Our Donors Saved Franky from a Life of Misery and Neglect. You Can Too!

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Have you ever lost your father to street violence? Have you ever lost your mother after a catastrophic natural disaster? Have you ever been physically and emotionally abused at the hands of an adult? Have you ever lived in a 10 foot by 10 foot tarp house with no running water or electricity? Have you ever gone days without a meal? Have you ever missed a day of elementary school because you couldn’t afford it? Have you ever suffered all of the above by the age of 10? Have you ever experienced all of the above, and then been given a new lease on life that doesn’t include any of the above? Meet Franky, a child at the H.E.R.O. Residence for Orphans in Port-au-Prince. If Franky can survive this, then he deserves your assistance. What role will you play in Franky’s life?

Franky was a stranger to education. At the age of eight he had never been to school before. His father died when he was a toddler, leaving him in the care of his mother and her abusive boyfriend. One day Franky noticed that the private school in his neighborhood, SOPUDEP, started a free education program for the under-privileged children of the neighborhood. Franky eagerly enrolled in the school. For the first time in his life Franky sat on a school bench, listened to the words of a teacher, and tried to learn how to read.

I met Franky that year after I started volunteering at SOPUDEP, teaching English classes twice a week. When Rea Dol, the Director of SOPUDEP, explained to me that there was no money in the budget to pay the teachers for Franky’s afternoon school program, I jumped at the opportunity to help. For $200 a month I was able to pay the salaries of four teachers, and ensure the continuity of the education program. Franky was still trying to learn how to read, with little success. He could not write his name, he did not recognize the letters in the alphabet, he was struggling.

On January 12th, 2010, Franky was leaving the afternoon education program. As he walked by the rock wall that bordered the school, the ground shook and rumbled with great force. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake sent the rock wall tumbling on top of Franky, trapping him. Strangers rushed to Franky’s rescue, removing the rubble around him, and dragging him to safety. Thankfully, Franky wasn’t seriously injured, and shortly after stumbled to his house: to find his mother dead.

Months passed before I saw Franky again. While he was living a new life in a tent and suffering under the abuse of his mother’s boyfriend, the only adult left to care for him, I was starting H.E.R.O. As part of H.E.R.O.’s mission to serve the children of Haiti we partnered with SOPUDEP to create the Education Program for Street Children, a program that has grown from 26 to over 70 students in just one year. As the school year began this past August Franky was back. He was sitting in the same bench as last year, listening to the teacher, still not able to read.

In January of this year, when H.E.R.O. officially opened the Port-au-Prince Residence for Orphans, Franky was one of the first children to enroll. He now receives 3 nutritious meals daily, monthly medical checks, and most importantly, is removed from an abusive home environment. What is even more impressive is that after participating in at-home daily tutoring, Franky has started to read! Franky has a long road ahead of him, both academically and emotionally. But H.E.R.O. is able to provide a foundation for Franky to be successful.

What role will you play in Franky’s life? Without H.E.R.O. Franky would be living in poverty at the hands of an abusive adult, relegated to a life of misery and neglect. Without donors, H.E.R.O. would not exist. Because of H.E.R.O., Franky’s future is bright and filled with hope. Your donation to the H.E.R.O. Annual Fund will continue to provide Franky with all of the necessities of life. Join us and make a difference in the lives of children in Haiti.

To Make A Donation Now Click Here!