Guideposts Comforts the Children of Haiti

How do you comfort a child who has lost everything?

How do you comfort a child who has lost everything twice?

Such was the case of many Haitian children in the hours and days after the earthquake on January 12. These children had already been orphaned or abandoned by their parents. Whether it was because of the death of one or both parents, or because their parents could not support them, tens of thousands of children were already living in orphanages large and small all across the island.

Only God knows how many of these children lost their lives when makeshift or poorly constructed mission homes were flattened as the quake and the aftershocks battered those closest to the epicenter.

The surviving children found themselves sleeping on the ground in front of where the orphanage had once stood. Babies, toddlers, the sick and the disabled were left without beds, without food, and without the needed adult caregivers. Any meager clothes, toys or personal items they may have owned were lost forever.

Guideposts traveled to Haiti and met dozens of these children who had been found and taken in by another orphanage some 200 miles north. Set up in a church sanctuary, these 40 children were gifted with the Guideposts Comfort Kits. Created almost like a personal “suitcase,” the kit presented a comforting star-shaped stuffed toy called “Sparkle,” crayons, and other goodies. These gifts brought big smiles of joy from these special orphans.

“The greatest thing was seeing how the children each found their own special need met. For some, it was a toy to hug, love and find comfort in,” said Mary Hutchinson, board member of the orphanage in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. “Others loved that they had a place they owned, that little space inside the ‘suitcase’ to carry and keep their toys and any other small things they now owned in.”

Meanwhile, 50 Guideposts magazines and 100 booklets were also supplied to the full-time staff and dozens of volunteers who are caring for these orphans in their new home until the day comes when their former home is rebuilt.