THN International

In  2004 in order to provide a stronger voice internationally, The Hope Network International was formed.  We look forward to working in all countries regardless of race or creed.

As a relatively new international outreach organization our main work has been in the Caribbean countries of Jamaica and the Commonwealth of Dominica. This year, according to our mission to help those in greatest need we have been planning an expansion of our outreach efforts to include the island nation of Haiti. This latest effort has required additional logistical planning and coordination as even our Haitian partners have not been able to guarantee safe passage and distribution of donations and relief supplies.

Hope For Haiti

Project Type

Pilot Project

Project stage

Planning

Objectives

1. To create a proposal for funding ongoing relief efforts in Haiti. To date we have spoken with both CIDA and Oxfam. Funding through CIDA’s partnership branch has certain requirements. (Learn more)
2. To establish secure shipment of supplies from THN Canada and THN International to Haitian distribution partners. We have been looking at private shipping and shipping through La Fondation Des Parlimentaire Qubecois. Who send secure shipments to Haiti and Africa using the services of the Canadian Armed Forces.
3. To establish relationships with In-Country THN Partners. We are seeking to Partner with local Haitian NGOs, Churches, and Schools for ongoing relief aid distribution.
4. For Haiti to meet it’s Millennial Development goals for 2015. This however is a very daunting task. To track Haiti’s progress toward the 8 Millennial Development goals please visit the MDG Monitor website.

Overview

What you are seeing here is not a riot, or a protest. Here Haitians are struggling with each other at a poorly devised clothing distribution center in town of Cabaret, on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008. We at the Hope Network are dedicated to doing our best for those who need it most. Here we see the need, and so we are planing to send relief supplies to Haiti through a local NGO to avoid repeating a scene like this.

Haiti, the poorest Nation in the the western hemisphere, lies in the center of the Hurricane Belt. Three Tropical storms in 2008 caused, loss of crops due to flooding. Loss of housing for over 1 million Haitians. Loss of seed stocks, rising fuel prices and this exacerbated an existing political instability dating back to 2004. This instability lead to more food shortages, that led to riots that caused food prices to rise even higher. Add to this some sobering statistics. The literacy rate in Haiti is somewhere around 50%. Current estimates place the number of persons in Haiti living with HIV/Aids over 300,000 (Learn more). Total population of the Island is around 9,000,000. The average life expectancy is just 57.03 years and falling as of 2008. This image was taken several months ago, but the struggle Haitians face in trying to feed, clothe and educate their families continues.

Current Needs

We are currently seeking transportation assistance and a Haitian community group or NGO to partner with us who will handle the distribution of aid supplies. We are also seeking various seed varieties to send to Haitian farmers.

Relief Supply Priorities

• A. Health and hygiene supplies – Potable water

• B. Food - The main elements of the Haitian diet are corn, cassava, millet, rice and fruit. Tropical fruits such as pineapples, mangoes, oranges and grapefruit are plentiful. Generally, the largest meal for Haitians is eaten at lunch time. Breakfast consists of bread (Haitian bread and biscuits are essentially made of white flour), butter, and coffee. Children are allowed coffee, which is not as strong as that consumed by adults. Another common breakfast food is Oatmeal, with its high content of B Vitamins, Protein and Fiber, appears to be a cereal of choice to make hot porridge. At lunch time, a basic Haitian meal might include rice and beans, boiled plantains, a salad made of watercress and tomatoes, and stewed beef.  Seeds, tools for farmers, canned legumes, Powdered Milk.

• C. Clothing – Harold Fevrier is working on a project called Hand Down Your Clothes to Haiti. When asked what type of clothing he was looking for he said “You don’t want to hand out sweaters. I went to Haiti in December, and it was still hot.” Like Harold we are looking for clothing that can be worn in the most humid days in July and August here in Canada. We are also looking for work wear, of the type that a general laborer might use. We will need many pairs of shoes and rubber boots. Especially childrens sizes as they forced to go barefoot. Finally we need new, unused undergarments, for men, women and children. All cloathing should be new or lightly used. We are giving our best to those who need cloathing the most. Many lost everything in the storms and subsequent flooding. Project Hope For Haiti is trying to give something back.

Relief Supply Table

For more information on this or other THN projects, contact us.