Today, basic survival is a daily struggle for the majority of Haiti’s people, with over half of the population living in abject poverty.1 Further, the unstable political environment has obstructed the availability of social services such as health care and education. All over Haiti, hospitals and schools have shut down because educators, social workers, and health officials have stopped going to work due to their fear of violence.2 This has severely affected the well-being of Haiti's people, and in fact 60 percent of Haiti's rural population lacks access to basic health-care services. 3 Children are perhaps the most vulnerable to this crisis: in Haiti, children die more often between the ages of one and four than almost anywhere else in the world. 4

Education and economic opportunities also evade Haiti's rural and poverty stricken communities. Primary education in Haiti is supposed to be free, but it rarely is. Only ten percent of Haitian children attend public schools. Limited access to a free education means that less than half of school-aged children are actually able to attend school at all. Unfortunately, rather than going to school, many children are subject to horrific exploitation and slavery. According to UNICEF, as many as 2,000 children each year are trafficked to the Dominican Republic, often against the will of their parents. 5

Lack of health-care, education and safe shelter causes tremendous human suffering in Haiti. However, Longchamp Charities believes that change is possible. We are convinced that by providing safe-haven homes and quality education to Haitian children through our Taina’s Hope initiative, we can transform Haiti, one child at a time.