The least developed nation in the western hemisphere, Haiti is beset by poverty, rocked by instability, and entrenched in a battle to prevent HIV/AIDS.  Many Haitians – by nature, a hospitable and generous people – have lost hope.

World Relief gets to the heart of Haiti’s major problems by focusing on grassroots interventions that empower individuals to earn a living, take care of their children, and make wise and healthy lifestyle choices.

Orphans and Vulnerable Children
Across this Caribbean island nation, thousands of children are orphaned and many more are vulnerable…vulnerable to hunger, exploitation, sexual abuse and child slavery.  In response to these vast needs, World Relief has launched the Orphans and Vulnerable Children Program.  The program works in tandem with our Maternal & Child Health Program, identifying at-risk children through local church partners.  “We are working together with the MCH program that includes 36 churches, mobilizing the church leaders to be involved,” says World Relief’s Philippe Nicolas.

Mobilizing Youth for Life
With funding from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), World Relief has scaled up its anti-AIDS program, Mobilizing Youth for Life (MYFL).  Focusing on the core prevention strategies of abstinence before marriage and marital fidelity, MYFL operates in more than 800 evangelical churches in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.  World Relief believes the Church is uniquely positioned to confront and address the AIDS crisis.  MYFL is a grassroots movement with far-reaching potential because so many Haitians go to church.  By 2009, World Relief’s goal is to reach 225,000 (125,000 in churches and 100,000 in schools) young Haitians with the life-changing message of sexual purity.

Microfinance
In 2000, World Relief responded to the cry of Haitian pastors: “Please, help our people to rise above survival mode!”  Today, World Relief provides small entrepreneurial start-up loans and training to 2,860 clients, mostly women from vulnerable households in Port-au-Prince.  Commercial banks will not loan money to the poor, but World Relief’s microfinance institutions actively seek out the poorest families, empowering women who often head households and are the main providers for their children.  The average first loan is 3,500 Haitian gourdes (approximately $95 US).  “Our target is the family, and when women earn they spend it on their children,” explains World Relief’s Wilson Plymouth.