Our plans for the orphanage that will be built on this land include:
* Six orphan homes that will function more like homes than an institution. The children will live in family style homes with other children of varying ages, rather than being separated by ages as in many "institutions," as well as their "dorm parents." Our hope is that this will provide for improved development of the children and easier transitions for them when they join their adoptive families.
* A clinic, school and soccer field that will be used not only to minister to the children in the orphanage, but to also be an outreach to our surrounding community.
* A playground, where the children can enjoy being children.
* A place for gardens and livestock to assist in providing food for the children at a reduced cost, as well as teaching them some life skills in gardening and caring for animals.
* Staff housing - as many of our staff are now homeless following the earthquake, this will help to provide a place where our staff (nannies, cooks, administration) can live with their families very close to where they work.
* Missionary/Guest Housing for our short-term teams and adoptive families to stay while they are ministering at the orphanage.
Future of Maison
Maison des Enfants de Dieu currently resides in Port-au-Prince. We have hoped for quite a while to "someday" purchase land outside the city and build our own building - eliminating the $28,000/year required to rent our current facility. Following the earthquake, this dream has now become even more of a necessity. Thanks to the provision of the Lord for a down payment, we have been able to negotiate the purchase of 4 carreau (approximately 12 acres)!
Our Future Plans for the Building
We are very early in the planning stages right now. As more detailed information is available, we will continue to post it. We are very excited to partner with Love Has Come to help fund this project.