Summary

Dapheca is 7 years old. She was born Port au Prince, and lives in one of its poorest slums.  She stopped going to school in 2006. “In a week, we are eating two days, because only my mother is doing something, and that is not enough. The good meal we have is every Sunday….And after Sunday we can have three days without eating.”

Household

Dapheca is talking: “My parents have four children, we are living together. I love school but I can’t go to school because my parents can’t pay. They aren’t working. My mother is selling clothes second hand, and it is not enough to feed us. My father is doing nothing to make a living. He is waiting for my mother to give us food and all we need, that is one of the reason we suffering a lot.
The names of my sisters and my brothers are: Denise Joudain is 6 years old, the2nd, stopped going to school.
Clavier Joudain is 4 years old, 1st grade, stopped going to school.
Junie Joudain is 2 years old, not yet going to school.
“When I see how others children are going to school, they were in the same grade with me, I don’t feel relieved. It is not my mother’s fault but that’s the life because day by day things come more difficult for someone who is not working.”

Living conditions

GENERAL ECONOMIC SITUATION
Mother Ifania is talking. “What I am doing to make a living, I am selling clothes second hands, it is smallest thing I do, it cannot give me income for feeding all my children and even send them to school. My husband is doing nothing. He still looks for me to bring something on the house. What I am doing is easy and difficult. I am going to explain. I am sitting on the sidewalk, and wait for someone to buy something from. Sitting is easy but most of the time I go without selling anything in a week. It is difficult. I am going on the sidewalk every day. There is nothing else to do. In a week I can earn $ 30 ht ($4.20 US), sometimes less. In this small money, I have to rent my house, feed the children and send them to school. I can’t do all things with it. Sometimes I almost cry. Only my house cost $ 50 ht for one month. I have much problem in my life. There is not enough place in my house for my family, because the house too small [it is one small room]. We are sleeping together. Here is not safe to live, there is bugs, rats, when it is raining water pull into the house, when that’s happening, we have to pass all the night standing on our feet. There is no where to put our waste. There is no electricity.”
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EDUCATION
Mother Ifania: “I can’t read and write.” No skills training.
Health and food
Child Dapheca: “We are healthy here. But we don’t find food regularly. In a week, we are eating two days, because only my mother is doing something, and that is not enough. The good meal we have is every Sunday. My mother is trying to buy meat, beans and rice, vegetables, and then my mother boils them for us. And after Sunday we can have three days without eating.”
Why does your mother try to give a good meal every Sunday? “Because, Sunday is special in Haiti. The Haitian is considering Sunday is a party day. In that day the Haitian is not working, and doing nothing hard. It is traditional.”

Community information

COMMUNITY INFORMATION
Mother Ifania. “Cite Soleil is not made for people living because we can’t find many things. About water you are talking, it is very difficult to find and it is expensive. There is a cistern over there, it is salty water, a bucket cost 7 gourde (20 cents US). This money is not easy to find, and then we need many buckets per day. I use four buckets per day. This water isn’t durable, one day most it last.
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EDUCATION SYSTERM AND OPPORTUNITIES
The closest school we have is about five minutes to get to . We have two schools: Action Chrétien and Jehovah Nisei. But we prefer to go in Action Chrétien if possible because it is less expensive and it is better in teaching.
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HEALTH CARE SITUATION
Mother Ifania: “We don’t really get sick easily but there is a hospital who name Sainte Catrine. It is a public hospital, you need $20 ht ($3 US) to visit the doctor, and money to buy medicine. Before we did not pay for medicine, the thing was easy and now they require money for medicine because the government doesn’t give help.
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LEGAL POLITICAL
In my zone we are safe because we are sleeping peaceful, and we are organizing like brothers and sisters. Formerly there was trouble in Cite Soleil but we already living peaceful. I think God is our protector; we don’t worry about any thing. There is no police because the commissariat is very far. Yes if I could I would change because when it is raining water pull into our house, that the main reason.
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ECONOMIC SIUATION OF THE COMMUNITY
We don’t have a market here but we have a small store we can buy something we need.
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CULTURE
We celebrate sometimes in our church every year. The Pastor gives everybody food in that day, December 24, and the church is in Warf.

Personal qualities and Dreams

SELF SURVREY
Child Dapheca” “I think God protects me. When I was too little, he protected me everyday and day by day.  He shows me how I can live. I believe God is my transformation. My qualities are: resections, peaceful. I describe myself, I am wise. My mother describe, I am peaceful. My interests are going to school, study. My talent is drawing because I love it. I was talented in my school. I admire my resections most. I don’t want to change anything in me. My habit is drawing on my paper and out different color.  I think if I would find somewhere to learn painting. I could do it. My feeling is going to school and drawing, sometimes play with some friends. My main forming experience of my life is when I was at school; I enjoyed most than I am staying home. I think spirituality important for me, it learn me to calm and resections. I would like my friends in the U.S know, I was born in the poorest family. I lack everything, and I am living in a bad situation. I can’t go to school, I can’t feed well. 
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DREAMS
The thing I care most is my school because I know without education you cannot become someone important in life. The real thing for me is going to school and learn something. The thing that bothers me is: when I see I can’t feed well like some of the children who are living well. I love to go to school. Source of my joy is going to school, and finding food to eat. I would like to learn painting. Yes I am able to do that. I want to learn it now. But there is no schools painting in Cite Soleil. The future I imagine found help I can achieve my dream.
Qualities I have: Peaceful, resections, thoughtful, and Drawing.
Actually I don’t have any intentionally leading me towards the life I want.

Life Plan

Immediate needs
Food
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Development
Going to school, learn painting.
School supplies, uniform.
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Dreams
Become an artist (painter)

Specific programs

The specific plan for the first year of the Partnership is as follows:
Programs for children
Research and Workshops ($35)
School, including uniform and supplies ($98)
Medical care (up to $35)
Birthday celebration ($12)
Saturday class: How to write a letter to your partner
Available: $15 x 12 months = $180
Our main focus is personal development, especially going back to school. Food, clothing and shelter are not addressed in this plan, but options for additional help in these areas are available. The Financial plan page will allow you to trace how your money is being used at all times. For more details about our programs, including the research, workshops and classes which each partner participants in, go here: http://peopleinneed.info/index.php/plan/program/C95/

Sponsorship plan