Three months after close collaboration between HaitiChildren and Mustard Seed Communities resulted in 59 disabled Haitian orphans being rescued from that violence-torn Caribbean nation and brought to Jamaica, a rift has developed between both entities over allegations about the care being given to the children. Based on an agreement with the Government of Jamaica, accommodation was made available for the children, many with severe illnesses, at Mustard Seed’s Jacob’s Ladder home in St Ann. However, Susan Krabacher, chief executive officer and founder of HaitiChildren, told the Jamaica Observer in an exclusive interview that she does not want to have anything to do with Mustard Seed anymore and called on the Government for assistance.
“We just need the Government to help move our children away from Mustard Seed. We would like never to have anything to do with Mustard Seed anymore. All I want is for our children to leave safely.
We’ll never bother them again. I would like the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) to give me an operational licence and we could rent a beautiful facility,” Krabacher, the orphans’ legal guardian, said. Krabacher and another member of her organisation, Sheryl Ritchie, claimed that upon arrival in Jamaica in March, HaitiChildren had to pay US$100,000 for the care of the orphans.
Krabacher said she recently told the management of Mustard Seed that they wouldn’t be getting any more money until they could give account of how .
