frequently asked questions
GETTING INVOLVED:
First of all - thanks! The biggest way you can help is by giving financially to help cover the cost of our programs and our staff’s salaries. But there are other ways you can bless our organization as well - by sewing for us, hosting a fundraiser, purchasing things from our needs list… check out our Get Involved page for more information!
We have fantastic Haitian staff that are doing a great job of helping parents care for their children during their time with us, so we prefer to keep our volunteer opportunities project-based. That being said, we have openings for teams once a month. As well as 2 weeks in the summer that individuals can come and help out. If you’re interested in volunteering, email volunteer@middleground.org for more information.
We love to have people come and offer their professional skills at our center, working alongside our Haitian staff. If you’re interested, start a conversation with us!
Visitors are our favorite, and we love showing people around the center and telling our story. Message us and we’ll set something up!
We do! We try to buy as much as possible in-country, but sometimes things are either unavailable or too expensive to buy here. We have a wishlist for ongoing needed items on Amazon, if you would like to donate from this list, it’s always very much appreciated! You can have these items shipped to our warehouse address: 5365 270th Avenue, Granite Falls, MN 56241-1432
THE MONEY STUFF:
We are a registered non-profit organization in the U.S. Our Tax ID number is: 82-3634152.
We have approval from the government to run our organization in Haiti. The official registration documentation is being processed, but as this can take several months - or even years - to receive, we are currently operating with specific permission from the agencies while they finish the process.
We aren’t… yet. But we’re working on it!
Middle Ground is able to provide a U.S. tax receipt for donations of any amount.
For more information contact: donations@middlegroundhaiti.org
You can check out our financial page here. If what you’re looking for isn’t on that page, you can contact us for more information.
For 2018, we have allocated 2% of our annual project budget towards fundraising. The majority of our marketing and communications services are donated, which allows us to keep our costs for this so low.
To change your personal info, you can contact our Communications Coordinator at info@middlegroundhaiti.org
To support a specific person on our staff, click on the $ icon in their bio on our staff page.
If you prefer to donate via check, please make them out to Espwa Berlancia. We haven't been able to switch over our bank account yet to "Middle Ground", as our Executive Director will need to travel to the United States to do so.
You can send the checks to:
Po Box 16803
Alexandria, VA 22302
WORKING IN HAITI:
Middle Ground primarily treats malnutrition because it is a main symptom of the overwhelming poverty that many families in Haiti face. Children facing malnutrition don’t have the luxury of waiting for a long-term solution to their family's struggles, so we are here to meet that immediate need. For more information on the need for malnutrition clinics in Haiti, click here.
We do not do orphan care at Middle Ground. For more information as to why, check out the next question.
One of the values and missions here at Middle Ground is family preservation. We believe that children should be raised by the families that love them and gave them life. However, every situation is different and sometimes it is not safe or possible for a child to grow up with their biological family. If this is the case for any of our patients, we work together with Haitian social services (IBESR) to try to find a member of their extended family or a foster family in Haiti so that the child can be raised within the culture they were born into. As a last resort, we will turn to group homes to place children. We do our best to keep children out of institutionalized settings whenever possible.
Middle Ground is an organization motivated by the love of Christ and founded on the values of Christianity. To read more about what we believe, check out our Statement of Faith.
We love partnering with like-minded organizations in Haiti. We often have children referred to us by other organizations, and will refer children to organizations best suited for their care if we cannot provide it ourselves. We also have several organizations that partner with us for the programs we offer - Espere Counselling, Harvest107, Caris, and Chances 4 Children are just a few of our partners here on the ground.
We’re glad you asked! We are an organization of dreamers and are always thinking of ways we can expand our programs to work towards our vision: a country where every child can thrive at home with their family. For now, we’re planning a move to our new facility - where we hope to stay for the next number of years. Long-term, we’re dreaming up the construction of compound that will be customized to be the perfect place for our organization. Stay tuned...
