INTRODUCTION - All Blessings International

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FONDATION BON BERGER
&
BREBIS DE SAINT MICHEL DE L’ATTALAYE
Delmas 105, Rte de Frères, Imp. St Louis Jeanty # 13
Port-au-Prince, Haïti, W.I.
Tél: (509) 256-5485, 525-2450
E-mail : bresma@hotmail.com
INTRODUCTION
Brebis de Saint Michel de l’Attalaye orphanage was established on September 28th, 1999. Its objective
and mission is to take care of orphans and children in need. Through cooperation with local
organizations and international organizations, we remain committed to improving the living conditions
of deprived children in Haïti.
It has been three months already since the orphanage re-opened following the earthquake of 2010.
Time is passing so fast! The 12th of January feels like yesterday. Unfortunately much water has passed
under the bridge since. The future remains uncertain. According to a report from Engineer Claude
Prepty, geophysicist, following the earthquake over 35 aftershocks have been registered. Haitians wait
for the worst and nobody knows when it will happen… we live on a day to day basis…
The orphanage has resumed normal operations on July 6th, 2011. All children entrusted to us have
access to education, receive health care, are given proper nutrition, and live in a nurturing environment
for their psychological development. We have established a social and educational activity schedule
which enables the children entrusted to our care for the purpose of adoption to find a nurturing
environment for their intellectual and physical development with good values and consistent care.
Activities are organized as follows:
Academic activities:
Shortly after breakfast, children are in the classroom with their teacher Edline St Jean. Miss St. Jean
speaks fluent English as she was raised in an orphanage run by US citizens. She understands better than
anyone the needs of children living in an orphanage. She is very patient and kind with children. All of the
children ages four and older are learning the alphabet, numbers, colors, and phrases in English to
prepare them for life in the US or Argentina.
The children spend plenty of time laughing, coloring, and singing, so lessons are very enjoyable.
As well as the school program for the older children, BRESMA organizes daily playful activities for the
toddlers and preschoolers. We facilitate the verbal expression of the little ones by stimulating their
hearing and initiate the brighter of them to learn numbers and letters using instructive and educational
games.
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Swimming Pool :
Twice a week, we have leisure and free time for the children in the little pool. Swimming time is always
a big hit!
Christmas activities:
Christmas time, as in almost all countries of the world, is on 25 of December. This is a celebration for all
children. They hope to receive presents from “Pere Noel”. At BRESMA, we wait with impatience to
celebrate that special day with them! Dances, songs and distribution of gifts to children are planned on
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for Christmas. We have already decorated with a Christmas tree that the children contemplate eagerly.
While waiting for the Big Day, the children dance and practice singing their Christmas Carols.
Other activities:
Several other holidays will be celebrated throughout the year for the full benefit and development of
the children, such as: Carnival (in February), Easter (April), Mother’s Day (May), etc…
We also celebrate the children’s birthdays monthly. On November 22nd, 2011 we celebrated the
birthdays of Diaentha Florvil and Ednaisson Simonville. In order to minimize jealousy, and make sure
everyone has a special day, each month we will celebrate the birthdays of children born in that month at
the same time. A video will be available for adoptive parents.
Ednaisson Simonville, born on 22 November 2010
Diaentha Florvil, born on 22 November 2007
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Visits from adoptive parents and adopted children:
In September three adoptive families, one from the USA, one from the United Kingdom and one from
France, visited Haiti with their Haitian-born children. These visits were very rewarding for the adoptive
parents and for their children. They returned back home happy and feeling connected to their roots.
Each promised to visit again in the coming years.
The Baker family (USA):
Gathering of adopted children with their birth family (the Bakers).
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Construction
Construction of the new building commenced in July 2010. The exterior structure, security wall, and a
first floor with an admission area, sick child nursery, pharmacy, depot, and bathrooms are complete.
The second floor, which includes bedrooms, bathrooms, and a changing area, and the kitchen/volunteer
quarters area is nearing completion, thanks to a very large donation from a single generous individual at
Empowered Media. The third floor and rooftop playground remain unfinished. Great progress has been
made on the new building, but we still need more funding to meet our goal of bringing children out of
the tent camps and into the safety of our new facility in the beginning of 2012. (See attached
completion budget.)
Right side of the building, complete.
Construction continues on the left side of the building (photo taken November 28th, 2011)
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Donations received since the re-opening of the orphanage
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Hearts for Haïti (www.HeartsforHaitiOnline.com) made a donation of $1,500 US for powdered
milk supplies for our children under 3 years old. Children are served reconstituted milk, a highly
digestible source of protein and invaluable weapon against malnutrition, twice daily.
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Empowered Media made a donation of $23,000 US to the orphanage to complete our security
fence and to buy tiles and completion materials for the first and second floors. Pictures below.
New Security gate
Finished security wall
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BRESMA staff for academic year 2011-2012:
Orphanage staff
SURNAME
NAME
JOB TITLE
1. AMITIÉ
ANIÈCE
NURSE
2. OGÉ
SELOURDES
NURSE
3. LOUIS
WISLANDE
NANNY
4. DUPERVIL
MARIE SAINFANNIE
NANNY
5. ERAZE
LINDA
NANNY
6. ST JEAN
EDELINE
TEACHER /NANNY
7. LAVENTURE
MAYA
NANNY
8. ULYSSE
MIRACIA
LAUNDRY/NANNY
9. ALCIDE
MARIE FRANCE
LAUNDRY/NANNY
10. DOBLAS
SIMONE
COOK
11. EXEUS
PRESNEL
GUARD
Monthly Payroll Bresma Crèche : $1,500 US
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Administrative staff
SURNAME
NAME
JOB TITLE
1. SAINT FLEUR
MARGARETTE
Manager
2. SAINT-CYR
CARLYNE
Administrative assistant
3. SAINT FLEUR
NASHA
Legal Assistant
4. LAURENT
BILLY
Consultant
5. PIERRE
PELISSIER
Delegate
6. ESTERNE
FRANCK
Driver
7. LAFONTANT
RENOLD
Driver
Monthly payroll Bresma Administration: $2,700 US
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ESTIMATED MONTHLY BUDGET
BRESMA
YEAR 2012-2013
Staff
11
Children
40
Total
51 people
(Please note that the number of children is planned to remain stable – 40 children for the year 2012 –
2013 as soon as the new construction is complete).
BUDGET
Milk
500.00
Baby food/Juice
350.00
Monthly food
1,000.00
Purified water
100.00
Medicine /hospital
1,000.00
Truck of water (2 trucks per week 50 US/Truck)
400.00
Petty cash
400.00
Fuel and vehicle maintenance
500.00
Supplies
150.00
Internet services
100.00
Téléphone
50.00
Electricité (two houses)
200.00
Payroll Bresma Creche
1,500.00
Payroll Administration Bresma
2,700.00
TOTAL
$8,950.00 US Monthly
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URGENT NEEDS OF THE ORPHANAGE
Vaccinations and medical supplies
The orphanage has urgent need of pharmaceutical products and vaccinations. Basic vaccinations are
necessary for the children’s survival. Many of our children arrive in near-terminal stages of malnutrition
or illness and require immediate medical intervention. We seek donors to sponsor these much needed
medications!
Estimated vaccination costs: 2, 310 gourdes or $57.75 US X 25 children = $1,444 US.
Other medications - estimate: 24,275 gourdes or $606 US
Estimate from the pharmacy for supplies requested by our pediatrician and nurses.
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VACCINATIONS ESTIMATE
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OTHER BRESMA ACTIVITIES
BACK TO SCHOOL
No political or human development can
occur without education as its base.
Education is a fundamental right, as
important as the physical health of a
population. In parts of Haiti, populations are
extremely isolated due to lack of
infrastructure and simple geology.
But
today, as world has become a village, living
together in cooperation is a must. There can
be no true partnership unless all parties have
access to basic education.
There is no doubt that Haiti could benefit greatly All the children lined up in the school courtyard
from the support of first world nations in order to
remedy to the disastrous social-economic situation that we are facing. With the support of these
countries, we could fight effectively to increase the national literacy rate. It is with this in mind that the
BRESMA institution decided to establish two free elementary schools; one in Delmas, and the second in
Castaches. The mission of our schools is twofold:
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To preserve Haitian families intact
To increase the rate of education in Haiti
The school in Delmas 31, Port-au-Prince was established in 2005 and serves 240 pupils. It is elementary
schools and over 200 of our students attend for free. 20% of these are older siblings or relatives of
children placed through the orphanage, and the remaining 80% are from the impoverished surrounding
neighborhood of Delmas. Our second school, established in 2009, is located in the rural village of
Castaches, 40 km from the city of Jeremie. The school serves 260 students, all fully sponsored. It is the
first opportunity for education provided in the area of Castaches and the community has responded
with great enthusiasm.
Our schools not only provide free education, they also provide uniforms, books, supplies, and two meals
each day. Often those 10 free meals each week enable a family to stay together and for Haitian parents
to raise their own children.
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A day at school
Every morning we raise the Haitian flag.
Children have breakfast : milk & biscuits.
7:45- beginning of school
10:00 to 10:20- free time
10:20 to 11:00 - lessons
11:00 – 11:30 - lunch
11:30 – 1:00 – lessons
1:00 dismissal
Haitian school system is, like many other Haitian structures and organizations, modeled on the French
system.
Fundamental school goes from 1st year to 9th year, in 3 cycles.
Children typically start school at age five or six. However, in our own schools, we serve many much
older children who have never had the opportunity to attend school. In the first year class, we often
have five and six year olds attending with twelve or fourteen year olds! This is challenging to manage
academically. It is planned for next year to create a special class for older children just starting school,
where they will be taught with respect and dignity.
Seven certified Haitian teachers teach these 6 levels : 1 teacher per class + 1 assistant who supports the
first and second year classes.
The Delmas School has a small library. Older children are encouraged to borrow one book every
weekend and to write a summary of it for the following week. Unfortunately school has no grounds for
sports activities. Arrangements are being made to use a playground close to the school.
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School Nutrition Program: “a hungry belly has no ears”
Free meals are a critical part of our schools’ ability to preserve Haitian families.
The children attending the Delmas, Port-au-Prince school receive two meals every
day: a breakfast of reconstituted milk and biscuits, and a very generous hot meal
at 11:00.
The school is registered with the PAM (Worldwide Food programme) and receives
regular food supplies (rice, salt, oil, beans) to which we add some spices,
vegetables, a little of meat and/or herring to improve nutritional value and flavor.
BREMSA has access to nutritionally complete donated food from Feed My Starving
Children (http://www.fmsc.org/) if we can raise the funds to ship the food to Haiti.
$15,000 will bring in a 40 foot cargo container that will meet all of the students’
nutritional needs at both schools for several months.
Gifts from sponsors
BRESMA’s schools are FREE thanks to a sponsorship programme established
by the French Association Aide aux enfants d’Haïti (AEH) (http://www.aideaux-enfants-haiti.org/). Sponsors are exclusively the parents of children
adopted from BRESMA orphanage.
Gifts and letters from sponsors have
been distributed to each child. A
picture of the event will be sent to
each sponsor.
The moment where presents from
the sponsors are given (whether they are a gift, pictures, a
postcard…is an important moment for the children. They are
very happy to get them. Our staff takes the distribution of gifts
very seriously as well; as each child signs to certify that they
received their special gift.
Monika receives drawings from Kenwood & Angelore
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SCHOOL ACTIVITIES IN CASTACHES/JEREMIE
CASTACHES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Education is the surest road to help a human being to change his situation in the world and to fully enjoy
life’s opportunities. According to the population of Castaches, the opening of this school will not only
fulfill a great need but also give a more positive image of the area.
In the past, it was common practice for families in the village of Castaches to send their children away to
be servants/slaves (restaveks) in Port-au-Prince or other large cities, in the often vain hope that the
wealthy families they served might provide them with some sort of a basic education. Now, Castaches
has a free school for her children, and her population is focused on improving their situations right at
home. For all the staff of our organization, it is a moral obligation to support the population of this place
by offering them the best remedy ever: education.
Opening this school has been extremely challenging. It could not been otherwise, because Castaches
has no existing infrastructure and is therefore almost unreachable. There were major difficulties in
simply constructing the building, but we did succeed. According to Castaches inhabitants, it is a
miraculous school! The school was created due to the courage and dogged determination of the
Director of BRESMA, Margarette Saint-Fleur, who fought to give this gift to her native community.
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BRESMA alone cannot meet all the needs of community of Castaches. Let us hope that others will
understand the necessity to join their efforts with ours in order that the sun of human development
shines some of its light on Castaches, which has suffered far too long from the antagonism between
cities and countryside.
Given the overwhelming number of students eager to attend school for the first time in
Castaches, we are forced to host the younger kids under a tent while we wait for the school to be
extended.
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CASTACHES WATER PROJECT
Our potable water project has far exceeded our goal! The objective of the project was to supply the
school with drinkable water. So, we undertook the tapping of a spring. The project was funded by the
Association Aide aux enfants d’Haïti, year 2010-2011. While directing potable water to the school, we
have also provided free, safe drinking water to the entire community and neighboring localities. Clean
water has become more critical than ever as cholera ravishes Haiti and needlessly claims thousands of
lives. The school water project evolved into a health endeavor that has prevented the cholera epidemic
from affecting Castaches.
Water fountain # 1
Cistern #1
Water fountain # 2
Cistern #2
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CONCLUSION
This report summarizes BRESMA’s activities undertaken since the re-opening of our orphanage this
summer. As you can see, children in our orphanage care are flourishing and joyful. Until completion of
the new building, the number of children will remain at 30. Of our total of 24 children currently in care,
seven are waiting for a family, six are in the process of adoption to Argentina, and eleven are in the
process of adoption to the US. Six more children are waiting for admission, to complete our current
capacity of thirty children.
Our schools in Delmas and Castaches are preserving families, providing education, and encouraging
hope for 500 Haitian children.
We would like to thank our faithful partners who have supported BRESMA in her humanitarian projects
for the well being of deprived children in Haiti.
Margarette Saint Fleur /Directrice Générale
December 2011