There is a little orphanage situated at Christianville, Haiti where over 100 boys and girls up to the age of 20 call home. They consider themselves lucky to go to school, receive one meal a day and  have a roof over the hard floor they sleep on at night. The area around the orphanage was devastated by tropical storms last year.

Only nine workers care for all these children who are mixed in family groups of ten. The older ones help out with the younger ones. The orphanage is run by a Catholic Haitian man, known as Brother Karl and his sister. Brother Karl founded the orphanage in 1981.

In an effort to brighten up the spirits of the children, the group at ‘Our Place’, located at the old ‘Our Lady of Fatima School’ in Blezard Valley, has decided to take part in a special Christmas project.

‘Our Place’ is making up little Christmas boxes, using shoe boxes which have been provided by Pay Less Shoes of Sudbury, and filling them up with little items which are needed badly by the children. Simple little things like combs, hairbrushes, socks, pens, pencils, paper, glue, crayons, small toys, little dolls, pencil sharpeners, small cars, stuffed toys, balls, hair elastics, skipping ropes, etc. are being placed inside these boxes for the children.

Adolescent boxes will contain such items like deodorant, socks, sunglasses, sunscreen, toiletries, pocket games, cards, washclothes, personal trinkets and little diaries.

Babies and toddlers will receive rattles, teething rings, soothers, stuffed animals, sleepers, hats, safety pins, baby toys and hair brushes.

Laurie Armstrong and Cathy Mitchell, two of the program co-ordinators at Our Place, are appealing to the good people of Valley East and Capreol to assist them in this wonderful project. If you are cleaning up around your home over the next couple of weeks and come across some small items which you may not be using any more, or if you would like to make a donation of some of the above named items, call 897-6108 for information on how to drop off the material. Anything you can provide will be appreciated. It is hoped that all of the boxes can be packaged in time to send them to Haiti before Christmas. Some people are bringing in shoe boxes filled with articles they have donated and packed together themselves.

It won’t take much to make the life of a child brighter and happier this Christmas. Imagine the expression on the faces as these orphans open their Christmas boxes and marvel at all of the items that they could only dream about before. It costs so little to donate enough material to fill one box, and yet it can do so much.

Laurie also pointed out that there is a tremendous need for medical supplies such as children’s tylenol, lotion for head lice and scabbies, bandaids, and other minor medicine cabinet items. Donations of this type of material will also be tremendously appreciated.