Helping Parents

There is a clear and redundant mandate in the Hebrew Scriptures to care and provide for "the fatherless, the widow, and the alien". God seems to look out for the poor and those enduring loss with a special, even preferential attention. The book of James says that God's religion of choice is to "look after orphans and widows in their distress". But what makes a child fatherless or a wife widowed?

In Haiti, poverty and the legacy of slavery have caused a staggering culture of child abandonment and male neglect of family commitments. 70% of
labor aged Haitians are unemployed, while those
who are employed earn an average annual wage of $400. Mothers give up their children, and men leave their wives and lovers because of the stress of trying to provide from within a devastated economy. A strong cycle of fatherlessness and neglect stems from the severance of slaves from their African families and from the commodification of children. These and other forces have made fracture and dislocation the norm for Haitian families.

Unfortunately, orphanages have often only enabled this dissolution of Haitian families. While a single adoption costs $15,000-20,000, these funds could sustain up to 40 families for one year! Most orphanages are focused primarily on childcare, without addressing the roots of child abandonment. While the Apparent Project advocates passionately for the adoption of true orphans we also believe that prevention and empowerment for Haitian families is the best way to rescue children. This is why we are creating an opportunity for impoverished parents to earn an income through our fine arts workshops and other micro businesses. We train each parent in a specialized skill, such as painting, drawing, picture framing, jewelry making, sewing, or another craft, building relationships along the way. If we see other needs, we try to help with these as well. These needs can include basic literacy, an understanding of preventative medicine and nutrition, or other life skills, such as financial management. We also try to nurture each parent's relationship with their children, empowering them to enjoy taking care of their kids. We want each parent to know the love of God personally, and without pressure, so that they can find not only economic peace, but spiritual restoration and a sense of greater purpose as well.