OUR HISTORY

Boston Mothers Care is volunteer group organized in 2010 to provide humanitarian relief.  Our co-founder, Johane Fanfan, grew up there and maintains close connections.  Her childhood friend, Lophane Lauren is based in Haiti as a Program Manager for Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  Johane and her brothers Kenny, Gerald and Jean, founded the Haitian Development Initiative (HDI) to quickly organize Christian relief with a trip to Haiti in February 2010.  HDI joined with Ines Palmarin, the co-founder of Gathering of Hearts (GOH), to meet a shipload of donations being delivered by Captain Greg Brooks, who was sailing from Maine to Port-au-Prince.

The land and the people were devastated.  Transportation was nearly impossible and food was hard to find.  Orphaned children and grown men went without shelter or clothing for days.  The supplies went very quickly, and they realized that much more needed to be done.

After the February 2010 mission, Johane and Ines decided to recruit women to make sure that the next mission would focus on women and children.  We hold our meetings in the kitchen of each other’s homes.

In April 2010, we began recruiting volunteers and partners, and raising funds.  Our grassroots efforts included a bake sale, yard sale, gold party, hot lunches and dinners, and direct appeals.  By September, we had raised over $2500.  We planned the logistics of our visit to assure that food was available to be purchased locally and that transportation was available to reach remote areas.  We distributed 20 barrels of donated food, clothes and shoes that had been shipped ahead of our visit. Johane, Ines, Mirilandy Rosario and Fabienne Eliacin made the trip, paying their own way and bringing donated school supplies, toiletries, toys and medicines.

During the second mission, we visited four communities: Delmas 33 area, Hospital Michele in Jacmel, Kenskoff area and Colminy outside of St. Marc.  We decided that our work will be sustainable if we concentrate on one location.  We have adopted the parish of Colminy, a costal area of the Artibonite region, and our first project is to build a well. We are dedicated to a sustainable mission that will improve the quality of life for the 900 members of this parish. All are welcome to join our missions.

How can a group of women volunteers do what government and international groups did not? It’s simple: Boston Mothers Care.