20 Aviation forWomen J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6
A
mbition is a dangerous word in a place like Haiti. It's an even
more dangerous word for a little girl born into poverty—one of
several children left on an orphanage's steps after their principal
caregiver, their father, died. Vanah Paul, WAI 63852, was just 2
years old when that happened to her.
Sure, the orphanage gave her a meal and a bed, and the opportunity
to go to school. But it was never a home for Vanah. She tried to make it
one for her siblings by becoming the one who
cared about them (a little different from care-
giver), and the one they rallied around for emotional support. But no one
did that for Vanah.
"I used to be really angry about what happened to me growing up,"
Vanah said, remembering those years. And yet, despite the anger, she
had dreams. "From the frst time I looked up and saw an airplane in the
sky I wanted to know how they worked, and to work on one," she said.
Maybe it was that desire that propelled her forward, or maybe it was her
sense of responsibility and an innate need to set an example for her sib-
lings. Despite her frustrations at her lot in life, she managed to succeed,
becoming the frst female to graduate high school from the orphanage.
And then what?
"Children in Haiti who come of age literally 'age out' of orphanages, and
are left on their own," explained John Barnes, a missionary, who, with his
wife Christi, created the House of Moses in Port-de-Paix, Haiti. The whole
idea behind creating the House of Moses was to give these teens a place to
fnish growing up in a supportive atmo-
sphere where they could nurture their
dreams for real futures. These are kids
who, despite the despair and loneliness
of their orphanage past, admire and
want to emulate the people who might
have showed them kindness growing
up. This includes doctors, nurses, and
teachers. The kind of people Haiti, as a
nation, needs to get back up on its feet
again. The Barneses, with support from
others in the U.S., built a home and
by Amy Laboda
Help for Haiti
Growing an A&P;
from within
For more information about
The House of Moses visit
www.HouseofMoses.tv.
For more information about
Weatherford College, navigate
to www.WC.edu,
and for more information
about Tarrant County College
head to www.TCCD.edu.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
REBEK
AH
MAYNARD