Taylor Westbrook is a missionary from The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas. Taylor moved to Haiti in 2017 to work with the special needs community. He serves with Respire Haiti in Gressier, overseeing the daily operations of the special education program, which includes 2 special education classrooms, Zanmi Pou Lavi (Friends for Life), and The Bridge.
Respire Haiti currently has 20 students in the special education classrooms and 3 more students who have transitioned full-time into the general education classrooms. In 2023, Respire Haiti introduced our life skills program, The Bridge, which helps students transition into meaningful roles that contribute to their personal lives and their community.
Taylor assists the teachers with student objectives, lesson plans, and student progression. Taylor is also the director of Zanmi Pou Lavi, the peer-to-peer friendship program designed to create lasting mutual friendships for people with and without disabilities. Zanmi Pou Lavi currently has 12 special education students, 15 peers, 1 Haitian program manager, and 1 Haitian assistant.
Future dreams for the special needs program include adding additional students into the classrooms and increasing participation in Zanmi Pou Lavi; both currently have waiting lists.