschool, kindergarten and first grade in the adjacent village of Grand Savanne.

Asking mom if she is happy with the help she received through the Hope Force donors, a big smile is the answer. "YES... After the earthquake you came and you gave us a tent, which was great because we had a roof over our heads and a place we could keep our small belongings a bit safer than out in the open.

"At times when there is a mobile medical team and one of us was sick, you helped us with medicines and referral to a local clinic in Leogane. Then through your help we received a transitional home (Maxima home through World Relief) and we no longer need to live in the tent. I am trying my best to sell small items to help provide and take care of the needs of the children.

"I am so thankful I can now send them to school and they can learn to read and write. The kids are happy and most of the days when I see their smiles I can be happy. Life is not easy and I need to take it a day at the time. Thank you for helping us!"

HFI has a commitment to rebuild and improve the village of Sous Savanne. We believe that the Child Sponsorship Program is the best way to directly support the village in its recovery and development. In conjunction with our partners on the field, Hope Force is undertaking a program that focuses on supporting the most vulnerable members of this village. Currently there are 81 children sponsored.

Please contact children@hopeforce.org for questions or comments about the Child Sponsorship Program. It's not much - $29 a month. Once we hear from you, our staff will connect you with one of the children in the program and send you a biographical profile along with photographs. You will have the opportunity to correspond with your sponsored child on a limited basis over the year.