Gertrude Bein-Aime
Instead of transferring to a convent in California after already serving for five years with Sisters of Charity, Gertrude Bien-Aime decided she wanted to stay in Haiti to continue to help the people of her country.
At that time, there was a woman named Ruth Zimmerman who also wanted to open an orphanage in Haiti for handicapped children. So, Gertrude stayed in her home country to help Ruth, and thus, the Notre Maison Orphanage was created in 1993. Notre Maison, translated from the French, means “Our Home.” This was just what Gertrude sought to do—create a home for the children—and it became the mission of the orphanage.
The children, many of whom she knew would be life-long residents, needed a home. Not an institution to help raise them, but Voa home in which the children would feel secure, safe, and, most importantly, loved. Notre Maison became a home filled with love and caring for the special needs of the disabled children.
Over the years, many of the children were found in the abandoned rooms of the hospitals in Port-au-Prince. The children suffered from various disabilities which made it difficult, if not impossible, for their impoverished families to care for the children at home.
The year 2007 brought several changes for Notre Maison. Gertrude found property just outside Port-au-Prince and moved all the children from the Delmas location to where they are now. After a major flood left many families homeless, Gertrude began rescuing families weekly with her additional space on the new property. However, when the parents left, the children stayed behind, abandoned. By Haitian law, the handicapped children must be a different organization from those children without a handicap. Thus, St. Joseph’s Home for Street Children began in 2007 as more and more children were abandoned following the flood. Many of these children are able to attend the neighborhood school through funding from the orphanage.
Gertrude, beyond her commitment to the children, also serves as hostess to outreach teams needing a place to stay in Haiti. Prior to 2010, she hosted teams at Providence Guest House which was destroyed in the earthquake. Now, guests stay at the upper level of the orphanage allowing them to spend more time with the children. With all the workers, children, and a house full of volunteers, Gertrude can serve up to 90 people daily.
Instead of transferring to a convent in California after already serving for five years with Sisters of Charity, Gertrude Bien-Aime decided she wanted to stay in Haiti to continue to help the people of her country.
At that time, there was a woman named Ruth Zimmerman who also wanted to open an orphanage in Haiti for handicapped children. So, Gertrude stayed in her home country to help Ruth, and thus, the Notre Maison Orphanage was created in 1993. Notre Maison, translated from the French, means “Our Home.” This was just what Gertrude sought to do—create a home for the children—and it became the mission of the orphanage.
The children, many of whom she knew would be life-long residents, needed a home. Not an institution to help raise them, but Voa home in which the children would feel secure, safe, and, most importantly, loved. Notre Maison became a home filled with love and caring for the special needs of the disabled children.
Over the years, many of the children were found in the abandoned rooms of the hospitals in Port-au-Prince. The children suffered from various disabilities which made it difficult, if not impossible, for their impoverished families to care for the children at home.
The year 2007 brought several changes for Notre Maison. Gertrude found property just outside Port-au-Prince and moved all the children from the Delmas location to where they are now. After a major flood left many families homeless, Gertrude began rescuing families weekly with her additional space on the new property. However, when the parents left, the children stayed behind, abandoned. By Haitian law, the handicapped children must be a different organization from those children without a handicap. Thus, St. Joseph’s Home for Street Children began in 2007 as more and more children were abandoned following the flood. Many of these children are able to attend the neighborhood school through funding from the orphanage.
Gertrude, beyond her commitment to the children, also serves as hostess to outreach teams needing a place to stay in Haiti. Prior to 2010, she hosted teams at Providence Guest House which was destroyed in the earthquake. Now, guests stay at the upper level of the orphanage allowing them to spend more time with the children. With all the workers, children, and a house full of volunteers, Gertrude can serve up to 90 people daily.