The post below was shared publically on Facebook today in regards to children still living at Giving Hope Rescue Mission. We are still actively trying to stop the abuse and neglect that is taking place. The two children pictured below do not have a voice, but Heather Elyse is still actively using hers to promote herself. She has not shown any remorse for her actions and we want her to be held accountable. She posted this on her public Facebook page:
We want to ask Heather Elyse, "Is this beautiful?"
Abandoning the Abandoned
On March 12th, 2014 the missionaries at King’s Cross Ministries found out that two small children were still living at the Giving Hope... Rescue Mission (GHRM). We went into the crèche/orphanage house. We talked to these babies and touched their sweet faces. We saw the lack of everything. This is a place that was shut down by IBESR, the equivalent of the United States DHS. We were shocked at what we saw! Two sick and disabled children, both of which looked like they had Cerebral Palsy, laying in cribs with sheets barely big enough to cover the mattress and needing medical attention. The creche looked abandoned. There were a few bed frames and cribs and nothing else. No food, water, power, or anything else. The workers told us that Giving Hope Rescue Mission has stopped sending them money for food and water. They have stopped providing medical attention and have not paid the workers in 2 months. The workers were doing what they could to care for these two children and feeding them out of their own pockets, but it was not enough. They did not complain about GHRM or the managers or directors at all. They just stated the facts. They begged us to take the children to care for them. We brought the local Chief of Police and the Judge to see the children and even after hearing that Giving Hope Rescue Mission was neglecting these children they would not allow the kids to be moved anywhere. They insisted that biological parents are the only people that can move these kids and that is not true. Heather Elyse the Giving Hope Rescue Mission founder and Wesmin Garcon the director both have the authority and the responsibility to ensure that these two children were moved or given to IBESR to relocate them. We insisted that the police and judge allow us to file a police report to document that Giving Hope Rescue Mission, Heather Elyse and Wesmin Garcon failed to transfer these children and the clear case of neglect for these two children and they refused. We contacted Haiti’s equivalent of Child Protection Services (BPM) but could only leave a message. We continued calling, messaging and trying to contact everyone we could to help these two kids over the next week, but no one removed the children.
We reported this to the US Embassy and they responded with action! The US Embassy responded on Tuesday. IBESR told them that they had been to Giving Hope Rescue Mission within the last 30 days to remove all of the remaining children and these two children were not there that day but have been under the care of Giving Hope Rescue Mission for over a year. They helped us get a team from IBESR and BPM to go get the children. They are now under the care of IBESR where they should have been months ago. I’m glad that we were able to get the children moved but disappointed that it took so long. This should have never happened!
I understand that there is a process. I understand that there are procedures and I understand that there are jurisdictions that have to be respected. These two children did not have anyone advocating on their behalf as far as we know, and we at King’s Cross could not turn our backs on them. Please pray for these children wherever they may be now. It has to be better than where they were. If we had our crèche license, we would have tried to take them in.
There are rumors that there are many other children under the care of GHRM. Obviously IBESR does not know about this or they would find them and remove them. How are these people at the former GHRM even allowed to continue to operate, function, handle documents, and care for children?! I’m guessing that the children are not registered. I don’t know all the answers, but what I do know is that these people need to be stopped.
The most important thing now is that those babies get the care they need and deserve.
The Lovans
King’s Cross Ministries, Haiti
March 22, 2014
On March 12th, 2014 the missionaries at King’s Cross Ministries found out that two small children were still living at the Giving Hope... Rescue Mission (GHRM). We went into the crèche/orphanage house. We talked to these babies and touched their sweet faces. We saw the lack of everything. This is a place that was shut down by IBESR, the equivalent of the United States DHS. We were shocked at what we saw! Two sick and disabled children, both of which looked like they had Cerebral Palsy, laying in cribs with sheets barely big enough to cover the mattress and needing medical attention. The creche looked abandoned. There were a few bed frames and cribs and nothing else. No food, water, power, or anything else. The workers told us that Giving Hope Rescue Mission has stopped sending them money for food and water. They have stopped providing medical attention and have not paid the workers in 2 months. The workers were doing what they could to care for these two children and feeding them out of their own pockets, but it was not enough. They did not complain about GHRM or the managers or directors at all. They just stated the facts. They begged us to take the children to care for them. We brought the local Chief of Police and the Judge to see the children and even after hearing that Giving Hope Rescue Mission was neglecting these children they would not allow the kids to be moved anywhere. They insisted that biological parents are the only people that can move these kids and that is not true. Heather Elyse the Giving Hope Rescue Mission founder and Wesmin Garcon the director both have the authority and the responsibility to ensure that these two children were moved or given to IBESR to relocate them. We insisted that the police and judge allow us to file a police report to document that Giving Hope Rescue Mission, Heather Elyse and Wesmin Garcon failed to transfer these children and the clear case of neglect for these two children and they refused. We contacted Haiti’s equivalent of Child Protection Services (BPM) but could only leave a message. We continued calling, messaging and trying to contact everyone we could to help these two kids over the next week, but no one removed the children.
We reported this to the US Embassy and they responded with action! The US Embassy responded on Tuesday. IBESR told them that they had been to Giving Hope Rescue Mission within the last 30 days to remove all of the remaining children and these two children were not there that day but have been under the care of Giving Hope Rescue Mission for over a year. They helped us get a team from IBESR and BPM to go get the children. They are now under the care of IBESR where they should have been months ago. I’m glad that we were able to get the children moved but disappointed that it took so long. This should have never happened!
I understand that there is a process. I understand that there are procedures and I understand that there are jurisdictions that have to be respected. These two children did not have anyone advocating on their behalf as far as we know, and we at King’s Cross could not turn our backs on them. Please pray for these children wherever they may be now. It has to be better than where they were. If we had our crèche license, we would have tried to take them in.
There are rumors that there are many other children under the care of GHRM. Obviously IBESR does not know about this or they would find them and remove them. How are these people at the former GHRM even allowed to continue to operate, function, handle documents, and care for children?! I’m guessing that the children are not registered. I don’t know all the answers, but what I do know is that these people need to be stopped.
The most important thing now is that those babies get the care they need and deserve.
The Lovans
King’s Cross Ministries, Haiti
March 22, 2014
