For Rainy Jordan, life growing up in Cap-Haitien, Haiti could be described in two words: Horrific. You wait.
His mother left him with his siblings in the Bahamas to work and try to make a better life for them. The father did not want them, so they ended their lives in Pluviose with their grandparents, cold and idle.
After his grandfather neglected him and led him to live mostly on the streets – driving him into depression and despair while he was mentally, physically and sexually abused – River contracted yellow fever and lost his speech and sight.
When he finally regained his speech and sight, Rainy realized that he had one refuge – the school, a place where he could get a hot meal (usually one a day), learn to read and write, and have some “play”. before going to everyday matters.
Now, years later, after reuniting with his mother in South Florida, flourishing and eventually earning a BS in International Information Systems Management from the University of Florida, Pluivose — who has worked for the last 17 years in the Miami-Dade County Property Appraisal Department — is trying to give back to the children of Haiti.
“We need to protect our children, our most vulnerable, from traveling,” he said.
“No one should have to face this despair. Nobody!”
In 2008, after various Catholic charity works to help children in Haiti, Pluviose, with the help of friends in the Miami Haitian community, formed Many Hands International with a set goal: to provide free, high quality academic and vocational education for Haitian children. empowering them to achieve self-sufficiency and become leaders in the community.
Many international sponsors have called the elementary school Ecole Academie Solitaire du Nord in Cap-Haitien. Started in 2017 (with 18 children), the school has grown to 186 with an annual operating fund of more than $33,000. The school provides food for the week (they love to be able to make a daily meal) but the school lacks basic supplies. Some students actually walk three hours to get there.
“Jordan has been a tireless worker for the children of our school and the children of Haiti,” said Many Hands International Board member Kelly Hernandez. “It’s an inspiration.”
MHI is always “in the bank” due to its fragile financial structure. A donor who had pledged $250 a month — matched by his employer — was recently laid off. This meant $6,000 less per year in the budget, a significant “hit” for the school and the cause Pluviose reaches out to the South Florida community, speaking at civic meetings almost non-stop.
“This is a critical time in our school’s existence,” Rain said. “We just need help to provide education — and hope — to the children of Haiti.”
To compare or for more information, visit ourMHI.org or contact Kelly Hernandez, 616-516-2894 or Jordan Rain, 305-984-7446.
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