AT 80 YEARS OLD, ELEANOR WORKMAN IS STILL FEEDING, HOUSING AND TEACHING HUNDREDS OF ORPHANS IN HAITI.
Childhood is supposed to be a carefree, idyllic time, a time of making happy memories to cherish and remember throughout life. Not so for the children of Haiti, where most youngsters, even 4- and 5-year-olds, can be found carrying water jugs on their heads, baby-sitting, running errands or cleaning house. Statistics show that in this, the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, about half the children die before age 5 because of starvation, malnutrition or exposure to disease and inclement weather. Many are abandoned by their parents or orphaned and left to roam the streets, begging for food.
But amid the destitution, political upheaval, voodoo worship and witchcraft that hangs like a heavy, dark cloud over this small island in the West Indies, there is an angel by the name of Eleanor “Mom” Workman who relies on the power of God to save–both physically and spiritually–as many of Haiti’s children as possible.