Haiti (MNN) — A massive earthquake added a new level of trauma to Haitians two years ago, but it only exacerbated the already extreme poverty in Haiti.
For years, For Haiti With Love has been forced to choose who will receive food and who will not as hungry Haitians come knocking for sustenance. With only so many supplies, For Haiti has never been able to feed everyone.
In the ongoing aftermath of the earthquake, the food problem is becoming even more dire.
"As jobs are nonexistent and food is very scarce, a lot of the missions programs have pulled out. Weather has not been in their favor. The young kids are panicking. So they're taking their children back to their grandmas, which puts the little ones' great-grandmas in charge of them," explains For Haiti's Eva DeHart.
Great-grandmothers are taking in multiple children at a time. Birth control is unaffordable, and many children have several brothers and sisters. When they realize they have too many mouths to feed, young mothers sometimes panic, leaving the kids in the hands of their own grandmothers.
But however they may want to help, these elderly women are ill-equipped to do so.
"They're simply too old to care for them," says DeHart. "They're too old to find ways to feed them, but now they've got this responsibility. They're looking at these little ones who see them as their future and the only way they're going to be fed."
For Haiti can help these grandmothers feed their great-grandchildren, but prayer and financial support are vital.
"Can we challenge the grandmas and the great-grandmas [who are reading this], that if they can spare $5 or $10, that will really make an impact on these next generation children that are relying on us?"
A little can go an very long way. A family can be fed for an entire month with just $100.
"Feeding these children and making sure that their brains develop properly through good nutrition, is the future of the country," notes DeHart. More than physical nourishment, these kids and grandmothers are being drawn to the Gospel. DeHart says they know that the food is coming "from God."
Grandmothers, consider this call for help. If you can spare even a few dollars for a struggling grandparent-grandchild family, help out today. You can click here to give online, call 727.938.3245, or send a check to:
PO Box 1017
Palm Harbor, FL 34682
