Our work in the region
SOS Children’s Villages has been supporting children and young people without parental care, or at risk of losing it, in Haiti since 1984.
Below are just some of the ways we have been providing support.
- Keeping families together through family strengthening initiatives.
- Providing family based alternative care including foster families, family-like care and kinship care, when separation is unavoidable.
- Delivering health and nutrition services, including paediatric hospitals, nutrition centres and mobile outreach clinics.
- Providing education through kindergartens, primary schools and learning interventions for displaced children.
- Deploying rapid‑response humanitarian aid to deliver lifesaving support in emergencies.
Impact on children
31% of the total population in Haiti is younger than 14 years old. Many grow up in precarious situations, especially as Haiti is the country with the highest infant mortality rates in the Americas.
Many children die from preventable diseases like cholera, tuberculosis or pneumonia. Children are especially vulnerable during crises, and Haiti has had its fair share. The critical economic and social situation, the political unrest, as well as natural disasters, are putting hundreds of thousands of children at risk.
Widespread poverty
Approximately 60 per cent of Haitians live in poverty. This means people are likely to be malnourished, have limited education, and live in unsafe housing without clean drinking water, sanitation or electricity. Children suffer from these circumstances, and many do not survive: Haiti has the highest infant mortality rates in the Americas. The situation is worst in rural areas where access to basic services is limited. Schools and hospitals are scarce, meaning children and patients have to travel far to get to them.
Cholera
In the last years, cholera has been on the rise again in Haiti. Cholera is an infection causing acute diarrhea. If left untreated, people suffer from dehydration, and eventually, death. The disease is often caused by poor sanitation and lack of clean water and food. Since its appearance in 2010, cholera has killed nearly 10,000 people. Nowadays, children make up half of the cholera victims in Haiti. Gang violence, fuel shortage and road blockades make access to clean drinking water and health services almost impossible, thus increasing the risk of death.
Social unrest
Haiti has experienced many crises in recent years. Not only earthquakes have had disastrous consequences on inhabitants and infrastructure, but also political and social conflicts have taken their toll on Haitians. The most recent unrests involve fuel shortages and gang violence. There is a constant threat of kidnapping, violence and rape, with around 75 kidnappings happening every month. The lack of food supplies and unavailability of health care makes things worse. These living conditions have lasting repercussions for Haitians.
Our impact so far
A loving home
- 310 children left parentless or abandoned have found a loving home within an SOS Children’s Village.
- 334 young people attending secondary school or apprenticeships move to youth residential groups and receive support on their way to self-employment.
Help for families
5,538 children and parents have received a range of help including:
- access to education
- healthcare
- educational and family counselling
- training and career guidance
Education
- Parents are supported in setting up self-managed daycare centers in their communities. 1,908 children benefit from being supported in their early development.
- 2639 school children and adults have access to education via Hermann Gmeiner Schools.
- 837 young people and parents have access to vocational training.
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