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
As our relationships with clinics and hospitals on the ground in Haiti grow, so does the number of families we are able to reach.
In fact, the need for basic medical care in Haiti is so great that we usually have a waiting list! Medical care is such a big part of how HFF is able to keep families together. I think we all know how important it is to keep healthy and this will be a big focus for us in 2014.
Check out what we’re doing.
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While it is true that children often come to HFF at a crisis point—severely malnourished, suffering from sickness or disease—we work hard to continue to provide basic support to keep each child healthy even after holding their hands through the crisis period.
One simple way we are able to help make a child’s life better?
Yes, vitamins! With a basic diet that often lacks a daily supply of all the recommended vitamins and nutrients, a daily vitamin supplement is key for a child in Haiti.
Our friend Dr. Dan Lattanzi is a local Pittsburgher who built a medical and maternity clinic in La Croix, Haiti and has worked in Haiti for more than 15 years. He recently helped to ensure that all children currently enrolled in our programs have vitamins for all of 2014!
Prenatal vitamins help to ensure a newborn baby is born as healthy as possible! They are a luxury that most Haitian women cannot afford.
We are thankful for partners like Dr. Lattanzi who are able to use their resources to support HFF and our families in Haiti.
With their support, we can better serve our families’ most basic needs, and provide them with items that will make a world of difference in their child’s development and growth.
For just $25, you can provide one child or one expectant mother with a month’s worth of vitamins, enabling us to do more.
Keeping children healthy is one of the foundations to keeping a family together and making them stronger.
We do this every day thanks to your generous donations.
Every dollar you give provides families with the opportunity to remain together, to grow strong, and to create a better Haiti. Your gift this year is growing a nation.
Thank you for being part of this global movement.
Please consider an end of the year tax-deductible donation at a level that is meaningful to you. It will give for years to come.
Wishing you a healthy and happy holiday season!
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