Yvenante is a 55-year-old mother of three daughters and grandmother to eight children ranging from 11 months to 10 years of age. Prior to connecting with Overture’s social workers, the family lived in extreme poverty as the adults in the home lacked employment and income.
Due to the impact of last year’s 7.2 magnitude earthquake, Yvenante lost the meager income she had from selling meat and could no longer financially support the family. The earthquake also caused significant damage to their home.
Because she did not have the funds to repair their home, the family was living under tarps. To add to the family's strife, Yvenante's 10-year-old grandson, Samuel, chose to leave home to find food since the family could not provide for him. He became a street child, an unfortunate outcome for many families experiencing extreme poverty in Haiti.
Overture was asked by IBESR (Haitian child welfare agency) to help assess the family’s situation and to develop a plan for helping them move from crisis to stability. In addition to the obvious issues of housing, nutrition, and family reunification and strengthening, the team also identified health issues, including one child suffering from a serious case of scabies. The resulting plan prioritized medical care, reunifying Samuel with the family and keeping the other children safe and in the home, providing nutrition and family training around child protection. The Overture team took immediate action and successfully brought Samuel back into the family, provided medical treatment for the young boy with scabies and provided access to meals for the entire family.
Once the family was stabilized, Overture moved into phase two of the plan which included building a new home with the family and community. Construction was quickly started and by May of 2022 the family was able to move into their new, disaster-resistant home.
Yvenante was so grateful to work with Overture and the community. She has experienced the Overture Social Support Model at work, helping her strengthen her family, children and their home far beyond her dreams.
“When our house was destroyed by the earthquake last year, we were living in total despair and shame because we were sleeping under dirty tarps set up on the ruins of our destroyed house. We didn’t have any clue about how we would be able to rebuild, much less have a safer home. We truly felt like we lost our dignity as humans. Our new home not only means I’m able to better take care of my family, but we’ve also gotten back our dignity. I want to thank God who blesses my family through Overture International!” - Yvenante
In addition to providing access to nutrition, medical care and housing, the Overture team is working with Yvenante to move her and the family closer to independence and self-sufficiency. Through business training for her and two of her daughters, the team is equipping Yvenante to restart her meat-selling business. She is anxious to provide for her family again and move them into a more stable and sustainable life.
Yvenante and her family would still be stuck in the cycle of poverty and dependence if it were not for your sacrificial and generous gifts. Not only are you providing financial support, but you’re also providing hope and promise for building Haiti Stronger.