Raising children to be responsible and share with others
Programmes to support local communities are an integral part of of NPH’s work, including for education and healthcare
Fr. William B. Wasson, founder of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH, Spanish for “Our Little Brothers and Sisters”), believed in raising children to be responsible and share with others. As a result, many aspects of NPH’s outreach programmes to support local communities are interwoven with the operation of NPH homes. For example, the homes with their own schools offer scholarships to local children. Those with clinics provide health care services to thousands of children and adults each year. In addition:
- Collect and distribute supplies to people in need after emergencies and natural disasters, such as floods and earthquakes. These efforts are chiefly focused on the communities where we work, but sometimes we are able to help with national emergencies, especially in Haiti through our partner relief organization Fondation St. Luc.
- Builds latrines in nearby residential areas.
- Provides food, shoes and other supplies to the poor.
- Offers vocational education to unemployed adults in the Dominican Republic.
- St. Damien Pediatric Hospital – Chateaublond in Port-au-Prince is the premier paediatric hospital in all of Haiti, providing more than 90,000 services each year. The 120-bed hospital provides long-term care for critically ill children. There is an illness prevention and curative programme, as well as HIV counselling and testing for expectant mothers.
- Kay St. Germaine and Elaine Rehabilitation Outpatient Centers provide therapy and education to children and adults with neurological disabilities.
- A clinic and school offer health care and education to children from the slums.
- Casa de Los Angeles provides a home for children with disabilities.
- Casa Eva welcomes elderly adults who have no family to care for them.
- Casa Pasionista is a home for adults living with HIV/AIDS. It is located on the Ranch property and is supported by NPH.
- The external clinic provides medical and dental services to people in the local area.
- The Holy Family Surgery Center was established in 2005 by Dr. Peter Daly, an orthopedic surgeon from the United States, his wife LuLu Daly, and Reinhart Koehler, NPH International Board President. It improves the quality of health care and serves the underprivileged, who otherwise could not afford surgery in Honduras. It provides outpatient services for NPH children and the rural poor, as well as medical training.
- The Little Steps Daycare Center in Tegucigalpa supports single mothers with low economic resources, allowing them to pursue a higher education or have a job.
Reuniting families – NPH OneFamily
NPH OneFamily is a programme designed to support children who have been in care with NPH so that they can return to living with members of their own family.