American Academy service club goes Haitian
Neptune, pictured above with her Haitian husband, Frentz Neptune and some of the Haitian children they have provided with aid.
Article by Kathy Dunker with photo courtesy of HFAP
The service club students of America Academy (AA) had a unique experience at their January meeting. After school, their teachers made a special Skype call to Haiti and connected with Mallery Neptune, the founder of Haiti Foundation Against Poverty (HFAP).
Neptune was joined by several of the children in her orphanage during the call. Neptune’s story began at age sixteen, when she started the foundation after a missionary trip five years prior. Neptune witnessed firsthand the overwhelming poverty of the Haitian residents. Her goal became empowering the poor, widowed, and orphaned Haitians through education and health care, as well as basic necessities.
During their conversation, the service club students learned not only about the HFAP organization itself, but also some of the details of daily life at the orphanage and what children like to do in Haiti. They also heard very personal survival stories from both Neptune and the children who recounted the days after the earthquake two years ago.
Neptune’s success, which includes the opening of a Christian elementary school, a medical clinic, a baby home for malnourished children, and a women’s business program, clearly proves the power of one person, even at a young age, and has been a significant inspiration to AA’s service club members.
As part of their outreach efforts, the service club collected items from AA families to donate to the HFAP. Additionally, AA donated 25 of the school’s gently-used laptops. The items shipped out at the end of February.
AA students learned from this experience that every little bit of help means a great deal to the children of Haiti. For more information about helping HFAP, please visit the foundation’s website at www.haitipoverty.org.
