A two-year-old girl - SOS Children's Villages Santo, Haiti, after the earthquake

February 19, 2010: When asked who her mother was by SOS Children's Villages staff in Santo, Haiti, the toddler pointed to the older girl next to her. That girl is 17-year-old Gisele, a traumatized teenager who can barely manage on her own.

How did the young mother find SOS? Everyday Gisele had been bringing her daughter Josette to one of the 77 community centers SOS Children's Villages is currently supporting. Gisele had to leave Josette somewhere safe while she searched for her parents' bodies. For a month the girls were living in friends' homes, then in the street.

The social worker in the community center had told the teenager about the SOS Children's Village in Santo. No longer able to cope, Gisele brought her daughter to SOS-Santo. She loves her daughter, says Gisele, and that is why she brought her here. "I can't take care of her alone. My family is dead, and until I find a job I can't feed us both."

Josette is one of 126 children, most from refugee camps, who arrived at SOS-Santo on February 17. Many of these children suffer from severe malnutrition and dehydration; 25 of them require hospital attention. According to reports on the ground, sadly some local community leaders are refusing to move sick children into temporary care because children's presence increases the possibility of receiving food and water.

Finding Safe, Temporary Refuge

A group of girls and boys - SOS Children's Villages Santo, Haiti, after the earthquake

While Gisele seeks work, Josette will be well-cared for at SOS-Santo. Gisele wants to look for a job; meanwhile, she will visit her daughter every week. Although the teen does not want to live at the village, SOS Children's Villages will support Gisele with food and water. Once her mother can care for her, Josette will return to her.

Despite the stress of taking in so many new children at once, the SOS mothers and aunties (their assistants) at SOS-Santo are giving each and every child a warm welcome. Josette has entered the loving embrace of an SOS family with SOS siblings to play with. She will be fed, clothed, and nurtured.

More than 400 children are living in the SOS Children's Village in Santo. The site has reached the limit of children that can stay in its houses; staff have started erecting donated tents for some of the children to stay in temporarily. Josette is surrounded by the sound of laughter that is heard throughout the village. Through its support of 77 community centers in Haiti, SOS is also providing care and daily meals for 9,500 children outside its Children's Village in Santo.

Help a little girl like Josette find stability, food, and kindness at a horrific time in her life. Please support SOS Children's Villages' relief efforts in Haiti and all over the world with a donation or monthly sponsorship.