Photo courtesy of Brenda Carter Taylor.
Members of the Tri-County (AL) Chapter of The Links, Inc. at Chez Moi orphanage in Haiti.
The award-winning Tri-County (AL) Chapter of The Links, Inc. partnered with Sixth Avenue Baptist Church and Grace Missions to support the 27 girls that call Chez Moi their home.
This orphanage, located in Port Au Prince, Haiti, provides services to girls ages 7-18 whose families can no longer provide for them. Tri- County provides services in Jefferson, Shelby and St. Clair counties.
Four members of the chapter traveled to Haiti, partnering with Rev. Yolanda McMillian, board president of Grace Missions. The program, entitled The Haiti SURGE (Sisters Uplifting Resilient Girls for Empowerment), is funded and designed by Tri-County.
Several components of the program were implemented during the six-day stay in Haiti, targeting physical health and development during puberty, dental hygiene, planting a vegetable garden for the girls to tend, economic empowerment and community education.
The SURGE team taught the girls to make reusable sanitary pads, which are more sustainable, long-lasting and can be made and sold as an income source. They hope to expand the program and the garden to sell produce next year.
The departure gift for the girls included “pillow case dresses,” handmade by the members of Omicron Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
The team of 14 women and two teens under the direction of Rev. Yolanda McMillian served the whole girl: spirit, soul and body. This program received a First Place Award at The Southern Area Links Regional Conference in Orlando, Florida, on May 4. Donations to the orphanage can be given through gracemissionsinc.org.
Submitted by Brenda Carter Taylor.
