A few years ago, during spring break, my teenage daughter and I volunteered in Haiti’s orphanages after the massive 2010 earthquake. We visited “home-grown” orphanages that were started out of necessity, rather than being formally established by a noted organization. The caretakers were ordinary people who saw a need and unselfishly took in as many displaced children as they could.
Everywhere we went we were embraced by little hands, big smiles, and loving hearts, and by caretakers who were earnestly trying to improve the quality of life of their young wards. Not infrequently, a desperate parent would drop off a child, hoping that the orphanage would offer a chance of survival that the tent cities couldn't.
But despite the desire of these caretakers to create a sense of home for the children, many of the orphans we met were living in squalid conditions because of overcrowding and lack of running water, proper sewage treatment, and electricity. We witnessed a severe lack of important resources, including fresh food and clean water, adequate bedding, shoes, and education. These impromptu orphanages provided safety from the street, but neglect by some caretakers and even abuse among the children themselves were evident at several homes.
