You may be familiar with the process of choosing a Word of the Year. This year, Jamie & I have decided to select one: Hope. As 2013 unfolds, we want to be aware of our word and watch how it shows up in our lives and in our organization. Here are just some of the reasons we chose Hope.
HOPE: Providing the most basic needs for some of the poorest people in the world, every day without fail. These people depend on us for survival and we give them hope.
HOPE: The chance to receive an education gives a child HOPE for a better future.
HOPE: A mother puts her children in bed tonight without worrying about their growling tummies, she has HOPE that anything might be possible.
HOPE: A single father has HOPE that his infant daughter may be able to survive with HFFs provision of formula.
We provide hope to families who are in danger of being torn apart. We provide hope to children who have nearly nothing in this world. We provide hope to mothers who cannot meet their child’s most basic needs. We provide hope to fathers who want to do more, but don’t know how. We provide hope to grandparents who love their grandchildren enough to commit to parenting them. We provide hope to communities that see women being empowered and becoming strong. We provide hope to people of a country that needs hope in order to become better.
In 2013, we have hope that we will be able to continue this work. We have hope that our partners will continue to believe in us, and to trust us to oversee some amazing things in the lives of some amazing people.
We commit to hope this year. We will always strive to provide hope to families in Haiti in whatever way is most necessary and appropriate for them as individuals, as families, and as communities.
It is not uncommon to face challenges in our work in Haiti. Those challenges vary in size, scope, and impact. On one side of the scale, someone may arrive late to a meeting, throwing off an entire day’s work, but this happens in America too. A more major challenge may result due to severe weather or concerns over security. America has faced these challenges too, especially in recent weeks.
Our challenge in Haiti this week: a diesel fuel shortage throughout the entire country. As you can imagine, not having fuel makes it pretty difficult to travel to the different communities we serve; everything from a routine check in check-in with families enrolled in our programs to delivering supplies has been complicated. We have had to determine where we absolutely need to combine deliveries of life-sustaining items like formula.
Many of the areas where our families live are more than an hour drive from Haitian Families First’s headquarters in Port-au-Prince. One of the main towns we commute to is Saint Marc, which is almost 60 miles from the capital. The main road was paved recently, which makes the drive fairly smooth and safe, but it is still quite a drive. Traffic in the city is similar to that of any major city, and Jamie sometimes spends two-and-a-half to three hours commuting each way.
It is not always easy to understand what doing work in a third world country looks like. From fuel shortages, to inconsistent and unreliable electricity (generally electricity is given for just a few hours per day), one thing we have learned in our years of work in Haiti is to roll with the punches and take every day in stride. There’s no sense in complaining about the circumstances, we just work diligently to adapt. This week, Jamie is prioritizing, perhaps doing less, and hoping that no serious emergencies arise that prove life threatening for those in our care.
Having recently experienced significant economic challenges in establishing our Pittsburgh headquarters, the Haitian Families First organization wants to acknowledge the amazing contributions that so many of you have made toward our work in Haiti this year. We are grateful to you. We strive to do more with every dollar you give us and always work to honor the trust and faith you’ve put in us to help others. We are especially grateful this holiday season for the love of our family.
From our family to yours we wish you peace today and throughout the coming year.
Ever wonder what kind of an impact a few of your dollars could have on the lives of people living in Haiti? Well here are just a few example.
$15 = A Can of Infant Formula
This matters because… there are babies in our care in Haiti who need basic nourishment to survive! We encourage mothers who are physically able to breast feed to do so, but for those who are unable – or for infants whose mothers have died in child birth – we provide powdered formula.
$4-$10 = A Check-Up Doctor Visit
This matters because… a very basic illness can escalate to a serious one if it’s not treated quickly. This is especially true in Haiti because the system of care is not as advanced and treatment isn’t as widespread. A families’ inability to pay for a basic check-up at the first signs of sickness can lead to loss of life.
$0.50 = A tap-tap Ride to the Hospital
This matters because… though a tap-tap ride is a relatively low cost (but becomes more expensive as the distance traveled increases), many times it is just not in the budget for our families, and could keep someone from getting to the place where they can receive the medical care they need.
$9 = A Week of Tutoring
This matters because… most of the parents and caregivers of children in our education program did not have the opportunity to go to school themselves. We provide tutoring for kids who cannot receive homework help at home.
$26 = A Month Supply of pre-natal Vitamins
This matters because… healthy pregnancies encourage healthy newborns. Women who come to us before giving birth are supplied with pre-natal vitamins to ensure that their baby develops well and is born as healthy as possible.
$13 = 1 Bag of IV Fluids
This matters because… dehydration leads to greater illness. When a person is dehydrated, it can often take 2 or more bags of IV fluids for them to reach normal hydration levels during their hospital stay.
These are just a few examples of how just a few of your dollars save lives in Haiti. Are you surprised by what your American dollars can buy in Haiti? Share your thoughts in the comments below.