On October 1, 2013, Enabling Minds will visit the St. Charles Borromeo School in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti to help open the first class in the community for children with developmental disabilities! This class will begin with 10-12 students with developmental disabilities. Because of a lack of resources and the great stigma associated with disabilities in Haiti, children with developmental disabilities rarely are given opportunities to go to school and participate in community activities.

This will be a great opportunity for the Santo 19 section of Croix-des-Bouquets, as it will allow a special needs curriculum to be offered to children with intellectual disabilities, and will give these children an opportunity to experience the joy of being a part of a school environment.

Enabling Minds is hoping to improve the lives of these children and help eliminate some of the prevailing cultural stigmas associated with having a developmental disability.

Enabling Minds will be hosting a fundraiser this spring to celebrate the launch of our website and help fund the 2014-2015 class for children with intellectual disabilities at the St. Charles Borromeo School in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti. Please stand by for more information about our fundraiser!

“Enabling Minds” to send first fact-finding delegation to Haiti

Philadelphia, PA, April 18, 2012 – “Enabling Minds,” a newly established group of enthusiasts whose mission is to improve the lives of the intellectually disabled in underserved countries by promoting tolerance and understanding, announced today their first mission trip to Haiti.

“Our goal is to seek sustainable solutions through medical, vocational, and emotional support, while enabling concerned volunteers and stakeholders to collaborate in empowering our targeted individuals”, said member Mary Wagner, an attorney from Philadelphia based law firm Marshall, Dennehey, Wagner, Coleman & Goggin. “In the US we strive to help these individuals by providing effective infra-structure and support. Unfortunately, in emerging countries these people fall outside the scope of most NGO’s. These circumstances leave an unfortunate shortfall that we hope to help rectify.”

Ms. Wagner will leave for Port au Prince on May 1^st with Tarik Khan, a family nurse practitioner consultant who works exclusively with the IDD population in Washington DC with Liberty Healthcare, together with Marco Barbesta, a public relations professional from the Lehigh Valley area with over a decade of experience in humanitarian projects in Haiti. Their trip’s goals are centered on investigating what’s being currently done in Haiti to support individuals with IDD and ascertaining what effective actions “Enabling Minds” could take to enhance such support.

Contact information:
Marco Barbesta
610-442-6090
mbarbest@gmail.com

www.enablingminds.org