Worldwide Food Crisis Affects Haiti

Can you imagine living in a world where you would die fighting for a loaf of bread? Or surviving on just two cans of corn grits a day? Most of us will never have to face this kind of situation, but unfortunately many people around the world will, including those in Haiti. High petroleum prices that increase the cost of everything from fertilizers to transportation for the food, coupled with freak weather events and dock strikes at the ports, have dramatically increased food prices in Haiti.

A recent article by the Associated Press tells the story of Eugene Thermilion, a Haitian man who can no longer afford to feed his wife and four children due to the steep increase in the price of pasta, which has nearly doubled to $0.57 a bag. This may not seem like much, but on an average income of $1 or $2 per day, it is a significant difference. Some days, all Thermilion and his family have to eat are two cans of corn grits. One Haitian food vendor has lost so many customers due to the high food costs that she could no longer afford the $20 tuition to send her daughter, who was just learning to read, to kindergarten.

According to projections made by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States, farmers in Haiti and around the world will eventually be able to grow enough crops for both food and fuel and bring prices down, but will not see the effects of this farming for another 10 years.

This means that the people of Haiti need our help today. International Child Care (ICC) offers several programs to combat the effects of higher food prices, including micro-loans to help women work their way out of poverty and monitoring and treating children for malnutrition.

Educating families, especially women, to understand the nutritional needs of young children by promoting breast feeding and healthy eating habits is one way ICC addresses the problem of malnutrition. ICC also uses mobile clinics in urban and rural areas of Haiti and the Dominican Republic to track the growth of children under 5 and prevent malnutrition in children. Undernourished children have weak immune systems, leaving them vulnerable to childhood diseases such as diarrhea, measles, and tuberculosis. ICC provides immunizations against these and other diseases and distributes Vitamin A, as a lack of this nutrient can prolong and increase the severity of persistent illnesses.

You can help International Child Care end malnutrition in Haiti. We greatly appreciate your support, encouragement, and donations.