We are grateful for the opportunity to thank you for helping us make 2013 a special year for Haitian Families First!
In 2013 we directly impacted the lives of over 100 children through one or more of our three core programs: Nutrition, Education, and Health & Wellness. 60 of those children are enrolled in school, some of them for the very first time.
Of the 92 children enrolled in HFF programming in December—all of whom were at high risk of being sent to large privatized institutions—we were able to ensure that 76% remain securely in their home with one or both of their biological parents! An additional 23% are living with extended family.
However, Haiti remains a dangerous place for the family unit. With 30,000 children and teens living in deplorable conditions in large privatized institutions known as orphanages, we must continue to raise awareness and seek support.
The Haitian government, with help from USAID and UNICEF, estimates that more than 24,000 of these 30,000 children have at least one living parent. Yet children are institutionalized every day not because their parents want to give them up, but because they feel there is no other option.
As we move forward this year, our primary goal remains to keep families together and help them thrive.
We work with families to help them through a crisis situation and to reach a point of self-sustainability. This can be a long process, but we are committed to each individual who is part of our HFF family. Our message is spreading in the seven communities we serve.
Families currently enrolled in HFF programs are living examples and beacons of hope to their struggling neighbors. When families remain together, there is a ripple effect of potential that seems attainable – causing an ever-growing list of families interested in receiving the services provided by HFF.
We sincerely thank you for your support. Please continue to raise awareness for our cause in your community.
I had my baby when I was 18. Jamie helped me with him since he was 2 and a half months. I’m so happy I’m here with the baby, he now is 2 years old. I am in the program now too, I attend school, I love school. I thought when I had the baby that I would never have the chance to go to school. Thanks to HFF I am back in school in my seventh year.
- Lovelie, mom to Stevenski
I love my mom! If I didn’t live with my mom I would live in a house where I have to cook and clean. And they don’t eat rice or fruit, only bread.
- Kervens, right, pictured with sister Gloria
This time of year, we reflect on the love we have for each of the moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents, godparents, cousins, brothers, sisters, and loved ones we have had the pleasure of knowing and working with in Haiti for the last 11 years.
Our love for them, and for the country of Haiti, is what drives us every day.
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Why would a father abandon his malnourished child at a hospital, unable to pay for care and in hopes that someone who can help will find her?
Love.
Why would a mom skip a meal every day, ensuring that her little ones have enough to eat?
Love.
Why would a parent choose to allow their child to live with a distant family member in a far away city where they will have the opportunity to go to school?
Love.
Why would a teenage girl miss a week of school to care for her baby brother after losing their parents months before?
Love.
Why would a grandparent give up their life to raise their grandchild?
Love.
Why would a community come together to care for one another in whatever way possible, even in the hardest of times?
Love.
Often, these ways can be heartbreaking and seemingly unfair.
Parents must make tough decisions that none of us will ever have to face, and they do so out of love.
I am often asked how the women in HFF programs feel about birth control.
Many people are under the impression that women in Haiti do not take the proper precautions to avoid unwanted pregnancy. The truth is that most often these women don’t know they have options or where to turn.
It is an unfortunate truth that many women in Haiti do not have access to basic medical care. A doctor visit may be a day trip away, and can cost as much as a weeks worth of earned wages.
They do not have the luxury of seeing a doctor regularly for check ups, and wellness exams.
One of the first questions that we ask a woman who comes to us in desperate need is what her ‘family planning’ plan looks like.
Most women are excited to learn that there is an option to receive a shot that can prevent pregnancy for up to 3 months, and an implant that works for 5 years.
Some women are afraid of these methods, they have heard horror stories of medical procedures gone wrong, or have even been taught that birth control is not ‘good’.
When a woman chooses to receive the shot, we help her to coordinate her doctor visits around her busy schedule—working in the fields or in the market, getting her children off to school and picking them up—and to plan her mode of transportation to be sure that she makes it to each appointment.
An HFF employee follows up with each woman regularly to be sure that she is feeling healthy, and confident in her decision.
We work hard to make sure that each mother is comfortable with the decisions that she is making to take the best care of her family possible.