Joy and Hope of Haiti

The work we have done in Haiti has opened our eyes to the fact that the challenge of that country is only a microcosm of a much larger global problem. The United Nations reports that approximately 30,500 children around the world die each day of starvation or from malnutrition-related causes. Virtually all these kids live in the developing nations of the world: in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa or Central America, including Haiti. In one year, twenty million children die this way...or the equivalent of 2/3 of the Canadian population!! Over 800 million people live each day in a state of chronic hunger.

This is a moral issue, not an economic issue. The world has ample food. The industrialized nations of the world have the resources and wherewithal to correct this problem. With the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) and the Free Trade Zone of the Americas, a new world economy is evolving. However, a fundamental moral measure of any economy is how the poor and the vulnerable are faring. All people are entitled to the most basic of human rights - the right to life and the right to the basic necessities to maintain that life.

Canadians can contribute to finding a solution by observing a "National Day of Sharing" on the day before Thanksgiving. On that day, they should share the hunger so many people experience daily by not eating anything for 4 hours. They should further share their wealth with those who are dying daily to help eliminate this tragic situation. If all Canadians - men, women and children - donated $10 each year (3 cents per day per person) by depositing it to a Canadian bank, we would raise 300 million dollars in one day. This is a very significant amount of money when one realizes the United Nations Food Relief Fund only has a budget of 340 million U.S. for the entire year. This money would be managed and directed by an accountable Charitable Foundation independent of governments but endorsed by them. The Trustees of the Foundation would apply the funds to identified projects in needy areas of the world. The primary objective would be to increase agricultural production of food crops, major investments in rural infrastructure, building farmer associations, funding micro co-ops to encourage self-sustaining businesses and vocations, feeding school children and facilitating land reform in many parts of Africa, Latin America, and South Asia.

The funds raised in Canada in one day would significantly improve the lives of many people in the world. If the other major industrialized countries of the world undertook a similar "National Day of Sharing", it is reasonable to expect that death by starvation and malnutrition in developing countries could virtually be eliminated in the foreseeable future.


	Welcome to the Joy and Hope of Haiti Website

Home Who We Are Background Our History Future Vision Community Connections Projects 2000 2002 2003 2004 Fougerole Orphanage Fundraisers Charity Auction Road2Hope Watch a short video of 2009 Road2Hope Event 100 Holes For Haiti Help A Child Orphanage Sponsorship Birthing Kits H.E.A.R.T.S Healthy Smiles for Haiti Work Trips Our Stories Why Stories Esther's Story Georgina's Story Fred's Story Russell's Story As told to the Beacon Magazine Action Magazine Story Heart to Help (The Journal, Spectator) Another World (Spectator) Building a Dream on a Garbage Dump Photo Journal Contact Us Wish List	Future Vision The work we have done in Haiti has opened our eyes to the fact that the challenge of that country is only a microcosm of a much larger global problem. The United Nations reports that approximately 30,500 children around the world die each day of starvation or from malnutrition-related causes. Virtually all these kids live in the developing nations of the world: in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa or Central America, including Haiti. In one year, twenty million children die this way...or the equivalent of 2/3 of the Canadian population!! Over 800 million people live each day in a state of chronic hunger. This is a moral issue, not an economic issue. The world has ample food. The industrialized nations of the world have the resources and wherewithal to correct this problem. With the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) and the Free Trade Zone of the Americas, a new world economy is evolving. However, a fundamental moral measure of any economy is how the poor and the vulnerable are faring. All people are entitled to the most basic of human rights - the right to life and the right to the basic necessities to maintain that life. Canadians can contribute to finding a solution by observing a "National Day of Sharing" on the day before Thanksgiving. On that day, they should share the hunger so many people experience daily by not eating anything for 4 hours. They should further share their wealth with those who are dying daily to help eliminate this tragic situation. If all Canadians - men, women and children - donated $10 each year (3 cents per day per person) by depositing it to a Canadian bank, we would raise 300 million dollars in one day. This is a very significant amount of money when one realizes the United Nations Food Relief Fund only has a budget of 340 million U.S. for the entire year. This money would be managed and directed by an accountable Charitable Foundation independent of governments but endorsed by them. The Trustees of the Foundation would apply the funds to identified projects in needy areas of the world. The primary objective would be to increase agricultural production of food crops, major investments in rural infrastructure, building farmer associations, funding micro co-ops to encourage self-sustaining businesses and vocations, feeding school children and facilitating land reform in many parts of Africa, Latin America, and South Asia. The funds raised in Canada in one day would significantly improve the lives of many people in the world. If the other major industrialized countries of the world undertook a similar "National Day of Sharing", it is reasonable to expect that death by starvation and malnutrition in developing countries could virtually be eliminated in the foreseeable future.
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