Early Days

Gonaives, Haiti was the site of hurricane Jeanne in 2004. The floods from this hurricane killed thousands and left even more homeless. It was out of this disaster that a local Pastor Nathan Chariot and Americans Mike and Chris Leland – as a result of similar dreams to care for orphans in Haiti – agreed to partner together to start The Good Shepherd Children’s Village in Marose, Haiti. We started with 20 children that had no parents or anyone to care for them. Several of them were on the streets with nowhere to go. In Haiti they would not have lived long in those conditions.

We then built the Medical Care Clinic after seeing that if the people and children did not have access to modern medical care, they would not be able to continue with any quality of life. This gave them a viable alternative to the witch doctors.

Once established in Haiti, God gave us an incredible vision to support and equip the local church to reach out to help their own people in their own community in all aspects of care, taking a holistic approach that seeks to integrate the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of each child. The local church then provides not only Orphan Care, but Orphan Prevention, Christian Schools, Medical Care Clinic, and many other Community Services. By putting the local pastor and community church at the very center of our ministry, we are promoting the church as a resource for the community to go to for all of its needs and realize that God is there for them, and is working through them.

With your help we are clearly seeing the local church strengthened, children being rescued, families being supported, and whole communities impacted in a positive way.