Empowering children with disabilities and their families in Haiti since 1987
 

Welcome to the Pazapa Center for Children with Disabilities

Mission Statement

“Only about 5% of 400,000 children living with disabilities in Haiti have access to specialized education or specialized medical care. There is stigma surrounding disability which severely marginalizes these "invisible children". 

PAZAPA’s Mission for 35 years has been to educate, to medically treat, and to socially develop children living with disabilities in Haiti, while giving power to their families and promoting community acceptance of the children.

 
 

Programs

The Pazapa model is based upon the guiding principles of solidarity, mutual respect, equity, and inclusion. Pazapa — "step by step" in Creole — has empowered over 2,000 of Haiti’s most marginalized families since 1987 through comprehensive programs providing specialized medical care, inclusive education, outreach, advocacy, economic opportunity, and access to the arts.

 
 

Impact

“Thanks to our dedicated staff, volunteers, partners, and donors, PAZAPA has positively impacted for 35 years thousands of lives despite extraordinary challenges. Even after the 2010 earthquake, your support provided essential services and salaries. Through it all, PAZAPA serves more families than ever because of you, our donors. For different levels of donation, below we provide numbers and the goods or services those numbers cover.”

The Pazapa team works incredibly hard to get the most out of every resource. See what a difference you can make for vulnerable families in Haiti.  

 
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Medical Care

$25 = Lab tests, x-rays, and blood work for one child's surgery.

$500 = Clubfoot care and rehabilitation for one child.

$10,000 = A year's supply of anti-seizure medications for 100+ children with epilepsy.

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Inclusive & Deaf Education

$8 = A week's worth of hot meals and rides to school for one child.

$300 = One child's 2023-24 specialized or deaf education. There are 160 special education students, 40 deaf students, 13 teachers, and one program coordinator.

$200 = One child’s 2023-24 cost for mainstreaming (30 children are mainstreamed in Jacmel, and 70 children are mainstreamed in outreach.)

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Outreach

$50 = A disability rights session in a rural community (10 sessions per year.)

$200 = an outreach clinic to identify children with disabilities in remote areas.

$1,300 = The yearly salary of Outreach Monitor-Community Based Rehabilitation worker. There are 10.

$6,000 = The yearly salary of Outreach Coordinator Pierre-Paul Exilus, who does 50 outreach visits a year.

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Advocacy & Art

$10 = Supplies for one child to participate in art therapy.

$1,500 = Advocacy symposium to commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

$1,500 = Awareness Program for Pazapa’s Food-Argiculture Art Fair.

$14,000 = Proposed Computer-Aided Pazapa Art and Computer Literacy Program. Includes 30 deaf students. We partner with Jakmel Eksperyons.

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Family Support

$3 = A trio of banana trees for a family to rebuild post-hurricane.

$150 = One Ti Commerce microloan distribution. There are 48 recipients.

$2,000 = A year of supplies and equipment for the sewing program.

$3,000 = Provisions and equipment for the culinary arts program.

$4,500 = Yearly salary of the Family Projects/Microloans Coordinator.

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Accessibility

$10 = A desk and a chair appropriate for a child's needs.

$10,000 = Rebuilding a cafeteria floor that's safe and accessible for all children.

$330,000 = Completing the final phase of the PAZAPA Center's post-earthquake rebuild. This includes a new kitchen, cafeteria and food storage.

  “Pou yon  tab byen kanpe fòk li gen kat pye menm longè.”

For a table to stand well, it must have all four legs the same length.

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PAZAPA’s management team from left to right: Marika MacRae, Executive Director | Jean Joseph Forgeas, Administor | Annie-Rose Lessage, Program Manager |

Mona Charles, Senior Teacher | Tony Antoine, Physiotherapy Specialist | Valery Lubin, Family Support Program Coordinator

 
 
 

PAZAPA's Tony Antoine and volunteers - Dr. Kevin Latz, Dr. Fred McGlynn and Dr. Brian Deignan - join a patient and his mother after performing a free corrective tibial surgery.

 

“PAZAPA is filling an absolutely critical void in Haiti. The staff is extraordinarily dedicated, as is the board. The most amazing part is seeing kids that I worked with 10 years ago who are now high school graduates, valued by their family and community.”

- Cathy Dorvil, longtime volunteer and donor

 
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