Aid Still Required

Aid Still Required - Haiti Gangs hold most of the cards in Haiti. They wantonly terrorize Haitis residents through killings, public hangings, kidnappings, sexual assaults and other atrocities, and control the flow of food, medical supplies, commerce and traffic. If parents dare to send their kids to school, they have no assurance theyll ever see them again. Even in the best of times, most Haitians live on less than $2 per day, in makeshift huts, sleeping on dirt floors, averaging one meal per day, and are treated as second-class citizens by their literate peers.No people on Earth have endured more oppression and subjugation over the past 500 years than the people of Haiti. From 1492, when Columbus immediately enslaved the native Haitian people, to Frances and Spains 300 years of brutal slave tactics, to the historic trade blockades enforced by France and the ransom demanded by it for decades after Haitis successful slave rebellion in 1804, to the 19-year occupation by the United States Marines beginning in 1915, to the domination of autocrats and gangs throughout the past 200 years, Haitians have had a very raw deal.Haitis government is deeply corrupt, endowed by the gun trade and drug cartels. Its school system is regarded as one of the worst in the world, with fewer than 8% graduating high school and 1% graduating university. Its low literacy rate, almost non-existent vocational training, and bleak job market leave Haitians with no built-in pathways to better lives.We believe everyone deserves a fair shot at life, that everyone deserves to be equipped with the tools necessary to fulfill on their dreams, no matter their circumstances. We believe in the unlimited potential of all people, including those highly impoverished and those forgotten after natural disasters and human crises. Haiti is rife with poverty, disasters and crises. That, plus the loving, dedicated bonds weve developed with our leaders and participants, is why weve found a home there, and why weve put 100% of our focus on the countrys most vulnerable communities for the past 14 years.While Haiti suffers through its latest crisis, ASRs Whole Community Approach is lifting shattered communities, leaving no one behind. Through our PreK-6th grade schools, vocational training, and in-home medical and psychological care, this curriculum is transforming the lives of thousands of Haitis least secure children (about 20% of whom are orphaned) and their adult caregivers:Aid Still Requireds grammar school graduates test significantly higher than their peers in the region. Girls now comprise more than 50% of student enrollment in ASR schools, up from 30% at inception. Teen pregnancies are down 40% (a radical shift for girls, their mothers who usually become the infants caregivers, and their communities).Hypertension (and by extension its related diseases) cut in half.Domestic violence markedly reduced.100% of all contributions to Aid Still Required go directly to the field - to our all-Haitian team of 100 teachers, trainers, doctors, nurses and social workers, all serving their own communities. No US-based personnel receives remuneration of any kind, and ASRs board of directors covers all US-based expenses, so every dollar donated goes where the need is greatest.In a world of haves and have-nots, we have encountered no greater underdog and no more resilient, intelligent and appreciative people than those whom we partner with in Haiti. Thank you for partnering with us and bringing a new day to the dear people of Haiti.