Since May 2015, the Santa Chiara Children’s Center (SCCC) has served as a refuge for a growing number of abandoned and displaced children in the Port au Prince section of Haiti. These children live in extreme poverty, experience constant hunger and suffer from emotional neglect and often physical abuse. Founder Gerry Straub’s original vision for Santa Chiara was to create a beehive of creativity, where kids could come to play and learn, feel safe and be able to laugh and sing… and perhaps even learn to read and write.

From this desire to help and heal, Santa Chiara grew exponentially, both in terms of the number of children served and the amount of space required. As a result, SCCC relocated to a larger facility and refocused the services offered.

At the beginning of 2018, the staff at Santa Chiara provided full-time care for 47 girls and 16 boys, ranging in ages from one month to 14 years, and these numbers continue to grow. Santa Chiara also provides food and financial assistance to a number of their mothers and fathers. In addition to feeding the children three nutritious meals a day, they cover all educational and medical expenses, employ several on-site teachers and nursing personnel, and pay for specialized treatment of ongoing medical conditions such as HIV.

The Santa Chiara Children’s Center relies on the generosity of friends and supporters like you to keep the vision alive, and continue serving the health and well-being of the children in their care.