Haiti is Burning: Let's Bridge the Gap!
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Haiti is Burning: Together We Can Bridge the Gap!
Many of you are aware of Be Happy Haiti and have supported our efforts through the years to preserve the smiles of thousands of Haiti’s children! For those not familiar with what we do, I invite you to visit our website at www.behappyhaiti.org.
“As Protests Again Sweep Haiti, How Can the Nation Move Forward?” – The New Yorker
“Haiti Gripped by Violent Protests Amid Calls for President’s Ouster” – The New York Times
“Gas Shortages Paralyze Haiti, Triggering Protests Against Failing Economy and Dysfunctional Politics” – The Conversation
“Hundreds of Thousands of Haitians on the Verge of Famine” – Voice of America
Take these headlines individually and you know there are problems. Take these headlines as a whole, published within weeks of each other, and the problem becomes a crisis. According to The World Food Program, more than 1 in 3 of Haiti’s 11 million people need urgent assistance.
The impact on the school children that we serve is personal to us at Be Happy Haiti.
We have not seen our children in the area of La Vallée-de-Jacmel in almost two years now. The political situation and associated uprisings have disrupted our trips for 2019 and into the foreseeable future. Just last month we made the decision that our 2020 trip would not be feasible.
However, it is no longer dental care that is urgent, it is food. Pure and simple, the children and families we support are suffering from hunger. The unrest has forced the closing of schools which means the one meal that many of our children could count on in a day is no longer being served.
There is also a fuel shortage in Haiti which means transportation to food sources is not feasible. This is especially true for the rural communities who are far away from Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien where humanitarian donations from other countries are unloaded for distribution.
You get the picture…
What is the need then? Money. Money to buy food. The cost of rice has been increasing by 10% every month while sources of income are diminishing. Be Happy Haiti is seeking donations in order to wire money to a trusted source who will ensure that it goes equitably to the people of La Vallée-de-Jacmel, especially the children.
To date, the student representatives of Be Happy Haiti at St. Cecilia Academy have raised over $2,000 which is being wired to Haiti this week. It is our goal to continue our fundraising through the holidays with the hope that we can meet our Haitian brothers’ and sisters’ needs well into the future. Together, we will bridge the gap as best we can until we are able to visit once again.
As you are looking to make donations over the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, we ask that you consider Be Happy Haiti. All or a portion of your gift may be tax deductible to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Diocese of Nashville.
Thank you and God bless.
Many of you are aware of Be Happy Haiti and have supported our efforts through the years to preserve the smiles of thousands of Haiti’s children! For those not familiar with what we do, I invite you to visit our website at www.behappyhaiti.org.
“As Protests Again Sweep Haiti, How Can the Nation Move Forward?” – The New Yorker
“Haiti Gripped by Violent Protests Amid Calls for President’s Ouster” – The New York Times
“Gas Shortages Paralyze Haiti, Triggering Protests Against Failing Economy and Dysfunctional Politics” – The Conversation
“Hundreds of Thousands of Haitians on the Verge of Famine” – Voice of America
Take these headlines individually and you know there are problems. Take these headlines as a whole, published within weeks of each other, and the problem becomes a crisis. According to The World Food Program, more than 1 in 3 of Haiti’s 11 million people need urgent assistance.
The impact on the school children that we serve is personal to us at Be Happy Haiti.
We have not seen our children in the area of La Vallée-de-Jacmel in almost two years now. The political situation and associated uprisings have disrupted our trips for 2019 and into the foreseeable future. Just last month we made the decision that our 2020 trip would not be feasible.
However, it is no longer dental care that is urgent, it is food. Pure and simple, the children and families we support are suffering from hunger. The unrest has forced the closing of schools which means the one meal that many of our children could count on in a day is no longer being served.
There is also a fuel shortage in Haiti which means transportation to food sources is not feasible. This is especially true for the rural communities who are far away from Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien where humanitarian donations from other countries are unloaded for distribution.
You get the picture…
What is the need then? Money. Money to buy food. The cost of rice has been increasing by 10% every month while sources of income are diminishing. Be Happy Haiti is seeking donations in order to wire money to a trusted source who will ensure that it goes equitably to the people of La Vallée-de-Jacmel, especially the children.
To date, the student representatives of Be Happy Haiti at St. Cecilia Academy have raised over $2,000 which is being wired to Haiti this week. It is our goal to continue our fundraising through the holidays with the hope that we can meet our Haitian brothers’ and sisters’ needs well into the future. Together, we will bridge the gap as best we can until we are able to visit once again.
As you are looking to make donations over the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, we ask that you consider Be Happy Haiti. All or a portion of your gift may be tax deductible to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Diocese of Nashville.
Thank you and God bless.
Organizer and beneficiary
Jim Tarwater
Organizer
Franklin, TN
Lori Reddick
Beneficiary
