With the COVID-19 lockdown being lifted in Haiti, we are excited that our daycare is back in operation and ready to start serving and educating children again! Started in 2017, we would love to share the story of Les Petites Mains Garderie (“Little Hands Daycare”) with you. Read below to learn more about the history of this program and current happenings.

History of Les Petites Mains Garderie (Little Hands Daycare)
Interview with Tracy Craven, Daycare Advocate
Child Spotlight: Meet Vixamar

As Hands and Feet Project’s vision and work continued to grow, Family Preservation became a core value. It became so vital to our work that, in 2013, “Fighting for Families” was added to our mission statement, making family preservation a foundational goal. Out of this effort, job-creation initiatives, such as Haiti Made and, later, IKONDO, were developed. HAFP explored new ways to serve families in crisis, which led to deeper exploration with IBESR (Haiti’s Child Welfare Agency) to provide short term solutions to those most vulnerable. Last, but not least, in 2017, we were led to serve families and at risk children by providing consistent, quality early childcare solutions through Les Petites Mains Garderie!Little Hands Daycare Mission Statement 
To Create a Safe Space for Infants and Children to Be Loved.Little Hands Daycare Vision Statement
Our vision is to see the whole child develop in an environment of safety and love.  Here at Little Hands Daycare, we create a safe space for the infants and children that are vulnerable in our community. We help awaken their spirit to wonder and help grow their cognitive, emotional, and physical development to its potential.

Many of you played a key role in our daycare opening back in 2017! Many hands made Little Hands come to life. We want to say a huge thank you to every single one that made this possible! We have already seen children who have been through this program qualify for higher level schooling in Haiti, as well as grow leaps and bounds in their confidence. We have seen more blessings through this program than we could have imagined, and though this season has been a challenging one, we are looking forward to being back in this space with some amazing children!

If you’re interested in supporting the work of the Little Hands Daycare, you can donate when you click the button below! Select “Childcare Fund.” Include in the notes: “Preference: Family Preservation/Little Hands Daycare.”

Tracy was one of the many hands that sowed into Les Petites Mains Garderie. She and her daughter were already familiar with Hands and Feet Project through previous trips to Haiti.  When our team started to set forth a vision to start this daycare, Tracy quickly offered to serve alongside us! With her experience in daycare settings and childcare administration, she was drawn to work with this program from the start. Her mission was to take her daycare operating knowledge from the states and bring it to Haiti, ensuring it was honoring and cohesive with Haitian culture. With a team of amazing men and women, Tracy came to Haiti to assist in setting up the daycare. Our team, with a small group of teachers, set up the daycare space with all the appropriate resources to reflect the Montessori approach to teaching. Tracy has since traveled to Haiti multiple times to conduct interviews, hire teachers, and train our team.This amazing woman is still involved! Her vision and work continue to play a major role in ensuring the success of this program. With Hands and Feet Project leadership, she is currently strategizing and planning for growth in an effort to meet the needs of more families in crisis.

Child Spotlight:
Meet Vixamar! 

Vixamar brings a sweet happiness with him wherever he goes! He loves being around people and is always ready to play with his friends. We have already seen him grow and develop so much. Being a part of the daycare has provided education and ensured nutrition for Vixamar. We love being a part of the foundation for this sweet boy’s life!

Did you know you can sponsor the children in our daycare? You can!
Vixamar, along with Caleb, Djmensca, Wendy, Dave, and Anne are all provided for through our Family Preservation program. Your support makes that possible!

If you’re interested in learning more about sponsoring a child, click the button below.