THE BEGINNING
Every Journey Begins with One Yes
Every story has a beginning.
This one begins on the island of La Gonâve, Haiti.
It was here that Mme Soliette grew up. She knew the island well. She knew its people, its beauty and the rhythm of life that shaped the community she called home.
As she grew older, she also came to know something that stayed with her.
She saw children growing up without the safety of a family.
Children who wandered the streets instead of sitting in classrooms.
Children whose future seemed uncertain.
Like many young people, Mme Soliette left La Gonâve to continue her education in Port-au-Prince.
But every time she returned home, she saw the same children.
She never stopped noticing them.
The question followed her home after every visit.
Who will care for these children?
She did not yet know the answer.
She only knew she could no longer ignore the question.
Long before there was a children’s home.
Long before there was Okipe.
Long before anyone imagined how many lives would one day be changed…
Something had already begun.
This is the story of where it led.
THE PROMISE
A Promise
Some decisions are made in a moment.
Others are formed quietly over many years.
For Mme Soliette, the question she carried slowly became a promise.
Each time she returned to La Gonâve, she saw the same children.
Children growing up without the safety of a family.
Children who were not in school.
Children whose future seemed uncertain.
She hoped someone would help them.
She appealed for change.
But the years passed, and little changed.
The children remained.
So did the question.
Who will care for these children?
Long before she knew how...
Long before she had the resources...
Long before anyone else knew what was growing in her heart...
Mme Soliette quietly made herself a promise.
One day she would return.
One day she would create a home for as many children as she could.
She did not know what that would require.
She simply knew she could no longer ignore what she had seen.
No one else heard that promise.
But it quietly shaped every decision that followed.
KEEPING THE PROMISE
She Kept Her Promise
In time, the promise became a decision.
Mme Soliette returned to La Gonâve.
She had saved what she could and rented a simple house.
Before welcoming a single child, she completed the government requirements to establish a children’s home.
When visitors came, she proudly showed them the official documents. She wanted the home to be built with integrity from the very beginning, believing that children deserved not only love, but care that was responsible, trustworthy and transparent.
Then, in 2007, she opened her door to eight children.
It was a small beginning.
There were no headlines.
No grand opening.
No certainty about what tomorrow might bring.
There was simply a home.
And eight children who now belonged there.
The days that followed were shaped by ordinary acts of care.
Huge pots of rice and beans were cooked over charcoal fires.
School uniforms and bed sheets were washed by hand, often alongside the older children.
Children were comforted, guided, corrected and encouraged.
Each day brought new needs.
Each morning began again.
Mme Soliette had hoped that local churches would help carry the responsibility.
When that support did not come, she did not walk away.
She simply continued.
Looking back, it is easy to see the beginning of something remarkable.
At the time, it looked like one woman quietly keeping the promise she had made years before.
One ordinary day after another.
THE COMMUNITY
One Yes
Became Many
For several years, Mme Soliette quietly continued the work she had begun.
The children grew.
The responsibilities grew with them.
Each day brought new needs.
Each day, she continued.
As the work quietly continued, another story began.
While teaching English on La Gonâve, Joy Irvine met Mme Soliette for the first time.
As they talked, Mme Soliette shared the vision she had carried for many years and the promise she had already begun to fulfil.
Joy met the children.
She saw the home.
She saw the care with which everything had been established.
She saw one woman faithfully carrying an extraordinary responsibility.
Her first response was wonderfully simple.
She bought food for the children.
She promised that whenever medical teams or other visitors came to the island, she would introduce them to Mme Soliette and the children.
She kept that promise.
Among those visitors was Bill Cody.
Like Joy, he recognised something that had already taken root on La Gonâve.
Neither Joy nor Bill came to begin the story.
They became part of a story that had already begun.
One friendship became another.
One introduction became another.
People from different countries, churches and backgrounds found themselves drawn together by a shared desire:
To stand alongside Mme Soliette as she continued caring for the children of La Gonâve.
Out of those friendships, Okipe was born.
Its name comes from the Haitian Creole word meaning "to care for."
From the beginning, Okipe existed for one purpose:
To stand alongside Mme Soliette as she continued living out the promise she had made years before.
One faithful "yes" became many.
THE DOCUMENTARY
Journey of a Yes
Some stories are best told by the people who lived them.
The story you have just begun to read is one of them.
This documentary brings together the voices of those who have walked alongside Mme Soliette over many years. Together they tell the story of one woman's faithful response to the children of La Gonâve, the lives that continue to be changed, and the friendships that grew around a promise made long ago.
As you watch, we hope you will come to know the remarkable woman whose quiet faithfulness continues to inspire so many others.
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
The Journey Continues
When the documentary ends, the story does not.
Each morning begins much as it always has.
Children wake for school.
Breakfast is prepared.
Classrooms fill with learning.
Laughter echoes through the Children's Village.
Life continues, one ordinary day at a time.
Much has changed since Mme Soliette first welcomed eight children into a rented house.
Today, children grow up in family homes.
They learn in classrooms.
They are cared for by housemothers, taught by dedicated teachers and encouraged by people who believe in their future.
Yet the heart of the story remains unchanged.
Mme Soliette never dreamed only of giving children a safe place to live.
She dreamed of giving them a future.
A future shaped by education.
By faith.
By practical skills.
By hope.
She dreamed of seeing children grow into confident young men and women who would serve their families, strengthen their communities and help shape the future of Haiti.
Nearly two decades after welcoming her first eight children, she continues to guide, encourage and pray with those entrusted to her care.
The work continues.
The children continue.
And so does her quiet, faithful "yes."
CONTINUE THE JOURNEY
Continue the Journey
Thank you for taking the time to meet Mme Soliette.
We hope that, through her story and the voices of those who know her, you have caught a glimpse of the quiet faithfulness that has shaped so many lives.
The journey you have discovered is still unfolding.
Every day, children continue to grow, learn and dream at the Jesus Home for Children.
Every day, housemothers, teachers and friends continue to invest in their lives.
Every day, Mme Soliette continues the work she began with her first eight children.
That has always been the heart of Okipe.
Not simply supporting a place.
But standing alongside a woman who has faithfully given her life to the children of La Gonâve.
If you would like to continue the journey, we would be delighted to welcome you.
You might enjoy reading more stories from the Children's Village.
You may wish to learn more about Mme Soliette and the children.
You may feel led to pray with us.
If you feel led, you may choose to support the work.
Or you may simply stay connected and follow the story as it continues.
However you choose to continue, thank you.
Thank you for taking the time to meet Mme Soliette.
Thank you for caring about the children of La Gonâve.
We hope her story stays with you long after you leave this page.
One quiet "yes" became a home.
Perhaps every great story begins the same way.
STORIES
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PRAYER
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CHILDREN
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