Starthrower Foundation gets backing from Knox United Church

September 20, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Bill Rea
Starthrower Foundation founder Sharon Gaskell was at Knox United Church in Caledon village recently to accept a cheque from Cindy Johnston, on behalf of the congregation.
The cheque was for $3,550, which Johnston said was raised during Lent.
Starthrower Foundation aims to help send youngsters in Haiti to school, and these efforts are primarily aimed at three young people to help them stay in school.
Daiska Julmus, 14, lost both her parent when she was a baby. She has no siblings and lives with a cousin who uses her as a baby sitter. It is a common situation for orphans, who are seen as a source of free labour.
Castho Dorvil, 16, is also an orphan with no siblings. He lives with an aunt and five others in a one-room shack, where he sleeps on the floor. The shack has no water, kitchen or toilet facilities, and the roof leaks when it rains.
Gertride Souffrant, 15, is an orphan too, with five siblings who are separated and scattered. She had been living with an aunt, but she died of cholera. She is now one of seven people living in a shack rented by a cousin. There is no bed in the shack.
“It’s a country of orphans,” Gaskell said, pointing out these young people have no role models.
She added they were yong adults who were falling through the cracks.