Help make every mile matter as I run to #StandWithFerrier
I'll run all 26.2 miles of the Austin Marathon in February 2015. You can help make every mile I run matter for Ferrier Village. How much of a home can 26.2 miles build? Let's find out! Brick by brick and mile by mile.
Tell your friends and family, share the link and sponsor a mile.
For more information about Help One Now, Ferrier Village and the Legacy Project - see below.
FERRIER VILLAGE
An anti-trafficking initiative
of Help One Now in Ferrier, Haiti—is a refuge for orphaned children who
have been rescued from traffickers, or are at a high risk of being
trafficked. It is a place where these children will be cared for and
restored to physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.
In the fall of 2012, Help One Now, in conjunction with our local
Haitian leaders, built Ferrier Village to help fight child trafficking.
Located in Ferrier, a small Haitian community near the Dominican
border, it began as 5 homes, a community center and kitchen, a water
cistern system, and a security wall. On May 10, 2013, the doors opened
to some of Haiti’s most vulnerable children. With the addition of two
more complete homes and another that is fully funded, there are
currently 34 children being loved and cared for 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, by their 7 house mothers, a cook, and the 2 directors of Ferrier
Village. They are fed, clothed, and attend school and church. Furthermore, over a dozen children have been reunited with their families!
This Christmas season, we invite you to help us leave a Legacy in
Ferrier Village as we fight against trafficking. We will do so not by
attacking the traffickers (that is another fight for another brave group
of people). Instead, we will stand up and support two key measures of anti-trafficking: rescue and education.
#standforrescue
Standing for Rescue comes in two simple, but key parts. First, we
will build two additional homes in Ferrier Village. Each home has space
for 5 children. These homes offer a warm, safe bed, and a family of
brothers or sisters. Furthermore, each home has a house mother, giving a
parental figure back to these kids. These house mothers have a special
calling and burden to love and care for these children.
Secondly, we will purchase a vehicle for the Village. Currently, the
only vehicle they have is a motorcycle belonging to one of our
directors, Martel Maxime. He travels to pick up children from the
border or from social services on his motorcycle and brings them back to
the village. A truck will give us a safe way to transport children,
pick up supplies, and use in case of an emergency.
#standforeducation
The cliche is true: children are the future. We know that all of the
change that Haiti desperately needs to see will start with education;
it is the ammunition needed to fight local poverty.
So, we are
going to build a preschool in Ferrier Village. This will do two very
valuable things. It will allow the leaders of Ferrier Village to care
more holistically for the youngest rescued children. However, it will
also serve as a great service to the community of Ferrier.
A preschool offering education and early childhood development
programs can be one of the best uses of development funds, according to a
recent study by the Copenhagen Consensus Center. Not only does it
better equip children for a lifetime of learning and development, but it
also offers mothers a safe place for their children to be, so they can
work and provide a healthier life for their families.
Now, this Legacy Project is big, and it comes with a big price:
$110,000. But stay with me—we know we can do it. Why? Because we have
done it before. In 2012, we were able to raise enough money to build
Williamson Adrien Academy by focusing not on the full amount, but on
several different phases. We made it through those by going even
smaller: by asking you to just buy a brick for $25. Or two. Or ten.
We are going to do it again. Phase by phase, brick by brick. Here's how:
#standforrescue
Phase 1: Rescue 5 children with House # 9 (and half of a vehicle)— $20,000
Phase 2: Rescue 5 children with House #10 (the other half of the vehicle) — $20,000
#standforeducation
Phase 3 - Classrooms - Educate 100 preschoolers — $25,000
Phase 4 - Kitchen + Computer Lab — $25,000
Phase 5 - 4 Preschool Teacher Salaries for 1 year —$10,000
Phase 6 - Hot meal each school day for 100 students — $10,000
I see it; those are big numbers, with zeroes and commas and
everything. But don’t focus on $110, 000. Don’t be alarmed by $25,000,
or even $10,000. Just buy a brick. Maybe get a friend to buy one
too. And perhaps your small group or book club could get a couple,
or—dare I say—a few. Before you know it, we’ll blast through Phase 1,
crush Phase 2, and be buying computers for Phase 4. All for a few
measly $25 bricks.
This holiday season, join us in our fight against trafficking. Help us leave a Legacy in Ferrier.
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