Jully Orphanage is located in the mountains of Haiti in a small village called Detree. Though it started small, the orphanage has grown into the home for 29 children. All the children come from unique backgrounds. Some of the children’s parents have passed away, while other children were brought by families who were unable to feed and support them.
On a medical mission trip in March 2015, the Tallahassee-Haiti Medical Team trekked up the mountain to visit the orphanage and found the conditions heart-wrenching. There was no running water or electricity. There was no water for irrigating a garden; all food and water needs to be manually brought up the mountain in buckets. They had nothing and in the past had been surviving on a daily meal of rice and beans. Unfortunately, conditions at the orphanage had recently even further deteriorated, and they were starving. The children had not had a meal in over two days. The family had run out of funds to support the growing number of kids. The Pastor had been ill, and the family bakery which brought in a small amount of money had to fold.
The Tallahassee Haiti Medical Team has come to know this orphanage well and has since taken mission teams up to visit the kids every few months. The children are gentle, sweet, and are craving love. Double Harvest also partners with the orphanage to help support the children.
Since a push in 2015 to make the conditions at Jully Orphanage livable, things have slightly improved. The children get daily meals and now have beds to sleep on. HOWEVER, these things are all dependent on continuous support and donations. Regular supplies such as clothes, school supplies, and occasionally shoes are brought from medical mission teams every couple months. Without this continuous supply the children go barefoot, hungry, and naked.
The long-term goal for Jully Orphanage is to develop a form of self-sustainable income to provide fiscally for the children. But currently, the most important goal is to keep them healthy and fed.
