House of Hope

Ecumenical Committee for Peace and Justice
If you want peace, go to the meeting of the poor.

Before the earthquake in January of 2010, House of Hope, a program of the Ecumenical Committee for Peace and Justice (COPJ) was hard at work providing alternatives to Haitian children so they would not have to work as domestic servants, enabling them to take control of their own lives, and teaching young people to be honorable citizens and live with dignity as children of God. The earthquake did not change House of Hope’s commitment to young people in the impoverished neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, but did provide many more challenges.

Joseph Polycarpe, the director of COPJ, writes that after the earthquake of January 12, 2010, with the support of partners such Global Ministries, the COPJ conducted several activities. Immediately following the earthquake, they supported and gave hot meals for three months to more than 450 families. That was a moment of solidarity where everyone supported one another.  

In April 2010, they rented a house; and then in October 2010, they purchased a house to use for COPJ programs. This house is currently the location of the House of Hope program serving more than 200 adolescents, the Oscar Romero Career Center with a capacity of 200 young people, and the administration of COPJ. To buy this house, financial support came from many sources including Global Ministries.  The House of Hope program now serves twice as many adolescents than it did before the Haiti earthquake.

After the house was purchased, needed repairs were made and rooms enlarged to accommodate the adolescents and youth. All of this was accomplished with the support of Global Ministries and other partners such as Church World Service.