SILVERDALE — Children of the Nations has launched its first Village Partnership Program in Haiti, in the community of Bellevue.

Children of the Nations leaders said in a press release that the partnership follows “years of praying for direction and building partnerships with local communities.”

Children of the Nations has hired two Haitian staff members and formed an all-Haitian board of directors in that country. The staff and board selected the community of Bellevue, an area just outside of Port-au-Prince, which was near the epicenter of the January 2010 earthquake.

Children of the Nations  will sponsor 75 children younger than 8 to attend a nearby Christian school and an after-school program led by staff members. The after-school program will include tutoring, Bible lessons, games and nutritious meals, according to the organization.

COTN-Haiti’s future plans include building a school in Bellevue to better meet local education needs.

According to the organization, Bellevue has shown “an extreme need for education, basic nutrition, and spiritual leadership,” and is ready and willing to partner with Children of the Nations, working alongside staff members to bring about transformation in those areas.

A Bellevue community leader publicly recognized Children of the Nations as an organization that works differently than most NGOs already in the country, “working with us, not around us,” he said.

Children of the Nations (www.cotni.org) is a nonprofit organization serving in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.