What can be done for Haitian orphans during COVID-19

This spring, as COVID-19 vaccines arrive in our communities, and as we begin to reflect on the impact of the last year, we are reminded of the power of helping others. We see it on the frontlines of the crisis, in hospitals, at food banks and in elder care facilities. The virus opened our eyes to the charitable nature of our neighbors, through a willingness to help those afflicted.

This is nothing new. In fact, for most of the modern age, Americans have heeded the call for aid, at home and abroad. However, the pandemic changed, and continues to change, the way we help vulnerable children in countries around the world.

Just over 700 miles to the south of Fort Lauderdale is Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Americans, largely Christians, have spent decades seeking to help one of the most vulnerable groups in the Western Hemisphere: Haitian orphans. With over 30,000 children in orphanages, institutions and boarding schools, the need is great. And so, churches across America have responded with funding, volunteers and partnerships supporting them. But, due to COVID-19, the long-standing relationship between U.S. faith groups and orphanages in Haiti is changing.

Because of the virus, as well as a growing political crisis, the hundreds of U.S. churches and faith-based mission groups who regularly travel to Haiti to support and volunteer in these institutions cannot travel there. And while this may seem tragic, it presents an opportunity to address what has long been a problematic system rife with substandard conditions, malfeasance and abuse.

For those 30,000 children, there are roughly 750 such institutions to house, feed, clothe and educate them — yet of those, only 35 are accredited by the Haitian government. And this isn’t simply an issue of bureaucratic processes; the conditions in many of these facilities are negligent and dangerous. Sadly, these poor conditions can lead to fatal consequences, as we saw in February of last year, when 13 children and two caretakers died in a fire at the Orphanage of the Church of Bible Understanding — an institute operated by a U.S. church — in the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.

For those supporting unregistered orphanages with the best possible intentions, this should be shocking, but not disheartening. The support from U.S. Christians to these orphanages in Haiti is at least $70 million annually, a substantial amount. Therefore, with a shift in focus, U.S. churches could have an immense influence on making improvements to this system, allowing more children the opportunity to grow healthier and happier.

There is evidence that 80% to 90% of children in orphanages and institutions have parents and other family members who could care for them with some support. There is also broad consensus among experts and practitioners that children should remain with their parents or relatives whenever possible and in their best interest. Supporting the programs that ensure this happens is critical.

For those of us who have staff on the ground in Haiti, we see the efforts Haitian families take to raise, feed, clothe and educate their children. When we work to make sure that every family has access to clean water, quality education, resilient livelihoods, parenting training and adequate housing, families are often able and willing to raise their children themselves.

And when children truly do not have a biological family to raise them, we seek alternatives, such as helping the Haitian government develop a foster care system that meets international standards.

Lasting change in Haiti depends on multiple factors — including U.S. churches and mission groups shifting to more effective work. With generosity and compassion, educated donors and supporters can play a vital role in creating stronger families and more resilient communities in Haiti. It simply requires investing in strengthening families, preventing the separation of children in the first place, and advocating for reforms.

We encourage members of the faith community to take this unique season to consider when they will again have the chance to travel to Haiti and pause to reconsider how they will do so. Understanding that the orphanage system is broken should not lead them to withdraw their support; it should drive them to find out how they can best put children’s interests at heart.

As COVID-19 has reminded us of the power of helping others, let us continue to support these children by seeking to strengthen families and support the reform of Haiti’s system of caring for children, so that they can stay in or find safe, loving families.