Canadian students help Madeline’s family save for a home

Madeline is used to living a busy life. She’s the mother and sole caretaker of Phalancia, Phalanda, Fedelin, Phadelin, and baby Phedjina. The family lives together in Terrier-Rouge, a community near our Haiti North site.

One of Madeline’s children, Phalancia, is sponsored with Chalice. Sponsorship helps Madeline provide better care for her children, but the family still lacks many necessities. For many years, they lived in an inadequate home made of clay, and Madeline constantly worried that it would collapse.

For a long time, the Canadian Regina Catholic School board has sponsored 20 children through Chalice from Terrier-Rouge. Each year, Saskatchewan students from the school district host various fundraising events, especially during Lent. The total donation covers all 20 sponsorships, and the rest is divided evenly among families for them to use at their discretion.

The first time Madeline received a special donation from the Regina students’ fundraising efforts, she bought a cow, which soon bore a calf. She sold them for a profit, and with it, purchased a mass of rock. When her portion arrived the following year, she purchased sand, cement and iron. She was then ready to start building the foundation for a new, safer home!

Over time, she accumulated other materials she needed such as bricks and wood, and completed the house. The new house has been their family home for two years. Madeline and her family’s lives has improved significantly, because they are comfortable and feel secure in the sturdy, reliable home. “My children now feel that they have a life,” Madeline says.

Madeline’s biggest hope for her children is that they work hard in school so they can have a better life. Her eldest son wants to be a doctor so he can care for the sick. He wants to be successful so that he can support his mother just as she has supported him and his siblings. They send their great thanks to all the students and staff at the Regina Catholic School Board for all of their support.

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