First Contact 1-27-23

Unbeknownst to us, Gabrielle reached out to her orphanage in Haiti today. She decided it was time to find out her father’s story or if he was still alive. (The lifespan of a Haitian male is around 61 years.) Dr. Bernard (the director of her orphanage) answered her email with a phone call, and he was more than excited that she had reached out to him. He, and his amazing wife, Claudette, consider every one of these orphans, present and past, “their children”. And he set out to attempt to locate any of her biological family.

 Two days later, Gabrielle’s father and all of her half-siblings were at Dr. Bernard’s safe house and on a video call with us. Dr. Bernard requested that we try and get Gabrielle’s family to the USA through the humanitarian parole program. We have sent money for them to apply for the passports and immunizations they will need. For one month now, they have travelled daily into  Port au Prince at 4am to the office to wait in line to apply for passports. There are thousands in line every day, and most days they wait in line until 7 or 8 pm, hoping to get their chance at an application. It is not a safe place, but they risk going out because the potential to come to America is something they never dreamed might be possible and it is worth all the risk. One afternoon, a melee broke out in line and Milhoury (a 17 year old sister) was beaten and bruised and most of their money for passports was stolen. But they make the trek back each day. Hoping.