SAINT JOSEPHS HOME
FOR BOYS
GUEST HOUSE

If you want to experience Haitian reality while at the same time support a program for former homeless street children, St Josephs Home for Boys is the place to stay.

Situated right off Delmas 91 on the Petionville line just 20 minutes from the airport, this home is four floors of tastefully furnished rooms, tile floors, brightly colored walls covered with Haitian art, indoor and outdoor lounge areas, as well as a breezy rooftop terrace complete with rattan furniture, potted plants, wind chimes and mountain views.

Accommodations:

Rooms have two bunk beds with a bureau, desk and a fan.

There is one suite for couples with a private bath. Tiled bathrooms are clean and spacious, with indoor plumbing fixtures. Most of the surrounding neighborhood doesn't have access to running water, therefore, this house chooses to keep in solidarity with the poor and use water in a simple and conservative way. Each of the five bathrooms has a 50 gallon drum of water for guests to draw from for bathing and flushing. There is a capacity for 36 guests.

The house is charged with positive energy from the boys, ages 8 to 18 years old, who will enchant you with theiir singing, dancing, smiles, laughter and hearty hugs upon arrival.

The boys make most of their livelihood by running the guest house. When they aren't attending classes, the boys do everything from growing the vegetables you eat in their garden, to cooking meals, cleaning the house, making saleable goods for their boutique, or performing their dance theater.

The confidence and pride that grows from working together and earning a weekly wage is self-evident.

Haiti, known to be the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, is usually cast as a nation of starvation, malnutrition, desease, homelessness, illiteracy, violence and destruction.

Saint Josephs is a haven within the grueling chaos of Port-Au-Prince. Its founder, Michael Geilenfeld, was formerly a brother for Mother Teresa. His work was with abandoned children in Vietnam, Cambodia, Calcutta, Los Angeles, Haiti and El Salvador. After his 11 years of service, Michael decided to provide a place for street boys that would be a family instead of the night shelter system he had followed with the MC Brothers.

In January of 1985, Michael left the MC Brothers and returned to Haiti with $1,000 and began with 6 boys and a prayer. This new family paid for six months rent for a fourroom house. This left them with $400 to live on.

Their prayers were heard, for journalists showed up for that first day to tell this "new life" story to the world. Financial support began to flow, visitors began to come, and Michaels work grew into the success it is today.

Having evolved over the past 11 years, Michael and his boys have taken on a new challenge. They are now managing a home for severly disabled children. This new work is located in the mountains above Petionville. Michael and some of the older graduates of St. Josephs's decided to take over the home when they heard that the previous directors, after eight years, were leaving Haiti but were unable to find placements for any of the disabled children. In the same spirit of "family", Michael and the boys were determined to keep all of the children together. They extended themselves and took these desperate children under their wing. Thus came into being the second home of St. Josephs's, called 'Wings of Hope Home for Disabled Children'.

In the past, several of the boys have gone on tour to raise support for themselves and their home. In 1995, they designed the POSSIBILITIES tour in an effort to raise money to house and care for their new brothers and sisters. Visitors are encouraged to visit this new Wings of Hope Home, which also has guest facilities for twelve.

RESURRECTION DANCE THEATER

The Resurrection Dance Theater is made up of nine of St. Joseph's boys. The boys publicly perform Haitian dancing. Many of their self-written dances have themes relating to various experiences they had when living on the streets. Their brightly colored costumes and theiir lively movements create excitement and long lasting memories. Performances can be seen at St. Joseph's Home for Boys.

name: Stjo2.html
created: 26 May 1997,
last updated