Our kids have very full lives – I rejoice whenever I am with them yet I am sad because there are so many children, even in Jacmel that we cannot help. Hopefully, as our children grow up, they will continue to reach out and the community will expand exponentially. For us, it is important to stay focused on who we are and what we do at all times. We all are dismayed and want to fix the world re Haiti but we can not. We can empower these kids to do so.
So wrote Judy Hoffman in a recent email. Judy is the dedicated founder of ACFFC-Art Creation Foundation for Children which has been involved in saving children’s lives in Haiti since 2000.
After speaking with Judy on the phone and then meeting her in person we could not believe our luck. This woman was a treasure and her program everything we could have wanted when considering how our funds could make an impact on the extreme losses in Haiti, post-earthquake.
Long interested in folk art and the owner of several pieces of Haitian art, Judy traveled to Haiti in 2003 and was overwhelmed not only by the extreme poverty and begging children that seemed to be everywhere, but also by the brilliantly-colored art that is so much a part of the local landscape. Moved to do something, Judy and several other art collector-friends began by raising funds to help feed the kids as well as give them simple art lessons. Knowing that developing their artistic talents could give them a means to support themselves down the road, Judy and her friends enlisted the help of a local artist friend who offered Jacmel’s children daily food and art instruction.
Today, post-earthquake, there are 80 kids in the program. To take part you must attend school, and ACFFC provides the modest sums needed for classes as well as mandatory uniforms. Every day the children arrive at the rented building where ACFFC operates…they share meals, go to school, study together, take part in art lessons, and in so doing, have created a wonderful extended family. Their artwork (including the most beautiful and colorful paper mache birds and bowls and masks) has been exhibited in many galleries and expositions and is, in a word, stunning.
How could we help? With about 22 children of high school age, tuition for next Fall will be over $5000 which includes books, uniforms and exam fees. Using funds sent to us at the time of the earthquake as well as additional donations, the Good People Fund has assured these kids an education for next year.
When Judy told us that she could not imagine her life without these kids we knew we had come to the right place to help recovery in Haiti. ACFFC is focused, runs and extremely lean program with no overhead (costs come to less than $1000 per child per year and board members cover all overhead expenses), is transparent and efficient (Judy travels to Haiti at her own expense every 6-8 weeks; board members also visit regularly) and, above all else, it is so apparent that they truly love what they do.
A worthwhile tzedakah investment for sure!
