new family home Courtesy of Frank Gitter
Julane Senat is a single mother to four children. She can neither read nor write. Of Julane’s four children, only one currently lives with her. Julane’s daughter Fydly was born in Camp Perrin on April 8, 2003. She was placed in an orphanage on October 8, 2011. Fydly is fatherless. For the moment, Fydly is living with her mother in Dodier, Haiti, as part of the temporary reintegration following the announcement of COVID-19 in Haiti.
The others children are scattered across Haiti, living with relatives or orphanages. The family has been separated because Julane cannot provide for her children’s basic needs, such as safe housing, an education, medical care, and nutrition.
Julane has been living with her father in Dodier for several years. There are five people living in the house, which is made of rock covered with sheet metal and a concrete floor. The house is in very bad condition. It was damaged by Hurricane Matthew, and the family does not have enough money to repair it or build another one. The house has no toilet or kitchen. To cook food, they use charcoal and cook over a fire outside. Three of the five household members work as farmers, which produces a meager income if the crops are successful.
Thanks to Frank Gitter, in partnership with the PAULS program and Overture International, Julane and her family are receiving a new disaster-resistant home. Additionally, Julane will have access to Overture International’s Family Preservation Program, where social workers will customize a plan specifically for Julane to help her achieve independence and reassume the care of her four children.
