A New Vision
By Maggie Dulcio, LMHC, CAP
It’s been a few weeks since my last post because I was traveling out of the country. I have also decided to post my articles twice per month instead of weekly. It has been a very challenging task writing the weekly articles with the various responsibilities already on my plate. So I went on a vacation with my family. A well overdue time away. We went to the beautiful island of Haiti and stayed at an all inclusive resort, the Royal Decameron. We had an absolute wonderful time! The food was amazing, entertainment outstanding and amenities superb! I could not have ask for a more perfect vacation!
I also had the opportunity to visit a few missions while in Haiti. I went to see the Future of Haiti Orphanage (FOHO). My heart sank when I saw those beautiful children. They were so loving and sweet despite their lacks. Some of them had no shoes on their feet and torn clothing but that did not stop them from smiling and giving a warm embrace. They were such happy children! I also visited some children who were attending Vacation Bible School, a mission from Brandon, FL was leading the program. It was such a joy seeing those children so happy and being fed both natural and spiritual food.
After my trip to Haiti, I’ve refocused my perspective and have decided to initiate some new programs under my non-profit organization, Voice of Distress Relieved, Inc. In the United States, we are blessed with so much that we often take them for granted. We turn on the faucet without giving any thought that many places around the world people have to travel very long distance to get water. We turn on the switch in our homes and know that our lights will turn on. In Haiti, I saw so many people who were desperately making lemonade out of lemons. The people are very enterprising, I met a few guys who were using discarded metals and rubber to make various art crafts to sell to tourists. I saw hard working women waking up at wee hours in the morning, filling their baskets, placing it over their head, walking the streets, selling various items to help support their family. They often do that for many years often time with little to show for it. Unfortunately, they don’t have small business loans to help grow their businesses or investors looking to invest in the next big thing. Those entrepreneurs don’t have the opportunity to seek loans from The Small Business Administration, get a loan from a local bank or find Angel investors. It is not that they are not hard working people and want to rely on others for financial support. Sadly, it’s the lack of opportunity for individuals and small business owners have little to no chance to thrive that keeps these people in a state of deprivation.
In passing, pastor Ken who was leading the mission group from Brandon informed me that he was considering bringing some women from his mission to come to Haiti to teach the women how to sew. As he talked about his project, I reminisced about growing up in Haiti and how much I enjoyed going to the seamstress to be sized for a new dress. After the meeting with Pastor Ken and hearing about his plan to teach the women how to sew, I thought about how great it would be if those women who learned how to sew could make clothes for those orphan children I saw at the orphanage. It would be so nice if we could get sewing machines and fabric donated. We will be meeting with this group from Brandon to discuss future projects and see how we can collaborate on future projects.
There will be upcoming information about investing in the people of Haiti and small businesses in Haiti. Stay tuned! For additional information about my non-profit organization, please visit: www.vdraction.org.