MONTROUIS, HAITI (KCBD) -
Most Haitians live on $1 a day, less than 50% of the population is literate and proper health care is virtually non-existent. However, in the midst of the poverty, one ministry is giving children a chance to succeed and rise above their surroundings.
New Vision Ministries is home to 15 orphaned or abandoned children. One of those faces that instantly stands out belongs to 3-year-old Michelet. This child's laugh is as contagious as his smile. However, his face wasn't always so joyful.
"When he first came, he was hardly able to keep his head up. He had very little use of his extremities," Dr. Dennis Cowley said.
The staff at New Vision quickly realized Michelet was in desperate need of a life-saving surgery.
"Since the surgery, he has gradually, but continually become this beautiful little boy. Now we can catch him singing and talking and laughing, of course he's always been a great laugher," Cowley said.
Many of the children at New Vision are orphans, but there have been some whose mothers and fathers have come to the front gates of the orphanage begging the staff to take their children and give them a second chance.
"Some of them have signed over their rights as parents and some of them have not. So right now we're just providing care for them where they can get food and safety," Cowley said.
Dr. Cowley and his wife Sara are one of the two American couples that oversee the orphanage. A year ago, the Cowleys felt compelled to leave a successful optometry practice and the comforts of home behind to move to Haiti.
"It's wonderful. We have a beautiful family at home and we miss them terribly but we just feel like God's called us here right now and this is where our hearts are content right now. We feel like this is where we should be," Sara Cowley said.
Caring for the fifteen children ages 3 to 15 who live at New Vision is no easy task and recently, support has declined.
"It's based on money. Whether we can get the money to build a children's home, whether we can get enough money to send kids to school," Sara Cowley said.
"To our fault, we've been hesitant to ask for things. We've always trusted God to provide and he does. But he uses his people to do that," Dr. Cowley said.
Sandi Turner has found many creative ways to support New Vision from her home in Lubbock. On this trip, one of her many missions was to introduce soup and peanut butter packets from Lubbock's own Breedlove Foods and it was clear, they were an instant hit.
It's the little things that we may take for granted in our everyday lives that are most treasured by Michelet and the 14 other children at New Vision Ministries.
New Vision is in desperate need of specific supplies that are listed below. They also need general donations, so if you're interested in helping out, you can do so at sondrassong.org
New Vision Ministry Needs List:
For our fishermen:
- Stanley 2 Pound Drilling Hammers for fishermen to break rocks
- Fishing line for fishermen, such as PowerPro 80 lb 300 yds Braided Spectra Fishing Line Green
- Barefoot Power Firefly Lamps – solar powered light for catching bait
- Berkley 50-Pound Portable Fish Scales with Tape Measure
- Knives to cut up fish for our ladies in the feeding program.
For our Medical – Eye care ministry:
- Common medications, such as Acetaminophen (Tylenol) for adults and children
- Stomach medicine like Prilosec, Zantac, and Tums
- Cough and cold medicines for adults and children
- Topical creams like hydrocortisone and clotrimazole
- Adult multivitamins with iron
- Prescription medications are also needed but that requires the help of a physician.
- Eye medications, such as common over-the-counter eye drops, such as Visine, Refresh and Artificial Tears
- Glaucoma or antibiotic eye drops.
Eye instrument(s):
- Auto refractor
- Hand-held non-contact tonometer
- Reading Eyeglasses (readers) of powers +1.00 through +2.50
- Medical & Eye care sponsors
Home Construction Program
- Financial help with construction of homes for many of our fishermen and ladies in the feeding program
- Home Construction sponsors
Our Children's Home
- Food, clothing, diapers, supplies, etc.
- Financial donations to our Children's Home Fund. We are asking God to show us His will for the future of our children's home – whether we continue leasing, buy an existing home or buy a piece of property and build a new children's home.
- JD Gator or Polaris Ranger – to get water, food, supplies, etc. in Montrouis
Student Sponsorships
Student sponsors – there are kids who went to school the first semester assuming they would eventually be sponsored. The teacher wouldn't let them return to class after Christmas. So it's not too late to get some re-enrolled.
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