About Us

Relief for Kids in Haiti is an organization dedicated to the belief that small things can truly make a big difference. No one organization can help the needs of all suffering individuals, but everyone can help someone. Relief for Kids in Haiti exists to serve the needs of orphaned children. We seek only the joy of experiencing children receiving adequate care and nurturing. We believe the Bible is the inspired word of God. We adopt the Scriptures as our statement of faith, which is obviously better than what we could fairly summarize ourselves. As stated in James 1:27, “Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.” This verse captures the heart of our ministry. We strive to be doers in the Word, not mere talkers. Many ministries exclude people based on rigid and legalistic interpretations of religion. This is not the case in our ministry. We want all to know that we welcome and value you in this ministry no matter your personal religious beliefs.

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Our Story

Tragedy Strikes January 12th 2010

The 2010 Haiti earthquake was of a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake, with an epicenter near the town of Léogâne (Ouest), approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater had been recorded. An estimated three million people were affected by the quake. Death toll estimates well over 100,000 people. Haiti already being one of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, the effects of the earth quakes took an already impoverished area into a cataclysmic situation. Most Haitians live on $2 or less per day. Over 80% of the population live under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty. Cite Soleil is considered one of the worst slums in the Americas, most of its 500,000 residents live in extreme poverty. Poverty has forced at least 225,000 Haitian children to work as restavecs (unpaid household servants); the United Nations considers this to be a modern-day form of slavery. The enrollment rate for primary school is 67%, and fewer than 30% reach 6th grade. Secondary schools enroll 20% of eligible-age children. There is no organized family planning education in Haiti and no sex education, so unplanned and unwanted children are born every day. There is no social network in Haiti to assist parents to care for and keep their children, so normal practice has been to give your child up to an orphanage for others to care for them. Statistics are unclear, but most estimates put the number of orphaned, unwanted, or abandoned children in Haiti at over 1 million.

Deliverance Pour Tous

Well before the earth quakes, Delivrance Pour Tous (DT) was started by Marc Arthur Francois, his brother Johnny, and many of their friends. They were doing what they could to help relief organizations bring hope to individuals one at a time. Delivrance Pour Tous, means “Relief for All”. Delivrance Pour Tous traveled around the Port au Prince area with the goal of teaching Churches and individuals how to conduct first aid, perform CPR, and care for the sick. After the earthquake, they used their skills to reach the local neighborhoods and teach them how to avoid sickness and care for each other. There continues to be a great need in Haiti for education on basic health and hygiene.

The start of Their Mission

Charles & Terri McEndree traveled to Haiti in April of 2010, 4 months after the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake on January 12, 2010. Terri, who is an OB/GYN physician and Charles is a registered nurse working in hospital operations, were so touched by the suffering and devastation that was left in the wake of the quake, that they were moved to donate their time, energy, and skills to those in need. They decided that they would like to find some way to help others, since the need was so great. While they were there, amidst the devastation, they found individuals wanting to help to find relief for those suffering around them. One of those individuals giving aid that they met, was their translator – Marc Arthur Francois.

Relief for Kids in Haiti

Finding that they admired the fortitude and the resilience of the Haitian people, who were so grateful for even the tiniest amounts of assistance; Terri & Charles made plans to return. On their return in March 2012, they met with Marc and expressed the idea of getting involved in an orphanage to help some of the nearly 1 million orphans in Haiti. Relief for Kids in Haiti was actualized from their joined hard work. In September 2012 Relief for Kids was able to obtain a home and started work to open Secours pour les Enfants d’Haiti in Fontamara, Port au Prince, Haiti. The orphanage opened its doors in February 2013 to six children who could not take care of themselves. Marc and his wife Nadege ran the orphanage along with a house mother, a cook, and volunteer teachers from within the Deliverance Pour Tous organization to care for and educate the children. Operating expenses in Haiti are expensive in spite of the fact that it is a poor country. Many necessary items need to be imported and the cost of food is relatively high, as is the cost of fuel and land. For 20 children, the typical monthly budget for food is approximately $1076. Salary for the house mother is $300, and house workers and other staff salaries are $500. A teacher to tutor the children, who usually have not been in school prior to coming to us, costs about $200.

The need is great

The degree of need in Haiti is overwhelming, and the infrastructure to deliver this at a governmental level is still fairly nonexistent. We understood the fact that we may only be able to impact a relatively small number of children in a positive way in this country. However, for those few, the impact is life altering. In an often-quoted story, we read: The Starfish Story by City Year:   A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement. She had been doing this for quite some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!” The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied, “Well, I made a difference to that one!” We truly desire to give each of our children a loving place to grow in love, safety, and respect. We want them to understand the love of God and feel His presence in their lives. We want to give them the tools and the love to thrive and grow into successful and beautiful people. We are seeking individuals and organizations who wish to make a difference for those who need it. The average cost to feed, clothe, and care for a child is approximately $100. An additional $100 allows us to care for their medical and school needs. Donations are accepted here at our website. All donations are tax deductible, since we are a recognized not-for-profit organization. If you do not desire to support our organization, we urge you to consider reaching out and supporting someone in need in whatever realm you choose. You will find blessings in helping others, as we have! May God bless each of you!

Goals for the next year: We are in the process of fund raising for a permanent location for the orphanage. Land is very expensive, since it is often the only asset a family has, and is thus a valuable commodity in this country. We have been searching for the right place for several years, and are trying to raise funds for this. Building fund donations are always welcome! Once we have a permanent location, it will be easier to begin the process of making the orphanage more self-sufficient, such as gardening and planting their own food sources. We also have started a school at the orphanage for our children and some community children in order to improve the quality of education. As always, we seek to keep our children happy and healthy. They are all currently in good health, which has been a blessing over the last year. Several of the children had significant illnesses upon arrival, but all are thriving at this time. They are a loving and energetic and very smart bunch of children!

Our Founders

Charles McEndree is a Registered Nurse and has a Master’s in Business Administration. Charles grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska but relocated to Orlando, Florida at the age of 16. After graduating High School, Charles met Terri in Nursing School and they married in 1991. In addition to running this ministry and others, Charles is a hospital operations professional with specialties in software acquisition and supply chain. Charles and Terri started their ministry in Haiti after the Haiti Earthquake of January 2010. Their ministry in Haiti has brought many miracles in their lives and the lives of those whom they are touching on a regular basis.

Terri McEndree is a practicing OB/GYN Physician in Wesley Chapel, FL. Terri grew up in a Lutheran and Catholic household, and converted to Seventh-day Adventist when she met Charles. Terri has an amazing story of survival. From an abusive childhood to an unplanned teen pregnancy she turned things around by attending Nursing School where she met her husband Charles. Only to then to face Ovarian Cancer both before and during Medical School. All while having her third child, being hit by a car and surviving, then a final hysterectomy and still graduating with honors.

Marc Francois was born and raised in the Fontamara, Port-au-Prince area of Haiti. After the Earthquake of January 2010, he volunteered as a translator to the relief agency ACTS World Relief, when he met Charles and Terri. Together with their help, he opened the orphanage in February 2013 with six children. Marc and his wife Nadege moved to the US in 2018 and they now live in Tennessee, but they continue to work for the orphanage and are an integral part of ensuring the safety and welfare of the children. They now have two children.