Daniel’s Story: Giving Love and Hope to the Children of Haiti

Amber George is the assistant to the President of HERO. Saving and improving the lives of children in Haiti is a cause that is very close to her heart

Everyone was touched by the heartfelt words of Daniel Massillon when he spoke at the 2008 Breakfast with HERO in May. He shared his struggle to educate and care for the children at the Infants of Jesus Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. As he spoke, the emotions that stirred inside of him became very obvious to his audience:

“We grew up in an orphanage where things were not easy. For myself, it was a very difficult time because my father died before I was born. My mother could not afford food, school, and other facilities for us. I had to wake up at 4:30 in the morning and go for water that was about three miles away from the house. I hauled big buckets of 5 gallons and had to make three trips before school. We also had to clean the yard, the house and other work such as helping the small children to get ready. We received an education from other people. Today, we find that it is necessary to give back some of what we received.”

Offering in return an equal or greater amount of love and hope for his country, Daniel, with the help of his friend Lesly, opened the orphanage in 2005.

It now has 5 rooms and houses 45 children with the support of 4 staff members. Each day the children suffer from a lack of food, healthcare supplies and funds for school tuition. Challenged by these conditions, Daniel is finding it difficult to nurture their bodies and develop their minds to eventually become fruitful citizens and leaders of Haiti.

Daniel was invited as a speaker to increase awareness about the conditions of Haiti and gain support to further HERO’s mission. For those who attended, the message was clear and strong. “If we want to save the country, we should think about the children and do something to ensure their future by giving them an opportunity to dream a better tomorrow.”