The sponsorship project of “adoption at a distance” started in 1996 in the Department du Nord-Est, the poorest in Haiti. The majority of people here live under the poverty line and many children are unable to go to school. The project consists in sponsoring a child, providing for his/her education and health care according to local standards.

It is funded by the NGO "Action for New Families ONLUS", an expression of the Focolare in Italy. Presently 150 children are being sponsored in Haiti, of which 30 are sponsored by North Americans, mostly Canadians. The people who sponsor a child are families, single people or organizations, who pledge $400 CAD a year for the child.

Wilfrid Joachin is the local coordinator of this project. Being Haitian, he knows his people well, and together with a few other people from the area, they are able to find the families that are most in need. Sometimes the sponsored child is the only one of the family that has the opportunity to go to school. Inasmuch as possible, these families in turn help other families in need. In this way, family helps one or two other families. This support is very beneficial for the region; it helps the people to gain courage in facing their many problems.

The program began with children of poor families who were in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade. Now, most of these children are about to finish high school. Together with their families, they have signed an agreement, which will enable us to continue this project: those who have finished their secondary education and find a job, commit themselves to giving 25% of their income towards this project, and will volunteer some of their time in one of the schools run by PACNE for two years.