March was a month of CELEBRATION for us at Overture International. Why? Because we looked back at the miracles and the impact you made possible in 2020! Even though COVID-19 threw some unexpected curveballs our way, you empowered us to in turn empower the children, families and communities in southern Haiti.
Here are a few highlights centered around our four strategic focus areas:
Child Development, Social Development, Community Development and Economic Development.
CHILD Development
In 2020, ESPWA transitioned from being an orphanage to a Child Development Center. This resulted in more than 250 children being reunited with their families! Our hope is that ESPWA's programs would prevent the separation of families by keeping children in the most natural and supportive environment possible – with their families.
Education is also a key part of this program, as we believe access to education provides children with hope for today and promise for tomorrow. Here are some of the results you contributed to in 2020!
more than 420,000 hot lunches served
more than 1,000 students on full or partial scholarships
50 kids participating in our after-school program, learning important life skills!
SOCIAL Development
We want families to be able to raise their children in a healthy and safe environment – and sometimes that requires additional resources, skills and protections.
Through our Family Preservation Program (which 225 families were a part of in 2020!), parents have access to things like parenting classes, economic training and child protection training.
38 communities are also now receiving child protection training, which creates a safer environment for children to grow, learn and thrive!
COMMUNITY Development
Community Development is just another way we say community EMPOWERMENT! In 2020, you helped us empower impoverished communities to assess and develop their own solutions!
Just a few examples:
200+ community members were employed
60 local farmers were provided land to grow their crops and make a living for themselves
21 new homes were built to provide a safe living environment for family members. These homes can even withstand Haiti’s rough hurricane season!
ECONOMIC Development
Through our Economic Development program, we seek to grow the local economy through training, jobs and business opportunities. Because in Haiti, a job is more than a job – it's a pathway to a brighter future, to hope, to sustainability, to security.
In 2020, Overture and ESPWA employed 125+ local staff. We also invested in 11 business plans – six for families and five for graduates!
Empowering Young Entrepreneurs
Anel, Davidson and Jacques are some of those graduates who went through our Young Adult Empowerment Program. These three men put together a business plan, started their own barber shop and hope to one day create jobs for other youth in their community. A total of 32 young adults, like Anel, Davidson and Jacques, participated in our program last year!
For more encouraging stories of impact, check out our annual report here!
Overture’s Ambassadors
During March, we also had two incredible ambassador teams working tirelessly to raise funds for our work! Our team in Minnesota auctioned off 11 beautiful quilts to help fund homes for THREE vulnerable families in Haiti.
In Wisconsin, our ambassadors at Shepherd of the Hills Catholic Parish hosted a Lent fundraiser to raise $20,000 and support family reunification efforts.
We are so grateful for these ambassador teams for the work they’re doing to raise both funds and awareness for Overture! You too can form an ambassador team right where you're at!
Click here for more information on what it means to be an ambassador of Overture.
FOLLOW US on social media and help us to expand our reach and bring more people into our mission – this also keeps you updated and encouraged with stories of your impact!
Comentários