Before the earthquake:
Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere
- 95% of aid to Haiti has been reduced since the early 1990s
- 70% of Haitian people live in poverty-annual income of $400 per year
- 15% of all children in Haiti are orphaned or abandoned
- 200,000 orphaned Haitian children live in institutions (the rest are fostered, live with relatives, or are street children)
- 40% of the population is under the age of 15
- A history of an extremely high maternal mortality rate contributes to the number of orphans
- Child-headed households are becoming more common as potential guardians succumb to AIDS or other causes of death
(source UNICEF)
Haiti was a nation with a large population of orphans before the earthquake, now they are “a nation of orphans.” My daughter went to Haiti during the summer of 2008 and fell in love with the children at three different orphanages. Every natural disaster since then she has made contact with someone who is connected with the children to make sure they are okay. The orphanages where she worked were in the north, so they have been spared this disaster. However, she like many of us would like to be on the ground, doing what we can for Orphan Nation.
We send our money to the Orphan Nation (through organizations like the Red Cross and Samaritan’s Purse). We say our prayers to the Father of the fatherless…and we wait. What opportunities will present themselves in the future?Maybe one of the best things we can do is support those who will be able to go. Melissa went with a group from the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. There are other organizations like Samaritan’s Purse who have been there for decades trying to make a difference in the lives of Haitians. Whatever we do, we will not be able, from this time forward, to forget Orphan Nation.
