In the small Caribbean Island Nation of Haiti, people are experiencing tremendous hunger. In addition to recent earthquakes and subsequent diseases spreading throughout the country, Haiti was already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
I grew up in Haiti for most of my childhood with my parents and other brothers and sisters. My father taught us young the need to work hard and the importance of food. From my home, I saw lines of merchants come to my father’s business every morning to buy beef, pork, chicken, and fish. They would go into the markets and sell these foods everyday and return the next morning to buy again. I had no idea how much of the country got their food from our factory in Port-Au-Prince, but I know that supermarkets, street merchants, and families alike, all bought from my father.
I learned at a very young age that many had little. Food and clothing were scarce. Electricity, a luxury. Although many of my friends were living off of less than 25 cents a day, there was always something to smile about. An invisible hope that kept families moving forward.
Like many others, my family and I eventually moved to the United States, but my father remained in business there for the rest of his life. Every year I would return home to see my father and friends. As time passed and I grew older, I realized the situation was not improving.
And then I saw it. World Focus reporting on a YouTube video showing a terrible reality. People making, selling, and eating mud cookies. With no money, or a stable government, the situation only deteriorates. Despite over a billion dollars in aid, Haiti remains the least developed nation in the Western Hemisphere.
Let us help those we have the power to help.
