Ever since she was young girl growing up in Haiti, Murielle’s dream was to become a mother. Having been separated from her own mother at a young age, she longed to have a baby she could love and protect.
Murielle was overjoyed when she became pregnant shortly after marrying her boyfriend. “I was so excited,” she says. “I felt my dream was finally coming true.”
But Murielle and her husband couldn’t afford prenatal care, so she never had the regular checkups that help ensure a safe pregnancy. Just a few short months later, Murielle was devastated when her precious baby died in the womb. “I felt ruined by the loss of my baby. We had no idea what happened. I was broken,” says Murielle.
A year later, Murielle and her husband were hit with another crushing blow when they lost a second child. In Haiti, women who suffer miscarriages are often rejected by their community, as many people still believe it is a sign of God’s punishment. Murielle felt like a failure and she worried that her family would abandon her.
A short time later, Murielle became pregnant for a third time. This time the excitement and hope was replaced by fear. “I was sure the same thing would happen again,” she says. “Then I heard about Compassion’s Survival Program, and things began to change.”
An Answered Prayer
When Murielle joined the Survival Program at her local church, staff members immediately scheduled a doctor appointment to evaluate the health of both mother and baby. Tests revealed malnutrition and a medical condition that threatened the growth of the baby. The Survival Program provided Murielle access to treatment and gave her supplemental food packages and vitamins to overcome malnutrition. Murielle quickly improved, and soon she and the baby were out of danger.
Murielle gave birth to a healthy baby boy, who she named Kelly. Child development specialists regularly visited them at home to make sure they were doing well and that Kelly was gaining weight and hitting his development milestones. “It made such a difference to have that support after Kelly was born,” says Murielle.
Now Kelly is a happy, healthy 3-year-old and Murielle and her husband have great ambitions for their son. “Our dream is that he will be like Samuel from the Bible. I hope he will use his life to serve God.”
Thank you for supporting mothers like Murielle, who are doing the most important job in the most challenging circumstances. You make it possible for them to raise happy, healthy children in Jesus’ name.