Food For The Poor In Haiti

By Lessie Kaufman


The poorest nation in the world is in the western hemisphere, not far from major centers of wealth. Haiti, the largest nation in the Caribbean, keeps its position as the poorest of the poor year after year. Fortunately for its more than ten million people, many humanitarian organization are trying to help change that statistic. Food For The Poor In Haiti is a branch of the largest group working in Latin America and the Caribbean.

An international organization, Food For The Poor serves Latin America and the Caribbean. As one of the largest charities in the world, it has built a reputation for helping millions of children and adults survive. It is almost entirely funded by private donations, although it does receive some grant money. It feeds the poor but also does much more.

The country has many demographic and historic distinctions. It was discovered by Christopher Columbus. There were native people there, but they were soon virtually eliminated as the fertile areas of the island were planted with sugar cane and other crops. African slaves were imported to work for the colonial masters. Horrific conditions eventually led to a successful slave revolt; Haiti is the only nation founded in this way.

Unfortunately, decades of political unrest and high-level corruption have ravaged the nation. There is only a tiny middle class. Most people live in urban areas with little or no opportunity for education or future advancement. They seldom have access to sanitation, clean water, or adequate medical care. The cycle of poverty continues generation after generation for most Haitains.

Food For The Poor feeds over fifteen thousand people daily at their center in Port-au-Prince. It builds and restores homes and schools, provides clean water and sanitation to communities, and opens medical clinics. Start-up money is given to help people with micro-enterprises, giving them a way to support themselves and their families.

The organization works with many children whose families can't afford to feed them, much less pay the costs of school supplies and uniforms. This is a highly-rated charity with a long track record of wisely using donated money to the best advantage for poverty-stricken nations. They direct more than ninety-five percent of all funds received directly to humanitarian programs, spending less than five percent on administrative costs and fundraising efforts.

There are several ways to help this organization. People can make a one-time donation online by check, credit card, or Paypal. They can become a monthly contributor and make an automatic donation each month. They can sponsor an individual child for under forty dollars a month, giving the child food, education, and vocational training. They can build their own webpage to raise money for the charity in their home communities.

More information is available online. Upcoming events include 5K runs that inform the public as well as raise money for emergency needs. The charity posts pictures of children needing sponsors, too, and provides information on what the organization is doing in Haiti and other areas of Latin America and the Caribbean.




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