Excerpts from: The Situation of Orphans in Haiti: A Summary Assessment "With an estimated 1.2 million orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in the country and an HIV prevalence of 7.7% of the population, the Haitian government, donors and other stakeholders have realized the importance of strengthening their interventions to reach these children." "The poorest nation in the hemisphere, more than 70% of Haitians live in poverty with an estimated annual income of approximately $400 (PRB Population Data Sheet 1999). The statistics paint a grim picture of the situation in Haiti in general and for its children in particular. Haiti’s HIV prevalence rate is the highest in the region. Estimates are that there are over 300,000 HIV positive men, women and children in the country with 45,000 AIDS-related deaths per year. Each year some 5,000 babies are born infected. Forty percent of the population is under the age of 15 and as many as 25% of these children may be classified as extremely vulnerable. Between 5 and 7% of children have already lost one or both parents and over 7% live in families with an infected member. As a result, Haiti has and will continue to have a growing number of disadvantaged young people and an ominous threat to the country’s future economic development." The opportunity to help came as a lady visited the warehouse and was picking out some clothing to fill a container headed overseas. Her name was Helen Little, she attended Horne Memorial United Methodist Church in Clayton, traveled and worked with medical missionary teams, cared for orphans, and shipped through the United States State Department and World Vision to various parts of the world. She started her own children's home in Haiti, knew who needed our excess clothing, and how to ship it. She arranged selection, pickup, shipping, and distribution. |