"
In Haiti, it is a major accomplishment for a child to survive long enough to mark his or her first birthday. In fact, one of every 14 infants in Haiti never reaches that milestone," according to a UNICEF report. In the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, many of Haiti's children are starving. However, organizations are at work trying to feed the children.
Haiti
Haiti constitutes the western one-third of the island of Hispaniola. It is a nation that has seen a great deal of upheaval and political unrest. Haiti was the first black republic to declare independence when it did so in 1804, but it has suffered from coups and political violence for most of its history.
Food in Haiti
Food in Haiti is scarce. According to the World Food Programme "48 percent of national consumed food is imported, 47 percent is produced locally while food assistance fills 5 percent of the national needs. It is estimated that more than 2.4 million people in Haiti are food-insecure." Mass deforestation has eroded the soil and made it inhospitable for sustainable food growth. According to the U.S. Library of Congress, "Haiti was once a lush tropical island, replete with pines and broad leaf trees. However, by 1988, only about 2 percent of the country had tree cover."
The Children of Haiti
Seventy percent of the 9 million people in Haiti are children. According to the Mercy and Sharing Foundation:
"Haiti's children endure illiteracy, child slavery and the highest mortality rates in the Western Hemisphere. The statistics are alarming:
• 10 percent of the child population in Haiti will die before the age of 4.
• 7 percent (337,000) of the children in Haiti are enslaved. They are as young as 3 years old. They often suffer sexual, emotional, physical abuse and possibly death.
• 45 percent of the Haitian population is illiterate.
• 70 percent of the population lives below poverty level.
• 30 percent of the Haitian population is either ill and or underweight."
In addition, Save the Children Foundation adds that:
• Some 3.8 percent of the population is believed to be HIV positive, among them 17,000 children.
• About 500,000 girls and boys are out of school and some 300,000 children live in domestic servitude.
UNICEF
In recognizing the gravity of the situation in Haiti, UNICEF issued a Child Alert Report for Haiti. "In no other country in Latin America and the Caribbean--and in only a few in the developing world outside of sub-Saharan Africa--is a child more likely to die between the ages of 1 and 4 than in Haiti. In 2004, of the 58,000 deaths in the region among children in this age group, 11,000--19 per cent, or roughly one in every five--were Haitian. The disproportionate ratio of child deaths to births in Haiti says much about why this Child Alert has been issued." Rates of chronic malnutrition among Haitian children are also high, especially in rural areas. It is estimated that across the country, almost one-quarter of all children under the age of 5 suffers from moderate to severe malnutrition, a developmental inheritance that can leave children with an intellectual and physical deficit for the rest of their lives.
Foundations Assist Children with Food and Other Necessities
The most immediate and versatile form of assistance is money. The organizations listed below assist starving children in Haiti and welcome donations.
Save the Children: http://www.savethechildren.org/countries/latin-america-caribbean/haiti.html
Mercy and Sharing: http://www.haitichildren.com/index.html
The Children's Nutrition Program of Haiti: http://cnphaiti.org/
Meds and Foods for Kids: http://www.medsandfoodforkids.org/
Tags: Haiti children, Child Alert, children Haiti, estimated that, Food Haiti