NPH Haiti Special Needs Programs

30/09/2025

Rock for Haiti – Louisburgh, 4th October On Saturday 4th October, our band The Kellers (traveling al… Paul O'Malley needs your support for Rock for Haiti

05/08/2025

10/07/2025

Fighting the good fight!
On Tues we sent a group of our ‘Special’ students, from our Special Needs School here in Kenscoff, to our pool in our rehab center in Tabarre. What was extra special was that the group not only included, our own children but we had students from the community and also their mothers.
You can imagine how special it was for them !
At a recent parent teacher meeting, these parents brought tears to our eyes when they shared their stories with us. Stories of humiliation, misunderstandings- as time and time again they were encouraged to abandon their children with disabilities.
Stories of fear and trauma when they were forced to run from their homes to escape the gangs.
Stories of sadness and despair. Stories of love and resilience.
Stories of courage and faith. Testimonies of hope and joy once they found NPH Haiti. Testimonies of attitudes changing since their children started coming to our school.
When I took that group picture and as I watched them get into our bus, I took a big deep breath, gave thanks to God and said to myself, ‘even if Haiti is being destroyed all around us, we are fighting the good fight’.
Thank you for helping us ‘fight the good fight’

Gena Heraty
www.nph-ireland.org

25/06/2025

Despite a very difficult year in Haiti, Ste. Germaine Special Needs School had a very high attendance- mainly due to the fact that our three school buses were on the road. Every day. We had an average daily attendance of 75 children. When you consider that Ste. Germaine is in an area that is completely surrounded by gangs, this is nothing short of a miracle.
Last week we had 9 young students graduating as they had completed all our classes and/or had surpassed our age limit. Most have been with us since they were very young so it is was emotional day for them, for their parents and for all of us.
It was a day of great celebrating and we had a great attendence as almost all our students were present with their parents. The parents of the younger students were delighted to be there and get a good idea of what they can expect down the line when their children get to that stage.
You can see a nice video if you go to our web page.

https://www.nph-ireland.org/graduation-day-at-ste-germaine

In an attempt to keep you better informed we are trying to put regular updates on our web page so please go there for stories, videos, photos. Once again you will find us at
www.nph-ireland.org
Please do continue to support us. We need your support to enable us to do what we do!

25/05/2025

Happy Mother’s Day to all Mothers in Haiti and to all Haitian Mothers out of Haiti.

In Kay Christine, our family is blessed by so many wonderful women.
Despite all the challenges, all the trauma, all the fears- they make it possible for all in our care, to live healthy, happy lives.
Times are tough,
Terror is a whisper away,
Loud noises lead to racing hearts,
Mothers carry burdens far too heavy.
Fear the heaviest of all.
Thank God for all our wonderful mothers.
May they always be protected from those with evil intent.
Please do continue to support us as now more than ever we need it🙏
www.nph-ireland.org

18/05/2025

Today is Flag Day in Haiti- Fèt Drapo! Despite all the challenges, our wonderful teachers organised a great day of celebration in our Special Needs School in Tabarre. We had a ‘Fair’ showing off the arts and crafts made by the students and we also had many traditional Haitian foods on offer. Parents, students and employees had a chance to leave their worries aside for a short few hours. It was a great succcess! Our work is very important and now more than ever we need your continued support! Find us on our web page🙏www.nph-ireland.org Bon Fèt Drapo!

14/05/2025

His Name was Emmanuel

His name was Emmanuel
The name Emmanuel, both in its Hebrew form (Immanuel) and its English variant, means "God with us"
He worked as a security guard at our home and he was very active in the local Catholic Church.
He lived up to his name- a kind word for everyone.
A smile lived on his face and he clothed himself with kindness every day.
Goodness was his essence.
When we started taking our young people to his church, he was extremely proud and told me several times the impact our Special Needs Residents were having on his community. He always greeted us at the door of the church with his beautiful happy smiling face.

That beautiful church - built only a few years ago with the help of the poor farmers and other donations-is now inhabited by the gangs that took his life.
By the gangs that beat him, shot him and burned him in the house that he was guarding that Thursday night when the gang members went crazy in the rural community of Furcy.
That church is now a party house for the same gangs that kidnapped his only daughter- one of many they kidnapped.
That church is now one of the bases for the gangs that have destroyed Emmanuel’s community.
That church -once called St. Michel and now called St. Paul- is where gangs play their party music and celebrate the terror they have spread all over the hills.
Where they rejoice in killing poor farmers and show no mercy on those running screaming into the dark while the bullets fall like rain all around them.

Emmanuel-it was easy to see the goodness of God in you.
It was easy to see how a world is made better when people are kind and inclusive- when people care for each other and see each other as one.
Emmanuel you did not deserve this- no one does.
You were a strong young man with so much to live for.
You died standing up against evil.
You died a martyr’s death.
You are not just another statistic, one number amongst the min 1617 people killed in Haiti so far this year(Relief Web),
One more death to add to the 5,600plus killed in 2024(UN figures).
Emmanuel- God with us.
You were God with us.
Life is not fair- we learned this long ago and don’t expect it to be.
But we work hard to make it a little fairer.
Your presence touched many lives Emmanuel.
We give thanks for your life and your love and we believe you will soar with the angels and watch over your beautiful homeland.
You can enlist St. Paul and St. Michael cos as you know, your people pray nonstop to God and his Angels for protection.
Emmanuel your life was ended far too soon.
Your work on earth is done.
There is a song called “Your work on earth is done” and these two lines come from it.
“The Lord of love will be my comfort when my work on earth is done.
He’ll safely lead me through the valley,
When my work on earth is done”.
Bon voyaj Emmanuel.
Nou pap janm bliye w.

Gena Heraty
May 14th 2025

13/05/2025

https://www.nph-ireland.org/death-violence-and-terror

Gena Heraty writes of death violence and terror in Haiti

20/04/2025

There are days when you get to wondering, why there is so much hatred in the world.
Why people choose to protest with words/actions of hatred instead of acts of love and kindness.
Our days in Haiti become more complicated as gangs take more territority and now it is our neighbours here in the mountains, our staff, that are running from the bullets, that are sleeping in churches, in ditches, in schools- wherever they can find!
Once it gets to 4.30 -5 pm, you can feel the decent of worry and fear- employees are already thinking of their trip home. They and we wonder and worry how the night will be. What will happen if we are attacked? What will happen of our employees homes are burned, if they get hit by the stray bullets that are as plentiful as drops of rain? If they are r***d and killed like so many others?
I was thinking this morning, that in Haiti, we can well imagine how the real Holy Week days played out . We all know all too well, about the horrors of injustice, the fear of violence and the fear of what might happen. We can easily imagine the apostles and supporters of Jesus hiding fearfully after he was killed. Wondering if they would be next. Haitians live this every day. And they/we too huddle together and try and make sense of it all while wondering if all the talk about a Rising from the dead is real. Wondering why it had to be this way. Wondering if things will ever get better. Wondering and yet daring to hope that all does not end with the dark and the fear.
We get up every day, grateful for so much- grateful to be alive when so many are not so lucky. Grateful to have food and water when so many have nothing. Grateful to have people that love us when we see that the destruction of so many is caused by people who surely do not know the power and beauty of love.
Our rising from the dead happens every day when we refuse to let the powers of hatred and darkness guide us. When we refuse to give in to the fears inflicted by the gangs.
When we refuse to forget that we are all one big family. When we determine that our lives will be lives where we take care of the weak and we will always try to be people of love.
When we conquer our fears because we know what we have to do and we will not let any evil forces shake our convictions.
Yes there is a lot of Hatred in the world. Yes there is a frightening amount of horror and injustice. But there is so much beauty that is worth defending! There is so much that can be done and needs to be done.
We are Easter people- we will continue to do what we can, as best as we can,for as long as we can! No one said it would be easy! Haiti needs your prayers. The whole world needs your prayers! We need your prayers!
Don’t give up! We sure as heck are not giving up!
Happy Easter!

26/12/2024

Jesus was born in a stable and all these years later we celebrate his birth and we celebrate the man he was-the words of wisdom he spoke, and his example of how to love unconditionally. Tis not easy to love unconditionally- take a minute and think about all the ways we put conditions on the love we give.
In Kay Christine, our residents are our biggest teachers- they give their love freely and without conditions. They are amazing!
Yesterday was a busy day- presents for all in our great big family- 57 residents and 98 staff! We had Santa, we had singing and dancing and we even had a sketch(drama). Everyone was determined to make this day special and we were all so very aware of how lucky we are to be able to do this while an hrs drive away, gunfire has replaced the Christmas music and death was the unwanted present for so many families this Christmas.

A wise teacher(Michael English) once asked us why we ever thought that life was fair. He told us we should know that life is not fair- it never was! He sure was right and our challenge is to somehow make it a bit more fair for everyone.

Another wise man- my father -James Heraty, used to say, ‘there is nothing bad that could not be worse’ and many times his words come to mind as I try to make sense of so many things! Some things will never make sense to me😉

Today is the feast of St. Stephen- the first martyr- stoned to death. Imagine! The church lands that feast day right after Christmas- I guess to remind us that while we should indeed celebrate the birth of a very special baby, we should also be very clear that there is nothing easy about trying to be agents of peace and love!
We had a super day yesterday! I hope you did too. As the year comes to an end, let’s be thankful for all the wonderful moments we had despite many challenges. Let’s appreciate how lucky we are and let’s recognise that life is very unfair for so many. Let’s recognise that even if we have difficulties and problems, we could be far worse off! Can you finish a sentence with off? I have forgotten all my grammer🙈.
Let’s work hard at loving unconditionally and let’s work hard at creating a just and peaceful world-not wishing for it- working for it.
Thank’s for all the love and support throughout 2024.
Happy New Year to you all!

03/12/2024