Mercy & Sharing Village
Mercy & Sharing Village at Williamson is a 17-acre tract of land owned by Mercy & Sharing and located approximately 30 miles northwest of Port-au-Prince. The campus includes three residential care buildings (housing 126 orphans), two school buildings, a chapel building with office space, a generator building, a guard tower, security gate with perimeter security walls, and two water wells. We have a 10,000-gallon per day water filtration system that is open to the community daily and provides clean water for 150 families.
The Mercy & Sharing Learning Academy hosts 250 students in the morning. Forty of these students are orphans who live at Mercy & Sharing Village and the remaining 210 students are from the community. All of these children would otherwise not be in school were it not for Mercy & Sharing. In the afternoon, the Mercy & Sharing Learning Academy is home to 53 students enrolled in the Technical and Trade School.
Additions in 2011 to the Williamson campus include the Rehabilitation and Therapy Center and the Technical and Trade School. The Rehabilitation and Therapy Center will enable disabled children and young adults from the orphanage to have the best physical, occupational and speech therapy available. The Technical and Trade School will provide vocational training for young adults in sewing, agriculture, auto mechanics, small business management and computers. This vocational training specifically targets skills needed to find employment in Haiti.
Water Projects
Mercy & Sharing has several water well projects. These wells serve hundreds of students each day and thousand more individuals both inside and outside of Mercy & Sharing Village. This safe and clean water, which is chlorinated and filtered, is distributed free of charge and absolutely vital to Mercy & Sharing and the greater community.
Job Creation in Haiti: The Mercy & Sharing Technical and Trade School
Technical and Trade School provides vocational training for young adults in agriculture, auto mechanics, and small business management. This vocational training specifically targets skills needed to find employment in Haiti. In the fall, Mercy & Sharing will expand enrollment to 100 students and add sewing to the curriculum. All courses of study are two year programs designed to enable graduate to earn income after graduation.
The only way to break the cycle of despair in Haiti is to educate children and young adults to provide for themselves. The Technical and Trade School is a two-year accredited program that prepares young adults to earn a living when they turn 18 years old. Mercy & Sharing has researched the local area to determine which skills are in demand and will offer income-producing jobs for graduates.
Small business management gives students the skills they need for the commercial world. Coursework will include basic computer software, Internet usage, fundamental bookkeeping, basic banking, marketing, and other business topics. Food for the Poor has generously donated all of the computers and the kids are already hard at work learning new things!
The agriculture program emphasizes proper land use, farming, erosion control, gardening, and forestry. On-campus projects for students will include developing and maintaining vegetable and fruit gardens, planting and maintaining trees, creating ornamental gardens, and implementing erosion control measures to protect the projects from storm damage.
The auto mechanics curriculum will include instruction in repairs and engine maintenance such as: brake and tire repairs, changing oil and filters, cleaning carburetors, and flushing radiator systems.
The sewing curriculum (fall 2012) will cover all aspects of sewing, fabric cutting, finishing and embroidery. On-campus projects will include sewing repairs of existing fabric products (including the children’s clothing, linens and student uniforms) as well as new products as needed for the Mercy & Sharing programs.
Mercy & Sharing’s Rehabilitation and Therapy Center
The Rehabilitation and Therapy Center at Mercy & Sharing Village is complete! Many thanks to Jeff Swope and his construction team as well as gracious thanks to the Anschutz Foundation for construction funding!
Mercy & Sharing cares for over 60 children with disabilities who need physical and occupational therapy. Previously, this therapy was conducted in a small room at the orphanage. Now, these disabled children will have the space they need to to learn to walk, play and carry out daily tasks.
Your donations now will help Mercy & Sharing purchase vital therapy equipment and employ Haitian therapists for these precious kids. Thank you!
There are approximately 400,000 disabled children and young adults in Haiti and only 5% of these children are enrolled in educational or therapy programs. Mercy & Sharing has been working since 1994 to bring about systemic and lasting solutions for this overlooked population. Now we are thrilled to announce a dream come true for Susie and the Mercy & Sharing staff: the completion of a Rehabilitation and Therapy Center.
Mercy & Sharing had previously provided physical therapy for handicapped children in one room at the Disabled Orphanage at Williamson. Now, due to a generous grant from the Anschutz Foundation, Mercy & Sharing has completed a separate building dedicated to rehabilitation and therapy.
The Rehabilitation and Therapy Center enables disabled children and young adults from the orphanage to have the best physical, occupational and speech therapy available. Equipment and furnishings will be purchased to fit the needs of the children in Mercy & Sharing’s care. New therapists will be employed to provide comprehensive and individualized care. With continued contributions, Mercy & Sharing will expand the program to include children from the local community who also need therapy.
Become a ‘Sister Church’ with Mercy & Sharing
Mercy & Sharing is inviting your congregation to become a sister church for the Mercy & Sharing Village Community Church. Through your prayers financial support, you will partner with a congregation on the front lines of fighting poverty, illiteracy, despair, illness, abandonment and the Voodoo culture. More »