This month two of our social workers did extensive family tracing to find a family member of one of the children at our orphanage. We were informed that a grandfather lived north of Port Au Prince, in a small village near Cap-Haitien. Our social workers took a six-hour bus ride to see if they could establish a connection and learn more family history about the child.
Our staff arrived at a compound which contained a few homes and introduced themselves. They met with an older gentleman who confirmed that he was the grandfather. Additionally, the child had many other family members living at the compound as well – his father, grandmother, two uncles and cousins!
The grandfather told our staff, “I always thought my grandson didn’t want to see me, that he made the choice not to come visit before I die.” Our social workers let him know that his grandson was so young when he was placed at the orphanage, that he didn’t have a strong memory of his family. Unfortunately, due to poor documentation, Child Hope did not have records that these members of the child’s family existed. The dad told us that he tried twice to find his son, but didn’t remember where the orphanage was located.
When our social workers returned to Port Au Prince, they told the child about the visit. He was astonished. “I have a dad?!” he asked excitedly. He wanted to know as much as possible. Our social workers arranged for them to speak on the phone. The father told his son he loves him very much.
We know that family reunification can be very challenging work, and that in some situations it is not possible. But we believe that there are so many stories like this one out there, demonstrating the love a family has to offer, and that with the proper support, orphans can be restored as sons and daughters to their earthly parents as well as to their Heavenly Father.
