Topanga residents Fiona and Bob Soukup are taking their children, Nancy, 12, and Alixson, 11, back to Haiti for the first time to meet and help their biological families who suffered great loss after the recent hurricane.
The Soukups adopted Nancy and Alixson from an orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 2008 when they were three-years old. Their birth parents had to give them up because they couldn’t take care of them.
“They don’t remember their biological families and have many unanswered questions and feelings that burden and beset them every day,” Fiona said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for them to meet their parents, brothers, sisters and extended family — and to learn about their culture, answer the many questions they have about their true identity and to have a firsthand experience of their birthplace.”
As students at Topanga’s Manzanita School and both involved with Move The World-Dance Activism, Nancy and Alixson have been running lemonade stands to raise money for people in Haiti less fortunate than themselves.
While their efforts are noble, they won’t raise enough money to make a significant difference in their Haitian families’ lives, so the Soukups have launched an online Go Fund Me campaign after so many friends and neighbors said they wanted to help.
Alixson’s birth family lives in the city, but the Soukups haven’t heard any news from them yet.
“When I was adopted, I didn’t know what my brothers and sisters or my mom looked like. I never got to see my mom smile at me or hear her sing to me,” Alixon said. “I can’t wait to see their faces and kiss and hug them. For the first time, I will be able to hear their voices and feel their skin. I will know who they really are.”
Nancy’s family lives in a rural coastal area hardest hit by the storm. They lost their livestock and all their crops, which are their entire livelihood. Her grandfather’s home was completely destroyed. The Soukups hear occasional news of the families via the Three Angels Children’s Relief, the orphanage from which Nancy and Alixson were adopted.
Nancy has this message for her biological mother: “Mom, I love you and I can’t wait to see you. I am nervous and excited to meet you. The moment I see you I will have the biggest smile on my face.”
The Soukups’ goal is to purchase breadfruit, avocado and mango trees from a nursery run by the orphanage to help Alixson and Nancy’s families recover from their losses.
When they last heard about Alixson’s mother, she was selling rice and beans on the street.
“We would like to help her find a permanent vending location, build her a simple table and shelter, and supply her with 50 pound bags of rice and beans to help her with her business,” Fiona said. “When we left Haiti eight years ago, we helped fund Alixson’s dad’s shoe repair business. We want to help him again once we know what he needs.”
Nancy and Alixson’s Haitian families both have school-age children. Education in Haiti costs around $250 per child annually.
“We’d like to set up a fund at the schools they attend for them to continue their education,” Fiona said.
There is a desperate need for clean water in Haiti, even more so since Hurricane Matthew. The Soukups want to deliver a tanker of clean water to a stricken community there.
“We have a contact in Haiti who will help us make it happen,” Fiona explained.
Their Go Fund Me campaign is a meaningful and tangible way to help Nancy and Alixson’s families and others in Haiti at this time of incredible loss and need.
“We are immensely grateful to everyone who has wished us well on our journey, and to those who are able to contribute to our fundraising efforts,” Fiona said.
For more information, contact fionasoukup@gmail.com and visit gofundme.com/our-family-reunion-in-haiti-2uape69v.
