Let us introduce you to Widna, now a 17-year-old young woman living in Camp Perrin, one of Overture’s priority communities.
Widna was relinquished to the ESPWA orphanage in 2012 when she was six years old because her parents lacked the ability to provide the proper care for her. In 2019, after seven years in the orphanage, Widna became one of the first groups of children we reunited with their families after closing the orphanage. Our Overture team has walked with Widna and her parents (and her five siblings) over the past three years, working with them to strengthen their family across all our Overture Social Model Five Pillars - Housing, Education, Healthcare, Empowerment and Nutrition.
In these past three years, Widna’s family has worked hard to improve their current situation and to build a brighter future.
Prior to working with Overture, the family lived in a tin and tarp shack that flooded with every rain and provided little protection or security. Widna’s mother notes, "When it rained, it was such a disaster for us. The water would get inside the house, flowing through the roof and filling containers we had to put out to catch it. But God connected us with Overture and today we live in a safe, dry and comfortable home unlike anything we could have imagined.”
The family now lives in a block-built home they and their community members helped build.
Widna’s parents are participating in parenting skills training to equip them to effectively raise and provide for their children. And Widna and her siblings now have access to education through Overture scholarships.
They attend school daily, and the family has received farm support to improve their daily nutrition. Her ability to secure an education and receive consistent, nutritious meals has enabled her and her siblings to live healthier lives and is equipping them to play a role in building a stronger, self-reliant Haiti.
Because of the support of our generous donors, just three years after reunification, Widna and her family have worked with our Overture teams to transform their lives. They’ve moved from insecurity, poverty and uncertainty to live safe, stable and hopeful lives. And they are just one of the many stories of transformation we look forward to sharing with you as we continue the journey to independence and self-reliance with our friends in southern Haiti.