Pledge to make a difference, together.
Our mission is to help ordinary people in crisis. Our experiences of visiting orphanages in Haiti convinced us that we could make a difference and at the very least we should try. Utilizing the wide range of skills of our volunteers in focused and efficient project delivery allows us to directly improve life for Haiti's vulnerable children. We are a non-denominational, non-governmental and non-political organisation.
All the work carried out is on a voluntary basis, with the team giving freely of their time and expertise. Fundraising is channeled into project costs including materials, labour costs and equipment. All volunteers pay their own flight and accommodation costs. There are no salaries or administration costs and as a result, 100% of all donations go directly to our projects in Haiti.
From August 2011 to Easter 2015 we had been working on an island off the south coast of Haiti called Ill A Vache at the l'Oeuvre St. Francois D'Assises Orphanage.
The orphanage is home to 70 children, thirty of whom are severely disabled and upwards of twenty need daily physiotherapy treatment.
During our time there, ESPWA planned and completed a number of different projects at the orphanage including an extension to the physiotherapy room, a medical room extension, a washroom, showers and toilets, wheelchair access paths and ramps, and general building works. We also shipped a restored tractor and trailer, plough, harrow and concrete mixer to the island and donated it to the orphanage.
All of our projects employ local men and women to help with the work, with the intention of training and also creating employment and income for the local village and surrounding areas. Great friendships have been forged over the years, through broken English, Haitian Creole and French.
Since Easter 2015 ,our volunteers have travelled at least twice a year to another Orphanage in Kenscoff, high up in the mountains over Port au Prince, run by Gena Heraty, a Mayo native, and improved the infrastructure within by putting in place 100s of cubic metres of wheelchair access paths and ramps. There are over 300 children and young adults living in the orphanage with more than 40 children with severe disabilities. We have a huge programme of work ongoing for this orphanage and will have for years to come. As part of this programme , as of October 2022, we have sent 40 container loads of much needed humanitarian aid , medical supplies and a wide range of vital equipment to our friends in Haiti and when emptied the containers have been converted into a house, classroom, outreach centre, clinic and storage lockup.
The total cost of buying , filling and transporting a container is approximately 10,000 and any help you can give us either as an individual ,employee matching scheme or Corporate support would be most appreciated.
Please remember we are all Volunteers , we have no employees , Volunteers pay ALL of their own expenses such as flights and accommodation so every cent you donate goes to those who need it most.
For more information on the work we do, and how YOU can help, please visit Facebook page : Project ESPWA (Haiti Orphanage Project Espwa )or www.projectespwa.ie (www.4haiti.ie)
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