A LOCAL couple who sponsor a child in earthquake-hit Haiti are praying for her safety.

The Rev. Paul Chesworth (pictured) and his wife, Liz, have sponsored six-year-old Carline Vincey for two years through Christian organisation Compassion UK. They are still waiting for news of the girl, who lives with her parents and brother.

‘All we can do is wait until we hear from Compassion,’ said Mrs Chesworth. ‘[Carline] lives north of Port-au-Prince and we are hoping and praying she is OK. The problems in the capital have impacted on the whole country and a member of her family could have been there because people often go there looking for work.’

The couple decided to sponsor a child in Haiti after they heard about the terrible poverty.

‘We learnt that there was slavery. Not the slavery that you and I automatically think of, but very poor families send one of their children to work at the home of a family that is more well off in the hope that the child will get an education. But often they don’t and instead are treated very poorly.’

She said sponsorship was a way to ensure some got an education.

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