God's Littlest Angels
God's Littlest Angels is a Haitian orphanage located in the mountains above Petion-Ville, close to the village of Fermathe. The majority of the children brought to the orphanage are between the ages of newborn and seven years old. We also have older children, sibling groups, and children with special needs. GLA offers short term assistance to children needing a place to stay due to ill health or the death of a parent but who are not for adoption. These children will return to their biological families once their circumstances improve. Some children who cannot return to their biological families are waiting for adoptive parents.
God's Littlest Angels has ministered to the children of Haiti since 1994 and has been involved in international adoptions since 1997. GLA is involved in several children's ministries in the local community. In the year 2000, GLA implemented a school sponsorship program for children unable to attend school due to the lack of funds. Today, almost 400 children attend school sponsored by people in North America and Europe.
God's Littlest Angels is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Christian ministry incorporated in the State of Colorado. In 2000, GLA Canada was formed and is a registered Canadian Charity. In France, our association is registered as "Association aGLAé". All financial donations received in the United States and Canada will receive a tax-deductible receipt.
The Story of
God's Littlest Angels
God's Littlest Angels was founded by John and Dixie Bickel on Christmas Day, 1994, when a 1 pound 15 ounce baby was born at the local mission hospital in Fermathe. Because of her size, she was not given much of a chance for survival.
With the parents' permission, Dixie took the baby home. John put his skills to work making an incubator out of a cardboard box and a heating pad. At the time, Dixie didn't have access to IV supplies, so she kept the baby alive by feeding her with an eye dropper every two hours. Within four days, she was drinking from a doll bottle.
After four months, Angel Noël survived and went home to her parents in April of 1995. We kept in contact with Angel Noël for many years. We have not heard from her family since the earthquake of 2010 displaced so many people in Port-au-Prince, but we continue to pray that her family is still safe and well.
After Angel went back to her family, God continued to send babies in need of medical support. In November 1995, John and Dixie followed God's call to leave the mission they were working with and moved into the community to work with Haitian families and their infants.
Haiti's health care is underdeveloped and has few facilities to care for premature infants. Haiti has the highest infant mortality rate in the Western Hemisphere. Out of all the infants who die in Haiti, 60 percent die in their first year of life. There are few other programs in Haiti that focus on these newborn babies.
Doctors and clinics refer babies who are in need of intensive nursing care and nutritional support to GLA. The ministry has developed from a Child Survival Center that cares only for premature, malnourished and abandoned infants under two years old into an orphanage that facilitates adoptions for children of all ages.
Today, the orphanage is a fully functioning nursery with incubators, warming beds, and the capability to provide oxygen, intravenous fluids, and monitoring support for critically ill infants. While at the same time, we are providing full-time child care for all of the children.
Premature Intensive Care
In Haiti due to the lack of prenatal medical care, poor maternal nutrition, and the hard life that many mothers must live, many infants are born premature or with low birth weights. Most of these infants struggle to live and many die due to lack of proper medical care.
God's Littlest Angels was founded to help these infants survive that initial neonatal period where so many infants are lost due to hypothermia, weakness and inability to suck on a normal bottle, dehydration, and infection. GLA survival's rate is over 90% for all preemies admitted to the nursery. Many of these infants return home to their families.
Sponsorship
God's Littlest Angels offers three sponsor options
Adoption
If you are interested in adopting a child or children from God's Littlest Angels, please contact us to request detailed information regarding the process of adopting. For more information on adoptions please visit the God's Littlest Angels Haiti website.