Step Into My World: Western Haiti

Today, we visit the country of Haiti, more specifically, the cities in Western Haiti.

I have two children that live in Western Haiti:

Emanise and Sevenson

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and is considered one of the hungriest countries in the world. Compassion in Western Haiti works in and around the cities of Port-Au-Prince (the capital), St. Marc, and Anse-a-Galets. 

I'm sure we can all remember hearing about the catastrophic earthquake that rocked Haiti in 2010. People from all over the world donated millions and millions of dollars to Haiti, but unfortunately, almost none of the money reached the people in need (You should Google "Red Cross Haiti Fraud to learn more. In the future, don't donate money through Red Cross). Sadly, today, five years later over a million people are still homeless and living in tents and makeshifts homes, especially in the city's capital. 

Along with damaging homes, the 2010 earthquake also damaged roads in Haiti, making travel very difficult and painstakingly slow. Travel by car or bus is nearly impossible. Most people travel on foot, which, as you can imagine, takes a long time. 

Due to its extreme overpopulation, schools are not equipped to educate all of the children at the same time. Instead, children attend school in shifts. The morning shift lasts 8:00 a.m - 1:00 p.m and the afternoon/evening shift lasts 2:00 p.m - 7:00 p.m. Even still, many homeless children or children living in the slums and tent cities don't attend school at all. This has caused a decrease in literacy rates in Haiti since the earthquake. Compassion assures that every child in their programs attends school and also receives tutoring and lessons before or after their school shift. They are making sure these children are not falling behind.

Compassion-assisted children are also provided with many extra-curricular lessons, including music, dance, sports, and art. 

Of course, all Compassion children in Haiti are taught about how much God loves them, are taught bible stories, and are given a chance to worship together. As you can tell, the children love it!

Compassion in Western Haiti ask for the following prayer requests: 

- Pray that the children will be able to make a difference in their communities through the teachings they receive from Compassion programs. 

- Pray that children living in polluted areas will be kept safe from waterborne diseases. 

- Pray that God will provide more income-generating opportunities to empower parents to take better care of their children. 

I want to share two kiddos from Western Haiti, that are both waiting for sponsors, with you: 

Sweet Cheldine is 9 years old. Her birthday is April 5th, 2006. She lives with her aunt and 2 other children, which could be her siblings or her cousins. She helps at home by carrying water and cleaning. For fun, she enjoys singing and running. 

She has been waiting 240 days for a sponsor.

You can sponsor her here

Dooby has been sponsored!