Story
In Jeremy, Haiti, Marie-Lourdes St-Jean always felt the need to help her community by taking care of street kids as if they were her own. Her mother before her did the same thing by opening her door to kids living in the streets and giving them a safe home where they could feel what it is like to have a family. After Marie-Lourde’s death in November 2012, her son Wilson St-Jean took up the torch carried by his mother and decided to build a youth centre on his own property in Jeremy. Living in Quebec, Wilson, along with a dedicated team, is trying to raise enough money to build the youth centre and continue the story that his mother and her mother before her had started to write. The money will give children throughout the town a chance to learn, progress and become the person they have the potential to be.
Mission
The Corporation Maison des Jeunes Le Passage is a non-profit organization that works for the individual and collective development of kids in Haiti. The organization encourages children to get involved in their community and tries to fight poverty and crime in their environment.
IN WORKING TOWARD OUR GOALS
WE BELIEVE IN
Complete transparency
Long-term self-sufficiency
Educating children
Objectives
Commitments in Haiti
Offer health care
Provide a home where they can eat and sleep
Offer a safe environment where they can build their future
Ensure they have a roof over the head every day
Give them tools to guide them in their new life
Make sure they are involved in their community
Give them responsibilities at home
Reinforce their ability to help each other
Teach them how to become part of a group
Encourage their autonomy
Develop their talents
Offer listening, support and intervention services
Encourage personal growth
Encourage them to make a difference in their community
Make sure they become educated and responsible citizens by teaching them about democracy
Inform them about their rights and responsibilities
We would like to offer internships and training in education to CEGEP and university students here in Sherbrooke. Our goal is to make sure that Sherbrooke and Haiti form a bond through the exchange of culture and knowledge.