As told by Josie Antoine

Love & Hope Organization was founded in 2003 by two women: Josie Antoine and Lovely Paulemon. Our mission was "To provide a loving, nurturing home and quality education for orphaned and needy children." Our vision was, "We see children's lives changing for the better." These values still hold true today.

During the summer of 2003, I shared my vision with Lovely. She encouraged me to launch the project because she, too, wanted to serve children in need in Haiti. We had the dream and the ideas, but lacked the resources to implement the project.

After much hard work, a few setbacks and help from a generous donor, we were able to move forward, and make our dream a reality. On December 25, 2009, the inauguration of the orphanage took place at: Rue Stenio Vincent, Rue Shalom 3rd street, 3rd house on the right, Croix-des-Bouquets, a commune in the West department of Haiti.

Since then, we have made much progress. We have taken in and provided for more children who are in need of a loving, healthy, nurturing home and schooling. We now have 24 children in the orphanage.

Each child has their own personal story. Some were orphaned or abandoned after the earthquake. Some were brought here because their parents or relatives could no longer care for them. Others have been brought to us by the Office of Social Well Being. We have also implemented a new program which will teach young mothers how to provide and sustain a healthy environment for their family; and reintegrate them back into their community.

As the numbers of our children expand, our need for additional funding has also increased and we still have great missions to accomplish, including construction on the house of Love orphanage and purchasing furniture and supplies for our children.