Here’s a letter from my kid. She’s my favorite Difference Maker but you’re also on that list. I hope you enjoy and participate if this calls to you.
Dear Family and Friends, I hope you are well. I’ve been thinking about the Love Orphanage kids and their recent struggles with education. I’m reaching out to see if you might help me boost the Be a Difference Maker fund. First, let’s take a trip down memory lane.
As an 8th grader looking to start my Silver and Gold Awards as a part of my Girl Scout journey, I was introduced to Ahaji Schreffler, the founder of the nonprofit, We the Village.
Ahaji was raising funds to cover living expenses for the children of Love Orphanage and their “father,” Gabriel Fedelu. The 17 Love O children were orphaned after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti in 2010. Gabriel, Haitian by birth, returned to the island and founded Love Orphanage where he gathered traumatized and malnourished children. With determination, faith, and great love, he nurtured these children’s emotional and physical wellbeing.
When I learned that none of the children had ever been to school, I was shocked and disappointed.
As someone who loves to learn, I was faced with the harsh reality that not everyone had the luxury of attending school like I did. After learning more about Love Orphanage from Ahaji, I recognized that education is the key to rising out of poverty and decided to team up with We the Village to ensure all 17 kids would get an education.
I created the Be A Difference Maker (BADM) program when I entered the 9th grade and gained the support of many Difference Makers throughout the United States.
Through fund raising and outreach, we funded private education for each child and provided additional materials to continue their education outside of the classroom. It was thrilling to see pictures of the kids in uniform for their first ever day of school. The kids loved learning, earnestly did their homework by lantern light, and all passed their final exams.
While I was in high school, Ahaji and I partnered to create a “Culture Camp” as part of my Girl Scout Gold award.
This weeklong camp-style trip was designed to reinforce what was being taught in school, engage in hands on learning via field trips, and exchange cultural experiences. I’ll never forget our first (of three) Culture Camps. Our team of Difference Makers installed a solar suitcase and we all witnessed the wonder of that naked light bulb turning on – changing their lives forever.
That was a summer to be remembered as the Love O kids saw the ocean for the first time, ate in a restaurant, and explored their history in the Haitian museum.
Traveling to Haiti for three summers to run this camp was an amazing experience. The kids were healthy, full of energy, and overflowing with love. Witnessing the harsh reality of life in Haiti was disturbing, eye opening, and really sad. There isn’t much of a chance for kids to get educated there as most people live on $2/day.
Above all, these Culture Camps were a welcome reminder that our work to educate the kids needed to continue upon arriving home.
You can learn about the Be A Difference Maker educational program and see my slideshows of our Culture Camp by CLICKING HERE.
As I was graduating from college, the oldest boy, Ylionor was graduating from high school at the age of 22!
We celebrated his graduation with a party and sent photos of Love O’s supporters. Sending the message to Love O that we were proud of all of the children who were doing well in school and getting promoted every year.
