Transcript Change for Haiti

Erin Garry
September 2012
Haiti: An Introduction
 Haiti is a country that
takes up the western end
of Hispaniola, an island
in the Caribbean Sea,
near Cuba and the
Bahamas
 Haiti, which became an
independent nation in
1804, is home to 9.2
million people
Haiti Is the Poorest Country
In the Western Hemisphere
 54% of Haitians live on less
than $1 per day
 78% live on less than $2 per
day
 More than two-thirds of
workers do not have regular
jobs with steady paychecks
 Most people in the capital,
Port-au-Prince, do not have
access to tap water
 80 out of every 1,000
newborn Haitian children
 38% of Haitian adults are
die before their first
not able to read or write
birthday
Sources: http://www.haitipartners.org; http://www.dec.org.uk/haiti-earthquake-factsand-figures
A January 2010
Earthquake
Devastated Haiti
 220,000 people were killed
 300,000 people were hurt
 180,000 homes were damaged
 1.5 million people were left homeless
 4,000 schools were damaged or destroyed
Source: http://www.dec.org.uk/haiti-earthquake-facts-and-figures
The People of Haiti Face
Many Health Challenges
 Following the earthquake, 216,000 people were
infected with cholera, a life-threatening intestinal
disorder, and 4,000 died of the disease
 Even before the earthquake, many Haitian suffered
from serious infectious diseases, including typhoid
fever, dengue fever, malaria, and leptospirosis
 Half of Haitian children under age 5 have malnutrition
 Most Haitians do not have easy access to a doctor
Sources: http://www.haitipartners.org; http://www.dec.org.uk/haitiearthquake-facts-and-figures; The CIA World Factbook 2011.
One of the Greatest Health
Problems is Lymphatic Filariasis (LF)
 1 in 4 people in Haiti is infected with lymphatic
filariasis (LF), a parasitic disease caused by
microscopic-sized worms and spread from one person
to another by mosquito bite
 By inhabiting the human lymph
system, the LF parasite can cause
terrible swelling, resulting in pain,
disfigurement, and inability to work
 Many people with LF are shunned
by their relatives and neighbors
Sources: http://haiti.nd.edu/program-history/;
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lymphaticfilariasis/
The Good News: The Fighting Irish
Are Fighting for the People of Haiti
 Father Tom Streit, CSC, PhD, a biology
professor at Notre Dame, is leading an
effort to wipe out LF by giving as many
Haitians as possible two drugs
– diethycarbamazine (DEC) and
albendazole – which kill the parasites,
and fortified salt, which makes the drugs
more effective
 In 2010/2011, the Notre Dame Haiti Program,
in collaboration with its partners, achieved
island-wide coverage of the entire eligible
population for the first time
 To wipe out the disease, however, repeat
drug treatment each year for many years
is necessary
Sources: http://haiti.nd.edu/program-history/; http://haiti.nd.edu/activities/;
http://haiti.nd.edu/
How You Can Help Notre Dame
In the Fight Against LF This Lent
 Father Streit and Notre Dame’s Haiti Program need funds to educate
the Haitian people about the disease, support production of fortified
salt, and administer treatments
 Catholic schools and their students can help by raising funds through
many types of Lenten projects
 Contributing 50 cents one Friday or each Friday during Lent
 A “Color Day,” where contributors can wear their own clothes instead
of uniforms on a certain day
 Contests to see which class in the school can collect the most change
 Student Council bake sales or other activities in which the funds raised
are donated to Notre Dame’s Haiti Program
 Last year, several Archdiocese of Newark schools joined the fight
 This is a great opportunity for students who need service hours;
we can show you how to earn 20 hours organizing a program in
your school
 Any amount helps; please conduct a program this Lent to help Father
Streit and the people of Haiti
Giving Your Change
To Notre Dame’s Haiti Program
 Please send the money you raise directly to:
 The Notre Dame Haiti Program
305 Brownson Hall
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Attention: Diana Green
 For more information on the Notre Dame Haiti
Program, please visit: http://haiti.nd.edu/
 Thank you for anything you can do to help with this
important project and for contributing to “Change for
Haiti”
Thank You!