orphanages

One step forward, three steps back. Try as they may, it is rough living even under positive conditions. The weather (hot), the water (polluted),
the food and finances (scarce), the diseases (rampant), and transportation (mostly on foot) is limited. We are doing what we can to help.
We need your prayers and support to make a difference in this country.

Entrance into Jacmel, Haiti	Marlaine & Daniel Alix are the founders of this orphanage in Jacmel, Haiti. There are 25 boys & 38 girls (5 are infants) and 55 more on a waiting list. They feed, educate, and clothe the children. They have been in the process of building a new building for the boys for several years and now a new building for the girls has been started. We are helping them by collecting items for a container that we hope to send this fall. Aids is a major problem in Haiti that leaves thousands of children living alone in the countryside naked and on the streets with no one to feed or care for them. If not for Marlaine and Daniel, many of these children would still be on the streets begging and would die of disease as well.	Marlaine Alix Founder
The work on the orphanage is ongoing. Marlaine, Daniel, we, and others continue to raise money for the betterment of the children. Jerry has been there a few times to measure the rooms and to make notes of what the needs are, and we are finding ways to help Marlaine and the children.

This is the old look in the bedroom. God is providing and the rooms are now almost done. We are still in need of mattresses.

The kitchen has electric some of the time but still no running water. They have to bring water by buckets to fill the sink to wash the dishes.

Their food was cooked with charcoal on burners, now they have a kitchen which Jerry will help put in new cabinets when he goes down.

Although the kids are not washing outside anymore, it is still a lot of work to carry water buckets from a mile away.

The walls in some of the bedrooms are finished and the children that slept on boards, are now sleeping on beds.
There are bunk beds in most rooms, and many of the beds just have padding. We still have a great need for mattresses.

Marlaine and her sister buy the material to make two uniforms for each child to go to school. School starts in September for these children. It costs $350 US for tuition
for the year and $50 dollars for each child for uniforms ($400) pr child. There is no public school system. Fifty of
the children need to go to school. The total need for the children's education for this school year is $20,000.

Construction on the boy's orphanage was started a couple of years ago. Because money is scarce, the project is slow. Tile is still needed for most of the floors. On Jerry's last trip he measured all the rooms for tile.

Although the country of Haiti is poor, the views of the mountains, the countryside, and the ocean are beautiful. Marlaine and her husband Daniel purchased this piece of property in Jacmel several years ago during tumultuous times of kidnappings and riots in Port-au-Prince to provide a safe haven for their orphaned children. The orphanage grew not only structurally but in numbers as well. They started with only one small building that housed a few children and have expanded into two large, two story homes, one for the boys and one for the girls. There are close to 70 children at this time. Marlaine spends endless hours raising money to help with the building project, finding food and supplies, and sewing uniforms for the children for school. Daniel works each day on the construction of the buildings and taking care of maintenance. Occasionally he is able to hire help from local construction workers, and periodically missionary teams from the states will take a two week trip to help with the buildings, or help with the children. They never complain...they just trust the Lord.

We want to do all we can to help Marlaine and Daniel with the children in their orphanage in Jacmel, Haiti.

We are collecting the following items to fill our container. If you would like to send cash donations or purchase gift cards for Home Depot or for Lowe's you may do so. Many of these items can be purchased in Ocala and put directly in the container. Please make checks out to Schmidt Int'l Ministries. Mail checks and gift cards to: P.O. Box 386, Anthony, FL 32617. All collected items in Florida can be picked up. All others should be mailed. Schmidt International Ministries does not keep any part of the donations for their ministry. All donations are tax deductible and go directly to the orphanage. We are a 501(c)(3) Corporation. Call 352.369.0727

Girl's lightweight clothing size 6 mo. to 6 petite for play, and church dresses (no long sleeves). All sizes of girl's underwear and white socks, black flat buckle shoes for church, and sneakers all sizes for play.

Boy's lightweight shirts size 6 mo. to 15, and pants size 6 to 32. All sizes of boy's underwear, dark and white socks, black shoes size 11-13 for church and sneakers all sizes for play.

Bath soaps, shampoo, conditioner, lotions, deodorant, and girl's hair dressings, all types of medications for colds and itch. Neosporin and bandages.

Notebooks 1-3 subjects, pens (blue), folders, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, backpacks, calculators, English dictionaries, rulers, scissors.

Rice, Pasta, Powdered Milk, Powdered Juice, Powdered Eggs, Cereals, Canned Meats, Soup, Tomato and Spaghetti sauce, Ketchup, Peanut butter, Honey, Baby formula, baby cereal, diapers size to 30 lbs.

4 office chairs, lightweight desks, twin mattresses, twin sheets, towels, fabric, curtains, office supplies, file cabinets, folders and files.

Tile for floors, doors, plywood, light wood for kitchen cabinets, 2x4, 2x6, 2x8 boards, 3 kitchen sinks, 4 bathtubs, 5 toilets, plumbing materials.

We are still collecting items for the container. Some of our plans have changed and we are going to ship from here in Ocala. We are raising the finances now for the shipping. All donations are greatly appreciated! Thank you so very much! You can blog us now with your comments at: http://schmidtmissions.blogspot.com/2008/02/latest-project-container-going-to-haiti.html

The orphanage is heaven for these little children. Here they are loved, fed and cared for.