Divine Family Orphanage was started May 5, 2012 by Chedner Vaillant. With the help of his family he purchased the house where the children currently live. The home was started with 8 children. The numbers have fluctuated since opening but since April 2014 it has consistently had the same children. In the beginning there was one nanny and Chedner. Over the years there have been a number of children come and go. Each child has their own special story of who they are and where they came from. At this time the hope for the orphanage is to provide for all 13 children with the best care possible. As improvements are made to the home and the children are being educated the quality of their lives are improving. The goal is to turn a house into a home and created a family raised in a Christ-centered environment where the children feeling loved and cared for.
Meet Our Family
Chedner is a 28 year old Haiti man who has a passion for his country. He is close to his family and dedicated to improving his community. Since a young age he has had the desire to help children in need. This lead him to study start a degree in education and receive a certificate in physical therapy.
After the earthquake in 2010 Chedner struggled with seeing children in the streets with no where to go. In 2012 at the age of 25, he was led to open Divine Family Orphanage. As a means to fund the orphanage he also began a construction supply business the same year. The business is able to supply for minimal needs but still being in the start up phase has a ways to go. Chedner has taken in 13 wonderful children and is working to provide for them and give them the best life possible.
Before coming to Haiti Lauren studied International Studies and Spanish at Ohio State University. She spent time traveling and volunteer is various countries. She has always had a heart for working with people in need. Lauren first visited March 2013 on a mission trip with St. John's Lutheran Church in Dublin, Ohio. After searching for places to serve in Latin America she was given the opportunities to volunteer in an a special needs orphanage near Divine Family Orphanage. In October 2013 she committed to 6 months and served 2 years before marrying Chedner and starting to work with Divine Family.
Lauren and Chedner met January 2014 and started dating shortly after. Lauren first met Nadia the same week she met Chedner. Nadia came in her full time care April 2014. That's when the 3 became a family although they hope to officially make her part of their family after they had been married for 5 years. They welcomed Xander to the family August 2015.