Audio Adrenaline’s Hands and Feet Project Builds Hope for Haitian Orphans

When I hear the phrase, “Haitian orphanage,” my mind immediately envisions the scenes I witnessed in Haitian orphanages I’ve visited: malnourished children, many of them disabled, struggling to live and hopeful of being adopted by a family from another country.

The Hands and Feet Project’s orphanage is nothing like that. Founded in 2004 by the members of the Christian Rock band, Audio Adrenaline, this orphanage isn’t an orphanage at all in the traditional sense. Rather, it’s a “children’s village,” a permanent home in which orphaned children grow up in a caring, loving Christian environment and are provided with healthy food (a rarity in many parts of Haiti) and a good education.

According to Chris Cotton, director of the HAF Project, the goal is not to Americanize the children, but to “try to give them as normal a Haitian upbringing as we can.” Once grown, the children will go out into the world as “educated, Christian adult Haitians who are empowered to try to help their country.”

Audio Adrenaline’s Mission Focus
The guys from Audio Adrenaline have always been mission-focused, says Chris. “They’ve talked about missions from the stage for the past 15 years. Two or three years ago, they asked themselves: ‘We keep preaching this stuff, but what are we doing about it?’”

Like many music groups, they decided to form a non-profit organization through which they could make a difference in the world. Lead singer Mark Stuart’s parents, Drex & Jo Stuart, were missionaries in Haiti during Mark’s college years and he lived with them in Haiti during the summer. A couple of years ago, when Mark’s parents were getting ready to retire from their church, the guys from the band took to heart the Biblical mandate to “look after orphans” (James 1:27) and founded the Hands and Feet Project.

The Hands and Feet Project’s Goals
Their goal is to construct a 12-building village that will include small, Haitian-style houses in which 8-10 children and a Haitian nanny live (the nanny will function much like an adoptive mother to the children). They’ve already finished the first large multi-purpose building, which includes dormitories for visiting groups, an apartment for Drex and Jo Stuart (who live there full time), and rooms for the seven children who already live there.

Cyvadier, the town in which the children’s village is located, is in south Haiti, a few miles east of the coastal resort city of Jacmel. The village is only a few blocks from the beach, which is a huge blessing for the members of short-term mission teams, who can take a dip in the biggest bathtub on earth after working all day in the sweltering tropical heat.

About 12 groups from the United States and Canada have visited the site during the past year to help with construction. In addition, team members have many opportunities to interact with the locals and to play with the kids who live at the orphanage.

Usually, groups from churches or a community make the trip. “Our focus is on high school (age) and young adults, but we welcome people of all ages,” says Chris. At this point, they aren’t equipped to handle individuals who want to visit; Chris suggests that interested individuals contact their church’s missions committee to get a group together.

Because the HAF Project is located in Haiti, which is just 500 miles off the southern coast of Florida (Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic), it’s convenient for groups from the U.S. to participate in the project. While the political turmoil that constantly swirls around Haiti makes some uneasy about traveling there, Chris remarks that he’s never felt unsafe in Cyvadier. He likens traveling to Haiti to traveling to a large city such as Los Angeles, where there are neighborhoods one should avoid.

When In Haiti, Remain Flexible
Currently, seven children live at the HAF Project village. “Our original intent is to take true orphans up to six years old whose birth parents have died,” says Chris. But, the staff realizes that, in Haiti, the unexpected is always bound to happen. Two of the children who live in the village are a brother and sister, ages 3 and 6, who were dropped off at their door.

“It’s common that we get a knock on our gate, and there’ll be somebody with a kid or two, saying, ‘This is my niece and nephew; their mom died in childbirth, we don’t know where there father is and we can’t take care of them.’”

The staff members meet starving women on the streets who are trying to give their children away. One day, Jo and Drex found a dying baby in a ditch. “He had severe birth defects, which is probably why his parents threw him in the ditch,” relates Chris. Jo and Drex took the baby to the hospital, and then to a local cloister of nuns whose sole purpose is to care for dying children. The baby lived for two weeks under the care of the nuns.

The children who live at the HAF Project village attend a Christian school nearby. Founded by a missionary who started the school with a handful of children meeting in her home, the school now serves 800 children.

While medical care in Haiti is sporadic at best, there is a clinic in town where the children can get inoculations, and a friend who’s a Physician’s Assistant stops by once or twice a week. In addition, a Canadian neighbor down the street specializes in bringing doctors from the U.S. and Canada to work in clinics throughout Haiti.

Audio Adrenaline’s New Book
To further publicize the Hands and Feet Project, Regal Publishing is releasing Audio Adrenaline’s book, Hands and Feet: Inspiring Stories and Firsthand Accounts of God Changing Lives. “It’s a travelogue-style journal with a missions/social justice focus that gives a firsthand account of Mark’s, Will’s and my experiences in Haiti,” says Chris. A study guide accompanies the book, which will be released September 1.

Audio Adrenaline to Disband After 16 Years of Ministry
The members of Audio Adrenaline will soon have more time to devote to the HAF Project; they are disbanding in late November, at the conclusion of their concert tour. Their final album, Adios: Greatest Hits, was released today.

“Mark’s voice is almost completely gone, even in day-to-day conversation,” says Chris. “If he doesn’t stop singing, the damage to his vocal chords is going to be permanent.”

“Audio Adrenaline has had 16 years of an amazing ministry,” continues Chris. “It’s not coming to an end; it’s just changing.” Every member of the band plans to continue his affiliation with the HAF Project.

While the band raises funds for the project during their concerts, the scale of the project is “huge,” says Chris. “We’re in this for the long haul. If a Haitian baby comes to us, we’re taking care of her for next 20 years.”

While financial help from Audio Adrenaline helped get the project rolling and continues to be a major source of funding, Chris hopes that many people will commit to helping.

How You Can Get Involved
“Praying is the first thing people can do,” says Chris. “Pray every day; pray every minute if you can manage it. He suggests that people for the project, for those who are trying to make it work, for Jo and Drex Stuart, and for the groups who visit.

“We always need financial help,” adds Chris. He suggests that people who want to donate money can make a tax-deductible gift via the form on the Hands and Feet Project web site.

Finally, they welcome groups who want to go to Haiti and help construct buildings for the project. Groups can note their interest via the Web site or by contacting Chris directly.

©2006 by Laura Christianson

For more news and information about adoption, please visit my Web site, www.laurachristianson.com.