Hope HouseYvrose and Pierre Richard Telfort, a Haitian couple, set up Hope House as a home to look after children orphaned after the Earthquake of 2010. They are now Mammy and Pappy to 38 children ranging from a few months to young adults in their twenties, all living as a genuine family rooted in love.
Yvrose and Pierre Richard live by faith, and have no regular financial support of their own. In 2013 the UK charity Hope House Haiti (UK) was set up with the aim of providing them some regular support through fundraising and donations, as well as sourcing professional advice where needed. You can learn more about the family or History of Hope House, or if you would be interested in making a donation please click here. Hope Christian AcademyIn addition to Hope House, Yvrose and Pierre Richard established a school in their remote region of Haiti aimed at the poorest children in the community. With the addition of a Secondary School in 2014, it offers around 950 children a free education, health checks, and a hot meal – often the only meal the children get that day.
During 2019 a further 4 Secondary School classrooms were added, and Vocational training is now also being provided for the older children to help equip them for a job. Click to find out more about the school and how you can help support it, such as through sponsoring a teacher’s salary. Prior to the Covid pandemic we also sent an annual medical mission out to Haiti, and in the future will likely send out further missions once travel restrictions are lifted. If you would be interested in joining a mission you can find out more here, or to register an interest please email Yvonne@hopehousehaiti.com. Social EnterpriseOur aim in the long term is sustainability. A small farm has been established close to the compound at Hope House on previously barren rocky ground. Papaya, mangoes, sugar cane, chillies, and tomatoes have all been grown to help provide food for the home, and a bed has been created on the school site next to the new classrooms to teach the children how to grow vegetables. Various animals have also been kept on the farm, including Chickens, Hens (for eggs), Goats, Bees and Cows. You can read more about the farm here, and about other projects being undertaken at Hope House here.
Yvrose's StoryYvrose was interviewed on the Ireland's Pat Kenny Show and you can Listen to the interview . You can also watch an Introduction to Hope House video, or visit Hope House Haiti on Facebook or Twitter. If you are interested in supporting Yvrose, please visit our How can I help page.
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Latest News (Updated 10 Feb 23)LATEST NEWS. Since the start of 2023, mobile coverage in the area of Fonds Parisien failed, and due to the ongoing unrest it has not been repaired. There is also very poor internet in the area, so for much of the time we are unable to communicate with anyone in Hope House. We therefore have little recent information to report, although understand the school remains open and life continues as normally as possible given the very difficult circumstances in Haiti.
CIVIL UNREST. Since July 21 2021 when President Jovenel Moise was assassinated, a political power vacuum has existed in Haiti and gangs have been fighting each other for power and territory. There are daily killings and kidnappings, and Port au Prince now feels like a ghost town with shops shut and homes abandoned. Prices have sky rocketed, and there are severe food shortages. But the situation in Haiti now seems to have gone from bad to worse. In September a gang blockaded a key fuel terminal which quickly led to severe fuel, electricity, and water shortages, and forced the health system to close just when the country was struggling to contain a Cholera outbreak. The fuel blockade ended in early November but Cholera cases have surged, and the UN is appealing for international support to prevent a humanitarian crisis. In Hope House, Yvrose and Pierre Richard are doing as much as they can to maintain life as usual. They are utilising the farm as much as possible for food, and when the school opened for the start of the new year in October over 600 children attended. The church has also been very active, with services full to overflowing most Sundays. We ask for your prayers, that Haiti will find a way forward that restores peace and calm across the nation. UPDATE FROM YVROSE (SEPT 22). Yvrose provides a tour of Hope Christian Academy, and gives an update on life in Haiti.
VOCATIONAL TRAINING. Hope House was able to provide Vocational Training again last summer, with courses covering sewing, tile laying, cooking and decorating, bakery, chess, agriculture tech and music. Given the troubles in the country there were inevitable drop outs, but a good number still completed the courses and graduated.
STUDENTS. The 6 young men and 2 women who started at University Espoir in Feb 22 are all doing well, having completed their first year and now starting their second. Hope House Haiti was set up to inspire kids to be world-changers, and another 6 students have passed University entrance examinations and are ready to start University once funds are available. We launched a Student Fund to cover the cost of University board and lodging, and can now support the initial 8 students, but are still raising funds for the next 6 students. You can learn more about the Students here.
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