«A refuge, a hope, a future»
Joy of Living Orphanage
The founders of the Joy of Living Orphanage are two women from Quebec, Canada: Angèle Drisdelle and Sylvie Mathieu.
The orphanage was founded with the goal of providing a better life expectancy for children in need; children who are orphaned, living with AIDS or HIV, or simply living in very poor conditions and in need of a better life. Many of the children living at the orphanage suffer from different conditions: cerebral palsy, epilepsy, heart problems, osteogenesis imperfecta, rickets, and/or HIV.
The Joy of Living orphanage, now situated on its brand-new land in Arcahaie, hosts 22 children from 1 to 23 years old. Presentely, 9 boys and 13 girls call the orphanage home.
Sylvie and Angèle offer these young people a chance to receive the medication they need, a healthy and balanced diet, appropriate schooling and an adequate education.
At the orphanage, the young ones develop their self-esteem and learn to trust God in their day-to-day lives, therefore discovering that He will always be there for them.
Each one of the children has had a very rough life, but at the orphanage, many find a real home for the first time, an emotional and material stability and a chance at a decent life.