Fostering hope in Haiti

Dormil grew up with his mother and father in northern Haiti, where he attended a primary school. But when he was 12, without access to schools that would enable him to graduate, he faced a difficult dilemma: stay with his family or leave home to pursue an education.

Ultimately, Dormil moved to Port-au-Prince to live with his aunt, determined to graduate high school.

Despite raising children of her own with limited financial means, Dormil’s aunt welcomed him into her home, and provided for everyone’s needs. Dormil witnessed the sacrifices his aunt made and understood her critical role in his life. She made it possible for him to graduate.

Dormil worked hard and found additional support in his new community, tutoring a neighbor’s child to pay for his school fees. After high school, he earned a master of geography degree.

Today, Dormil lives with his wife, Yves Carmelle, and their two children in a house tucked against other homes in Port-au-Prince.

When the couple’s pastor introduced their church to the concept of providing a home to a child without one, Dormil felt an instant connection to his past. His life reflects the impact families can have on children when they open their homes.

Through Bethany’s foster care program in Haiti, Dormil and his wife became foster parents, and welcomed Goodeline into their home.

“[Being foster parents] allows us to care for children who, perhaps, wouldn’t have the guidance and care they need,” Dormil said.

In Haitian orphanages, more than 80 percent of children have living parents or relatives who cannot care for them. But Dormil and Yves Carmelle represent a growing movement of Haitian families determined to create safe homes for children in need, rather than allow them to be placed in institutions.

The couple has become foster care advocates in their community. “My hope is that children will find a foster family where they can belong,” Yves Carmelle said. “A family with a mother and father that will provide them with the love and affection they need to grow.”

They family believe community growth begins at home and extends to the network of families, neighborhoods, and cities in Haiti.

“Bethany’s work in the community empowers us, as a family, to contribute to the advancement of our community and our society,” Dormil said. “It allows us to provide Goodeline the care needed to become somebody in the future, to become a contributor to society.”

Only a family best supports a child’s needs. When you partner with Bethany, you help ensure that families like Dormil’s can continue serving children.