“Haiti is one of the worst places on the planet to be a child. Children and families continue to experience unprecedented levels of lawlessness and brutality at the hands of the armed groups.” – Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF.*
The crisis in Haiti continues to get worse every day as gang violence increases and help from the global community declines. Children account for nearly half of the 700,000 Haitians who have been internally displaced, forced to leave their homes and live in makeshift camps. 1.5 million children have lost access to education. Half of the Haitian population, many of them children, do not know where their next meal is coming from. And children now make up 34-50% of gang membership. They are being forced to join so that they can access food, clean water, and have a little bit of protection.
Chanje Movement has been operating in Haiti since the earthquake in 2010. As a Haitian led organization, we are not strangers to turmoil and crisis. Our mission has always been to bring a hope and a future to the children in Haiti. Even in the darkest of times. And these are certainly dark times.
And yet we persevere. We have 22 children living in our children’s home in northern Haiti. They attend school every day, receive regular medical check ups and trauma counseling, have plenty of food and live in a safe environment where they are loved and cared for. They are growing up to be leaders in the community and positive forces for change.
We have also safely reunified 8 children this year with their families. We continue to support these families with education scholarships and money for food. We check on them as often as possible and are there to support when other needs arise.
As hunger continues to be one of the most wide spread and persistent problems in Haiti, much of Chanje Movement’s community outreach is focused on providing food. We do hot meal outreaches 1-2 times a month and each one serves 230 people a hot meal of rice, beans and meat. Many of those served are children living on the streets and our partners do their best to not just serve these kids food, but also hope. They have built relationships with them, given them resources when available, and have tried to instill a sense of purpose and worth in their hearts. If these outreaches save even just one child from joining a gang, it is worth it.
All of this work is funded by generous donors. Many in our Chanje donor community have visited Haiti and worked alongside our Haitian staff and partners. Others have heard our stories of impact and been moved to give. All of them have love for Haiti that continues even when most of the world looks at the country with disdain, or has forgotten it entirely.
If you would like to join the Chanje Community, please consider becoming a monthly donor. These donations are the financial foundation of our organization. They cover operating costs as well as allow us to make strategic growth decisions based on reliable income. You can set up a recurring donation here: www.chanje.org/give
Thank you for being a part of the Chanje community. Together, we can change ourselves, change our communities, and change our world.
