When Phillip Rego first visited Haiti it was with the idea of helping out “a bit”. Five years later, he has a charity Feed My Lambs Ministry that runs an orphanage, a school and a clinic helping hundreds of Haitian children in desperate need.

Mr Rego says he couldn’t have done it without the generosity of people in Bermuda.

He will be holding a special appreciation event at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI) next week. All who have helped Feed My Lambs are invited to attend.

“The funds that come into Feed My Lambs are generally from the average people of Bermuda,” he said. “It might be a family who have decided not to take a vacation this year, or a lady who took a few dollars out of her pension check for us, or a company.”

He called the last half a decade “an interesting journey”.

“Five years ago, when I entered Haiti I was overwhelmed with the need I saw,” he said.

He was amazed by how so many of the Haitian children he met through his ministry work still managed to find joy in small things, despite living in desperate poverty.

“They still had a smile even though they had absolutely zero,” said Mr Rego. “It really spun me around. I travel to many places around the world, but there was something about the Haitian kids that stole my heart.”

Today there are 50 kids in the Feed My Lambs orphanage which is located on its own property in Montrouis, Haiti. Many of the children have been abandoned or orphaned. Many of them were impacted by the 2010 earthquake. The orphanage led to a school now teaching more than 500 students, and also a clinic.

“I have a big heart and I try to reach out to kids who absolutely have zero,” said Mr Rego. “I have difficulty turning my back upon these kids. They are here every day all day.”

Mr Rego said he felt like God had been with him every step of the way.

When he first started a school he rented what was essentially a rickety horse barn. The rent was $2,500 a year and there was no water or electricity.

“I prayed and said Lord how am I supposed to do this,” he said. “I felt like I was faced with a mountain with a wall in front of it. Before I knew it, there was a little girl in Bermuda, Aliana King. She had a school project and raised around $17,500. That got me started. The property where the orphanage was cost $25,000 to purchase.”

In the end, they bought a different property, and more miracles followed. A company, that wanted to remain anonymous, made a sizeable donation that allowed them to build a school on their new property.

They needed toilets and an individual in Bermuda put up the money for that; they needed doors and a Bermuda church raised the money.

“God gave me exactly what I needed at the right time,” Mr Rego said.

Over the years numerous companies and individuals in Bermuda have come forward with financial assistance.

“I really feel this is not my dream; this is a Haitian dream,” Mr Rego said. “I just listen to the Haitian people and try to talk with people and share this. God refines the plan. God takes things to a different level. When I started I had no clue I would have 50 kids in the orphanage.”

Today the Feed My Lambs Ministry facility in Haiti is considered a beacon in the area, and the school is rated very highly. Mr Rego’s dream now is to add a library that can be used as a resource not just for the school but the entire surrounding community.

“We have the infrastructure in,” he said. “Now want to spread our wings.”

Mr Rego said he was sorry that he often never gets to see the faces of the people who send him cheques or make deposits into the Feed My Lambs Ministry bank account. That is why he decided to hold a special meeting to celebrate the charity’s fifth anniversary and thank people for their support.

“I wanted to take this opportunity to thank Bermuda,” he said. “Of all the money that has been collected I would say, 98 percent of it came from Bermuda. It is impersonal to say thank you in an article. I would like to touch the hand of those who have helped and say thank you from my heart. Many of the children we help never dreamed they would one day have a bed of their own to sleep in. Our kids now walk with a sense of pride, knowing they have their own school.”

The appreciation event will be on November 14, at the BUEI from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. Mr Rego will speak at 6.15pm. RSVP to regolinda@yahoo.com or call Lynda Adderley at 536-3613. For more information see the website www.feedmylambsministry.org.