Hope for the Hopless

In Haiti, thousands upon thousands of children are forced to survive in the squalor of the streets. They are referred to as “kokorats,” a Creole term meaning “leftovers.”

They are “leftovers” of a nation wrought with violence, extreme poverty, environmental dilapidation, and severe disease. Homeless and usually orphaned, these children spend their days praying to God that someone will have mercy upon them. If they are lucky, they might be able to find work. They will receive a few pennies for a full-day’s work. It is enough to eat. Then they know that they will live to see the next day. A day that they hope will be a little easier. But it never is.

The situation worsens as the overpopulated country’s resources slowly deteriorate, leaving its starving inhabitants with no hope for food. In the midst of the disparity, the street children are often beaten and even killed. In fear, these victims of a country in turmoil roam the streets. They walk for miles with their shoeless and swollen feet in search of food. Then, they try to sleep in filthy gutters and sidewalks, hopeless and hungry.

Yet for some of these children, there is hope. Fr. Marc Boisvert, O.M.I., runs the Hope House Orphanage in Les Cayes. It is a home for over 200 abandoned and orphaned children who live there. Each child is provided with food and an education at a nearby school. The orphanage is overflowing with children. They sleep huddled together with two or three children to every bed. Yet, they are happy, because they know that they will live to see the next day.

Nearly every day, a new child escapes the city streets. Many find their way to the gates of the Hope House. They wrap their frail fingers around the bars, begging and pleading for help. Fr. Marc offers these children a meal and temporary refuge. Still, when the day comes to an end, he is forced to send them back to the dangerous streets.





							Oblates give hope to the abandoned and orphaned children in Haiti.

							Left: Fr. Marc Boisvert, O.M.I., founded the Hope House Orphanage with the dream of saving some of the many street children of Haiti. Above: Fr. John Henault, O.M.I., is one of over 100 Oblates who are serving the poor children in Haiti.



			Fr. Marc’s ministry with the street children is providing hope to the hopeless victims of Haiti. He may not be able to help all of the them, but the hundreds that he has helped will make a difference. These children are the next generation of Haiti. Fr. Marc is giving them hope for the future. A future which rests on the shoulders of the “leftovers.”