Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.  Eighty percent of Haitians live in desperate poverty, with 54% in abject poverty.  It's hard for many of us to understand what that really means. 

 

Try this:  after comparing food & housing costs and relative spending power, more than half of all Haitians live on what would be less than $1 per day in the United States, and many more on only $2 per day. How much food can you buy in the US for a dollar or two?  That's how much most Haitians get to eat--as long as they don't have to spend it on a place to live, because rent for a small home in Haiti is roughly $500 per year. 

 

If you are growing up in this sort of poverty, it effects not only where you live and how many meals you eat (if any), but whether you have any hope of a better future through education and job training.  In Haiti, education is not free, and there are few professions.  Most people are only able to do odd jobs, so you don't even know if there will be a workforce to join.  This also contributes to high crime rates and civil unrest.

 

This is why AOP can't afford to concentrate only on the immediate needs of the children, but is also working to develop community partnerships in Titanyen.  Our mission includes the revitalization of this village, and we are working to empower local residents who have good business ideas, or to boost those who have already started.  It is our hope that these partners will eventually be able to help support the orphanage. 

 

Helping the Local Economy

One of the ways we help boost the economy is by hiring and buying supplies locally whenever possible.  When it was time to rebuild Maranatha House, we chose to purchase supplies from local businesses, and employ a Haitian work crew, who worked with a supervisor from AOP.  During the process, some of our older boys learned a new skill, the Haitian crew enhanced their experience and marketability, improved construction methods were practiced, and the US teams that joined them had the satisfaction of knowing they did much more than build an orphanage.