Be Like Brit calls those who visit Brit’s Home in Haiti “Britsionarys”. Our Britsionary program was created to provide an opportunity for volunteers to gain a better understanding of global partnerships and cultures. Short-term Britsionary groups take a one week service trip to the Brit’s Home in Haiti, to help with youth and community outreach projects and immerse themselves in the beautiful Haitian culture.
Our competitive long term Britsionary Program gives an individual the opportunity to stay at Brit’s Home for an extended amount of time. This Program has a separate application and needs to be pre-approved before coming to Brit’s Home.
If you are a Medical Professional, we have an 1150 sq. ft. clinic on site where you will have the opportunity to provide medical care to our children, staff and possibly the community.
Here at the Operation Center, or as we call it the ‘OC’ in Worcester, we have many different volunteer opportunities. Whether you’re looking for ways to volunteer as a family, work/ school group or individually we have many opportunities for people of all ages to help.
Many Haitians live in tents and temporary shelters since the devastating 2010 earthquake. Often entire families will live in these small, 1-room shelters and are extremely vulnerable to hurricanes, earthquakes, rain, wind, mudslides and theft. Groups may build a new wooden home for a family in need or will help fix homes that they currently live in.
At the end of the week, the group will join the family for a blessing of the house and celebrate as they move into their new home!
Once you apply and are approved, you can begin the process of fundraising to help support your trip. We will provide you with your own personal fundraising website to help you get started. Britsionarys are encouraged to put together creative fundraisers to help them raise the necessary funds to make their trip to Haiti. Some ideas include auctions, t-shirts,...
In order to volunteer at Brit’s Home, we must run your SORI (sex offender) and criminal background check. We are required to run these checks on anyone that will have direct contact with children. BLB reserves the right to deny Britsionarys from coming on a trip based on the results of these checks.
Please be aware that the charge for background checks is separate from the total cost of your trip and your card will be charged anywhere between $19-$100, depending on the counties you have lived in, and name aliases. If the total amount is greater than $100, we will email you to let you know. The total amount may appear on your credit card as separate charges, due to the collection of certain court fees.
We are currently accepting applications. Please see specific dates on the application by clicking the “APPLY NOW” button above.
Thank you for your interest in becoming a long-term Britsionary in Haiti! What does it mean to be a “Britsionary”? Being a Britsionary means different things to everyone, but in essence it means you are continuing the compassion of Britney Gengel, by keeping her spirit alive and helping the children of Haiti.
Long-term Britsionarys must commit to at least 1 month and must present a project to work on during their stay. Each project will be evaluated at the 30 day mark for accountability in order for the Britsionary to continue their volunteer efforts at Brit’s Home.
Please reach out, even if your position is not listed.
All applicants are required to meet the minimum requirements listed for each position and send the following information to our Program Director for review:
Fall (September – December) application deadline is August 1st
Spring (January – May) application deadline is November 1st
Summer (June – August) application deadline is March 1st
All applications will be reviewed shortly after the application deadline for the respective service dates. Short-listed candidates will be contacted for a Skype interview with our program director in Haiti.
Please note that incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
Our goal is to send 1-2 medical Britsionarys to accompany each group that travels to Haiti throughout the year! Professionals will have the opportunity to provide medical care in the Be Like Brit Medical Clinic, ensuring the health and safety of our volunteer groups, as well as working alongside our existing clinic staff to meet the needs of our children, too!
All of the children who live at Brit’s Home are seen on a monthly basis. Child wellness exams are imperative in maintaining the health of our 66 children, and our medical Britsionarys are key in this role! All exams should be documented in our standard records keeping files, as well as our electronic medical records database!
Child wellness exams include much of your standard pediatric examination information: vital signs, growth charts for both height and weight, comprehensive skin assessments and more. As a health care professional, you will help us be sure the children are receiving regular medications as prescribed and daily multi-vitamins as a standard practice. You will help us to inspect the facility to be sure that all areas of operation at Brit’s Home are in complience with our mission of “Sustaining a safe, nurturing home” where our children can thrive!
You may also have the opportunity to work in one or more community clinics in the Grand Goâve area. We have wonderful working relationships with several other organizations, and sharing our medical resources with each other is a part of our commitment to giving back!
(Monday-Friday)
7-8am: Breakfast
8am-12pm: Work at public medical clinic or work at BLB clinic
12-1pm: Lunch
1-3pm: Wellness checks for BLB children and staff
3-5pm: Excursion with the Britsionary group and/or afternoon activities with the children
6-7pm: Dinner
7-8pm: Free time with the children
8-10pm: Relax and Reflect on the days activities
We are currently accepting applications. Please see specific dates on the application by clicking the "Apply Now" button above.
6 Night Trip Total Cost: $1,100 per person
Total cost includes food, lodging (at Brit's Home), in country transportation, interpreter services and travel insurance.
Nonrefundable payment due dates:
$100 - Upon Application Approval
$700 – 12 weeks prior to trip
$300 – 4 weeks prior to trip
All payments are nonrefundable.
In order to volunteer at Brit’s Home, we must run your SORI (sex offender) and criminal background check. We are required to run these checks on anyone who will have direct contact with children. BLB reserves the right to deny Britsionarys from coming on a trip based on the results of these checks. Please be aware that the charge for background checks is separate from the total cost of your trip and your credit card will be charged between $19-$100, depending on the number of residences you have lived in, and name aliases. If the total amount is greater than $100, we will email you to let you know. The total amount may appear on your credit card as separate charges, due to the collection of certain court fees.
Once you apply and are approved, you can begin the process of fundraising to help support your trip. We will provide you with your personal fundraising website to help you get started. Britsionarys are encouraged to put together creative fundraisers to help them raise the necessary funds to make their trip to Haiti. Some ideas include auctions, t-shirts, dinner parties and yard sales. All of the money you raise will go towards your total deposit, and any additional funds will be donated to Be Like Brit.
You will be living on-site at Brit's Home in Grand-Goâve, Haiti, a rural, mountainous region about two hours west of the capital city, Port-au-Prince. You will be housed in a shared room with another volunteer. Bunk beds or single beds are provided. Showers are cold water. Internet access is limited and not always available.
Variety is limited in Haiti. The diet is carbohydrate-heavy. Breakfast consists usually of bagels with peanut butter/jelly/butter options. Fresh fruit is often available (mangoes, bananas, pineapple). Coffee and tea are available.
Rice is a staple in the diet and volunteers can expect to be served rice at least once per day. Fried chicken, pastas, and potatoes are the norm for lunch and dinner. We do import some food products from the U.S. for our volunteers, but please note that we are not able to accommodate special dietary restrictions.
Fresh fruit juices and purified drinking water are available. Long-term Britsionarys are encouraged to bring powder mixes (Propel, Crystal Light, etc.) to add to their water bottles as they wish.
This really depends on a few things: The month in which your service trip is scheduled is the primary factor in determining access to the children. The children are in school from September through mid June. During Summer months will have more time available with the children. School months will be less. An existing schedule for the children exists, and it is a very full schedule. Long-term Britsionarys must be willing to work and help out beyond the scope of their proposed project.
The short answer is no. Security concerns in Haiti are very real. The area of Grand Goâve is rural, and there are not many options available for visitors to explore outside of the orphanage. Travel to other parts of Haiti is not permitted, as all volunteers must adhere to our security protocols. Protocols restrict visitors from leaving the Be Like Brit property at any time by themselves. Any outings off-site will be coordinated by Be Like Brit and will include a driver and security personnel to ensure the safety of our guests.
66 Pullman Street, Worcester, MA, 01606
33 Brit's Way, Grand Goave, Haiti
