The 2010 earthquake still has significant after affects. Madam Antoinette George’s husband, Innocent, was killed in the earthquake. He left behind a wife and four small children. For the last ten years this family has been living in a make shift one room shack of plastic, tin and canvas that is very little shelter. The family consists of Madam Antoinette, age 50 and four children: Jorking (blue shirt), age 17, is in the 9th grade; Jameson (back), age 15, often cuts school to look for food; Duinica (the girl), age 12 is in the 4th grade and Jamesley, approximately 10 is in the 3rd grade. Jorking and Duinica are sponsored by Mission to Haiti to attend school. Antoinette scrounges together whatever she can to feed and to clothe her children by taking in laundry whenever she can – but often not.
A person like Madam Antoinette is a prime reason that the Fond Doux Foundation exists. In 2013 the Foundation had the dream of building one house a year to shelter families such as hers — to have at least a dry room in which to live. Unfortunately, only one house was ever built. Ed Cerne arranged for the building of a home for the Albert Merjule family, who at the time were living in a leaking UNICEF tent. Emile Maceus oversaw its construction.
The 2013 ambitions of the Foundation never took root because the Foundation never acquired the finances that they then envisioned. Emile Maceus of Fond Doux recently talked with Antoinette about her desperate situation. He asks us, “Do you think that in the future we could do something for her as we did for Mr. Merjule?” A simple one room would probably cost about $4000. A two-room home with an outdoor toilette could probably be built for $6000. The innkeeper said there was no room in the inn, but he did what he could. What will the Lord say of us? Time will tell. So many needs! So few resources!
The Fond Doux Foundation would like to build a house for Madam Antoinette, if we get sufficient donations. In the meantime, we are asking a local contractor to verify our estimate for the building of house based on the previous experience with the Albert Merjule house.