Amber Outreach Project sponsors an orphanage in the village of Titanyen, roughly 15 miles northwest of Port au Prince.

 

Maranatha House is a small orphanage started by a local Haitian school teacher, Jackson Ismorin.  In partnership with the Amber Outreach Project, he has been providing food, clothes, shelter and education for up to 30 children from his orphanage, and frequently for extra impoverished children from the village.  Our original intent with this partnership was to help Ismorin bring the orphanage to a point of self sufficiency and local sponsorships by 2012.  Sadly, the facility was destroyed in the earthquake, and will need to be rebuilt.  In light of the fact that Titanyen was also destroyed, we won't be able to assign a new target date until a new facility is constructed and the economy of Titanyen begins to recover. 

 

Additionally, it is known that the January 12, 2010 earthquake significantly increased the number of orphans in Haiti.  We don't know yet how this will affect Maranatha House, but we, with Ismorin, want to care for as many children as possible.  To that end, AOP is currently seeking more sponsors to help support a now totally dependent orphanage, with more children, within a devastated community.

 

The second area of our focus is the economic recovery and redevelopment of Titanyen.  This is connected to the orphan project, because several of our children have reached their teens, and Haitian regulations will require them to leave orphan care within two or three years.  We need to help them transition to adulthood, and we can't wait, because they'll grow whether or not we have everything in place for them.  They need to learn trades to be able to support themselves.  There are no trades at this time for them to learn, so that's where we must begin.  Our plan is to provide advice, and if possible, funds to help create or boost local business efforts.  Some of the ideas already under discussion were expanded markets for handcrafts, furniture manufacture, a restaurant/café for tourists and local travelers, and a village radio station.   We are hoping to fund this economic recovery through corporate sponsorships and grants. 

 

If you would like to be involved in any part of this project, please contact us.  (see above)