Bayou Angel

Guatemalan mission trip takes Des Allemands mom on a personal crusade to help save South American orphanages and the children who call them home

Standing in a dilapidated orphanage in Guatemala, Vanessa Robichaux of Des Allemands is photographed holding a tiny infant boy named Edwin.

The baby’s story is like most who call the run-down building home.

He was found abandoned on the side of the road by his parents and was brought to the orphanage for care.

Robichaux, who last visited Guatemala in May, says listening to the story of the hardships this helpless infant has already faced was the most difficult part of her mission trip to help those who can not help themselves.

“As I held him, my heart ached,” said Robichaux. “I wish that I could have taken him home and loved him forever, but I knew that wasn’t possible.”

Last year the United States government seized adoptions with Guatemala, leaving thousands of orphans with no hope of finding a family.

Robichaux, who visited her first orphanage the South-American country last December, says that not only do these children not have families, but they are living in deplorable conditions.

The orphanage walls of Casa de Sion are painted, but bare with no stimulating decorations or photos.

The children have very few toys to play with and the ones they do have were donated.

Girls are housed on the first floor with the boys living above them on the second. All the bedrooms are dormitory style with bunk beds and old sheets and blankets.

“The toddlers sleep in a nursery, which would normally be not expected at an orphanage,” said Robichaux. “But the cribs have no mobiles, mirrors or toys.”

The kitchen is described as small, but serves it’s purpose. The staff cooks in the rear of the room and the children sit a long a table for meals and to do school work.

Robichaux says that the kitchen is in desperate need of supplies and upgrades, and points out that there are no outside areas for the older children to play.

“The courtyard of the orphanage can be compared to that of a patio in the backyard of a house,” said Robichaux. “They have no lawn to play on and no swings or other playground equipment to use as entertainment.”

Robichaux describes the daily chores that each child is required to do and the buddy system the kids are part of.

“Each of the children have chores that must be completed every morning such as making their bed or sweeping the floor,” said Robichaux. “For other children it may be helping their ‘buddy’ brush their teeth or comb their hair.”

Luckily for the children of Casa de Sion, help is on the way.

“The orphanage has secured a nice piece of land near their current location to build a new building thanks to the generous donations of a church in Virginia,” said Robichaux.

The new and improved orphanage will be able to house more children along with an education center for learning and schooling, and an acceptable yard for all the kids to play in.

And Robichaux just may play a large role in helping out, too.

“When I arrived in Guatemala, I came with 13 suitcases stuffed with over-the-counter medicine, clothes, shoes, toys and books,” said Robichaux. “And I’m trying to work out some details to help raise funds to provide the children with some playground equipment.”

Robichaux says that helping out these children is a cause close to her heart because, after all, her 2-year-old daughter Arianna was adopted from Guatemala.

“One important part of my trip was having the opportunity to introduce my daughter to her birth family,” said Robichaux.

“I was so thrilled to see her run and play with her siblings. It was a grand sight to see.”

Robichaux’s husband, Lee, and her 10-year-old son, Lee Jr., accompanied her on her May mission trip and both were shocked to see exactly how people live outside of the United States and the tourist areas of Guatemala.

“On the way to the hotel, they sat wide-eyed and shocked as we traveled through the winding mountains at the sites they saw,” said Robichaux.

Children lined the roadside selling fruits, vegetables and trinkets while others carried huge stacks of wood on their backs and lead horses and cows down the road.

“When we hit the first indigenous town, my son looked at me and asked why there were people sleeping in the dirt beside the road,” said Robichaux. “I had to explain to him that they had no money to buy a house and slept there because it’s the only place they have.”

“As I left the orphanage, my mind was full of thoughts and my heart was heavy,” said Robichaux. “I vowed that I would be back as often as I could.”

Unlike so many others, Robichaux is dedicated to improving the orphanage situation in Guatemala and is doing so by organizing fundraisers here at home.

“I’ve raised money through my church for each of the children in the Casa Hogar Feliz orphanage in San Andres,” said Robichaux. “Each child received a new pair of shoes and toys during a Christmas celebration.”

On July 19 Robichaux, with the help of Starbucks, will hold a craft sale and car wash in Houma to help raise money and gather donations for her follow up trip to Guatemala in October.

“Jeanne, the manager of the Starbucks in Houma, has launched a community drive in her store as well as in other locations,” said Robichaux. “Donations boxes are set up where people can drop off clothes, shoes, diapers, wipes, formula, soap, shampoo, toys and much more.”

These items will be shipped to the orphanage within the coming months and the proceeds from the craft show will help cover shipping costs. It costs $400 to ship each box from Louisiana to Guatemala.

“The more help the orphans can get the better,” said Robichaux. “They can be educated and grow and learn and have hope for the future. But you can’t imagine the impact these children have on your life until you’ve been there and held them and looked into their eyes.”

To make a donation, email Robichaux at vbayouangel@aol.com or call 985-758-8280.

Donations are also being accepted for Casa de Sion by the Des Allemands Mennonite Church. Make checks payable to the church and post to P.O. Box 276, Des Allemands, LA 70030 noting in the memo that it is a donation for the orphanage.