Sionfonds for Haiti
Who We AreAbout Us
We are privileged to have come to know and love the many caring Haitians, who possessed of resilience strength and joy are graciously willing to educate us Non-Haitians how best to achieve the following six objectives:
- The support for and preservation of Haitian families by Haitians
- The support for and preservation of Haitian schools managed and taught by Haitians
- The prevention of and rapid response to, the myriad of crises and life-threatening health challenges faced by
- Haitian men, women and children every year
- The provision for the training of a new generation of Haitian health care providers
- The support for sustainable agricultural practices native to the land and culture of Haiti to provide for the many who are hungry every day
- The support for the native micro-economies of Haiti
Our Mission
Sionfonds for Haiti helps Haitians to help themselves. Sionfonds’ Haitian teachers, social workers, and staff, work in rural communities, to provide education, nutrition, job training, community improvements, and health care. Through education, we lay the foundation for a better tomorrow for Haitian families.
Our People
In the United States, all of our Board members and staff are volunteers. This means that your donations go directly to Haiti.
Our History
Sionfonds for Haiti was founded in 2004, by Guesno Mardy and Annie Blackstone. Their experiences in Haiti, as the Director of Foyer De Sion Orphanage, and as an adoptive parent (Annie), inspired them to work to prevent children from becoming orphans. Many families are forced to give up their children because they do not have the means to feed or educate them. Sionfonds fights against poverty, malnutrition, lack of education, health care, and opportunity that tears families apart. Guesno and Annie knew that, with a minimal amount of assistance, many Haitian families would not face the heartbreaking decision to give up their children.
Sionfonds first began with two schools, then three, now four. All our projects, including schools, sponsorships, the sewing school for women, a goat giving program, medical trips, and a nursing program, grew from the needs expressed to us by Haitian families. Sionfonds is a Haitian organization in Haiti working from within the communities we serve.
Sionfonds’ first years were as a branch of Foyer De Sion Inc. a 501(c)3 organization, supporting the orphanage in Haiti. Sionfonds grew as a network of friends, and adoptive families spreading the word of our ability to make a difference in the lives of Haitian children. In 2005, we began construction on our first school building. In 2007, we took our first medical trip. In 2008, Sionfonds for Haiti separated from Foyer De Sion Inc. incorporating and registering as a 501(c)3. We still work with and support Foyer De Sion Orphanage, but our primary goal is to assist Haitian families to keep their children and become 100% self sufficient.
The devastating earthquake, in January 2010, turned the country upside down; everything changed in just a few seconds. Sionfonds’ office building crumbled, killing and burying our friends and coworkers. Everyone lost people they loved. In the United States, Sionfonds doubled its size and donor base, and our workload quadrupled. However, our work in Haiti remains essentially the same. In Haiti, we are Haitians working to help children and their families become educated and self sufficient. The need is greater, and the situation more desperate, but with so many more caring individuals joining the Sionfonds family since the earthquake, we are determined to feed and educate more children, create more opportunities for adult literacy and employment, and help to rebuild Haiti.
Our Vision
Sionfonds for Haiti believes in the ability of the Haitian people to help themselves create a better tomorrow. To accomplish our goals, Haitians must be given access to the building blocks of self determination and empowerment; education, nutrition, health care and economic opportunity. Our goal is to assist in building the capacity for growth and self-determination. We do this by providing education, nutrition, health care, job training, and community improvements that will assist rural Haitian families in raising their standards of living. By alleviating some of the burdens of crushing poverty, and bringing hope and opportunity to rural villages that lack services, we can help uplift whole communities.
Our Values
- Sionfonds for Haiti is a non-profit 501(c)3 non-governmental organization.
- Sionfonds for Haiti is non-political. We do not promote or condemn any political or religious organizations. We are not affiliated with either the U.S. or Haitian government, or any religious ideology. We are willing to work with governments with whom we share common goals.
Sionfonds for Haiti works with many religious and community groups who share our goal of supporting and empowering Haitian families in Haiti.