Haiti (MNN) — Up to two million
children are feared orphaned or at least separated from their parents in
Haiti. There are growing concerns about
their safety as looters prowl. The prison also collapsed, and inmates are
roaming the streets.
In this impoverished country, food prices will quickly escalate. Clean
water will be at a premium. Gas prices will be exorbitant. Aside from U.S. troops and the United Nations, there is little
effective government presence to prevent the mounting bedlam from going into
anarchy.
As the search for food and water
grows more desperate, the struggle for
survival will take a violent turn. Already
there are reports of gangs of young men and boys armed with machetes scavenging
the ruins.
At the best of times, lone
children faced abuse and attacks in the streets. With
conditions deteriorating, the danger
increases for the youngest quake survivors.
Al Lackey with Kids Alive International says,
"Kids Alive hopes to cooperate with some of the other organizations there
and rescue these children and bring them into temporary care, give them the
counseling and care that they're going to need after going through this
horrible experience."
Kids Alive
ministers to children in three homes. They are first making sure the
kids they're already helping stay safe. Plans
are also underway to take in as many orphans as they can in the unharmed
housing in the north of Haiti and possibly in the Dominican Republic.
Future plans also include additional
homes for 50 to 100 children orphaned by the earthquake. Lackey says that when Kids Alive says 'Yes,'
it's a lifetime commitment.
The kids hear this message:
"We're going to care for you until you are a young adult. We're going to
educate you, we're going to love you, we're going to teach you about Jesus Christ.
We want you to be the Godly change agent of the future Haiti."
Kids Alive sent funding to begin
rescue measures. More needs to be done. Click
here for details.
