In his 2015 address to the International Symposium on the Pastoral Care of the Street, Pope Francis reminded the participants that the “Church cannot remain silent, nor can her institutions turn a blind eye to the baneful reality” of children living on the streets. The Rinaldi Foundation continues to respond to this need by supporting the growth and operation of Lakou, a center which welcomes and provides formation for youth living in on the streets of Port-au-Prince.
After successfully completing a phase of construction at the center in 2014, the Rinaldi Foundation is now embarking upon a second phase of expansion and programming, all in coordination with the Italian organization, VIS (Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo). This new stage of development includes the expansion of the vocational school and the provision of equipment to strengthen its ability to form youth for years to come. The project also includes other support for vulnerable youth, such as the implementation of workshops on non-violent conflict resolution and a training program to help young adults find gainful employment or begin their own income generating activities.
Such projects are vitally important for vulnerable youth, because they have few opportunities for positive growth. Crime, gangs, prostitution, and other risky behaviors are tempting when there is nowhere else to turn. Projects geared towards employment are also crucial, as it is very difficult for youth to enter into the workforce after having spent time living on the streets.
With these new efforts at Lakou, we hope that youth will know that they have options and that they may know, as Pope Francis reminds us, that they are “God’s children like us.”
