Blog

I just got back from our construction site in Cottontree. Wow, what a place! The construction team has been hard at work plastering, roofing, and even starting on the ceilings for this brand new orphanage. When it is finished, we will move thirty seven kids from Gold Child and Danny Feeney orphanages to their new home. 

What better way to celebrate the gift of a brand new pickup truck, but put it right to work? In the right hands, a pair of pigs can generate quite a bit of income for an orphanage. In this case, we actually served four orphanages in one big, convoluted transaction.

It has been two and a half years since I first told Margaret’s story, and people still regularly ask about her. 

Margaret was the child that broke me. We work with hundreds of kids, but Margaret was the first that kept me up at night, made me cry, and became the face and the voice that represented thousands of other needy children in Liberia.

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Child Development Program. It began with a desire to get to know the older students at some of our homes, but has grown into a weekly program with 120 participants in 11 small groups at three different homes. The past year has been a learning process for us: learning to address social issues specific to orphanage life, learning lots of new names, and exploring options for education.

Orphan Relief and Rescue is building a brand new orphanage that will house 37 children in a safe environment. This is our biggest project yet and we are hoping to have the building completed and the kids from Gold Child moved in before rainy season starts this summer. Here is Matt Le Page with the latest news from the construction site.

In the wake of Haiti’s recent earthquake, the entire staff of Orphan Relief and Rescue is deeply grieved for the victims and their families. Haiti has long been on our hearts, and we believe that we are to play a part in the reconstruction of that nation.

Orphan Relief and Rescue will send an assessment team to Haiti as the first wave of relief dies down and longer-term reconstruction and empowerment programs are needed.

According to estimates, the earthquake likely doubled or even tripled the number of orphans in Haiti.

We have had alot of excitement around the team house over the past few weeks. A few weeks ago, we became the proud owners of a new 1.5 ton flatbed Jac truck! We did not waste any time and the truck was immediately put to work.  Every day, Matt and his construction crew have used the truck for transportation and to haul construction supplies up to Cotton Tree to the Gold Child Orphanage worksite. It really is a blessing, because otherwise we would not be able to continue the roof construction on the new home.

Last Tuesday Jeremiah, Joshua, and Fumbeh received life-changing hernia repair surgeries, thanks to the amazing team of surgeons and medical staff from Children’s Surgery International (CSI). The CSI team was here for one week and performed hundreds of facial, hernia, and burn surgeries. And they did it all for free!

After three weeks' vacation, I pulled into our orphanages this week to the chants of "Auntie Mariel com-ing, Auntie Mariel com-ing!" It brought tears to my eyes to see the kids so excited about our return. After the hugs, the questions started to fly: "Where did you go? What did you eat? How are Uncle Matt's people? Are we going to have study class today?"

Then the comments: "Your skin changed color!" (I had lost my tan). "I was missing you!"