Population: 11 million
Life Expectancy: 65.3 years
Orphaned Children: 430,000
Secondary school attendance ratio: 36%
Children sleeping under mosquito nets: 12%
Haiti is a beautiful country with a difficult history of exploitation and suffering. Once known as the "Pearl of the Caribbean" for its rich natural resources, centuries of exploitation and natural disasters have left Haiti as the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. After the 2010 earthquake, and recent political instability, violence and soaring inflation rates, children in Haiti are in critical need. Today, only 54% of Haitian children complete primary school, and acute childhood malnutrition is on the rise.
Children in the Sou Ray Village Partnership Program live in communities about 20 miles west of Port-au-Prince. This area was the epicenter of the earthquake. Most families live in dirt-floor homes pieced together with tin, wood, and tarps. Some families still live in temporary housing provided after the 2010 earthquake. The children do chores like fetching water, washing laundry, and cooking. Typically, their parents work as craftsmen, street vendors, or day laborers. However, unemployment is high, and many parents are without jobs all together. Families speak Creole.
Since 2010, sponsors like you have partnered with our staff to run an after-school program where children are provided with daily meals, school fees, medical care, spiritual guidance, and essential hygiene and school supplies. By equipping these children for the future, we believe they will be able to overcome the obstacles that lie before them. Our hope is that, with your help, these children will grow up to create positive change in their communities and, ultimately, their nation.