Dear friends of Open Doorways Orphanage,

While things at the orphanage continue to run smoothly thanks in large part to our wonderful director in Haiti, Gerald Augustin, and the local staff, the political and environmental conditions of Haiti have quickly deteriorated this past year.

ODO staff 2022

There has been little rain in the area resulting in poor growing conditions and the local well that the orphanage relies on has dried up. We are in the process of waiting to have a drilling company come and make a new well. Of course, this will be a large expense for us. Some of the cost of the well will be shared with the school and church next door but the orphanage itself will need to pay about $6000 US. But, due to the political unrest in Haiti, we are not sure when the drilling will begin.

There has been mention in the local news lately of Canada sending military vehicles to Haiti to help the local police force in Port au Prince try to get control of the gangs in the country. The UN is also considering what actions or aid they might send as Haiti spirals from bad to worse. A very sad daily report of violence, destruction, kidnapping, rape, and murder by local gangs has basically frozen the economy of the country. Schools, hospitals, banks and businesses have all been affected. Many markets have had to close due to people not being safe to bring their produce to the markets or being afraid to leave their homes, no fuel available for transportation of goods or people and lack of home grown produce due to the poor weather. This is especially bad in the larger cities like the capital of Port au Prince and now, thousands of people are on the brink of starvation. Luckily for the orphanage, we are not in a major city and our director has stocked up on basic supplies that we hope will last until the country stabilizes.

In a recent letter from Gerald, he reports that they are able to buy diesel at the local black market for $16.67 US a gallon! This of course makes it very difficult for the people there to run the orphanage, school and church. As well, Gerald says that there is a shortage of bread, rice and other products, treated water is becoming very scarce as the factories cannot power their generators. Since the banks have been operating on a three day week, cash is also very scarce and it is making it almost impossible to make payroll for the employees. The local school that the children attend was opened on October 3 this year but is not able to operate on a regular basis due to all of the turmoil that the country is in. Gerald states that the country of Haiti is in total anarchy as the gangs continue to reign havoc everywhere. Hospitals are not able to operate and there is now a cholera outbreak in Cite Soleil (the largest slum in Port au Prince). The people of Haiti are very thankful for the military equipment that Canada has sent to help the local police forces gain control of the country.

ODO girls 2022

On a much more positive note, Gerald reports that at the present time, the children are all doing well and attending church and school as often as is possible. Two of the boys expect to graduate this year! Johndy will be graduating from the Diane Plett School of Business and Professional Training with a certificate in office computing and Andy will have a tiling (creating and fixing ceramics like toilets) certificate! We are very proud of these boys for taking their schooling so seriously. Three of the girls, Chrislene, Frasmine and Fenia are taking some computer classes. Fenick is playing the keyboard, John Wesley the drums and Andison the guitar. So it looks like the children are all growing up and becoming successful, too! That being said, our oldest child, Widena, has decided to leave the orphanage. She turns 20 this year and would still be in grade 11. She decided that she did not want to repeat the grade for a third time and is considered an adult. Widena still lives close to the orphanage and we are wishing her the best of luck with her future choices. As we have told all of the children, we will support them for as long as they are in school- including getting post secondary training of their choice.

ODO boys 2022

The Open Doorways board of directors would like to thank you for your support this past year and hope we can count on your continued support. At present, we are looking for more people interested in becoming board members. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please contact ODO president Sharon Dugard at the above address. Other board members are: Della Markham, Ben Plett, Trudy Martens, Anne Wolkenstein, Libby Sibold, Denise Kazina, Paulette Chase, and Heather Lindsay.

Recent turmoil in Haiti reaches Deschappelles area where our orphanage is located! The following events have happened in February 2023:

Last night members of the powerful Gran Grif gang attacked the population of Deschapelles looting houses, kidnapping several people including a leader of our Church. It was 8:45 p.m. when he saw several armed ones at the door, they pointed their guns at him and entered his house looking for money. They ordered his children and his wife to lie on the floor and took all important items found in the house before leaving with him. Currently many people are leaving their homes to hide in the mountains. The situation is very serious, we don't know what to do, our only hope is in the Lord, because we know that He is in control and can confuse the criminals.

The children and the staff of the Orphanage are doing well, although they are seriously scared and panicking. I gave them some instructions and encouraged them to keep praying for God's protection. Because there is no other alternative now. There is no police presence in the area, state authority does not exist. We have no recourse but God.

Keep Haiti in your prayers.

Artibonite / insecurity: Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Deschappelles closes its doors due to insecurity

The Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Deschapelles announces the suspension of its operations due to the deterioration of the security climate in the Bas Artibonite region.

An emergency cell has been set up to deal with serious cases, according to officials at this health facility that serves more than 700,000 people in the Artibonite Valley and Central Plateau regions since 1956.

"Over the past 67 years, our hospital has overcome many challenges in Haiti and through it all, we have never, ever had to close our doors." “But today, we are facing a truly unprecedented challenge, and without a security force soon, we may indeed have to close our doors and suspend our operations,” Jean Marc de Matteis, the hospital's director general, told the American daily Miami Herald.

Indeed, the region of Bas Artibonite is controlled by the bandits of Savien since the abandonment of the police and the closure of the police stations following the murder of 6 of their brothers-in-arms on January 25.

There have been several cases of murders and abductions reported in recent days near the hospital, according to witnesses.

"Haiti has always been a difficult place to operate, but since the assassination of the country’s president in 2021, the situation has continued to worsen and is now completely out of control." Local authorities simply don't have the capacity to restore order," Director Matteis told US media.

"Basic security must be restored and humanitarian corridors put in place to be able to serve the most vulnerable," he said.

The Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Deschapelles was founded by the American couple Larry Mellon in 1956. Populations in Artibonite and Central Plateau benefit from the care provided by this health facility.

Renald Guerrier / World Info

Then more from Gerald Augustine:

After sending my email yesterday the children no longer wanted to stay at the orphanage for fear of being kidnapped. As neighborhood residents left their homes to seek refuge in remote areas; we did the same by dispersing the children to different places outside the orphanage compound. Some are with Dieucifie, some with Precious, some have gone to their relatives living in remote areas. I've been in contact with them today, they're all fine, but uneasy.

The thugs came back to Deschapelles last night to kidnap other people, but they weren't successful because the houses were empty.

Thank goodness there were no attempts by thugs to attack our properties in Deschapelles. I’m