ABOUT
D2C

Devoted to Children is a U.S. registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. D2C is not affiliated with any religious organization.

 

The story of D2C begins in the rubble of a post-earthquake Haiti. Hundreds of thousands had been killed, promising growth in national infrastructure was destroyed and a community of culturally wealthy but economically destitute people became more vulnerable than ever. No more so then the swelling numbers of abandoned, orphaned and domestically enslaved children and youth left to fend for themselves in the ensuing chaos.

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In response to this humanitarian emergency, D2C was established in July 2012 to provide a stable Family Home for a small group of orphaned and abandoned children, as well as former domestic slaves (Restaveks) identified by the local community as highest at-risk. In addition to providing physical needs such as shelter, nutritious food and clothing, the D2C Family Home focused on initiatives that aimed to support the children’s overall psycho-social well-being, education and emotional growth from traumatized youth to future leaders.

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While the Family Home remains integral to the organization, D2C expanded its mission in 2015 to focus on providing education and livelihood programs for more of the community’s severely economically disadvantaged children and youth. Through strategic and grassroots outreach efforts, D2C developed partnerships with community establishments to create sustainable programs that provide children and youth with the education and the skills needed to strengthen their financial independence and break the cycle of extreme poverty. Our current partnerships include schools, local businesses and more. 

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Our focus remains steady on raising our Family Home children into young adulthood; however we are also putting our efforts into long-term socio-economic programs that focus on skill-sets, financial independence, and community investment. These programs, including the After School Tutoring Program, the Stand-Up Paddleboard Livelihood Project, the Educational Access Program and an up-coming Sewing Life-Skills Project, have all made significant strides over the past year. 
 

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Some people may be asking, why continue to invest in Haiti and its children? The earthquake was almost 10 years ago, isn’t time to move on? When D2C began, we were acting in a humanitarian capacity. Vulnerable children were literally at risk of, starving, illness, abandonment, losing their lives to violence or being sold into domestic slavery. We acted because not to, would have been immoral. But we are no longer in the immediate after-math of a disaster and our vision is set on a future where Haiti is economically prospering and its children can grow in safety and security. We are digging in our heels and investing in the long-term development of this community which has suffered not just in the past decade, but for generations. 

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As the D2C organization continues to grow, so too do the children and youth that it serves both in the Family Home as well as in the Cayes Jacmel community. D2C wants to expand its mission to ensure that as all the vulnerable youth in this region reach adulthood, they will not only have the education, but also the professional skills and network to help strengthen their economic independence, build community capacity to soften the impact of future shocks, and break the poverty cycle that plagues much of the country.

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​All children, regardless of where they were born, the color of their skin or the language they speak deserve the opportunity to learn, play, feel loved and have security. The future of Haiti can be a bright one if we help give these children and youth the chance to make it so.

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