H.O.P.E. Center Dedicated

The HOPE Center for Girls (Haiti Orphanage that Protects and Educates) located in Croix des Bouquets, Haiti was officially opened at a dedication ceremony on September 8th 2006. The purpose of the HOPE Center is to protect and educate orphaned Haitian girls.

The vision of the HOPE Center:
To provide a Christian family environment which will enable orphaned Haitian girls to grow and mature in order to demonstrate these principles in leadership roles in Haiti

The idea for the HOPE Center was conceived in 2000 by a mission team from Church of the Saviour United Methodist Church in Montgomery, Ohio. They negotiated with Christian Service International (CSI) in Muncie, Indiana to support the project. The funding to build and furnish the facility was raised through contributions from numerous individuals and churches in the U.S. Construction took place starting in 2001 and was accomplished by the shared efforts of volunteer mission teams from a number of American churches working with paid Haitian workers. The facility, was completed in February 2005 and the first girls were accepted in September 2005.

The HOPE Center is designed to provide for 20 girls. These girls will remain at the HOPE Center till adulthood. They will become young women who will be instrumental in the improvement of social conditions in Haiti. The education and Christian spiritual development they receive will prepare them to be instruments of hope for Haiti. As dedicated and educated young women they will be able to effect positive change in Haiti, through the many people whose lives they will touch.

Education of the girls has been organized and facilitated through the efforts of Dr. Terri Teal Bucci, from The Ohio State University. A comprehensive curriculum will supplement a basic Haitian education with additional studies in languages, math and social sciences. For their basic Haitian education the girls will attend a new Haitian school which was funded and constructed by Christian Mission teams. The Faith Academy opened in September 2006.

The HOPE Center is managed by Directors Tim and Toby Banks, an American couple whose deep Christian faith has led them to dedicate themselves to this project. In 2005 the Banks family left a home and business in Ohio to live in Haiti. They and their children reside at the HOPE Center facility where they manage a staff of Haitian workers to care for and educate the girls.

Ongoing support for maintenance and operation of the HOPE Center is accomplished by visiting mission teams from U.S. churches under the direction of the CSI Field Director in Haiti. Many churches schedule yearly mission trips to Haiti as part of their Mission Outreach program. These teams work on various other CSI projects in addition to the HOPE Center.

Now that the facility is in operation, a continuation of funding support will be necessary to sustain it. Contributions should be submitted to Christian Service International, 1714 West Royale Drive, Muncie, IN 47304-2240 with a notation “HOPE Center”.

Contributions to support the Banks family can also be submitted to CSI. Donations in support of the Banks’ should be sent to CSI clearly identified as “Banks Support”. Donations are tax deductible.

For more information and regular updates from Tim and Toby Banks, please visit the HOPE Center web site.